Survivor has been known to house its fair share of rivalries throughout the years. Then again, that's not really a surprise. Most reality shows are known for housing intense rivalries. It just comes with the nature of the game. However, Survivor also has a few unique traits that make it even more hostile than others, primarily the exhaustion, intense hunger, and an incredible amount of money on the line. Exhaustion, hunger, dehydration, and cutthroat competition don't exactly bring out the best in people.
Some rivalries have been better and more iconic than others. These are the ten most iconic rivalries in Survivor, ranked.
Palau: Coby Vs. Koror
Palau is a notable season of Survivor due to Koror's utter dominance of Ulong. They won every single immunity challenge and went into the "merge" (see, the invasion of Stephenie) with their tribe totally intact. Things seemed pretty kumbaya - except for Coby.
Coby Archa hated most members of Koror and remained an outsider throughout much of the season. He ended up betraying his tribe to Stephenie and was swiftly voted out in a near-unanimous vote.
Palau: Tom Vs. Ian
Palau is a brilliant season not only for its fantastic location but for its amazing storyline. At the heart of the story is Tom and Ian, two dominating forces who eventually found themselves in the final three.
While the two respected each other on a personal level, the game often got in the way of their personal relationship and they embarked on a "friendly" rivalry. This came to a head in the final immunity challenge, a mesmerizing 12-hour battle of endurance.
Africa: Old Vs. New
The pre-merge section of Survivor typically involves strengthening the tribes and voting out those who make them weaker. It's also when unbreakable bonds are formed. But sometimes in-fighting occurs, as was the case with Africa's Samburu tribe.
The tribe quickly formed into old vs. new, with the old led by Frank Garrison and the young led by Silas Gaither. Needless to say, they lost and were absorbed into Boran.
Samoa: Laura Vs. Shambo
While Samoa was largely The Russell Hantz Show, the producers still found time to highlight the rivalry between tribe-mates Laura and Shambo. Shambo hated her tribe, Galu, and took a particular hatred towards Laura Morett.
Things got even more heated when Shambo was chosen leader following Russell's evacuation. Shambo's intense hatred of Laura resulted in her quickly flipping to Foa Foa and utterly decimating her prior tribe.
China: Courtney Vs. Jean-Robert
China is notable for many exceptions, including the season-long rivalry between Courtney and Jean-Robert. Unlike Tom and Ian, this rivalry was purely personal.
Courtney absolutely detested most things about Jean-Robert, including his relentless snoring, his laziness around camp, and his general creepiness and delusions of grandeur. She did everything she could to get him out, including voting against the tribe in a 6-2 vote.
Panama: Aras Vs. Terry
Like Palau, Panama featured a very strong tribe in Casaya. At the merge, Casaya systemically voted out the members of La Mina until there was only one left - Terry Deitz.
Unfortunately, Terry's machismo and dominant immunity performances resulted in a clash with the eventual winner, Aras. Things got even more bitter when Terry stated that wives meant more than mothers. This upset Aras, who was reunited with his mother.
Samoa: Russell Vs. Everyone Else
Samoa, or more specifically Russell, singlehandedly changed the way Survivor was played.
Russell played an amazing strategic game and was an utter beast when it came to finding hidden immunity idols. Unfortunately, his strategic game involved backstabbing and blindsiding a lot of people. His terrible social game proved to be his downfall, and it proved that a good social game is integral to winning Survivor.
Heroes Vs. Villains: Russell Vs. Sandra
As good as Samoa was, it is nothing compared to Heroes vs. Villains. And as good as Russell was in Samoa, his rivalry with Sandra in Heroes vs. Villains is one for the ages. Both contestants are Survivor powerhouses, and both have different ways of approaching the game.
Unfortunately, Russell didn't learn a lesson from Samoa and did the exact same thing, and once again his atrocious social game cost him the game. That certainly didn't help the rivalry.
Pearl Islands: Sandra Vs. Jonny Fairplay
Pearl Islands is another brilliant season of Survivor, led primarily by the powerhouses that were Jonny Fairplay, Sandra, and Rupert. Fairplay and Sandra got into it on more than one occasion, and their intense rivalry remains one of the best in the show's history.
In the end, Fairplay respected Sandra's game and voted for her to win. Even the fiercest of rivalries can be respected and smoothed over. This is a game, after all!
Guatemala: Jamie Vs. Bobby Jon
While Danni Boatwright proved to be the eventual winner, most people remember Guatemala due to the intense rivalry between Jamie Newton and Bobby Jon Drinkard.
These two shared incredible tension throughout the season, and it eventually boiled over into an intense screaming match following an immunity challenge. It eventually culminated in Bobby Jon saying that Jamie had "no class," a statement that seemingly hurt Jamie's feelings.