Survivor: The 10 Most Memorable Jury Member Speeches Of All Time

Some of the greatest moments of Survivor come in the very last episode during Final Tribal Council. During this time, previously voted-out contestants are given the chance to address the finalists, those who eliminated them from the game. This allows for castaways to speak their mind, get things off their chest, and either applaud or question their competitors for how they played the game.

Over the years, Survivor jury speeches have consisted of everything from “Pick a number between 1 and 10” to uncontrollable sobbing over hurt feelings. The best jury speeches have a little bit of heart and some sour grapes, and almost always include an interesting hook.

10 Kat’s Vulnerable Confession in One World

When Final Tribal Council rolled around in Survivor: One World, Kat congratulated her competitors who ousted her and went for a far different approach than most jury members.

Instead of being angry that they, namely Kim, betrayed her, Kat opened up about her heart condition and how she needed to have a second risky procedure in the next year in order to be able to eventually have children. Kat said life was too short to be angry, and that she had chosen to forgive Kim, Chelsea, and Sabrina due to its uncertainty. The moment brought the three ladies to tears.

9 Reed’s Fairytale Speech in San Juan Del Sur

Reed and finalist Missy were at odds for most of Survivor: San Juan Del Sur, with Missy often giving off slightly mean energy and openly favoring her daughter, Baylor, over members of her alliance.

Reed laid into her in his jury speech, letting Missy know that, to him, she was the equivalent of the Wicked Stepmother in a fairytale. He spoke poetically, but a little over-dramatically. Baylor looked aghast in her jury seat, and Reed ultimately voted for Jaclyn so that Missy would come in 3rd place instead of 2nd behind winner Natalie Anderson.

8 Brenda’s Strange Demand in Caramoan

In one of the weirder Final Tribal moments, sixth-place finisher Brenda Lowe angrily addressed her former alliance member Dawn Meehan by recounting a story of the time at camp when Dawn’s fake teeth went missing, and she came to her rescue.

Heartbroken by Dawn’s betrayal, Brenda chose to embarrass the finalist and demand that she go back to that day of vulnerability by taking out her teeth in front of the entire jury. This was certainly an awkward encounter from start to finish.

7 Coby’s Anti-Tom Vote in Palau

The member of the Palau jury held nothing back in his speech to finalists Tom Westman and Katie Gallagher.

Coby Archa flat out told Katie that if she received his vote it would not be because she deserved the win, but because he would not be giving Tom a million dollars. In the end, Katie did end up getting Coby’s vote, which should be regarded less as a vote for Katie, and more of a vote against Tom.

6 Spencer’s Dismissing Woo in Cagayan

Fans and contestants alike were shocked when Woo decided to take threat Tony to the final two over ‘goat’ Kass in Survivor: Cagayan.

Fourth-place finisher Spencer waxed on about how Woo’s gameplay was undeserving in his speech, an unusual thing for a jury member to do. Spencer insisted that the jury vote for Tony because he played better than any of them, especially the man sitting beside him. It was an interesting speech that revealed who Spencer was truly rooting for.

5 Ozzy’s Breakdown of Love and Loss in Micronesia

Not only did Ozzy proclaim his love for fellow survivor Amanda in his iconic jury speech, but he also let Parvati know that she had lost his respect due to her simply playing the game.

Despite voting her out and receiving her jury vote just three seasons earlier, Ozzy couldn’t take what he dished out the second time around. Parvati led the charge to vote him out with an idol in his pocket post-merge, and he felt so betrayed that he said she had put a price on their friendship. He unsurprisingly voted for Amanda, but Parv got the last laugh when she was crowned Sole Survivor.

4 The Entire All-Stars Jury’s Bitter Resentment

The jury in Survivor: All-Stars is regarded as one of the most bitter in the show’s history. Rob and Amber alliance turned showmance turned real romance rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, and resulted in them being bombarded with insults and tears during Final Tribal Council.

Notable speeches came from Lex and Kathy, who spared Amber following a shocking tribe swap days before the merge. Rob had promised to work with them if they kept his girl in, but cut them loose shortly after the tribes merged due to his allegiance to Jenna and Rupert. Lex and Kathy took the betrayal as a personal attack and the end of previously formed friendships outside the game of Survivor.

3 Erik’s Unexpected Campaign Speech in Samoa

Fans thought Survivor: Samoa was Russell Hantz’s to lose, and they were right. He was targeted during Final Tribal Council as an evil, manipulative person who was undeserving of the million-dollar prize.

Jury member Erik Cardona advocated hard on behalf of Russell’s less devious teammate, Natalie White. He pointed out that while she may be regarded as weaker to her competitors, she still made it to the end of the game, and she was just as dangerous as the notorious villain. His plea to the jury worked, and Natalie walked out of Survivor as a millionaire.

2 Corinne’s Angry Speech in Gabon

Despite Sugar’s heroic-like edit that viewers were shown on Survivor: Gabon, she was disliked by a lot of her fellow castaways.

Most notably, Corinne Kaplan, who spent her time addressing the jury personally berating Sugar for her fake tears and annoying personality. She said she would not be giving her the money. She took things to a personal level, which led to Sugar promptly flipping Corinne off as she took her seat on the jury bench.

1 Sue’s Epic ‘Rats and Snakes’ Monologue in Borneo

On the very first season of Survivor, Sue Hawk gave the most memorable jury speech ever when she addressed her former allies Kelly and Rich.

Her anger was directed at Kelly, whom she previously believed to be a friend. She told her that even if she was dying of thirst she would not give her a drink of water. Additionally, Sue compared the 23-year-old to a rat and Rich as a snake, and that the game should end as Mother Nature intended it, with the snake (Rich) eating the rat (Kelly). She got her wish in the end as the jury reward Richard with the win.

About The Author

Emily Proctor
(213 Articles Published)

Emily Proctor is an entertainment writer and avid television fan. She recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts. In addition to writing for Screenrant, Emily frequently publishes personal essays on her Medium profile and personal blog SheWritesTV.com. She is also an aspiring actress and songwriter.

You can follow Emily on Twitter at @emproct for more of her opinions on pop culture, the latest TV and movies, and links to her work.

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