Every 'Survivor' Player Who Has Quit the Game
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To say Survivor is a tough game would be an understatement. You are stranded out in the wilderness with minimal supplies, competing in intense physical challenges every other day, while also managing the mental load of needing to make sure you're not voted out. It's a lot for every player, and for some, it's too much. Over 45 seasons of Survivor, we've seen castaways choose to leave the game of their own volition, skipping the formalities of a regular vote to instead walk out.
Here is every Survivor player who has ever quit the game.
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List of Survivor quitters
Osten Taylor (season 7)
Though some players in the first six seasons had questioned wanting to be there, and some even asked to be voted out, the first outright Survivor quit happened in season 7. Osten Taylor was absolutely miserable in the Pearl Islands, having a tough time in the outdoors. He wanted to quit since the first week of the game, but was kept in at the request of his tribe as one of the strongest guys. But he finally threw in the towel on Day 19. Later, it was revealed that Osten had suffered a staph infection after selling his clothes in the opening marooning. Host Jeff Probst did not mince words when it came to the first Survivor quitter, laying down his torch after he left Tribal Council.
Jenna Morasca (season 8)
The very next season, in the very same place, Survivor icons returned for the legendary All-Stars season. Jenna Morasca was one of four winners who came back to play. But her mind was in an understandably different place, as her mother was back at home suffering from cancer. On Day 9, Jenna had a feeling that her mother needed her in that moment, and she elected to leave the game. It turned out to be a correct hunch, as a postscript on the show indicates that, after rushing to her mother's side, she passed eight days later.
Susan Hawk (season 8)
All-Stars saw another icon leave the game, albeit in a very different fashion. On Day 13, during an Immunity Challenge that involved cross-tribal physical contact, Sue Hawk was brushed up against by Richard Hatch. The Borneo winner was naked, as part of a bit he was doing in challenges throughout the season. Despite winning the challenge ultimately, Sue was not happy. After growing more angry and distraught in the coming days, on Day 17, she came undone. She tore into Jeff for making light of the situation, saying she was "humiliated, dehumanized, and totally spent." As such, she chose to walk away from the game, being done with it all.
Janu Tornell (season 10)
Janu Tornell was part of one of the most dominant tribes in Survivor history in the Palau season. As such, she had days of safety to see herself become one of the main outsiders of the group. By the final eight, she had lost her closest ally and was feeling low. After being punished with a night alone in exile, Janu turned lemons into lemonade. She returned with a much clearer head, realizing she had gained everything she wanted from the experience. On Day 27, after seeing that underdog Stephenie LaGrossa would be getting the boot, Janu elected to leave the game instead, feeling she had more to gain. Janu became the first quitter in Survivor history to join the jury.
Gary Stritesky (season 14)
Gary Stritesky was living large in Survivor: Fiji. The man called "Papa Smurf" by his tribemates got to live in luxury as part of the infamous "Have/Have-Not" twist of the season. His body, however, was in disrepair. Initially, Gary though he had cracked a rib during a Reward Challenge, complaining of chest pain. Days later, he would suffer from extreme vertigo due to an allergic reaction to various insect bites. Though medically cleared to continue, on Day 10, he chose to pull himself from the game for his health.
Kathy Sleckman (season 16)
Micronesia, touted as one of the show's best seasons, was full of unconventional departures, between two medevacs, and players like Jonny "Fairplay" Dalton and Chet Welch asking to be voted out. But the only format quit this season came from Kathy Sleckman. Kathy stood out initially as one of the kookiest character on the Fans tribe. But that quirkiness soon got worrying as she spiraled from paranoia and isolation. On Day 19, freaking out that she could no longer "feel her family," she chose to leave the game. After the season, Kathy revealed that her mental spiral had been brought on by withdrawal from her Zoloft medication. Her symptoms had gotten so bad that, at one point, she had even contemplated using the machete to cut off one of her fingers to force a medical evacuation.
Na'Onka Mixon (season 21)
Na'Onka Mixon was far and away the biggest character of Survivor: Nicaragua. Despite being brash and opinionated, the gym teacher found herself in a position of power halfway through the merge, even in possession of a hidden immunity idol. However, by Day 28, she had had it with suffering through the elements, and announced her desire to quit, despite both winning the Reward Challenge and choosing to go on said reward. Jeff gave her the chance to think it over, and despite having her energy renewed during the afternoon, she still decided to leave the game. Fans have speculated that Na'Onka received such a negative edit to pillory her for quitting the game.
"Purple" Kelly Shinn (season 21)
Kelly Shinn is one of the quietest players in Survivor history. In fact, she wasn't even the only Kelly on the season, getting the nickname of "Purple Kelly" because of the colored dye in her hair. As a smaller person, Purple Kelly was having a tough time in the consistent rain of Nicaragua. So when Na'Onka decided to quit the game, she hopped on the opportunity. The double quit of the two women prompted Survivor production to make a new rule: Quitters can no longer serve on the jury. Fans have speculated that, in opposition to Na'Onka, Purple Kelly was given a practically invisible edit to punish her for quitting. But her legacy lives on, as the Survivor community has created the term of "purpling" a player to describe someone who hasn't been seen a lot on the show.
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Dana Lambert (season 25)
Dana Lambert falls into an odd category of quitter. On Day 12, she was clearly in physical pain, suffering from severe stomach pain and nausea. The medical team was brought in, but they said she was clear to continue in the game, at least until a formal evaluation in 12 hours. But Dana insisted that she physically wouldn't be able to go on. Wanting to prevent her symptoms from getting worse, she chose to pull herself from the game.
Colton Cumbie (season 27)
Blood vs. Water was Survivor's most audacious concept yet, putting ten returning players on a tribe to play against their loved ones. One of said returnees was Colton Cumbie, a villain from One World who had gotten medevaced due to appendicitis. Unfortunately for Colton, his brusque gamesmanship put him on the outs of the other returnees early on, forcing him to barely talk strategy. Additionally, he was feeling increasingly isolated from his fiance in Caleb Bankston on the other tribe. So, while everyone was attending the Redemption Island Duel on Day 7, Colton announced he would be quitting the game. Jeff was not happy, to say the least, implying out loud that they made a mistake in bringing him back for a second chance.
Lindsey Ogle (season 28)
On Night 14 of Survivor: Cagayan, former tribemates became enemies. Lindsey Ogle was angry at her former Brawn tribe members Tony Vlachos and Trish Hegarty for turning on their own and blindsiding Cliff Robinson in the swap. She had a tense argument with Trish, causing her to walk away from the tribe camp. She surprisingly asked for Jeff to visit her, where she said she was worried about physically assaulting Trish. Not wanting her child to see her mother do something regrettable, she instead chose to leave the game, abandoning her tribe without a word.
Julie McGee (season 29)
San Juan Del Sur saw the return of the "blood vs. water" twist, this time with all newbies. The most famous face in the cast was former controversial baseball player John Rocker, who brought his girlfriend Julie McGee into the game. Unfortunately, John's dominating nature combined with his affinity for confrontation got him blindsided in the first few rounds. Julie lasted through to the tribe merge, but began feeling depressed after seeing all the remaining pairs of loved ones get reunited. Additionally, she got herself in hot water when she chose to hoard some trail mix from the merge feast to savor for days to come, angering her tribe in the process. Worried this would be her last chance to be with John before the jury started, and already feeling on the outs from the trail mix scandal, she decided to quit.
Bi Nguyen (season 37)
Like Gary and Dana, Bi Nguyen decided to quit the game for a medical reason. In David vs. Goliath, the MMA fighter had come in with a previous injury to her MCL, which was further aggravated during a challenge. On Day 10, both tribes gathered for an upcoming switch. But, minutes before dropping their buffs, Bi had stated she feared staying in the game would further aggravate her injury and possibly jeopardize her career in the ring. As such, she chose to walk from the game.
Related: 'Survivor' Host Jeff Probst Chooses His Favorite Memory From the Show
Keith Sowell (season 38)
Keith Sowell was the second voted out of the game, seen as a weak link by his tribe. However, he got brought into the titular "Edge of Extinction" twist of the season, living on a separate island alongside the other eliminated players. There, they would wait for a chance to return to the game, but could opt out at any time by raising a white sail. Keith stuck it out to Day 17, where he ultimately lost the first challenge to re-enter. After it was revealed that the challenge losers would be sent back to the Edge of Extinction to wait until the next challenge, Keith decided it was not worth a continuous stay on the Edge, and chose to raise the sail.
Wendy Diaz (season 38)
Wendy Diaz was an agent of chaos on Edge of Extinction, with a personality as colorful as her blue hair. Despite being an initial outsider on her tribe, she was able to squeak through all the way to the swap. She nearly made it to the merge, but a twist brought two tribes together to vote one person out. After tribal lines were stuck to, forcing a tie, Wendy's tribe decided to cut bait. Like Keith, Wendy lost the first re-entry challenge on Day 17. And, seeing no end in sight on the Edge of Extinction, she chose to leave alongside him.
Sandra Diaz-Twine (season 40)
The epic 40th season of Survivor brought back 20 previous winners to compete for a massive $2 million prize. Sandra Diaz-Twine herself had already won $2 million, after being the first (and up to that point, only) two-time winner in the show's history. Despite her status, the legend was situated well in the game. But when she attempted to make a big move and give outsider Denise Stapley an idol to play, it backfired majorly when she used it blindside Sandra instead. Winners at War saw the return of the Edge of Extinction twist. But Sandra, not wanting to live in desolation, and feeling she had nothing further to prove, chose to immediately raise the sail and leave the game.
Robert Voets/CBS
Matthew Grinstead-Mayle (season 44)
Matthew Grinstead-Mayle's situation is a unique one. The barbershop owner wanted to explore every nook and cranny of the island, and that ended poorly for him when he fell off a rock while climbing it. He ended up dislocating his shoulder, though was medically cleared to continue. Matthew made good with that second lease on life, filling 11 days with playing advantages, finding idols, and leading allies to fake ones. However, at a certain point, the pain in his shoulder had gotten too much. After getting checked out once again by medical, he was informed that he was technically cleared to continue in the game, but he could be given the choice to leave. Despite being reluctant to leave, he ultimately agreed with the medical team's assessment, quitting to avoid aggravating his shoulder any further.
Robert Voets / CBS
Hannah Rose (season 45)
The latest Survivor quitter also marks the earliest someone has ever voluntarily left the game. By the end of the first day of Survivor 45, Hannah Rose was in tears. The therapist was starting to panic when reality was setting in about the elements of living on the island. Additionally, she was suffering from nicotine withdrawal. Despite being motivated by Brandon Donlon, her mood wavered over the next two days. On Day 3, her tribe was all set to go to Tribal Council and declare a first boot of the season. But, feeling guilty that everyone on her tribe wanted to be there much more than her, she forced her tribe's hand, saying she realized the game wasn't for her and she was going to quit.
Next, check out photos, bios, and interviews with the full cast of Survivor 45.
