It’s no surprise that when the social experiment of “Survivor” began in 2000, it would produce some of reality TV’s sexiest flings ever. When Colleen Haskell and Greg Buis 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 44 seasons and more than two decades, 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. Here we detail 15 of the most iconic “Survivor” showmances of all time. Gallery originally published March 2020.
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Season 1: Colleen and Greg
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS The most famous showmance in series history is its first, between Colleen and Greg on “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.
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Season 2: Jerri and Colby
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS If we accept that some of the best romances to experience are the ones that exist solely in our heads then Jerri’s showmance with Colby on “The 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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Season 8: Rob and Amber
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS By far the most noteworthy showmance is the one we saw begin during “All Stars” and we continue to see play out to this day on “Winners at War.” Boston Rob and Amber 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.”
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Season 10: Jeff and Kim
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS The danger of tight pairs is always a worry on “Survivor,” but a budding showmance can prove even more threatening. Jeff and Kim learned that the hard way on “Palau” — it only took a few days for their tribe to clock how close they were becoming and so they nipped that in the bud by sending them home third and fourth.
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Season 13: Candice and Adam
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS When Candice was voted out of “Cook Islands” she did her round of hugs for her tribe mates, but when it came to saying goodbye to showmance Adam the two shared a, well, very passionate kiss. Sadly, they didn’t continue long enough after that season to make Adam her partner when she returned for “Blood vs. Water” — there we met her new partner, John!
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Season 16: Parvati and James
Image Credit: CBS Parvati is well known during her first stint in “Cook Islands” as the flirty girl, so her return to Micronesia made her use that to her utmost advantage when she formed a close link with James Clement from “China,” to go along with Ozzy and Amanda in an alliance. Though the two were not as intimate as the latter and ultimately James lost his trust in her after she blindsided Ozzy in the middle of the game.
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Season 16: Amanda and Ozzy
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS One of the first instances of overt canoodling among players came in “Micronesia” between Ozzy and Amanda. The two were not only in a formidable “favorites” alliance, but were caught on camera making out while they “slept” away from the others. That season also featured a flirtmance between James and Parvati, but that proved to be nothing more than strategy on both of their parts.
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Season 20: Coach and Jerri
Image Credit: CBS After the Colby debacle on her previous seasons, Jerri would come to find a new beau in Coach on the Villains tribe in “Heroes vs Villains” to where their entire tribe took notice and shipped them together after some recognizable flirting. They were the two most conflicted when it came to their title and were in the middle of a notorious rivalry between Boston Rob and Russell. After the Dragon Slayer was voted out, Jerri was devoted to the villain tribe and almost made it to the end.
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Season 22: Matt and Andrea
Image Credit: CBS Matt and Andrea’s relationship on “Redemption Island” is a wild one. Their early, short-lived chemistry was targeted by none other than Boston Rob himself, who sent Matt to Redemption Island, blindsiding Andrea. Matt was able to fight his way back into the game at the merge, only to be voted out that same episode with the help of Andrea, ruining their connection. Despite winning the most duels at Redemption Island to Andrea’s delight, Matt would later lose the final duel to her after she was voted out.
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Season 23: Whitney and Keith
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Whitney and Keith from “South Pacific” may be married to each other now, but when they began flirting on the show it was quite controversial because it was unclear how much she disclosed to him that she was still married to her first husband. After “Survivor” the two competed on “The Amazing Race 25” as a couple.
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Season 33: Figgy and Taylor
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS As “Millennials vs. Gen X” aired, sleuthy viewers questioned Taylor’s intentions as he openly and affectionately interacted with Figgy because the rumor was that he had a pregnant girlfriend waiting for him at home at the time. Once the show completed and aired, they broke up among hard feelings.
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Season 35: Jessica and Cole
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS On “Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers,” Cole came out of the gate as a huge contender because of his athletic and social skills. That was all turned upside down once he got closer to Jessica and the others took notice. Like many times before them, the power couple was too threatening to leave in the game.
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Season 36: Sebastian and Jenna
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS When Jenna was in a vulnerable position after the tribe swap on “Ghost Island” she began using her flirtation skills on Sebastian in order to further her game. Little did we know at the time that it would begin a lasting relationship that continued after the show and to this day!
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Season 37: Dan and Kara
Image Credit: CBS Dan was immediately attracted to Kara from the moment they were on the Goliath tribe in “David vs. Goliath,” which raised some concerns for the rest of the tribe. But they continued their bond throughout the early stages of the game, despite being tribe swapped, and reunited at the merge, where Dan shared that he had two idols in his possession. After a disagreement of Dan being left out of the Goliath alliance, Kara tried to organize a split-vote between him and Angelina, which led to Dan going home in a wild tribal council that included the first idol nullifier.
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Season 44: Matt and Frannie
Image Credit: CBS In the latest showmance news, Matt and Frannie developed a very tight relationship after starting together on the Soka tribe. Matt, having recently gone through a breakup, seemed to have a newfound link with Frannie, sharing a lot of personal and game information with her. They tried to keep their deep connection a secret, but just like Figgy and Taylor, their tribe members caught on right away.
