Years after Survivor premiered, new fans of Jeff Probst’s popular reality show have to figure out which seasons to watch first. As a result, longtime fans have seen many incredible things, like medical evacuations, fantastic seasons, outstanding winners, and some great players. While Survivor’s best players get credit from fans, some former players don’t get nearly as much credit as they deserve. For example, Richard Hatch doesn’t get enough credit for his role in creating Survivor as fans know it today.

Similar to Richard, who didn’t realize he would be considered a villain, Gervase Peterson is remembered for being one of Survivor’s first players. Gervase spoke exclusively to TheThings about one of the other things he should be remembered for, being one of the most underrated players.

Survivor’s Gervase Peterson Exclusively Talked To TheThings About Being An Underrated Player

One of Survivor’s original players, Gervase Peterson played during the show’s first season, Survivor: Borneo. Gervase later returned for Survivor: Blood vs. Water and he came in third place after he was a finalist.

Based on how well Gervase played during his Survivor tenure, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas interviewed him in February 2025. After telling Gervase that he believed that he is one of the most underrated Survivor players ever, Matthew got the long-time reality show star to speak about his legacy.

At the start of the interview, Gervase was asked about how great of a job he did adapting to how Survivor changed between his two seasons. In response, Gervase exclusively told TheThings why he was confident that he could adapt when he returned for Survivor: Blood vs. Water.

When asked about how he adapted for his Survivor return, Gervase revealed that even Jeff Probst was concerned his return could flop. “The funny thing is that was the biggest concern, I think, for, you know, Jeff and everybody around the show was, could I adapt after being off for thirteen years. That was the longest layoff for playing the game a second time.”

Jeff’s concern is understandable considering most Survivor: Borneo players who returned did poorly. On top of that, the show had changed dramatically between Gervase’s two seasons. However, Gervase explained to TheThings that he was confident his return would go well since he understood the game and how he went wrong the first time.

“I just kept on going back to one simple thing. I started this game. You know? I’m from season one… And after playing the game the first time and losing, and I think every player goes through this, you wanna play it again because you honestly believe you know the mistakes you made, how to correct them, to win it a second time if you played. And I just felt like if I go out there a second time, I have to basically take control of the game.”

To Gervase’s point, he certainly took control of Survivor: Blood vs. Water along with his allies. The fact that Gervase was able to enact his plan going in, despite how much the game had changed, is one reason he is such an underrated player.

The biggest aspect of Gervase’s game that is wildly underestimated is how great he was at the social elements of Survivor. To understand one of the things that makes Gervase better than most of his peers, all fans have to do is look at what he told TheThings about the mistakes that other players keep making.

According to Gervase, Survivor players have messed up for yours by trying to force their will on their allies.

“It’s like this. I’m watching every season as it goes along, and people are making the same mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes somebody makes is being like, ‘Hey, Matt. We’re gonna vote out Will. And you’re like, ‘Yeah. But I like Will. So, no.’ But they’re still like, ‘We’re voting out Will.’ So, you’re like, ‘Okay. We’re voting out Will.’ And then you do your interview and you’re like, ‘I’m not voting out Will. No way. I like Will. I’m a get rid of him because he’s telling me who to vote for. Nobody tells me who to vote for.’ And it’s just the same mistakes are made season after season.”

Gervase then went on to explain that he and Tyson Apostol had a lasting alliance because they treated each other with respect. While talking about his alliance with Tyson, Gervase revealed another reason why he is a wildly underrated player.

During Survivor: Blood vs. Water, Tyson and Gervase were the pair that was at the center of the season pretty much from the start. However, it turns out that almost wasn’t the case.

While talking exclusively to TheThings, Gervase explained that he initially wanted to get Tyson voted out immediately. “My goal was to get rid of Tyson as soon as I could. Because I felt like Tyson was a wild card that would mess my game up. And he would mess his own game up. You know? Tyson was just that crazy person in the game that was the X-factor. So my goal was to get rid of Tyson.”

As most fans will already know, many Survivor players seem to enter the game with a checklist in their mind that they don’t vary from. To his immense credit as a player, however, Gervase exclusively told TheThings about taking the time to get to know Tyson and learn he was someone he could work with.

“After sitting down and talking to Tyson, I was like, ‘This guy is not, like, anything that we’ve seen on TV.’ In some ways he is, but there’s this other side to him that you’re not gonna get unless you talk to him. And I was like, ‘I wanna play with Tyson. I think me and him could do something together in this game and go far.’ So we went to get some water one day and I was honest to him. I said, ‘Hey. My goal is to get rid of you. I told Marissa, if you’re on her team, to get rid of this guy first. He’s gonna mess your game up. But I really wanna work with you.’ And he said, ‘I feel the same way about you.’ And I was like, ‘Let’s do it.'”

To discard his first impression and fully embrace the person he thought would be his enemy speaks to what makes Gervase a special Survivor player.

Another reason why Gervase is such an underrated player is that he doesn’t get anywhere close to the same amount of credit that Tyson gets. After all, when Screen Rant put together their list of the best Survivor players ever, Tyson was in the number five slot and Gervase almost certainly wasn’t even part of the conversation. However, based on how Gervase and Tyson both speak about their partnership, it is ridiculous that they aren’t spoken about in the same breath.

While speaking exclusively to TheThings, Gervase spoke at length about what his partnership in the game was like with Tyson. As Gervase explained, they made decisions together without either one of them trying to take the power position.

Gervase also stated that he and Tyson were so tight in the game that he believes they had the game controlled almost from the start. “We had the game in a choke hold on day three. Day three, we had this game in a choke hold, and we were on cruise control just cruising through the game. And we just had to make sure we continue to make the right moves.”

While some fans may question if Gervase deserves to be thought of on the same kind of level as Tyson, the most important person agrees. When Tyson was interviewed at Survivor: Blood vs. Water’s finale by Reality TV Magazine in December 2013, as can be seen on YouTube, he praised his partner in the game. In fact, Tyson told the outlet that he had so much respect for Gervase’s game that he thought he could have been the one to win.

“Going into the final tribal council, I was really unsure. I really thought that [Gervase and I] would split the votes pretty evenly. I felt like, I was at least equally as disliked by the jury as he was. And, by the end of the final tribal council, though, I had a pretty good idea that I had a great shot at winning.”

If Tyson has that much respect for Gervase and the fans think he is one of the best ever, that proves that Gervase is wildly underrated.

Gervase Peterson Exclusively Told TheThings About Why The “Big Moves” Mentality Is Wrong

When Gervase Peterson returned for Survivor: Blood vs. Water, the mentality that players needed to build their resume had taken the show over. As a result, many Survivor players were making “big moves” and that was the kind of thing that many fans respected. While talking exclusively to TheThings in February 2025, Gervase explained why the “big moves” mentality was wrong.

While talking to TheThings, Gervase explained why he rejected the “big moves” strategy that even Jeff Probst was arguing for.

“Even Jeff promoted the big move. Like, you gotta make a big move in this game. That’s how you win. And I’m like, no. Big Moves puts a target on your back. And, yeah, it’s swinging for the fences, but it’s like, either you swing and you hit or miss. And I’m not trying to strike out now. Like, I’m gonna strike out when I’m at the finals. If I wanna strike out, I wanna be sitting in the final three to strike out. That’s where I wanna take my big swing.”

While continuing to talk about the “big moves” era, Gervase explained what he thinks that the players should be focused on instead of their resumes.

“The whole point is you gotta get there. And if you can’t get to the finals, all this is for nothing. And the best way to do it is a social game still. People have to not wanna vote you out.”

To Gervase’s point, the “big moves” era has largely been exposed during Survivor’s “new era.” After all, since Survivor 41, many of the winners have been likable players who built strong bonds with their tribemates instead of their bombastic rivals. Gervase understood the importance of that years before most of his peers did.

Survivor

Release Date

May 31, 2000

Network

CBS

Showrunner

Jeff Probst

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