All' fair in love, war and the game of Survivor. At least that's how it has been for most of the past 40 seasons. Every new twist added to the game has been generally well received by audiences and players alike as a way to embrace the new and ever-changing eras of the game.
Every now and then there's a vote-off that seems unfair or controversial, often because it was out of the control of the players. A contestant can be doomed by an unlucky swap, a surprise twist, or too many advantages resulting in their untimely elimination. These castaways have no choice but to exit the game, but their exit doesn't always sit right with fans (or players) who think that they deserved a lot more playing time.
Kimmi Kappenberg (Second Chance)
After first appearing in its second season, Kimmi Kappenberg waited nearly 15 years for a chance to play the game of Survivor again, and she came back with a vengeance.
She redeemed herself and proved to be a much better player than she was the first time around all the way back in season two, only for her to be sent home due to an abundance of idols and stubbornness at the final six tribal council. After a revote and a deadlock between her and Tasha Fox, the remaining castaways unanimously decided to send Kimmi home, a move in which she was betrayed by her former allies and deemed less valuable than fellow player Keith Nale.
Malcolm Freberg (Game Changers)
Fan favorite Malcolm Freberg was doomed by a tribe swap on the blindside-heavy season of Survivor. He thought he had a strong alliance with Tocantins winner JT Thomas, only for the latter's loose lips to send Malcolm packing.
Malcolm and JT had devised a plan to vote off Sandra, but a joint tribal council foiled their plans and left Malcolm eliminated as a result of an idol play. Tai Trang played his idol on Sierra Dawn Thomas, Malcolm and JT's tribe's newest target, leaving Malcolm and his tribe-mates dumbfounded and disappointed. Fans were also heartbroken, especially since there was nothing Malcolm could do to protect himself.
Candice Cody (Blood Vs. Water)
Candice Cody didn't even get a chance to play on Blood vs. Water. She was voted off by fellow Survivor alumni on the very first day, solely for being unrecognizable.
Her husband John offered to be eliminated and sent to Redemption Island in her place, but she refused and insisted that he get a chance to play the game like she had twice before. Candice's elimination before the game even started was unfair and unpredictable, plus it made the whole theme of Blood vs. Water useless to her and her husband.
Dan Rengering (David Vs. Goliath)
One third of the infamous "Bro-chachos" bromance alliance, Dan Rengering thought he had Survivor all figured out when he played his hidden immunity idol on day 25, only for a twist unbeknownst to him to send him home.
After Dan played his idol on himself, Carl used his idol nullifier, a new advantage that allowed him to overpower Dan's idol. This meant all the votes cast against Dan remained valid, and since the majority voted for him, he became a member of the jury. Dan had no idea that the idol nullifier was even a thing, making his exit a total blindside.
Kellee Kim (Island Of The Idols)
Kellee Kim was the second player ever to be voted out with not one but two unplayed immunity idols in her pocket.
Kellee was one of the strongest players on Island of the Idols heading into the merge but was quickly targeted due the knowledge of her advantages and her campaign against Dan Spilo, who mshe confessed to producers had touched her inappropriately. Instead of her fellow tribemates joining forces with her to eliminate Dan, or producers stepping in and removing him, Kellee was voted off and became the second member of the jury.
Sydney Segal (41)
Sydney Segal was the unfortunate victim of one of the many new twists introduced in season 41 of Survivor. After Erika activated a gameplay twist that reversed the winner of the most recent immunity challenge, Sydney became vulnerable and the main target for elimination.
Sydney then decided to try her hand at the "Shot in the Dark" twist, risking her vote for a chance to have immunity. Unfortunately for her, she drew the "Not Safe" parchment and was therefore voted off. Sydney's vote was deemed unfair and controversial mainly due the fact that her team had originally earned immunity, only to be stripped of it due to a twist.
Michelle Yi (Fiji)
Michelle Yi was a fan favorite when she competed on Survivor: Fiji, only for her to be doomed by a post-merge twist that had never happened before and couldn't be predicted.
After reaching the merge, the remaining contestants were once again split into two teams competing against each other for immunity. Michelle was separated from her closest ally, Earl Cole, and left to fend for herself. When her team lost, she was voted off in a 3-2 vote, something that never would have happened had the merge not been undone.
Jonathan Libby And Wanda Shirk (Palau)
Survivor: Palau started off with a bang by having all of the contestants socialize before being sorted into tribes. Afterward, a schoolyard pick determined who would be on Koror and who would join what would become the infamously cursed Ulong tribe. The only twist was that two players would not be picked, and that ended up being Wanda Shirk and Jonathan Libby.
Wanda and Jonathan were the victims of an unlucky first day, and never even got a chance to compete in a challenge or fight for their life in the game. To this day it remains one of the most controversial and unfair twists, and fans still demand that Wanda and Jonathan get a second chance.
Cirie Fields (Game Changers)
Cirie Fields is one of the most likable and beloved players in Survivor history, first appearing on Panama and returning to dominate in Fans vs. Favorites. She was eliminated early on in Heroes vs. Villains but got a fourth shot when she appeared on Game Changers.
However, just like Kimmi Kappenberg before her, Cirie was the victim of too many advantages being played at once. All other players at the final six were immune due to their own immunity idols, advantages or winning immunity, leaving Cirie as the only unprotected player eligible to receive votes. It was the worst way to watch Cirie go, knowing that there was nothing she could do to save herself in the era of advantages.
Stacey Stillman (Borneo)
Stacey Stillman's vote-off in the very first season of Survivor is still considered one of the most controversial things that ever happened on Survivor.
Though the Tagi tribe planned on sending home 72-year-old former Navy Seal Rudy Boesch at the third tribal council, Stacey maintained (and later sued CBS) that her tribe-mates Dirk and Sean were manipulated by producers into sending her home instead. She claimed that producers didn't want all the older players to be eliminated first and so she got the short end of the stick and got sent home instead.