Network analysis
The Most Central Players in the Survivor Network
Oscar Lusth has the highest betweenness centrality in the current co-cast network, connecting otherwise separated parts of Survivor history. US Survivor data through Season 50.
The deeper read
Oscar Lusth leads both measures—but they still describe different kinds of connection
Oscar Lusth ranks first in betweenness and also has the most direct co-cast connections among the displayed leaders at 91. The same winner at the top does not make the measures interchangeable; the rankings below can still diverge because one rewards volume and the other rewards position.
A player gains betweenness by linking generations or clusters that would otherwise require a longer path. One well-placed returnee season can matter more to the network than adding several redundant connections inside an already dense era.
At a glance
Two measures, one current leader
91 direct links across 5 seasons.
Oscar Lusth also leads the degree ranking.
Every US castaway is a node.
Degree rewards quantity; betweenness rewards position between clusters. Oscar Lusth currently tops both, but the measures are not synonyms.
Degree counts direct co-castmates; betweenness in the first chart rewards bridging otherwise separated groups.
What the numbers say
Key findings
- Betweenness rewards players who sit on many shortest paths between other castaways, not merely those with the most direct co-stars.
- Returnees often bridge generations and casts, which can make them disproportionately central.
- A network edge means two people appeared in the same season. It does not claim friendship, alliance, or direct interaction.
Full results
The underlying table
| Player | Direct co-cast links | Betweenness | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Lusth | 91 | 0.081197 | 5 |
| Cirie Fields | 83 | 0.080673 | 5 |
| Rob Mariano | 77 | 0.066818 | 5 |
| Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick | 73 | 0.064229 | 4 |
| Aubry Bracco | 70 | 0.051649 | 4 |
| Wendell Holland | 38 | 0.045676 | 2 |
| Brenda Lowe | 38 | 0.045663 | 2 |
| Colby Donaldson | 63 | 0.043782 | 4 |
| Yau-Man Chan | 37 | 0.043325 | 2 |
| Jonathan Young | 40 | 0.040991 | 2 |
| Genevieve Mushaluk | 40 | 0.040991 | 2 |
| Bruce Perreault | 34 | 0.040976 | 2 |
| Benjamin Wade | 68 | 0.040378 | 4 |
| Dee Valladares | 39 | 0.038787 | 2 |
| Emily Flippen | 39 | 0.038787 | 2 |
| Jenna Lewis-Dougherty | 51 | 0.038197 | 3 |
| Shii Ann Huang | 32 | 0.036275 | 2 |
| Russell Hantz | 54 | 0.033223 | 3 |
| Parvati Shallow | 66 | 0.032479 | 4 |
| Malcolm Freberg | 54 | 0.029772 | 3 |
| Ethan Zohn | 47 | 0.028325 | 3 |
| Andrea Boehlke | 52 | 0.027481 | 3 |
| Sandra Diaz-Twine | 64 | 0.025304 | 4 |
| Rupert Boneham | 63 | 0.023198 | 4 |
| Tyson Apostol | 65 | 0.020872 | 4 |
| Chrissy Hofbeck | 40 | 0.020543 | 2 |
| Ben Driebergen | 36 | 0.019385 | 2 |
| Rizo Velovic | 39 | 0.019298 | 2 |
| Savannah Louie | 39 | 0.019298 | 2 |
| Ami Cusack | 35 | 0.019286 | 2 |
| Eliza Orlins | 35 | 0.019286 | 2 |
| Jeremy Collins | 52 | 0.017903 | 3 |
| Sarah Lacina | 52 | 0.017647 | 3 |
| Tony Vlachos | 52 | 0.017647 | 3 |
| Rick Devens | 39 | 0.017269 | 2 |
| Rob Cesternino | 31 | 0.016935 | 2 |
| Jenna Morasca | 31 | 0.016935 | 2 |
| Nick Wilson | 38 | 0.016458 | 2 |
| Randy Bailey | 35 | 0.016373 | 2 |
| Jessica Kiper | 35 | 0.016373 | 2 |
| James Clement | 48 | 0.016197 | 3 |
| Amanda Kimmel | 48 | 0.016197 | 3 |
| Troy Robertson | 36 | 0.015182 | 2 |
| Danni Boatwright | 36 | 0.015095 | 2 |
| Adam Klein | 38 | 0.014877 | 2 |
| Tom Westman | 37 | 0.014178 | 2 |
| Kelley Wentworth | 50 | 0.014016 | 3 |
| Erik Reichenbach | 38 | 0.013888 | 2 |
| Charlie Davis | 38 | 0.012067 | 2 |
| Q Burdette | 38 | 0.012067 | 2 |
Reproduce the result
Methodology and limitations
What we counted
Each castaway is a node and two nodes are connected when they share a US season. Betweenness centrality measures how often a node falls on shortest paths; degree counts direct co-cast links.
Read this with care
Shared-season networks favor large casts and returning players. Centrality is a structural graph measure, not a ranking of strategic skill or social popularity.
The generated CSV contains every row in the underlying table. See About the data for source provenance, update cadence, and corrections.