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Anthony "Tony" Vlachos is the Sole Survivor of Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Winners at War, and the second two-time winner in Survivor history. He also competed on Survivor: Game Changers.

In Cagayan, Tony played the game with ferocity, occupying a high-profile leadership role for much of the game, constructing "spy shacks" to eavesdrop on his tribemates, double-crossing his own allies, swearing on relatives both alive and dead, and finding several Hidden Immunity Idols, including one with "special powers". He frequently turned on his majority Solana Alliance in order to engineer a variety of blindsides, and convinced Woo Hwang to take him to the Final Two over the unpopular Kass McQuillen. His hyperactive strategic game won him the title of Sole Survivor in a 8-1 vote.

His aggressive gameplay made him an early target in Game Changers. He attempted to build an alliance consisting of the biggest threats in the game, but it did not go as planned due to his lack of trust in Sandra Diaz-Twine. When it became clear that the two could not coexist in the same alliance, Sandra turned their entire tribe on Tony, voting him out on Day 6.

Having learned from his past mistakes, Tony kept a low profile for a good portion in Winners at War by playing patiently: Reaffirming his Cops-R-Us alliance with Cagayan castmate Sarah Lacina, and building stronger personal relationships with his tribe. At the merge, wanting to keep those he perceived to be bigger threats around, Tony rallied these players against those he saw as maintaining a low profile. Tony steadily played more aggressively towards the endgame, eliminating anyone he saw as a threat and taking control of the game. Despite his rapid rise to power, he was able to consolidate trust with a strong alliance by forging crucial social bonds which insulated him from elimination. He also emerged as a challenge threat, winning four Immunity Challenges. On Day 38, Tony won the fire-making challenge against Sarah to reach the Final Tribal Council, where his dominant gameplay resulted in him winning the title of Sole Survivor in a 12-4-0 vote, making him the second two-time winner in Survivor history.

Due to his status as the second two-time winner, the dominance with which he played over the two seasons he won and his versatility as a player, Tony is considered to be one of the strongest players of the series.

Profile[]

Retrieved from CBS.com

Name (Age): Tony Vlachos (39)
Tribe Designation: Brawn Tribe
Current Residence: Jersey City, N.J.
Occupation: Police Officer
Personal Claim to Fame: Becoming a Jersey City police officer.
Inspiration in Life: My father for being the dad that he was. He was a great role model and I hope that I can be the same for my children.
Hobbies: Jet skiing, playing pool and surfing the web.
Pet Peeves: Thugs who wear skinny jeans. Also, people who see me speaking on the phone, but yet they feel the need to start a conversation with me. Like it's that urgent for them to know "how's it going" while I'm speaking on the phone. SO RUDE!!!
3 Words to Describe You: Versatile, clever and competitive.
If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why? Cigarettes, coffee and liquor. I don't smoke or drink coffee or liquor, but I would love to bring those items with me just so that I can barter with my tribemates! You know at some point in the game they would even give up immunity just to have a little taste of these items.
Survivor Contestant You Are Most Like: Russell Hantz, because I can be just as devious. Boston Rob, because I can be just as slick.
Reason for Being on Survivor: My main reason: The MILLION DOLLARS of course. There's no way I would be going out there for half that prize! Secondly, I'm a huge fan of the show and I would love to give the fans a great season to be remembered.
Why You Think You'll "Survive" Survivor: Adapt and overcome! That's the kind of training I have as a cop and that's exactly what I'm going to do on that island! Adapt and I will overcome!
Why You Think You Will Be the Sole Survivor: I have been a street cop for 12 years. My experiences as a cop give me a huge advantage going into this game. Being outside my element is my forte. That's what I do for a living. What's going to be normal for me will be very stressful for the average castaway.
Do You Consider Yourself a Brain, a Beauty or a Brawn? Sounds like a trick question. Well let's see. I'm a beautiful person that has a sharp brain and strong muscles. Based on appearance, I would consider myself "Brawn." For the purposes of Survivor though, I would consider myself "Brains." Maybe I wasn't the smartest in school, but I was always the sharpest!!!

Who Do You Think Has the Best Chance in the Game of Survivor: Brains, Beauty or Brawn? Survivor is definitely a game of all-around strategy. Brawn and beauty can fight over silver, but Brains would surely bring home the gold![1]

Age: 42
Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
Previously played on: Season 28: Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty, Winner
How have you changed since the last time you played? I'm older and much wiser. Just kidding. I'm older, but definitely not wiser. You will see the same guy in this season as you saw in Cagayan.
What skills do you bring to Survivor that will make you a useful member of the group and what skills have you been learning since you last played? Unfortunately, the skills I bring to Survivor are skills that will NOT make me a useful member. Instead, they will make me a very threatening member. I haven't learned any new skills since I played on Cagayan, which could be my downfall going back on an all returnee season. I wish I could have learned the skill of being able to be quiet and try to play under the radar, but I don't see that happening. It's just not in my DNA.
What are you most proud of from the last time? WINNING!!
What, if anything, do you most regret? There is seriously nothing I regret. Everything I did on Cagayan was on the fly. Some things were based off of emotion, some based off of strategy, but nothing was based off of malice. In the end, it all fell into place and I became the Sole Survivor.

How will you play differently this time? Going into the game this time around, with all the players knowing my game style, I know that I'm going to be a huge threat. Having said that, I know I will have to take it down a few notches until I can plant my roots. Knowing myself, I won't be able to take it down any notches and will be in trouble. I hope I have what it takes to adapt right away and "go with the flow"—if that's even possible for me to do. I will have my fingers crossed for sure![2]

Hometown: Jersey City, New Jersey
Current residence: Allendale, New Jersey
Previous seasons: Winner of Survivor: Cagayan (Season 28), Survivor: Game Changers (Season 34)
Occupation: Police Officer
Hobbies: Spending as much time as possible with my whole family. That is my only and most fun hobby.
Pet Peeves: One-uppers, know-it-alls, laziness, entitlement, and passive-aggressiveness.
Three words to describe you: Respectful, reliable, and responsible.
When did you first watch Survivor? Season 1 (on and off throughout the years).
Do you still watch Survivor? Yes.
Who is your inspiration in life? My father.
What does Survivor mean to you and your family? Survivor has been a financial blessing to me and my family, and we'll always be extremely grateful for that.
What is one way playing Survivor changed your life? Financially! After winning, it catapulted me to a higher tax bracket, where I consistently stayed since!
As Survivor approaches Season 40 and celebrates 20 years on television, what does it mean to be a part of the legacy? It's truly as surreal as it was for me the very first time I played. I'm genuinely humbled that Survivor looks at me as one of their top winners, so much that they would invite me back to play again not once, but TWICE! Being a part of this unimaginable milestone of a season is HUGE!

How will you play differently than you have in your past seasons? I've played Survivor twice (Season 28 and 34)—I won once, and lost once. I've learned that my game-winning performance was similar to that of a one-trick pony. There is no way I can perform the same tricks playing with Survivor legends and expect to get away with it. Hence my second time playing on Game Changers. Fortunately for me, I'm well aware that I will have to change the way that I'm wired. I will play this season differently by not being as loud/flashy and will try my best to control the votes/game without making it obvious that I'm doing just that. Wish me luck! LOL![3]

Survivor[]

Cagayan[]

Tony was initially placed on Aparri, the Brawn tribe of Cagayan. While in the woods, fellow police officer Sarah Lacina looked him in the eyes and asked if he was a cop, though he lied and said no. She told him she could tell because she too was a cop. Soon after, he admitted to her that he was a cop and they bonded and formed an alliance called "Cops-R-Us". Tony spent the first few days building a "spy shack," finding a Hidden Immunity Idol, and forming alliances with both Sarah and Trish Hegarty. He also harbored some resentment towards Cliff Robinson for his popularity within the tribe. Tony lied to Sarah, saying that Cliff and Lindsey Ogle were gunning for her successfully manipulating her against her initial alliance. Sarah then convinced Trish and Woo Hwang to come into their alliance and throw the fourth Immunity Challenge to vote Cliff out, followed by Lindsey. Tony, along with Lindsey, sat out of the challenge while the others (except for Cliff) attempted to throw the challenge. Cliff, however, single-handedly saved himself by winning the challenge for Aparri. Due to their challenge prowess, Aparri never attended Tribal Council.

On Day 12, a Tribe Switch occurred, sending all of Aparri's members, with the exception of Sarah, to the new Solana tribe, along with original members Jefra Bland and LJ McKanas. After Solana lost the next Immunity Challenge, the former Aparri members were set to vote LJ out, though Trish, who had bonded with LJ, attempted to get Tony to vote Cliff out instead. At Tribal Council, Tony and Trish joined LJ and Jefra in blindsiding Cliff. Upon returning to camp, Trish and Lindsey got into a heated argument, resulting in Lindsey quitting the game. Tony was happy with this development.

After winning the next Reward Challenge, Solana won the right to raid Aparri's camp. The tribe sent Tony and Woo to conduct the raid, with the two also receiving a clue for a Hidden Immunity Idol at the Solana camp. Tony, however, thought of using this clue in order to target Aparri's strongest member, Jeremiah Wood. He claimed in front of the other tribe to have been instructed to give a clue to a Hidden Immunity Idol to a member of Aparri and gave it to Jeremiah. The plan, though, did not work because Jeremiah immediately recognized that it was the same clue that the original Solana tribe had received prior to the tribe switch, though it managed to cast suspicion on Jeremiah.

Tony made it to the merge on Day 17 and became part of the merged tribe, Solarrion. Being down in numbers, the new Solana Alliance needed Sarah's vote, but Sarah overheard her former allies Tony, Trish, and Woo yell "Top 5!" along with Jefra and LJ at the previous challenge, which made her feel excluded. Tony tried to pull Sarah back into their alliance, seemingly to no avail, as Sarah was committed to staying with the opposing Aparri Alliance. Trish saw an opportunity to swing Kass McQuillen, who was bickering with Sarah, by offering to vote Sarah out should Kass join them. A hesitant Tony eventually agreed to target Sarah after recognising that he had not succeeded in flipping her after she refused to swear on her badge. At Tribal Council, Tony and LJ made a grand stand by playing their Hidden Immunity Idols for each other, though this was all for naught as the Aparri Alliance had actually targeted Jefra. Kass, however, decided to flip and Sarah became the first member of the jury.

At the next Tribal Council Tony suggested voting out Morgan McLeod as due to her laziness she was the least likely to have an idol. His alliance agreed and Morgan was voted out. Though now in a position of power, Tony found himself to be increasingly paranoid after the Aparri Alliance voted for him at the following Tribal Council where Morgan was voted out. Tony decided to target LJ as he believed LJ was the biggest strategic threat in the game. Tony decided to play up his paranoia and suggested voting out Woo to LJ, following this Tony then framed him by claiming that LJ wanted to vote Woo out. Tony then told Trish that LJ was sketchy and untrustworthy but Trish dismissed this as Tony being paranoid. The team of Tony, Jeremiah, and Spencer Bledsoe won the next Reward Challenge, and Tony used this opportunity to try to use their alliance's votes. Tony then told Woo that LJ had been targeting him getting Woo on board to target LJ. At the next Tribal Council, Tony and Woo joined the Aparri Alliance in blindsiding LJ, much to Trish's shock.

The following day, Jefra began to feel insecure about Tony's deception towards everybody and confronted Trish to try to gun for him. Trish and Kass, however, were able to assuage Jefra's fears and pull her back into their alliance. Trish also had Tony reassure Jefra himself, which he did by swearing on his family members. It was also at this time that Tony's paranoia led to him finding a Hidden Immunity Idol with "special powers."

The alliance came back together and decided to target Jeremiah as they believed Spencer had the idol and would be more likely to play it for himself. This proved to be correct as Spencer did have an idol but played it for his own safety with Jeremiah going home. While Spencer played his idol, Tony bluffed using an apparently fake idol in order to ensure that he played it on himself rather than Jeremiah.

At the Survivor Auction, Tony, along with Spencer and Tasha Fox held out on buying any food, anticipating that there would be an advantage offered and feared that either Spencer or Tasha would get it. When an advantage was indeed offered, Tasha backed out while both Tony and Spencer bid the maximum amount of $500 for a chance to draw rocks to win the advantage. Tony won the advantage, which turned out to be a clue to another Hidden Immunity Idol, which he also found. At the same time, Tony began to fear the possibility of a women's alliance forming between the remaining women, who had outnumbered the remaining men in the game. Tony and Woo again struck a deal with Tasha and Spencer, and they blindsided Jefra at the next Tribal Council.

The next morning, Kass, fed up with Tony's double-dealing, got into an argument with Tony, in which Tony revealed that he had the Hidden Immunity Idol with "special powers." This led to Kass, Tasha, Spencer, and Woo plotting to flush Tony's Hidden Immunity Idol, though Kass later changed her mind, instead wanting to face Tony at the Final Tribal Council due to her perceiving him as an easily beatable Hantzian jury goat. At Tribal Council, she and Woo rejoined Tony and Trish and sent Tasha to the jury.

Woo then revealed to Tony the next day that he and Kass had conspired against him the previous night. Tony confronted Kass about this, but later claimed to forgive her, stating that he planned on going to the end with her and Trish. Unsatisfied, Kass revealed this to Woo, which made Woo question his own loyalty to Tony. After Tony won the next Reward Challenge and picked Trish to share his reward with, Kass, Spencer, and Woo plotted to split the pair up. At Tribal Council, Tony revealed that he actually had two Hidden Immunity Idols in his possession. He played the regular one for himself and proceeded to join the rest of the tribe in blindsiding his ally Trish.

Although the Hidden Immunity Idol with "special powers" expired at the final five, Tony bluffed by claiming that it could be used until the final four. The remaining castaways were then surprised by a visit from their loved ones. Although Tony was glad that his friend, Arnold, visited him, he was upset that his wife, Marissa, could not come as she was taking care of their baby girl. After Kass won the next Immunity Challenge, Spencer came up to Tony and told him that he believed that there would be a Final Two. Spencer claimed that if either Kass or Woo won, they would take each other to the end. If Tony voted Woo out and Spencer won, he would take Tony. Unconvinced by Spencer's argument, Tony joined Kass and Woo in voting him out at Tribal Counci due to him being a big jury threat.

Upon returning to camp, Kass and Woo agreed that voting Tony out was both in their best interests and agreed to take each other to the end. At the Final Immunity Challenge, Woo narrowly beat Kass by half a second to win immunity. Back at camp, both Tony and Kass pleaded with Woo, with Tony appealing to Woo's sense of honor, pointing out that the jury would see him as being disloyal if he voted Tony out. At Tribal Council, Woo shocked everyone by voting Kass out, making her the ninth and final member of the jury.

At the Final Tribal Council, the jury scolded Tony. He was confronted by Sarah for swearing on his badge and by Jeremiah for swearing on his family. He was also confronted by LJ and Jefra for his blindsiding both of them. He was then lambasted by a furious Trish for swearing on his late father's grave, then proceeding to blindside her. In spite of this, Morgan and Spencer both lauded Tony for his control of the game. In the end, Tony received eight jury votes to Woo's one (from Tasha), earning him the title of Sole Survivor of Survivor: Cagayan.

Episode Tribe
Affiliation
Challenge Challenge Type Sit-Out? Result
1 Aparri Draggin' the Dragon Reward/Immunity No 2nd
Phish Farm Reward/Immunity No 1st
2 Mazed and Confused Reward/Immunity Yes 1st
3 Haulin' Oats Reward No 2nd
Octopus Garden Immunity Yes 2nd
Switched Tribes, Day 12
4 Solana Kicking and Screaming Reward No Won
Gate Crasher Immunity No Lost
5 Idol Hands Reward No Won
Styx Immunity No Won
Tribes Merged, Day 17
6 Solarrion Bermuda Triangles Immunity Lost
7 Rise and Shrine Reward Lost
Keep on Your Toes Immunity Lost
8 Supertramp Reward Won
Living Color Immunity Lost
9 Rove, Rove, Rove Your Boat Reward Lost
Hard to Handle Immunity Lost
10 Survivor Auction
Inside Track Immunity Lost
11 Challenge Pitch Reward Lost
Combo Platter Immunity Lost
12 Mud Run Reward Won
Jacob's Ladder Immunity Lost
13 Vertigo Immunity Lost
Roundabout Immunity Lost
Sole Survivor, Day 39

Episode Tony's
Votes
Voted Against
Tony
1 Aparri Tribe Immune
Aparri Tribe Immune
2 Aparri Tribe Immune
3 Aparri Tribe Immune
4 Cliff -
5 Solana Tribe Immune
6 Sarah -1
7 Morgan Jeremiah, Morgan,
Spencer, Tasha
8 LJ -
9 Jeremiah -
10 Jefra -
11 Tasha Spencer
12 Trish -2
13 Spencer -
Ineligible -
Jury Votes
for Tony
Jefra, Jeremiah, Kass, LJ,
Morgan, Sarah, Spencer, Trish
Sole Survivor, Day 39

^1 In "Head of the Snake", LJ used a Hidden Immunity Idol on Tony, but did not negate any votes against him.
^2 In "Straw That Broke the Camel's Back", Tony used a Hidden Immunity Idol, but did not negate any votes against him.

Game Changers[]

Tony entered Survivor: Game Changers as one of the season's three former winners, along with J.T. Thomas and Sandra Diaz-Twine. He was initially placed on the Mana tribe. Minutes after arriving at camp, Tony jokingly ran off making llama sounds, blatantly proclaiming that he was on a hunt for a Hidden Immunity Idol. Though it started as a joke, after he realized that no one was on his tail, Tony decided to start digging a "spy bunker" in the sand near the water well in order to eavesdrop on conversations. Ultimately, he was caught by Sandra and Caleb Reynolds and had to put his spy bunker on hold.

After Mana lost the first Immunity Challenge, Tony gathered the tribe members who were at the water well and the group decided to boot Ciera Eastin first for her over-scheming and for her failure in the challenge. When Ciera approached the group, Tony threw out Michaela Bradshaw's name, and Ciera accepted this as the plan for the night. However, when Tony told Michaela that it was her that was being used as a decoy, Michaela became upset. The majority decided that it might be a good idea to take out Michaela, who was not only emotionally volatile, but also an unknown factor. In the end, Mana stuck to their original plan, and Ciera was voted out unanimously.

Immediately after Tribal Council, Tony felt uneasy that the first vote had gone so easily. He wanted to start playing hard, and so went back to the water well and continued to dig his bunker. The next day, Tony approached Aubry Bracco and the two decided that it may be best if they recruit other big threats in order to use them as shields and as allies. They decided to bring in Caleb, Sandra, and Malcolm Freberg. However, in the middle of the night, Sandra and Troyzan Robertson went to the well in order to discuss tribal happenings. Tony had been working on his bunker, and so he crawled into the bushes, and later jumped out at the pair after he heard his name being thrown out. He decided that Sandra was too sketchy, and effectively cut her loose from the "big threats alliance". In response, Sandra began recruiting for her own alliance, and brought in Michaela, Troyzan, Hali Ford, and Jeff Varner after being left out of Tony's alliance.

After Mana narrowly lost the second Immunity Challenge, Tony and Sandra campaigned against each other. The two winners gathered their troops, and Jeff and Michaela became the two swing votes. At Tribal Council, the tribe discussed how physical strength should be kept in the tribe to prevent further losses. Sandra was rattled, and when Tony continued to campaign against her, she countered with reasons to take Tony out. When it was time to vote, Tony voted against Aubry, in the hopes that a split vote may have been in operation and that by voting against his ally, he could save himself. However, the only other person who had voted for Aubry was Sandra, and the rest of the tribe eliminated Tony. Before departing, Tony called out Sandra for her control of the tribe, to which Sandra retaliated by saying that Tony had targeted her first.

Episode Tribe
Affiliation
Challenge Challenge Type Sit-Out? Result
1 Mana The Marooning Reward No Lost
Blue Lagoon Bustle Reward/Immunity No Lost
Serpent Turf Reward/Immunity No Lost
Voted Out, Day 6

Episode Tony's
Votes
Voted Against
Tony
1 Ciera -
Aubry Aubry, Caleb, Hali, Jeff,
Malcolm, Michaela, Troyzan
Voted Out, Day 6

Winners at War[]

Tony returned to play in the all-winners season Survivor: Winners at War, where he was initially placed on the Dakal tribe. Not wanting to make the same mistakes he did in his last time out, Tony opted to keep a low profile and focus more on getting to know his tribemates on a personal level. On Day 3, after losing the Immunity Challenge, Tyson Apostol initially targeted Tony, to which Tony fired back and campaigned against Tyson. In the end, Tony joined Yul Kwon in dismantling the supposed "poker alliance" and voted out Amber Mariano.

The next day, Tony reconnected with his fellow Cagayan castaway Sarah Lacina, and the two recreated their old Cops-R-Us alliance from said season. A few days later, Sarah received a note from the Edge of Extinction telling her about a Vote Steal advantage hidden at the opposing Sele tribe's camp. To help infiltrate their camp without getting caught, Sarah got help from Tony to camouflage her via rubbing ashes on her face. Sarah succeeded in getting the advantage without anyone noticing her.

On Day 11, Dakal lost the Immunity Challenge, and Tyson was targeted for his duplicity. Tony, however, wanted Nick Wilson out because Tyson was more use as a target shield than Nick. Ultimately, Tony joined the majority in voting out Tyson. The next morning, a Tribe Switch occurred. Tony remained on Dakal with Kim Spradlin-Wolfe and Sandra Diaz-Twine, along with original Sele members Denise Stapley and Jeremy Collins. Though Tony and Sandra were dead-set on getting Denise and Jeremy out, they worried Kim would flip to the latter's side since she was on the outs before.

On Day 16, host Jeff Probst announced that only the first tribe who won the challenge would be immune, and thus there would be two separate Tribal Councils for each of the losers. Yara won the Immunity Challenge, which meant Dakal and Sele would both vote someone out. Tony was paranoid about the state of his tribe, so he attempted to reuse his strategy of spying on his tribemates to gain information. That night, he decided to join the group in voting out Denise, but unbeknownst to him, Sandra had given Denise an idol to save herself. This plan backfired, as although Denise used the idol for herself (along with one she already had for Jeremy), she voted Sandra out in return. This move left Tony on the outs, but fortunately, he won the next Immunity Challenge and lived to see another day.

On Day 19, the tribes merged into the Koru tribe, along with Tyson, who returned from the Edge of Extinction. From there, a new alliance of "lions", as Tony dubbed them, were getting together to vote out the "hyenas". For Tony, this meant low-level threats like Nick, Adam Klein, and Wendell Holland. Though the group was divided between the three, they settled on Wendell and voted him out that night. Adam quickly followed after a few chaotic days.

Tony won his first individual Immunity Challenge on Day 25, and he then turned his focus to Jeremy, who wanted to separate his two closest allies Sarah and Sophie Clarke. Despite it looking like Jeremy was going to go, a series of chaotic events led to Jeremy using his Safety Without Power advantage to leave Tribal Council without voting or being voted against. Tony's alliance quickly shifted gears and blindsided Tyson that night.

Early the next morning, Tony went searching for a Hidden Immunity Idol while everyone was still asleep. Although he was found by Nick, Tony managed to find the idol without Nick in sight. The next day, Tony received an advantage from the Edge of Extinction. It was an Extortion Advantage that would block the target from voting or competing in the Immunity Challenge unless they paid a certain number of Fire Tokens. Tony was excited until he realized the advantage was being played against him. Desperate to gain back power, Tony convinced Nick, Jeremy, and Ben Driebergen to give him one Fire Token each, giving him enough to pay the extortion. He was able to compete in the Immunity Challenge, which he won.

Afterward, although Tony was initially set on voting out Jeremy, he decided to split the votes between Jeremy and Sophie, the latter he worried was getting too close to Sarah. Sophie was blindsided that night and was sent to the Edge of Extinction. Though Sarah was initially angry with Tony for what he did, she chose to stick with him. The next day, Tony won his third individual immunity in a row, and he later learned that Kim was targeting him. Tony retaliated by getting his alliance together to vote off Kim.

Despite still wanting Jeremy out, Tony shifted his efforts toward Nick because he viewed Jeremy as a shield. However, Nick won Immunity, and, knowing about Michele Fitzgerald's 50/50 Coin, Tony decided to split the votes between Jeremy and Michele. Michele played her advantage at Tribal Council, nullifying her votes, but it was no use as Jeremy received the most votes and was sent to the Edge. This left Michele on the outs, and everyone was ready to vote her out next. However, when Michele won the next Immunity Challenge on Day 34, the majority turned on each other. Tony discovered through his spy nest that Denise wanted him out, so he in turn lobbied against Denise. In the end, though, Tony joined his alliance in voting out Nick.

Natalie Anderson returned from the Edge of Extinction on Day 35, and she immediately put Tony on the spot by saying the jury loved him. Tony grew concerned about this, along with the possibility of Natalie having some sort of advantage form the Edge. He tried suggesting to his alliance that they vote off Denise, but to no avail. He turned out to be right; Natalie played an idol on Night 36, nullifying her votes. Tony and Ben both played their idols after her, resulting in a null vote. At the revote, Tony got his way, and Denise was voted out.

Right after Tribal Council, Tony searched for the idol, but Natalie found it before he could. Tony won his fourth individual Immunity on Day 37, and back at camp he discovered through his spy nest that Natalie had the idol. Knowing this, Tony told Ben and Sarah to vote for Michele. However, unbeknownst to Tony, Ben asked Sarah to vote him out that night, to which Sarah obliged. The next day, Natalie won the Final Immunity Challenge, and she was adamant on forcing Tony to compete in the fire-making challenge, eventually deciding to pit his partner in crime, Sarah, against him. In a close battle, Tony beat Sarah and secured his spot in the Final Three, with Sarah becoming the final member of the jury.

At the Final Tribal Council, the jury praised Tony for his prowess in every aspect of the game. However, Tony was also criticized, especially by Jeremy for his betrayal and broken promises. Despite Jeremy's critique, he followed Sandra in becoming the second two-time Sole Survivor with 12 jury votes to Natalie's 4 and Michele's 0.

Episode Tribe
Affiliation
Challenge Challenge Type Sit-Out? Result
1 Dakal Marooning Reward/Immunity No Won
Blue Lagoon Bustle Immunity No Lost
2 Draggin' the Dragon Reward/Immunity No Won
3 Along the Watch Tower Reward/Immunity No Won
4 Beyond the Wheel Reward/Immunity Yes Lost
5 Block in a Hard Place Immunity No 2nd
6 Rice Race Reward/Immunity No Lost
7 Ball-istic Missiles Reward1 No Lost
Dishwalla Immunity No 2nd
Tribes Merged, Day 19
8 Koru Get a Grip Immunity Lost
9 New School Reward No Lost
Bermuda Triangle Immunity Lost
10 A Bit Tipsy Immunity Won
11 Chain Reaction Reward2 Lost
10-Foot Pole Immunity Won
12 When It Rains Immunity Won
13 Running Down a Dream Immunity Lost
High Step Back Immunity Lost
14 Slide On Reward/Immunity Lost
5 on 5 Immunity Won
Simmotion Immunity Lost
Sole Survivor, Day 39
Notes:
^1 An unaired Reward Challenge was held on Day 17.
^2 An unaired Reward Challenge was held on Day 26.

Episode Tony's
Votes
Voted Against
Tony
1 Dakal Tribe Immune
Kim -
2 Dakal Tribe Immune
3 Dakal Tribe Immune
4 Tyson -
5 Dakal Tribe Immune
6 Denise1 -
7 Dakal Tribe Immune
8 Wendell -
9 Adam -
10 Tyson Individual Immunity
11 Sophie Individual Immunity
12 Kim Individual Immunity
13 Jeremy -
Nick -
14 Natalie;
Denise2
-2
Michele Individual Immunity
Jury Votes
for Tony
Adam, Amber, Ben, Danni,
Denise, Kim, Nick, Rob,
Sarah, Sophie, Wendell, Yul
Sole Survivor, Day 39

^1 In "Quick on the Draw", Denise used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Tony's vote against her.
^2 In "It All Boils Down to This", Tony used a Hidden Immunity Idol, but did not negate any votes against him. Also, Natalie used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Tony's vote against her. Because Ben and Natalie both used Hidden Immunity Idols and negated all the votes cast at Tribal Council, a vote restart was held between the two non-immune players, Denise and Sarah. Tony changed his vote to Denise on the restart.

Post-Survivor[]

Tony-vlachos-1-300x400

Tony, his wife, and their son, Constantine.

  • After Tony came back to the United States, he found that he contracted a parasite in Cagayan. He was bed-ridden for three months and lost an additional 25 lbs., for a total of 40 lbs. lost after filming Survivor.[4]
  • On February 5, 2014, Tony saved a 69-year-old man who had a massive heart attack on his lawn in nine inches of snow.[5]
  • Tony's wife, Marissa, was absent during the Cagayan live Reunion Show because she was in the last trimester of her second pregnancy. Their son, Constantine Anthony, was born on June 9, 2014.[6]
  • After Tony's win in Cagayan, Aaron W. Fraser, a New Jersey (D) congressional candidate, tried to get Tony fired from his job, believing his actions on Survivor were unbecoming of a police officer. The attempt however apparently failed as Tony remained in service as of 2020.[7]
  • Tony was inducted to the Survivor Hall of Fame in 2016.[8]

Trivia[]

  • Tony is the second two-time winner of Survivor, after Sandra Diaz-Twine.
  • Tony is the fifth castaway to win a season consisting of only returning players after Amber Mariano, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Jeremy Collins, and Sarah Lacina.
  • Tony is the second castaway to win a season on his third attempt, after Tyson Apostol.
  • Tony has played all three of his seasons with Sarah Lacina. They are the third pair to accomplish this feat, following Colby Donaldson and Jerri Manthey (The Australian Outback, All-Stars, and Heroes vs. Villains) and Amanda Kimmel and James Clement (China, Micronesia, and Heroes vs. Villains).
  • Tony is the only castaway in Cagayan to vote with the majority at every Tribal Council he attended. He is the first castaway to do so (excluding evacuees/quitters) since Coach Wade in South Pacific, and is the first (and most recent) Sole Survivor to do so since Natalie White in Samoa.
  • Tony is the first contestant to vote out someone he had previously played a Hidden Immunity Idol for.
  • Tony gave the most episode titles in Cagayan, with a total number of six episode titles.
  • Tony lost 21 lbs. (9.5 kg) during Cagayan.[9]
  • Tony has the most jury votes to win out of any winner who participated in a Final Two, with 8 in Cagayan, as well as the most jury votes of any finalist in a single season, with 12 in Winners at War.
    • He holds the record for the most jury votes received overall, with a total of 20 in his Survivor career.
  • Tony broke the record shared by Tina Wesson and Stephenie LaGrossa for the largest fall in placement between seasons, dropping 18 places between Cagayan and Game Changers when he placed 19th.
  • Tony is the oldest member of the original Dakal tribe and the oldest man to compete on Winners at War.
  • Tony is the third returning player to win their first individual immunity on their third season of Survivor. He was preceded by Jerri Manthey (Heroes vs. Villains) and Jonathan Penner (Philippines).
  • Tony holds the record for the lowest-placing player to return for a future season, breaking the record that was held by Francesca Hogi and Tina Wesson. He placed 19th in Game Changers, and later returned in Winners at War.
  • Tony is the only castaway on Winners at War to never receive a vote against them.
  • Despite finding four Hidden Immunity Idols and using three of them in his Survivor career, Tony has never negated a single vote, though his idol play at the final six of Winners at War protected him from being vulnerable at the vote restart caused by the null vote.
  • Both times Tony won:
    • He formed the Cops-R-Us alliance with Sarah Lacina and outlasted her.
    • He was on the same starting tribe with Sarah, with the duo getting separated because of a Tribe Switch that occurred on day 12.
    • The merged tribe's color was black.
    • He contributed directly to Sarah's eliminations as he voted her out in Cagayan and defeated her at the final four fire-making challenge in Winners at War.
    • He received Sarah's vote to win the game.
    • The final four consisted of two original members of one tribe while the remaining two were original members from the same opposing tribe.
    • He set the record for most jury votes received in both of the Final Tribal formats.
  • Every time Tony received votes in Cagayan, including the Final Tribal Council, one of them was from Spencer Bledsoe.
  • Tony is the only Sole Survivor to win $2,000,000 in prize money in a single season. This is because on Winners at War, the show doubled the prize money.
    • Tony holds the record for the most amount of prize money won in a Survivor career, with a total amount of over $3,000,000 for winning Cagayan and Winners at War, combined with his consolation prize for finishing 19th on Game Changers.

References[]

Preceded by
Blood vs. Water
S27 tyson t
Tyson Apostol
Sole Survivor Titleholder
Cagayan
S28 tony t
Tony Vlachos
Succeeded by
San Juan del Sur
S29 natalie t
Natalie Anderson
Preceded by
Island of the Idols
S39 tommy t
Tommy Sheehan
Sole Survivor Titleholder
Winners at War
S40 tony t
Tony Vlachos
Succeeded by
Survivor 41
S41 erika t
Erika Casupanan
Survivor: Cagayan Castaways
 Alexis
Solana
S28 alexis t
 Brice
Solana
S28 brice t
 Cliff
Aparri
S28 cliff t
 David
Luzon
S28 david t
 Garrett
Luzon
S28 garrett t
 J'Tia
Luzon
S28 jtia t
 Jefra
Solana
S28 jefra t
 Jeremiah
Solana
S28 jeremiah t
 Kass
Luzon
S28 kass t
 LJ
Solana
S28 lj t
 Lindsey
Aparri
S28 lindsey t
 Morgan
Solana
S28 morgan t
 Sarah
Aparri
S28 sarah t
 Spencer
Luzon
S28 spencer t
 Tasha
Luzon
S28 tasha t
 Tony
Aparri
S28 tony t
 Trish
Aparri
S28 trish t
 Woo
Aparri
S28 woo t
Survivor: Game Changers Castaways
 Andrea
Nuku
S34 andrea t
 Aubry
Mana
S34 aubry t
 Brad
Nuku
S34 brad t
 Caleb
Mana
S34 caleb t
 Ciera
Mana
S34 ciera t
 Cirie
Nuku
S34 cirie t
 Debbie
Nuku
S34 debbie t
 Hali
Mana
S34 hali t
 J.T.
Nuku
S34 jt t
 Jeff
Mana
S34 jeff t
 Malcolm
Mana
S34 malcolm t
 Michaela
Mana
S34 michaela t
 Ozzy
Nuku
S34 ozzy t
 Sandra
Mana
S34 sandra t
 Sarah
Nuku
S34 sarah t
 Sierra
Nuku
S34 sierra t
 Tai
Nuku
S34 tai t
 Tony
Mana
S34 tony t
 Troyzan
Mana
S34 troyzan t
 Zeke
Nuku
S34 zeke t
Survivor: Winners at War Castaways
 Adam
Sele
S40 adam t
 Amber
Dakal
S40 amber t
 Ben
Sele
S40 ben t
 Danni
Sele
S40 danni t
 Denise
Sele
S40 denise t
 Ethan
Sele
S40 ethan t
 Jeremy
Sele
S40 jeremy t
 Kim
Dakal
S40 kim t
 Michele
Sele
S40 michele t
 Natalie
Sele
S40 natalie t
 Nick
Dakal
S40 nick t
 Parvati
Sele
S40 parvati t
 Rob
Sele
S40 rob t
 Sandra
Dakal
S40 sandra t
 Sarah
Dakal
S40 sarah t
 Sophie
Dakal
S40 sophie t
 Tony
Dakal
S40 tony t
 Tyson
Dakal
S40 tyson t
 Wendell
Dakal
S40 wendell t
 Yul
Dakal
S40 yul t
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