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Commemorate over 30 seasons of SURVIVOR with an in-depth look back at the first 30 seasons of the hit reality series!
An audiobook series from Survivor All-Star Rob Cesternino and acclaimed entertainment journalist Josh Wigler

Volume 1 features 80 hours of analysis and insights from seasons 1-10 of Survivor.

1
Tribal Council by Tribal Council account of how players learned to play the game.
2
Detailed discussion of each of the great strategic moves and its lasting impact on the game.
3
Insights into behind the scenes events from having interviewed over 180 past Survivors.

Listen to a Sample from Book 1


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Rob and Josh discuss Richard Hatch’s decision to give up on the Final 3 immunity challenge in Survivor Borneo

 

Evolution of Strategy: Volume 1 – Covers Seasons 1 through 10

Evolution of Strategy: Volume 2 – Covers Seasons 11 through 20

Evolution of Strategy: Volume 3 – Covers Seasons 21 through 30


Winners Ranking

At the end of each chapter, Rob provides a list of the rankings of all the winners as they go along.

Survivor Twists

How the twists have changed the show over the years

Silliness and All The Fixin’s

The humor you have come to expect from Rob Has a Podcast is alive and well in The Evolution of Strategy.

Rob Cesternino

Rob Cesternino is a two-time Survivor and was referred to as “The smartest player to never win Survivor” by Jeff Probst. Now the host of “Rob Has a Podcast”, Rob has been interviewing players about their strategy for the last 10 years. In 2012, Cesternino was inducted in to the Survivor Hall of Fame.

Josh Wigler

Josh Wigler is an entertainment reporter and blogger who has covered Survivor for MTV.com, New York Magazine, Parade Magazine, and more. He is one of the founding hosts of Post Show Recaps, where he podcasts about Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Lost, and several other scripted television shows. He lives in New York City with his wife and all of the pizza.

volume-1


Volume 1: All of Seasons 1-10


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Get the first 10 seasons of “The Evolution of Strategy” for one price with Volume 1. The first of 3 volumes covers every season from Borneo through Palau and spans 80 hours of Survivor strategy discussion from Rob Cesternino and Josh Wigler. See More

Evolution of Strategy: Volume 2


Volume 2: All of Seasons 11-20


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In Volume 2, we cover the second 10 seasons of Survivor in “The Evolution of Strategy”. All through the middle ages of Survivor, Rob and Josh document the transformations in the game and the strategy used by the players that takes place between Guatemala and Heroes vs. Villains. With over 80 hours of material, we’ll follow how Survivor transitioned into the modern era version of the show. See More

Evolution of Strategy: Volume 3


Volume 3: All of Seasons 21-30


Get the third 10 seasons of “The Evolution of Strategy” for one price with Volume 3. The final of the 3 volumes covers the seasons from Nicaragua through Worlds Apart and spans 90 hours of Survivor discussion from Rob Cesternino and Josh Wigler. See More

TEOS Full Set of All 30 Seasons


TEOS Full 30 Season Set (Best Value)


Get all 30 Chapters of The Evolution of Strategy with our Full Audiobook Set. It’s over 300 hours of Survivor discussion at 25% off the purchase price of buying the volumes separately. See More

– Individual Chapters –

 


chapter-1-borneo


Chapter 1: Survivor Borneo


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Go all the way back to the very first season of Survivor to see how the first 16 Americans to every play this game dealt with strategy. We’ll discuss what happened and debate what they should have been doing. See More

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Chapter 2: The Australian Outback


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Take a look back at the second season of Survivor and hear our discussion on how the first players that had even seen the game decided to play it for themselves. We’ll have plenty of discussion about beef jerky, cooking the rice and the power dynamics of Tina vs. Colby. See More

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Chapter 3: Africa


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In our third chapter we discuss the game that played out in Survivor: Africa. We’ll discuss how the previous vote tie-breakers from Australia dominated the way that the players approached the game and how the first tribe swap threw them all for a loop. Plus, we dive deep in to the power dynamics of the Lex, Tom and Ethan alliance and much, much more. See More

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Chapter 4: Marquesas


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In our fourth chapter we discuss a season that changed the straight forward alliance strategy used in the first three seasons forever. In Marquesas, we discuss the power struggle at Maraamu between Hunter and the young Rob Mariano, making his Survivor debut. Then we discuss how the Rotu 4 came to power and the preventable mistakes they made which caused their downfall. We will also discuss the gameplay of Kathy and how the purple rock changed the strategy of Survivor players for seasons to come plus much, much more. See More

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Chapter 5: Thailand


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In chapter 5 of The Evolution of Strategy we discuss a season of Survivor that was dominated by the strategy of the season’s winner, Brian Heidik. We will discuss whether Brian is over-rated or under-rated in Survivor lore for his game on this season. Plus we’ll discuss how twists like the first tribe draft and the fake merge really altered some of the plans that the players had been making based on how the first four seasons played out. See More

Click to Hear All of Chapter 6 from The Evolution of Strategy about Survivor: The Amazon


Chapter 6: The Amazon


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In chapter 6 we discuss the journey of Rob Cesternino in Survivor: The Amazon and my first hand account of how the game played out. We’ll break down every vote and factors that went in to all of the decisions made. This chapter is twice as long as any other chapter so far in the audiobook so far. This is the most detail that we’ve ever gotten in to this season of Survivor. See More

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Chapter 7: Pearl Islands


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In chapter 7, we break down one of the most beloved seasons of Survivor, The Pearl Islands. It’s a season featuring strategic lessons from 3 iconic Survivors: Sandra, Fairplay and Rupert. We’ll follow Sandra’s first victory to discuss the “as long as it ain’t me” strategy. In addition, we will analyze each step in the battle between Jonny Fairplay and Rupert. Plus, we talk through all of the implications of The Shipwreck, the outcast twist and, of course, the Grandma Lie in Chapter 7. See More

Listen to Chapter 8 of The Evolution of Strategy


Chapter 8: All-Stars


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In chapter 8, we give you the first hand account of Survivor All-Stars. We’ll discuss what was going on between the players before the game started, how Rob’s experience played out and we really dive deep in to all the drama that takes place between Boston Rob and Lex at the Survivor All-Stars merge. It’s our longest and most in-depth chapter to date in The Evolution of Strategy. See More

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Chapter 9: Vanuatu


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In chapter 9, Survivor brings back the men vs. women format once again and we discuss a totally different battle of the sexes than the one that played out in the Amazon. Of course, we’ll discuss how Chris went from the last man standing to the sole survivor through fostering multiple alliances. We’ll also talk about how Sarge, Chris and Chad made a major mistake by trusting Julie and Twila before the merge. Plus, we’ll discuss where the women who controlled the game after the merge went wrong and much more in our Vanuatu chapter of The Evolution of Strategy. See More


Chapter 10 of The Evolution of Strategy covers Survivor: Palau


Chapter 10: Palau


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In chapter 10, we close out Volume 1 by talking about a bunch of Survivor firsts. The Survivors deal with the twist of spending the first few days as one tribe before drafting their own teams and ultimately eliminating two players. We’ll really focus in on the game of Tom Westman and how we led Koror on the utter destruction of the Ulong. Plus, we’ll take a look at what the other players tried to do to stop Tom along the way and how Tom was able to put out the fires along the way as we discuss Survivor: Palau. See More


Evolution of Strategy: Volume 11


Chapter 11: Guatemala


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In chapter 11, we kick off Volume 2 with the first season to bring back returning players to compete against a bunch new players. Its the return of Stephenie and Bobby Jon in one of the most brutal seasons of Survivor ever! Plus, we see the first appearance of the hidden immunity idol, an amazing come from behind win by Danni Boatwright and plenty of interesting characters like Judd. See More


Chapter 12 of The Evolution of Strategy


Chapter 12: Panama


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In Chapter 12, we discuss a number of changes that come to the game which will alter the course of Survivor. The tribes are split four ways to start the game, the super-powered hidden immunity idol is in play from the start and Exile Island becomes a part of the season for the first time. In addition, we are introduced to a number of notable colorful characters including master strategist Cirie in her first incarnation, Aras, Courtney and of course, Shane. Plus, we’ll get to take a closer look at the game played by Terry Dietz as we prepare to watch him in Survivor: Second Chance. See More


Chapter 13 of The Evolution of Strategy: Cook Islands


Chapter 13: Cook Islands


In Chapter 13, the tribes will be divided by race in to four teams competing in the Cook Islands. We’ll get to meet many familiar Survivor faces including Penner, Parvati, Ozzy, Candice and the season’s winner, Yul. We’ll really take a good long look at how well Yul was able to leverage the immunity idol during this season and why the rules needed to be changed after the season. Plus, for the very first time, Survivor will have a final three and we’ll break down Yul vs Ozzy (and of course, Becky). See More


Evolution of Strategy Chapter 14: Fiji


Chapter 14: Fiji


In Chapter 14, we’ll discuss a season that doesn’t get a lot of love from fans in Survivor: Fiji. This is a season which includes a major twist in terms of the haves and have nots. Strategically, we’ll discuss the first season with the modern day rules concerning the hidden immunity idol. Plus, we’ll do deep dives in to the games played by both Earl and Yau-man. Finally, no discussion of Survivor: Fiji would be complete without an analysis of the controversial decision made by Dreamz involving the truck. See More


Evolution of Strategy Chapter 15: China


Chapter 15: China


In Chapter 15, Survivor heads off to China for a season that gets a lot of love from the Survivor fans. While China is a great season it’s especially significant to our discussion because of its winner, Todd Herzog. We’ll take a deep dive in to Todd’s outstanding game and his epic final tribal council performance. Plus, we’ll discuss all of the other interesting characters from the season including James, Courtney, Amanda and Peih Gee Law (as we prepare for her second chance this fall). See More


Evolution of Strategy Chapter 16: Micronesia


Chapter 16: Micronesia


In Chapter 16, we are so excited to talk about a season considered by some to be Surviovr’s best season, Micronesia aka Fans vs. Favorites. In this season we talk about the emergence of the great Parvati Shallow who blossoms from a caterpillar to a full fledged Survivor strategic butterfly in Micronesia. Returning favorites like Cirie and Penner are back plus Amanda, James, Eliza and more. We will discuss all of the big blindsides and who should get the credit and much, much more in Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites See More


Chapter 17 of The Evolution of Strategy - Survivor: Gabon


Chapter 17: Gabon


In Chapter 17, we witness one of the wildest games that Survivor has ever seen. After a schoolyard pick goes wrong for the Fong tribe, the teams end up in a lopsided configuration for much of the pre-merge. Due to a fake-out at the merge and a second tribe swap things become incredibly unpredictable for the remaining players. We’ll look for the things that Bob got right and discuss if he got lucky along the way. Plus, we’ll recount all of the outrageous moments that Gabon a season that holds a special place in the hearts of some fans. See More


Evolution of Strategy Chapter 18 - Survivor: Tocantins


Chapter 18: Tocantins


We’re so excited for Chapter 18 to discuss Survivor: Tocantins where we meet so many important figures in Survivor History. Of course, there is the winner of the season, JT Thomas who plays a fantastic game with his right hand man, future Know-It-All, Stephen Fishbach. We’ll paying particular attention to Stephen’s game looking for the things he gets right and the things that he’ll need to improve on in Survivor Second Chance. We also witness the dawn of Coach Ben Wade in his initial outrageous appearance on the show. Plus, Tyson Apostol, plays for the first time and begins a journey that will ultimately end with a victory in Blood vs. Water. See More


Evolution of Strategy: Chapter 19 - Survivor: Samoa


Chapter 19: Samoa


Survivor history is forever altered after we get to Survivor: Samoa and the introduction of Russell Hantz. We’ll dig deep in to the origins of Russell and why he eventually loses the game to Natalie White in Chapter 19. While we’ll go in to great detail about Russell’s positive attributes and his flawwwws, we will also highlight the things that Natalie gets right. In addition to Natalie and Russell, there are future returning players in Russell Swan, Laura Morett and second chancer, Monica Padilla. Plus, we can’t discuss Samoa without talking about the greatest mulleted player in the history of Survivor, Shambo. See More


Evolution of Strategy Chapter 20 - Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains


Chapter 20: Heroes vs. Villains


We answer the biggest season in the history of Survivor with the biggest chapter in the Evolution of Strategy. With over 17 hours of content we discuss the Survivor returns of Parvati, Russell, Boston Rob, Coach, JT, Jerri, Sandra and all the others. We’ll break down each of the games incredible plays and make our conclusions to why Sandra won and Parvati (and Russell) didn’t. See More


Evolution of Strategy: Chapter 21 - Survivor: Nicaragua


Chapter 21: Nicaragua


In the first of our Volume 3 chapters, we examine the first rookie player season after Heroes vs. Villains. We will discuss how new players were affected by the seeing the gameplay in Samoa and Heroes vs. Villains. In addition, we’ll discuss where strategists such as Brenda, Marty and Sasha went wrong, how Holly Hoffman rebounded from a rocky start and why Fabio might have had a plan.
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Evolution of Strategy: Chapter 22, Survivor: Redemption Island


Chapter 22: Redemption Island


Rob and Russell are back to square off but it’s only going to go well for one of them. We dive in depth to Boston Rob’s winning season and how he dominated the Ometepe tribe. We’ll talk about how Russell didn’t have a chance, the formation of Stealth R Us and the impact of Redemption Island all in Chapter 22.
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Evolution of Strategy, Chapter 23 - Survivor: South Pacific


Chapter 23: South Pacific


In Chapter 23 of The Evolution of Strategy, we’ll discuss the return of Coach and Ozzy to Survivor in South Pacific. Sophie Clarke works closely with Coach along the way and beats him out in the end and we’ll highlight how she did it. Plus, it’s dawn of Cochran (not to mention the dawn of Dawn) as he begins his Survivor journey which ends victoriously in Caramoan.
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Evolution of Strategy Chapter 24 - Survivor: One World


Chapter 24: One World


In Chapter 24, we discuss a season that features one of the most masterful games by a winner in Kim Spradlin. It’s a season with a unique twist of two tribes living on one beach to start the game which presents some unusual situations to start off the game. We will debate how Kim’s game stacks up against the all-time greats and much more in Chapter 24.
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Evolution of Strategy - Chapter 25 - Survivor: Philippines


Chapter 25: Philippines


In Chapter 25, we’ll talk about a modern day season that fans truly love – Survivor: Philippines. We’ll break down what Denise did (and didn’t do) on her way to a win as she attended every single tribal council. Plus, we’ll examine what mistakes were made by people like Malcolm, Skupin, Lisa Whelchel, Penner and Jeff Kent that cost them the game. Also, we get to discuss second chancer Abi-Maria Gomes and what she needs to learn from her first Survivor stint. See More


Evolution of Strategy - Chapter 26 - Survivor: Caramoan


Chapter 26: Caramoan


In Chapter 26, we discuss the return of the Fans vs. Favorites and the 10 returning players that come back to Survivor. In addition to discussing how Cochran completed his Survivor turnaroud we’ll discuss where things went wrong for Malcolm and which players might have been better than we initially thought. See More


Evolution of Strategy - Chapter 27: Blood vs. Water


Chapter 27: Blood vs. Water


In Chapter 27, we’ll examine how the Blood vs. Water twist created a new wrinkle for the season 27 players to deal with. We will discuss Tyson’s strategy to bring together the players who lost their loved ones early on and how impressive his win was. There will also be a deep dive into the Final 6 rock draw and what Ciera and Vytas could bring to the game on their second chance. See More


Evolution of Strategy - Chapter 28: Cagayan


Chapter 28: Cagayan


In Chapter 28, we’ll discuss one of the most beloved recent seasons with perhaps the most fascinating winner of Survivor, Tony Vlachos. In addition, we’ll do a deep dive in to the games of Spencer, Tasha, Woo and “Chaos” Kass to prepare for Survivor Cambodia. See More


Chapter 29 - Survivor: San Juan Del Sur


Chapter 29: San Juan Del Sur


In Chapter 29, the Blood vs Water format returns with 9 new pairs in Survivor: San Juan Del Sur. While not a season synonymous with strategic play, Natalie Anderson goes on a quest for revenge after the blindside of Jeremy Collins. We follow Natalie’s win and discuss the game of second chancers Jeremy Collins, Keith Nale and Kelly Wentworth. See More


Survivor 30 - Worlds Apart


Chapter 30: Worlds Apart


In Chapter 30, the three tribe format returns in groups separated by occupation. It’s a season with a winner who took a most unique path to the victory in Mike Halloway – who was immune for the final 6 votes of the season. Additionally, we’ll discuss the inclusion of the extra vote twist and whether it was a blessing or a curse. See More