Welcome to Inside Survivor’s 50 For 50, a semi-regular feature highlighting 50 former castaways who we think should be considered for a spot on Survivor 50. In a snake draft, the Inside Survivor team selected ten players each, with the only rule being they couldn’t have played more than twice.
PROFILE
Name: Chrissy Hofbeck
Age: 53
Season: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers, 2017
Finish: 2nd Place
HIGHLIGHTS
In a just world, Chrissy would already be a Survivor winner. If it wasn’t for some last-minute advantage (that wasn’t really an advantage) and fire-making shenanigans, it’s highly unlikely Ben Driebergen would have been sitting at the final tribal council. And if things played out that way, Chrissy’s chances of becoming Sole Survivor would have increased exponentially.
Chrissy’s time on Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers was marked by a game of ups and downs. She started off as an outsider in the original Levu tribe but managed to avoid becoming the dreaded first boot. From there, she upped her social and strategic game, forming a tight bond with Ben and forging a tight alliance with Yawa member Ryan Ulrich, who had gifted her a Super Idol on Day 1.
Following a tribe switch, Chrissy cemented her alliance with Ryan and tightened her relationship with JP Hilsabeck, forming a solid three that controlled the new Soko tribe. This trio would stay strong come the merge, where they joined forces with the original Levus and Yawas to target the OG Soko members. At this point, things were looking great for Chrissy, who stood firmly in the controlling alliance and had ties to different sub-alliances within the larger majority.
However, things took a turn for Chrissy after Ashley Nolan, Ben, Devon Pinto, and Lauren Rimmer flipped on the alliance and blindsided JP. This essentially severed Chrissy’s relationship with Ben and put her at the bottom of the tribe. Yet, she secured her safety by winning a crucial immunity challenge – from there, she’d go on to win three more immunities, tying the record for most wins by a woman in a single season with Kelly Wiglesworth (Borneo), Jenna Morasca (The Amazon), and Kim Spradlin (One World).
With Chrissy dominating challenges and the tide turning against Ben, there suddenly appeared to be a path to the end. Yet, Ben’s constant idol finds threw a wrench into the plans. Perceived as the biggest threat, nobody wanted to sit next to Ben at the end. And there was still a chance to take him out at the final four when no more idols could be played. All Chrissy had to do was make sure Ben didn’t win immunity. She did just that – yet, as mentioned earlier, the unannounced fire-making twist changed everything, gifting Ben a win and dropping Chrissy into the runner-up position.
WHY SHE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
When it comes to Survivor players who deserve a second chance, Chrissy is right near the top of that list. The way her game ended with an unforeseen and, let’s face it, unfair twist left a sour taste in a lot of fans’ mouths. Chrissy needs her shot at redemption.
Also, in a game where the “older woman” archetype is often maligned or eliminated early, Chrissy broke the mold with a performance that was not only strategic but physically dominant. Her immunity challenge streak is seriously impressive and shouldn’t be overlooked.
In addition, Chrissy’s life since appearing on Survivor continues to show she is a fighter. In late 2023, she revealed that she’d tested positive for the BRCA gene mutation, which gave her an 85% chance of developing breast cancer and 25% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Not wanting to live her life in fear, Chrissy underwent prophylactic risk-reduction, which meant surgeries to remove her breasts, ovaries, and fallopian tubes.
A year on from those surgeries, Chrissy is living life to the fullest. She just recently completed a 32-day, 500 mile pilgrimage with her daughter from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, over the Pyrenees, into Spain and west to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. So, one thing we know for sure, Chrissy is still super fit and sure to be a threat in challenges. Let’s give Chrissy her second chance!
Written by
YES! We need Chrissy back.
We want JULIA SOKOLOWSKI back
I hope to see these on this list eventually:
Tracy Hughes-Wolf
Sarge Masters
Chad Crittenden
Erinn Lobdell
YESSSSS TO CHRISSY
Robbed queen