The Most Iconic 'Survivor' Contestants, Then and Now

Tony Vlachos is the winner of Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Winners at War, making him the second person (and first man) to win Survivor twice. He also competed on Survivor: Game Changers. In an article for Parade, Survivor’s host Jeff Probst said of Tony, "I've never seen anyone play with that much energy and juggle that many balls at once, and pull it all off."

After his Survivor: Winners at War victory, Tony returned to his family and his job as a police officer in Allentown, New Jersey. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in May 2020, he said, "I promised my kids if I won I would get them go-karts, little ones with gas in them. Me and my wife, we're good. We're just going to relax and watch our kids live their life to the fullest."

Ethan Zohn is the winner of Survivor: Africa, which aired in 2001. He later went on to compete on Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Winners at War, as well as The Amazing Race 19.

Ethan was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2009, underwent stem cell transplants, and was pronounced cancer-free in 2013. He also dated fellow Survivor winner Jenna Morasca for 10 years before they announced they had amicably split. These days, he's married to interior designer Lisa Heywood, investing and working on a 116-acre hemp field in Vermont, and continues to work with charities.

Jenna Morasca made history when she became the show’s youngest winner after her triumph on Survivor: The Amazon. To this day, she's still the youngest female winner of the show. She also competed on Survivor: All-Stars, though she voluntarily left the game early to spend time with her mother, who was suffering from cancer.

Teresa Cooper (who was dubbed "T-Bird" by fellow contestants on the show) competed on Survivor: Africa. She told Entertainment Weekly that her strategy was playing a low key, quiet game: "I did not want to draw any attention to myself or aggravate others too much." It was a strategy that worked for her almost until the end: She was one of the last five players left, but was ultimately voted off on day 36 of a 39 day season.

Will Wahl made history as the only high school student to ever appear on Survivor. He competed on Survivors: Millennials vs. Gen X in 2016 and made it to day 34 (out of 39) before getting eliminated.

JoAnna Ward competed on Survivor: The Amazon, where she was part of the Jaburu tribe. She lasted 12 days before being voted out. Speaking about the experience, she told Entertainment Weekly, "I really intended to play the game in a way that I would be able to live with for the rest of my life. I never believed that I should compromise who I am or what I believe for a game."

Since her time on Survivor, JoAnna has been working as a personal trainer, motivational speaker, and life coach, in addition to hosting her own show on WATC 57 in Atlanta for the last four years.

Jon Dalton (who went by the nickname "Jonny Fairplay") competed on 2003's Survivor: Pearl Islands, where he infamously lied about his grandmother’s death. His friend who arrived for a visit told him that his grandmother had died, which caused Jon's tribemates to allow him to win the challenge so he could find out more information about his grandmother’s death. He then told viewers that it was all a pre-orchestrated lie and that his grandmother was “sitting home watching Jerry Springer right now.”

No list of iconic Survivor contestants would be complete with "Boston Rob." Rob Mariano was the winner of Survivor: Redemption Island. He also competed on Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and Survivor: Winners at War. He also served as a mentor for Survivor: Island of the Idols. Host Jeff Probst thinks he is "one of the most entertaining and best players of all time."

Amber Brkich competed on Survivor: The Australian Outback, Survivor: All-Stars (which she won), and Survivor: Winners at War.

Amber fell in love with fellow contestant, Rob Mariano, during the All-Stars season. He proposed to her during the season finale in 2004, and they got married the following year and moved to Florida. The couple also appeared on The Amazing Race and a reality show called Rob and Amber: Against the Odds that followed Rob’s attempts to become a professional poker player. Amber isn't on Instagram, but a look at Rob's profile makes it seem like life at home is pretty swell these days for Amber and her family.