It’s no surprise that when the social experiment of “Survivor” began in 2000 that it would produce some of reality TV’s sexiest flings ever. When Colleen and Greg began flirting on season 1 it was a bit of a surprise to viewers, but now the terms “showmance” and “power couple” are as common as “immunity challenge” and “tribal council.” Over the course of 40 seasons in 20 years, contestants have put aside bad breath, limbs scarred from bug bites and their saggy, dirty swimsuits in order to find each other attractive enough to, yes, fall in love. In our photo gallery above, we detail 10 of the most iconic showmances in “Survivor” history.
By far the most noteworthy showmance is the one we saw begin during season 8 “All Stars” and we continue to see play out to this day on season 40 “Winners at War.” Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich played together through to the very end of “All Stars” and continued their relationship after.
Now they’re married with four kids together, which is why Amber’s tribe voted her out as soon as they got the chance on “Winners at War.” Rob soon followed her to the Edge of the Exinction when he was voted out after the tribe swap.
The most famous showmance in series history is its first, between Colleen Haskell and Greg Buis on season 1 “Borneo.” The two young members of the Pagong tribe connected over their free spirits and while nothing explicit ever aired, by night 14 the two were choosing to sleep together away from the rest of their camp.
Just one season later, If we accept that some of the best romances to experience are the ones that exist solely in our heads then Jerri Manthey’s showmance with Colby Donaldson on season 2 “Australian Outback” is one of the best. Though Colby never reciprocated Jerri’s flirtations throughout the game, the two did get to share a very romantic helicopter ride reward with one another to the Great Barrier Reef.
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