Survivor winners typically get an edit that sums up their time as a player and indicates to viewers how and why they won the game. They usually get a majority of the season's screen time and are shown strategizing, winning challenges, and giving hilarious and insightful confessionals.
The last ten Survivor winners are regarded as 'New School' winners because they exist in the newer era of the game with more idols and more rigorous gameplay. The winners of the last ten seasons have had iconic scenes that define their wins ranging from emotional conversations with other players, funny one-liners, and moments that changed the course of the game forever.
Jeremy Collins - Finding Out Baby News
Jeremy Collins returned to Survivor: Second Chance with a shot at redemption after being ousted shortly after the merge in Survivor: San Juan del Sur.
He went on to win the season unanimously against Tasha and Spencer, but his most iconic moment was not winning. Instead, it came in the form of the family visit episode when his wife Val surprised him on the beach and privately shared with him that she found out the sex of their baby on the way: a boy. His tears and emotional confessional were heart-wrenching, as was the hug he shared with his wife.
Michele Fitzgerald - Standing On Her Own
When Michele Fitzgerald was crowned the winner of Season 32, many viewers doubted her ability and wished the prize had gone to second-place finisher Aubry Bracco.
However, Michele had several great moments throughout the seasons that proved she was a deserving winner, including the immunity challenge in which she kicked down her puzzle to celebrate her victory. Her most iconic scene though was her confessional after talking to fellow tribe-mate Nick, where she assured viewers that she didn't need to be carried by anyone -- especially a man.
Adam Klein - Talking About His Mother
Adam Klein unanimously won Season 33 after 39 days of overcoming bullies, flaky alliance members, and the harsh island living conditions.
The scene that defined Adam's Survivor experience (before his epic almost-idol play in Season 40) was a conversation with frenemy Jay Starrett, where the two talked about their mothers. Adam shared with Jay that his mom was battling lung cancer, and Jay explained how hard it was to grow up with a single mother who would do anything for him. The two became bonded for life, and created a friendship that meant more than a million dollars.
Sarah Lacina - Betraying A Friend
Sarah Lacina got a second chance at the game in Season 34, Survivor: Game Changers. The good cop became the bad cop as she dominated challenges and played all sides to get ahead.
She reached her bad cop potential on Day 32 when she got her ally Sierra to trust her so much that she orchestrated her blindside so that she would receive the highly desirable Legacy Advantage. The advantage protected Sarah later in the game, and her friendship with Sierra allowed her to get ahead while also committing the ultimate act of betrayal.
Ben Driebergen - When He Found Safety
Ben Driebergen win in Season 35 over Chrissy Hofbeck was a shock to some, but not to all, as he dominated the latter half of the game through immunity challenge wins and hidden immunity idol finds.
The most exciting island find was during the Final 5 when he went searching for safety from the next vote in the morning and came up successful. The look on Ben's face was relief and joy, and allowed him to spend the next day worry-free after a stressful 36 days.
Wendell Holland - The Winning Vote
Wendell Holland won Survivor: Ghost Island after the first-ever Final Tribal Council tie, as third-place finisher Laurel got the chance to cast one last vote.
Wendell may have never received that life-changing vote had he not cemented a strong bond with underdog Laurel earlier in the season. The scenes in which he and Laurel grew closer, unbeknownst to his closest ally Dominick Abbate, showed how great of a player and strategist Wendell was.
Nick Wilson - Creating An Alliance
Underdog and member of the 'David' tribe Nick Wilson won Season 37 of Survivor due to his charming personality and close bonds with everyone in the game.
Nick's most iconic scene was pretty early in the game, when he created the 'Mason-Dixon' alliance with fellow castaway Christian Hubicki. Nick went on to name each of his alliances, from the 'Rockstars' to the 'Jabeni Three', and each one made it easier for the eliminated contestants to vote for him at the end as he reached Final Tribal Council.
Chris Underwood - Winning The Fire Challenge
Chris Underwood was voted out on Day 8, but returned on Day 36 after winning the Edge of Extinction re-entry challenge.
Chris knew the only way to earn the respect of the jury and get the title of Sole Survivor was to defeat his biggest competitor, Rick Devens, who won the re-entry challenge at the merge and continued to dominate from that point on. In order to secure a victory, Chris gave up his final immunity to Julie and challenged Devens to fire. Chris emerged victorious in the most exciting scene of the season.
Tommy Sheehan - Bonding With Janet
Survivor: Island of the Islands wasn't the most popular season due to the strange edits of the castaways and the sexual assault allegations against one of the tribe members. The season was a little all over the place, and it seemed that winner Tommy Sheehan was hidden for most of the episodes.
However, Tommy got his moment to shine when he bonded with fan-favorite Janet, and referred to their alliance in confessionals as 'Tommy and his Mommy' due to their shared red hair and age gap. The scene showcased Tommy's sense of humor and made viewers adore Janet Carbin even more.
Tony Vlachos - Being Gifted Extortion
Season 40 was basically the Tony Vlachos-show, as the winner of Survivor: Cagayan dominated the season compiled of all winners.
Tony had so many great moments, but his best was when he was sent the extortion letter from the Edge of Extinction from Natalie Anderson and Parvati Shallow. The excitement that left his face as he realized he had received a disadvantage instead of an advantage was hilarious, as was Tony's scurry around the island to persuade his alliance members to give him fire tokens.