Survivor’s 5 Most Annoying Duos

Everyone knows that having a strong two-person alliance is the best way to make it to the end in Survivor, but when a power duo is annoying, it can make watching almost unbearable. From so-sweet-they-made-us-want-to-barf couples to the lioness moms and their daughters, these are the irritating duos who made our top five.

5. Rob and Amber (Survivor: All-Stars)

The first time “Boston” Rob Mariano played Survivor was on Marquesas, where his unparalleled cockiness and strategic gaming won him just as many fans as haters. But when he returned to play on All-Stars and started a power alliance with sweet, girl-next-door Amber Brkich from Survivor: The Australian Outback, he became all that much more powerful—and his supersized ego just got even bigger—which for non-Rob fans, was enough to make you want to hurl. As the season wore on, the romance between these two photogenic castaways grew exponentially, to the point where Boston Rob proposed to Amber at the Survivor: All-Stars reunion, before they announced who the winner was between them. Amber accepted without hesitation, and then she won the million—which meant Rob won the million, too—and they went on to get married in a televised Survivor special, compete on the Amazing Race, and live happily ever after. For all his annoying qualities, Rob was really sweet to Amber on All-Stars and their love was obviously the real thing, which has gone a long way toward redeeming Rob, turning him into one of the most well-liked Survivor players ever. And compared to so many of the calculating, evil minds who have played the game since, Rob’s game play seems downright sportsmanlike in comparison. Which is why “Romber” sits at number five on our list.

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4. Jaclyn Schultz and Jon Misch (Survivor: San Juan Del Sur—Blood vs. Water)

This all-American, squeaky-clean couple were annoying from the get-go if only for the most catty of all reasons to be found annoying: they were just so gosh-darned perfect. To make it more annoying, they were obviously aware of their own perfection, stating on the first episode that they hoped other people wouldn’t see them as the “perfect couple” and, therefore, want to vote them out. Jon, a former college football quarterback, did a lot of talking about what a physical threat he was, while his former Miss Michigan girlfriend seemed a little more humble and was generally more likable. When it came out that Jaclyn was born with a rare condition that left her without a cervix or uterus, it suddenly became hard to hate on this couple whose goal it was to win the million so they could pay for costly surrogacy and start a family. But Jon’s arrogance continued to rankle, and it even came to be too much for Jaclyn to bear in the infamous episode where he tried to take credit for one of her strategic moves and she stopped talking to him for a whole day. It was great to see Jaclyn put pretty-boy in his place and it was around that time that his giant ego got him ousted from the game. Survivor spat aside, the love between these two turned out to be the real deal, and Jaclyn and Jon have since gotten hitched. We wish them all the best.

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3. Candice Woodcock and John Cody (Survivor: Blood vs. Water)

Candice and John were another of those genetically-blessed, photogenic couples that, unfairly or not, start out with a target on their back, just for being so annoyingly good-looking. And fit, and capable—as Candice clearly showed after she was the first castaway to be sent to Redemption Island and then managed to stay on for four weeks, winning duel after duel. But whereas Candice had been a likeable-enough player on the other two seasons she was on, Survivor: Cook Islands and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (where she played on the “Heroes” side), her likability took a beating this season when she came across as arrogant and unfairly bitter towards the people who voted her out, especially former NFL football player, Brad Culpepper and his wife, Monica, who were not without their own annoying characteristics. John, an orthopedic surgeon in the U.S. Army, was much more likable than his wife, but became the first male player voted off in the season, no doubt partially due to Candice’s general animosity. The couple remain married today and recently welcomed their first child, a daughter named Beatrice, proving that blood truly is thicker than water.

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