Line #73 TearJerker/Survivor


1	'''WARNING''': Spoilers ahead are unmarked. You have been warned.
2
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	!! Evacuations
6
7	[[folder:Evacuations]]
8	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caleb_reynolds_evacuation_day_9_survivor_kaoh_rong.png]]
9	[[caption-width-right:350:''"You're a warrior, dude. I'm glad you were out here."'']]
10	* Jonathan Penner's evacuation in ''Micronesia''. It's enough when the rest of his tribe starts to cry at the news, but when Kathy Sleckman, who's already emotionally on the edge, begs him not to go, it's enough to tip it over the top. Then, cut to the boat where [[BreakTheBadass Jonathan is hunched over sobbing]] and try not to feel sympathy. Making matters worse, Kathy quit the game not long after; with Jonathan being the only friend she had on the tribe.
11	* Russell Swan's in ''Samoa''. The tribe leader who worked himself to death is still fighting Jeff Probst's evacuation order him when he's extremely close to ''death'' and ''routinely passing out.'' It doesn't help [[LosingTheTeamSpirit the Galus]] would collapse without him.
12	** YMMV on whether or not this is Narm, but Russell Swan losing the fourth and final Matsing immunity challenge in ''Philippines'' qualifies. Going from being the leader of one of the most successful tribes in Survivor history before his evacuation in ''Samoa'' to being the leader of one of only two tribes to lose every single immunity challenge visibly breaks his heart. Even worse when you contemplate his LosingIsWorseThanDeath mentality spawned by both his loyalty to God and by a small yet powerfully traumatic incident he had as a child that put him on his guard.
13	** The whole fourth episode of ''Philippines'' qualifies when you take into account that Matsing is not going to have an epic comeback. It's clear that the three of them are just miserable. Malcolm Freberg even said it was the lowest moment of his life, and Malcolm isn't the type that gets affected all that often.
14	* Erik Reichenbach's Evacuation in ''Caramoan'' is very hard to watch. Many remember him as the fan from ''Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites'' who was conned by Natalie Bolton into giving away his individual immunity necklace - just so that she could blindside him and send him home. For this, he was even ''officially crowned'' as the dumbest person on Survivor. Redemption as a favorite was obviously the goal when Erik returned for ''Caramoan''. This was no empty promise, as he fought hard all the way to the final five even harder than he did back in ''Micronesia''. After the semifinal tribal council, however, he complains of feeling extremely dizzy. Upon examination, the doctor says that his blood pressure is dangerously low and he is in "a state of starvation.". He pushed himself so hard that his body had to compensate to the point where it no longer could. Erik insists that he can return to camp after getting treated, but the doctor says that he cannot allow Erik to continue. Though he accepts his fate, it's heartbreaking to know that Erik wanted so badly to redeem himself from his infamy, and yet his extreme effort to do so ended his journey. However, unlike his first season, he is bid a warm farewell by his tribemates. In particular, his fellow ''Survivor'' superfan Cochran, who cherished their friendship and tells him that he "wouldn't have wanted to play this game with anybody else.".
15	* All of the evacuations in ''Kaoh Rong'' are heartbreaking to watch.
16	** The end of the Episode 4 reward challenge in ''Kaoh Rong'', where '''THREE''' people went down after the challenge and the entire production crew getting involved to care for the fallen contestants. It is then deemed that Caleb (pictured above) had to be pulled from the game in a very heart wrenching scene. His tribe members, especially Tai, who really bonded with him, were absolutely distraught. For those who disliked him in [[Series/BigBrother Big Brother]], you can't help but to feel sorry for him, especially since he [[TookALevelInKindness Took A Level in Kindness]] since his time on ''Big Brother''. What makes it so upsetting is that this is rare instance where the show completely does away with editing out the camera crew, because ''everybody'' present for production is soon involved in catering to these people, even the filming staff, who are using their umbrellas to shade the people out of commission.
17	** Neal's elimination on episode 7 of Kaoh Rong. His fifteen year long dream was looking promising, but he was medically removed from the game resulting in his ManlyTears. The dream is possibly over and he will never have a clear answer if he would have taken control of the game the next two tribal councils. The episode put focus on his friendship with Aubry, and the potetial foreshadowing that many other players could also be evacuated due to infections.
18	** At the Final 5 of ''Kaoh Rong'', Joe, after winning a reward challenge despite his old age, came down with constipation and bladder trouble thanks to all of the food he ate. After medical came to camp to check on him, it was deemed that he had to be pulled from the game. For a man his age (he is 72, the second oldest contestant to play) to make it this far and then be pulled due to matters out of his control, it's hard not to shed a tear for him.
19	* Pat Cusack's medical evacuation in ''David vs. Goliath'' deserves special mention given how he was evacuated in ''premiere episode of his own season''. He was perfectly fine until the boat ride back from the first immunity challenge. The waters were rough and the impact of a large wave injured his back severely. He was begging Probst to not leave the game and many of his tribe mates were in tears when he was being medically evacuated. That was probably the most tragic example for a first boot to go out of the game.
20	* Not too far after, Jackson Fox was evacuated in the circumstances as Pat Cusack. He was a nice cool guy who really seemed willing to play a good game, but Jeff had to remove him out of fears for his overall health after he weaned himself from the lithium he took in the game. Maryanne's devastated reaction perfectly stated how the viewers felt.
21	* Poor Bruce Perrault had to be evacuated in the first episode of ''44'' due to receiving a head injury in the ''very first challenge''. Even when he temporarily recovered and medical deemed him as okay for the time being, the concussion eventually came back and rendered him barely conscious and unable to move. It's especially upsetting since he's always dreamed of being on Survivor, and a freak accident in challenge prevented him from fulfilling that dream. The only bright spot in this is that Jeff admitted on his podcast that he was 100% willing to bring Bruce back for another season, and it would come to pass in [[Characters/Survivor45 the very next season]].
22	[[/folder]]
23
24	!! Other Moments
25
26	[[folder:''Borneo'']]
27	* One of the first tearjerkers in the show's history came during ''Borneo'': A post-merger reward challenge had the castaways compete in an archery contest. The reward was home movies from the loved ones of the castaways. It's all pretty heartwarming to see their families wish them well...until Jeff informs Jenna they never received a tape from hers. Jenna Lewis ''instantly'' breaks down, and everyone tries to comfort her.
28	** The winner of the challenge would get to record their own video message to send back to their family. And Jenna ''loses that too.'' While the rest of the castaways join Greg in making the video, we see Jenna solemnly shooting at the target so many times that the bow and arrow leaves scars on her, complete with a tearful voiceover about how much she misses her kids. Her breakdown was so bad that the merged tribe nearly voted her off ''out of pity''.
29	** Thankfully all this sets up a nice heartwarming moment in the next episode: the reward was letters from the castaway's families, including Jenna's. Colleen wins the challenge, but then Jeff tells her that she can select another castaway to share the reward. She immediately picks Jenna.
30	* One of the saddest ever eliminations is when Colleen Haskell was voted out in ''Borneo''. She was so well-liked by the cast and viewers alike, even [[ManipulativeBastard Richard Hatch]] expressed in his voting confessional how much he didn't want to target her and how she was only the Plan B vote. The regular tribal council music didn't play that episode, instead it was mostly silence. And to ''really'' drive in the heartbreak of this vote, the final shot of the episode was a close up of her snuffed-out torch in the middle of an empty Tribal Council set.
31	** Jeff Probst is ''very'' reserved when giving his infamous "the tribe has spoken" line, and when he says "it's time for you to go" he can barely speak above a mumble. The companion book by Mark Burnett confirms that Jeff was barely holding back tears.
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:''Thailand'']]
35	* Episode 8 of ''Thailand'' is often overlooked or seen by some as Narm, but it is truly affecting to see the last 4 Sook Jais so distraught over voting someone out. Jake Billingsley, in particular, felt extremely guilty for having lost that last immunity for the tribe. They spent most of their last day as a tribe together, comforting each other, painfully aware they're down to 5-3 in the merge and [[TotalPartyKill have each lost their chances at victory]].
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:''Pearl Islands'']]
39	* Lillian Morris being voted out in ''Pearl Islands'', if only for one line:
40	--> '''Jeff:''' They don't want you to leave.
41	--> '''Lill:''' Yeah, right.
42	** In general, Lill is just a truly pitiful case. After being isolated from her tribe and voted out third; she returns via the Outcast Twist, but is drastically in over her head. Constantly emotional to the extreme, Lil would go through the entire merge being lied to, hurt, and demeaned. Although she knows it’s a game, she still feels incredibly guilty about having to lie and deceive to stay in, causing her severe emotional distress. While she had [[TookALevelInBadass an epic moment taking down Fairplay in the final immunity challenge]], she would go into finale only to be completely brutalized by the jury (according to outside sources, including the man himself, [[JerkAss Fairplay delivered an inhumanely hateful speech that couldn't be aired]]). She ended up getting slaughtered in the final vote (6-1). To add insult to injury, it has been alleged that when the jury said in the reunion that they would vote for her over Fairplay, they had only done so because producers tipped them off to lie in order to keep Lill from crying during the reunion. Regardless of what you might feel about her, there's no denying that it is very hard to have as miserable of a ''Survivor'' experience as Lill did.
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:''All Stars'']]
46	* All Stars in general is a very dark season. All of the players were really tight and close with each other, and friendships were put on the line when they played the game. This culminates at Final Tribal Council, where pretty much the entire jury is bitter towards the two finalists. As Jerri Manthey said at the reunion, "it's not worth it.".
47	** Jenna Morasca quitting ''All Stars'' to be with her cancer-stricken mother. At first this seems like a SugarWiki/{{heartwarming moment\|s}}, until you learn that she passed away merely ''eight days later''.
48	** Rudy Boersch being voted out in ''All Stars''. The 75 year old was voted out for his age being a burden on the ailing Saboga tribe, despite being respected by all of his tribemates. After Rudy is voted out, Jeff Probst comments on the fact that they didn't want to vote him out, but they didn't have a choice and someone had to go. Jerri is especially in tears.
49	--> '''Jeff''': Well Tribal Council is an interesting place. Always emotional. Tonight was no exception. How could you not like Rudy? 75 year old former NAVY SEAL, hanging with kids a third of his age. A hero in anybody's book. I know you didn't want to vote him out, and yet, somebody had to go, which is exactly what makes Survivor what it is, complicated.
50	** Boston Rob and Lex van den Berghe's fight in ''All-Stars''. Going into the game the two were very good friends and were reported to have had one of the tightest friendships between former players at the time. Although they went into the game intending on aligning with each other they ended up on different tribes and eventually came into conflict. Unlike in future seasons where players return and have pre-existing relationships, ''All-Stars'' was the first of its kind and there was no precedent in place for how to balance friendship and the game. As a result, Rob and Lex permanently ended their friendship. While the conflict and their behaviour is ''extremely'' controversial and divisive in the fanbase, the fact remains that for the first time the game ruined a pre-existing relationship and there was basically no way either player could have been prepared for it.
51	** The bullying of Shii-Ann was ''horrible''. Throughout the merge, especially after losing Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien, she was treated like garbage by nearly everyone. They made no secret she was next to go. When she won immunity they still kept up their terrible treatment, sneering at her victory and outright ignoring her as they targeted each other. The only consolation from her treatment was that Amber gave her a car after the show for being the swing vote that won her the million dollars, but is it no wonder Shii-Ann decided not to return again after that?
52	** Rob Cesternino's run on the season and the aftermath. He went from being the superstar of ''The Amazon'', with his game being a GrowingTheBeard moment for the series as a whole, to getting the ButtMonkey edit and being blindsided on Day 12. The devastation on his face is painful to watch. After ''All-Stars'', the poster boy of Survivor superfans basically dropped out of the fandom and stayed away from the show for six years.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:''Palau'']]
56	** Janu Tornell's storyline. Throughout the entire game, she was made fun of by her Koror tribemates. In episode 10, she is sent to the newly-invented Exile Island, where she finally has some peace alone on the island, away from her tribe. She claims was the best part of her experience. At the end of the episode, she decides that she has had enough and decides to throw a wrench in her tribe's plans by [[ThanatosGambit quitting the game to save Stephenie]]. Who knows what else happened to her that wasn't shown on screen? It's hard not to feel bad for her.
57	** As awesome as it was to see Koror's conquering, you really have to feel bad for the Ulongs in this. Despite trying their best in challenges and trying to get a leg up, Ulong just kept losing all of them, then going to tribal council and see another member go home. Stephenie gets the worst of it all, having to watch ''all'' her tribe get whittled down to just herself. And by that time, her morale was at such a low that even a tree mail informing her that she's going to Koror was able to lift her spirits up a bit.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:''Cook Islands'']]
61	* In one episode of ''Cook Islands'', the Aitus find a bird's nest and Cao Boi Bui pokes it with a stick to see if there are any eggs to be eaten. Then they knock it out of the tree and see that there are none, Penner looks into the bush that the nest had fallen into and finds a baby bird. It was literally less than a day old, as Penner tearfully mentions how it still has the gunk from the inside of its shell still on it. They (most likely futilely) put it back in the nest and hope for the best.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:''China'']]
65	* A bit of an underrated sad moment is Frosti Zernow getting voted out 7-1 in ''China''. He's such a likable character that even Todd Herzog, a strategist who had no problems before and after cutting the throats of allies, says he finds it hard to vote him out. When Frosti gets the votes the expression on his face is pure rejection, and every vote comes up for him with a small drawn frown-face. After he leaves to go, no one seems even remotely happy that they had to vote him out.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:''Gabon'']]
69	* Matty Whitmore's elimination from ''Gabon''. He was stuck with a truly pathetic tribe and they just keep losing and he keeps suffering. This wasn't improved in the tribe swap, and he got targeted at the merge more than Bob Crowley, the guy who kept defeating him. Throughout the ordeal, Matty remained one of the sanest and most good-hearted people on the show. Eventually, a power shift towards the end of the season puts the original Fang on top, but he isn't consumed by ego and power the way Kenny and Crystal are. He actually escapes his targeting by being rather nice and level-headed and is even poised as a favorite to win. But in the end, he loses the final immunity to Susie Smith and is forced into a tiebreaker when Sugar Kiper couldn't decide who to vote for. He loses to Bob yet again and receives the spot as the season's fallen angel. Hell, the producers picked up on this gave him a unique [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=64&v=zltNuFdXTRo soundtrack]] fitting his tragedy.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:''Tocantins'']]
73	* The ending of the ''Tocantins'' auction is this and doubles as a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment\|s}}. Jeff puts up the last item up for bid- video messages from home, and allows people to pool money. Everyone begins to give their money to Taj Johnson-George, who left her newborn baby at home to play Survivor, and she is clearly in tears. Even Jeff comments on their generosity in such a cutthroat game. After watching the video, Taj is in tears and is very emotional when she finds out that her husband is there. Jeff then says that only she will be able to see her loved one unless she sends herself to Exile Island to meet her husband there so everyone can see their loved ones. As a thanks to her tribemates, she sends herself to exile. Truly an emotional scene.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:''Nicaragua'']]
77	* In the ''Nicaragua'' family visit, Chase Rice has promised to take Fabio Barza on the family reward from early on in the game because [[MommasBoy they bonded over how close they were to their mothers]], but when Chase and his mother wins it, Chase decides to pick Sash Lenahan and Holly. The look on Fabio's face is one of pure heartbreak, [[KickTheDog and he's bawling as he calls Chase out]].
78	-->'''Dan Lembo:''' He's a scumbag.
79	** Not only that, but Jane Bright, who was also left unpicked, said that this summer was the last time she would get to see her daughter before she left for college.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:''South Pacific'']]
83	* Sophie Clarke's massive DefrostingIceQueen moment in the ''South Pacific'' finale can be hard to watch, especially seeing it come from someone as tough and controlled as her. After Ozzy Lusth and her get into a fight at the F5 Tribal Council, she tries to brush off Ozzy's statements that everyone on the jury hates her, but slowly begins to break down into tears and then sobs. The jury is visibly stunned.
84	** Especially heartbreaking is this exchange:
85	---> '''Jeff''': Do you see this as any kind of opportunity, if you survive tonight's vote, of thickening the skin?
86	---> '''Sophie''': I mean, I would say that I learn more from my weaknesses from my strengths. I would think that when I came out here that I would have much tougher skin, so I don't think I'm building skin out here, ''I think I'm losing it.''
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:''One World'']]
90	* Kat Edorsson in ''One World'' spoke at the finale about having a heart condition and in two years will require surgery that has a fair chance of killing her. It didn't just stop the finalists in their tracks, but put her [[StepfordSmiler ditzy personality]] in perspective.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:''Caramoan'']]
94	* While it was highly entertaining and a signature moment in the entire series, Brandon Hantz's meltdown in ''Caramoan'' has to make you feel at least a little sympathy for Brandon. He is clearly mentally unstable and suffering from the pressure his family puts on his shoulders.
95	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cEumRGTnHo This secret scene from Aras Baskauskas]] about his former drug addict brother Vytas. But, as a silver lining, he got to play with him later, and Vytas even got a season on his own.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:''Cagayan'']]
99	* Kass [=McQuillen=], the resident villain and shit-stirrer of ''Cagayan'', [[https://youtu.be/XjzWLdP72bg?t=9m35s winning the final 4 immunity to the elation of her husband]] can be a happy tearjerking moment. For one, she made a massive comeback from being long abandoned on the perch twenty minutes after everyone was on the puzzle. To see her pull out the unexpected win while her husband cheers on ecstatically is an unforgettable moment, made even sweeter by the fact that she admits that she needed him there.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:''Worlds Apart'']]
103	* Shirin Ooskooi explaining her past and how her family was torn apart by domestic abuse in ''Worlds Apart''. Made even worse by Will Sims continuously interrupting her and accusing her of playing the victim.
104	** HarsherInHindsight, as in ''Cambodia'', Shirin shares an antagonistic relationship with Abi-Maria Gomes that ends with her laughing at Abi's complaints, who tearfully laments that the reason she wanted to side with Shirin was because she understood what she went through in her season.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:''Cambodia'']]
108	* Peih-Gee Law being the third boot in ''Cambodia'' is this for her supporters. She was a popular underdog in ''China'', nearly making it to the final four despite huge odds against her, and she waited eight years for her chance to get back in the game. She was considered an underdog for the Second Chance and was happily surprised to win a spot. She leaves early less as a result of personal failing, and more due to [[DiabolusExMachina extreme bad luck]]: she is Misblamed for stealing [[DramaQueen Abi-Maria Gomes's]] bracelet, gets tribe swapped to the new Angkor tribe with her, and is targeted by [[SitcomArchNemesis Abi-Maria]] and the minority after Jeff Varner grabs the IdiotBall. It's hard not to feel a bit sad for her losing her second chance in such circumstances.
109	* Terry Deitz in ''Cambodia'' [[DiabolusExMachina getting pulled out of the game with the news that his son was in the hospital]], and both his wife and the doctor said he should come home as soon as possible, with Terry not even hesitating or questioning about doing so. His tribemates are also greatly saddened and shocked by this terrible news. His son needed a heart transplant, and was fortunately fine after the surgery.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:''Kaoh Rong'']]
113	* A sort of underrated sad moment in ''Kaoh Rong'' is the lead up to Debbie Wanner's blindside. Throughout the episode, Debbie is nothing but supportive towards the women's alliance, actively cheering on the other girls to succeed in challenges and very motherly towards them, and she absolutely trusted Aubry Bracco - saying that the remaining Brains were like [[TrueCompanions The Three Musketeers]], how she'll never vote out Aubry and Aubry will never her, and even outright saying to Joe del Campo at Tribal Council that she "loves that girl". She put so much love and trust into her alliance that, despite how kooky she is, it's actually uncomfortable to watch her get voted out.
114	* Darnell Hamilton's attempts in ''Kaoh Rong'' to justify keeping him, begging his tribe to forgive him for messing up a challenge. He's on the verge of tears after making his case, but it does him no good.
115	--> "Things wasn't easy for me. I've always had to fight for everything and to lose, it hurts. I do not want to disappoint no one up here at all. [[ItsAllMyFault I let all these people down]]."
116	* After Cydney Gillon loses the firemaking challenge in ''Kaoh Rong'', she talks about how she wanted to use the money to help herself and her parents to pay their mortgage. As far as she went, it sucked to see her go.
117	* Tai Trang having to let Mark the chicken go after the final tribal council due to restrictions that prevent wild animals from being brought home from a foreign country. He saved that chicken's life and had grown so close to it, it was sad to see them part. Plus, given the fact they were taking care of it, Mark probably grew used to the domestication and doesn't know how to survive on his own so his time on the island was probably short lived.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:''Millennials vs. Gen X'']]
121	* In ''Millennials vs. Gen X'', Adam Klein finds a hidden Immunity Idol. At first it's triumphant, until he starts crying and reveals that his mother is also a huge fan of Survivor and has stage four lung cancer. He's feeling both his dreams and nightmares coming true at the same time. He also adds that he hopes his mother can watch him on the show, and that it'll bring her some happiness in her terrible time...but unfortunately, Adam's mother passed away before the season aired, making this pre-recorded moment even more devastating.
122	** Adam getting a letter from his mother in episode 10. He burst into tears even before he read it, and was smiling as he read that his mother had been well enough to go see a ballet.
123	* While somewhat understated due to her over-the-top nature, it is made clear that Michaela Bradshaw is genuinely hurt by Jay Starrett's betrayal. The look she gives Jay as her torch is snuffed screams that she is trying to decide between being enraged and heartbroken.
124	** Even before that, the look she gave him after her BigWhat and his admittance. She looks as though she's tearing up.
125	* Adam trying to defend himself from Taylor Stocker and Jay's accusations and insults was eerily reminiscent of watching a kid get bullied. Every time he tried to speak up, they would cut him off or laugh at him. And when he started getting upset, they would mock him by asking him "why are you getting so defensive?". For anyone who was bullied growing up, this scene was uncomfortable and emotional. You definitely felt Adam's frustration and hurt.
126	** This scene sort of happens again in episode 10, but instead it was David and Hannah who were being verbally abused by Zeke Smith and Bret [=LaBelle=], who mocked them for their anxiety and neuroticism. Like above, it hit home for anyone who struggled with anxiety and have been made of for it. Some people online have grimly noticed the irony in the fact that it was two queer people degrading other people for something they couldn't help.
127	*** This is especially brutal since Bret admitted to Zeke he stayed closeted because he was fearful that his tribe wouldn't accept him as gay, a very valid fear considering they were from the generation before and dripping with machismo. However, he targeted the least one for having a condition he was unable to help (and had been shown struggling with throughout the full two-hour episode)- and while the two are very hard to compare in severity otherwise, it was still unkind of Bret, who appeared to be supportive of him in the earlier parts of the episode. Then again, in the first episode, Bret mocked David Wright in confessional for, of all things, "having less testosterone than the women"- which indicates that he is not macho like Bret felt the rest of the tribe was. Not only is it very harsh, it also makes one wonder about what Bret has been through and how deep his mask is when dealing with his generation.
128	* Jessica Figueroa's exit from the game in ''Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X'', is heartbreaking. She really didn't want to draw rocks but she went to do so believing that it is her only shot at winning the game. ''[[DramaticIrony And she got the unlucky draw.]]'' As she ended up pulling the black rock, she was crying on her way out of tribal council, and in her final words she broke down again mentioning that if she flipped she wouldn't be sitting there. Not only that, but many of the cast members were crying at her sudden elimination- even Jay, who had a history of being brutal and hardcore and had no allies. Jeff even expressed dismay, modifying his usual EliminationStatement from "the tribe has spoken" to "the ''game'' has spoken" just to make it clear that no one had a hand in her elimination- a freak stroke of misfortune took her out of the competition.
129	* The loved ones visit is this and SugarWiki/{{heartwarming\|Moments}}. From everyone crying and smiling, to everyone talking about how much their loved one meant to them. David crying and saying how he wished he was as brave as his dad, Hannah comforting her mom, Bret and Zeke breaking down, and Adam meeting his brother. Especially Adam meeting his brother, since he's so, ''so'' desperate to hear how his mom is doing and is tempted to use the advantage... but he doesn't. Because he can't take that away from everyone. And through the challenge, he struggles so desperately and apologizes to his brother as he fails. And it would have been so horrible, if not for Jay showing kindness and taking Adam on the reward.
130	* Jay and Adam finally put their antagonism to rest in the most heartbreaking way possible. After Jay and Adam argue with Jay telling him he'd take Adam to the end if Adam wouldn't turn on him, Adam remorsefully declines before tearfully telling Jay about his dying mother, which leads to Jay breaking down in tears and admitting he's afraid one day his own mother will die because of her brain aneurysms. It's a very powerful and tragic scene of two boys who had been on opposites sides bonding together through the pain of their ill loved ones, and afterwards Jay admits he can't hate Adam anymore after hearing what he was going through.
131	* In the finale, Ken [=McNickle=] was forced to turn against his closest ally in the game because he was too much of a threat. When confronted with it at the Final Tribal Council, he broke down clearly regretting decision saying he had to do it because his daughter means everything to him.
132	* At the live reunion, Adam reveals when he returned home, his mother tragically died '''hours''' later. Although he got to tell her that he won, she never got to see him play. Truly a BitterSweetEnding.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:''Game Changers'']]
136	* Malcolm Freberg's final words in ''Game Changers''. He clearly didn't expect to go out pre-merge, was trying (and failing) to hold back tears as he lamented his fate, and sounded very hurt by what he saw as a betrayal from J.T. Thomas Poor guy...
137	** And then J.T. and Michaela 's exchange when J.T. is eliminated;
138	--> '''Michaela''': "Tell Malcolm you sent him home."
139	--> '''J.T.''': "[[MyGreatestFailure I will]]."
140	* Debbie's apparent mental breakdown in episode 5 is just as sad as it is bizarre, terrifying, and oddly humorous. What makes it worse is that her anger at Brad and Hali is completely misplaced; both of them like her.
141	* Seeing Sandra's torch get snuffed for the first time is heartbreaking. The fact her tribe applauds her in respect and her final words were nothing but love and respect for the game that changed her life for the better makes the feeling all the more bittersweet.
142	* The entirety of the ''Game Changers'' episode 7 Tribal Council. Varner had no one in his corner and saw an opportunity to make everyone flip their trust on Zeke by painting him as untrustworthy, but took it a step too far by indicating he was secretive of a fact that he didn't want to be shared- he was once a female. After Varner outed Zeke as transgender in an effort to save himself, the entirety of the tribe turned against him, as what he did was a personal attack that went way beyond the game. What makes it even worse is when Jeff hammers in the fact he was not just telling the tribe this- he just made this public knowledge to ''millions'' of people watching the show, [[DidNotThinkThisThrough as if he got so caught up in the game play within the tribe he forgot it was being filmed for an at-home audience]]. In fact, there was absolutely no mention of this information in Zeke's previous appearance on the show- his sexual orientation was the only thing viewers knew, but the vast majority would not have realized this was just the tip of the iceberg without intimately knowing Zeke or doing some morally questionable digging into his personal history. In short, he ignored Zeke's confidentiality, did so in front of Tai, who himself is homosexual and was ''furious'', made Andrea break down crying almost immediately because of how hard she took it, and set a tremendously bad example of what one must ''never'' do on a competition- inflict irreparable damage to someone's personal life beyond the game so bad that it will never be the same when they go back to it- that will go down in infamy. Jeff even warned him of the ripple effect it would have on the LGBT community as well. Varner basically resigns from the game and the vote is completely skipped because everyone else on the tribe is unquestionably united in ousting him from the competition. When he says his parting words in the post-elimination confessional, Varner is in tears with his hands over his face in shame, knowing he's going to bear a mark of disgrace for the rest of his life.
143	* Zeke's betrayal of Andrea in episode 8 is especially hard to watch. The two of them are friends in real life, and seeing Andrea's reaction to his betrayal makes that even more disheartening, especially since she was the one to immediately jump to his defence when he was outed by Varner.
144	** Even worse as it has affected their friendship in real life. In a Skype conversation between the two he treated her like crap, and when she asked him what his family and friends in real life would think of him treating her like this, he tells her they don't like her.
145	* In an ironic reversal from what happened during her last playing of the game, Michaela is forced to betray Zeke and help vote him out. When he goes up to get his torch snuffed, the poor girl is in total tears.
146	* Cirie Fields's elimination in ''Game Changers''. Despite being one of the biggest threats left to win, she is eliminated through no fault of her own when everyone plays immunity idols except her leaving her as the only person who can go home.
147	* Debbie casting her vote for Brad to win the game and prefacing it with "It's good to know in this jaded, crazy world that good guys finish first." Sarah, the person who rubbed her the wrong way, ended up winning anyway because Brad decided to browbeat Tai into submission and poisoned the jury pool.
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:''Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers'']]
151	* ''Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers'' sees a painful moment in "Knights of the Round Table" when Desi is the victim of a tiebreaker. She goes from being one of the most confident and powerful competitors to absolutely brokenhearted, continuing all the way to checking into the Ponderosa.
152	** Unfortunately, circumstances force Ben to undergo a FaceHeelTurn later in the season, and the buildup to it is genuinely tragic. His conflicting loyalties force him to betray one of his closest allies, Chrissy, for the sake of his long-term game, and his role as a DoubleAgent effectively destroys his friendship. Then he learns that his new allies, including his friend Lauren, are planning to thank him by double-crossing him. Ben responds by revealing all of Lauren's advantages to Chrissy, Ryan, and Mike to blindside her, escalating the situation into a dramatic showdown at tribal in which it becomes clear that Ben and Lauren are no longer interested in being civil with each other. Ultimately, Ben uses his idol to single-handedly eliminate Lauren. This is tragic because Ben states in several confessionals that he was trying to escape the darkness of his past and leave behind some of the horrible things he says he did, but the game of Survivor forced him to backslide into it. He gets better and wins the game, though, so it isn't too disconcerting in the long run.
153	* The emotional moment in the finale of ''Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers'' when Ben loses the final challenge after a close heat with Chrissy due to several awful mistakes and believes an upside-down u will haunt him for the rest of his life, and Jeff even uses that statement as a lead-in knowing he says that.
154	** If you're a fan of Chrissy, Ryan or Devon, knowing that the surprise twist of the final four fire-making challenge ultimately screwed them over can be heart-breaking, especially since it was made very apparent that Ben was supposed to go home.
155	** From the Final Tribal Council - we learn Joe [[CommitmentIssues doesn't want to get married.]] There is something incredibly depressing about learning from Chrissy that Joe said [[FreudianExcuse he doesn't think marriage works because his parents got divorced when he was little]]. And Joe is playing for family nonetheless.
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:''Ghost Island'']]
159	* Stephanie's elimination in ''Ghost Island'', backed in a corner with no chance of surviving, she says that it was her dream to play Survivor and she is there for her kids.
160	** Really, the whole episode was a gut-punch in a way that hasn't really been seen for such a clear boot since ''Thailand'''s final nine episode. We see Michael breaking down during a confessional while talking about how important this is for him at such a young age, and even Jenna, who hasn't been given much screentime, was shown to be struggling with the fact that she couldn't change her situation. The icing on the cake, though, may be at Tribal Council: Jeff sees that he isn't going to stir anything up among the Naviti five, and instead just asks Stephanie, Michael, and Jenna in turn what being on the show means to them. It's devastating to watch knowing one of them would be going home in just a few moments. It really shows how close the Malolo three had become, and it makes Stephanie's boot all the more heartbreaking.
161	* When Angela reunites with her daughter in ''Ghost Island'' for the family visit, even Jeff gets choked up a bit, at the idea that Angela had to sacrifice her family for her career, and it was previously stated she got divorced because her marriage couldn't handle it. It hits very close to home for him: Probst's personal background includes a divorce triggered like hers with Shelley Wright for similar reasons, as it took place a year after he began his dream job as host of ''Survivor''. He also dated a contestant and broke up with her, Julie Berry. His current spouse, Lisa Ann Russell, didn't become his wife until 2011, so Jeff had to deal with getting past these emotional blows for ''ten years''- and probably still does in the present, in some ways.
162	** Angela later reveals on the ''Survivor'' Subreddit that there was more to this than we saw in the final cut. Jeff made production ''stop for 45 minutes'' to regain his composure because of how badly this affected him. Jeff Probst ''does'' cry... off-camera.
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:''David vs. Goliath'']]
166	* The David tribe bonding over [[DarkAndTroubledPast their respective dark pasts]] while huddling in the shelter for warmth. It starts with poor Jessica, who's just a 19-year-old girl, breaking down and feels bad for doing so because she's always been the one comforting others due to having to be the mature person in her family thanks to her mother being in a toxic relationship. This leads to Bi admitting her own past with domestic violence, due to having been in a previous relationship with an abusive boyfriend, and she comforts Jessica by telling her she's a hero to her mother. And this in turn makes Nick, who was earlier portrayed as a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] SmugSnake, eventually admits his tragic past in losing his mother to drugs, to which he cries for the first time since her death. It's shockingly dark and sad, but also rather heart-warming, to see an entire tribe bond over their struggles in life and become closer due as a result.
167	* Bi tears her MCL in the third immunity challenge, and while it isn't bad enough for her to be automatically sent home, she is limping for the rest of the episode and is clearly in pain. Come episode 4, she announces that she is quitting the game, as it's simply too risky to keep playing with the injury. While it's clearly the only sensible decision, she clearly doesn't want to go, and she and her tribe break down in tears over it.
168	* Alec's desperation to win an immunity that would decide whether he continued in the game or not. With his back to the wall, Alec hangs on for over five hours. Realizing that Christian might beat him, he makes one final, heartbreaking appeal.
169	-->'''Alec''': Christian. You're safe. I'm not.
170	-->'''Christian''': I know. And I know how you must feel, right now, in this moment. I just... I might never get this opportunity again. ''(tears up)'' I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
171	* The penultimate episode of ''David vs. Goliath'' ended with sad music playing as the camera lingered on a close up of Christian's snuffed-out torch after his ShockingElimination, in a moment that was very reminiscent of Colleen's elimination back in ''Borneo''. It didn't help the editing wanted to make you think the previous episodes were ones to worry about instead.
172	[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder:''Edge of Extinction'']]
175	* During the family visit in ''Edge of Extinction'', it's revealed that Gavin had only been married to his wife for two days before he had to leave to come out to play. Everyone is moved by this and it becomes heartwarming when Ron picks Gavin to go on the reward.
176	[[/folder]]
177
178	[[folder:''Island of the Idols'']]
179	* When Karishma from ''Island of Idols'' starts talking about her ArrangedMarriage to Janet and Jack. How terrible it made her feel that in the eyes of her family, she was only worth something if she was married, and how her relationship with her husband was more like that of a roommate than genuine love.
180	* The merge episode of [=IoI=] is the darkest since Will blew up on Shirin. An episode starting with a content warning is a sure sign that it would be a rough ride.
181	** Dan has been out of focus for the most part, but we finally see why: he's a fucking creep. He touches the ''young'' women inappropriately and it has reached a point where Kellee delivers a confessional about being objectified and having to hold your tongue because of how it will impact her socially. It's a reflection of current society and production is forced to step in. [[FromBadToWorse It doesn't help]]
182	** Missy, Elizabeth, and Lauren choose to ''weaponize'' the sexual harassment. Missy and Liz ''play up'' their discomfort to make it seem that the target is definitely on Dan. They lull Kellee into a false sense of security and solidarity and use her human vulnerability to vote her off. In essence, a woman spoke up about her experiences and was punished for it while the creep responsible for everything got off scot-free. [[TruthInTelevision As is the case in real life.]]
183	** That's not the worst part, because at least Kellee goes to Ponderosa to hang out with [[NiceGuy Jack]] and eat cookies. They dragged Janet into this, too. They play up the discomfort angle so much that Janet tanks her game because she prioritizes their safety and comfort.
184	** They "thank" for this by gaslighting her. They make her feel like she's losing her mind by pretending that she made it a bigger issue than it actually was. She was torpedoed to the bottom for wanting to be a good person. She spends the night [[ThousandYardStare staring into the horizon]].
185	** During tribal council, they go all in on her. They make her and Kellee out to be snakes for wanting to get rid of Dan. Aaron pipes and says that ''Dan'' is the actual victim because it's his name being dragged through the mud. Never mind that Janet and Kellee both put their necks on the line and were punished for it. Does this all sound familiar?
186	*** Is that, according to the rules of Survivor, Kellee is literally silenced (because she's a member of the jury) while her tribemates dismiss her claims and Dan continues selling his side of the story and pretending to be a nice guy unfairly getting his name dragged through the mud.
187	** Jamal, Janet's biggest and most vocal ally, lost his vote because of a DiabolusExMachina and there's nothing he could do to safe himself and Janet. He leaves without even looking back. Janet is now alone in world full of snakes and rats.
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:''Winners at War'']]
191	* ''Winners at War'' has a moment where Rob is doing an Edge of Extinction challenge and slips and injures himself, making it impossible for him to complete the challenge in time. He just keeps going, talking about how much it sucks that he couldn't finish because of a bout of bad luck.
192	** In the same challenge, Danni's reaction to finishing 7th. Only the first six people got fire tokens and she finished only a few seconds after six(Wendell).
193	** Michele towards the end of ''Winners at War''. The majority alliance makes it painfully clear she is next to go, and even when she manages to save herself with an immunity win, the one ally, she has left, Nick, is sent to the Edge.
194	*** Michele manages to make it to the end despite constantly being in danger and fighting from the bottom, but comes in third. And the worst part is she ''would'' have gotten some votes had Edge of Extinction not been in play, as Adam, Danni, Nick and Wendell came to her post-game and said they would have voted for her, but were worried that Natalie would've won and voted for Tony to ensure she wouldn't. Although Danni at least was lying because in her juror video she talks about choosing between Tony and Nat to vote for, and is clear she's not voting for Michelle because she doesn't think she should win.
195	** Tony beating Sarah at the Final Four fire-making challenge. To see [[{{Keet}} Tony]], who had ''applauded'' at blindsiding Sarah in Cagayan, breakdown sobbing in Sarah's arms after defeating her while she consoles him because the two had become genuine friends and partners was absolutely devastating. Cops R Us easily cemented themselves as probably one of the best alliances from just how emotional their journey was.
196	** Amber herself saying she didn't deserve to win ''All-Stars''. She let fans opinions get to her head and even though she won the most of any Survivor contestant in a single season, convinced herself it was all a fluke.
197	[[/folder]]
198
199	[[folder:''41'']]
200	* Near the end of ''Survivor 41,'' the anniversary of the death of Danny's father happens to coincide with one of the shooting days. Danny notes that for most of his life, he unfairly resented his father for being unable to be a part of his life, and it takes the harsh conditions of Survivor for Danny to finally let his feelings of anger go. On that same day he wins his first individual immunity challenge and dedicates the win to his father.
201	[[/folder]]
202
203	[[folder:''42'']]
204	* Episode 3 of ''Survivor 42'' ultimately comes down to a discussion since both Mike and Chanelle couldn't vote. And because Hai refused to even consider changing, Daniel, on the verge of tears, is forced to switch his vote to his ally Jenny. It's made clear how much he doesn't want to do it, but since the only other option is rocks, he doesn't want to risk it.
205	* Episode 9 of ''42'' begins in the middle of heavy rain and it's made clear right from the get-go that everyone is just plain ''miserable''.
206	** Drea and Maryanne's response to Rocksroy getting voted off. Seeing the first two jury members being black brought up very negative feelings for both of them, and the feeling of responsibility that they have to represent their community as well as themselves. This culminates in both of them abandoning their original plans and burning their idols to back up their words, with Tori [[GracefulLoser gracefully]] taking the fall. Becomes HeartwarmingInHindsight when Maryanne goes on to win the season.
207	* Mike getting torn to shreds as the jury shatters his world view at Final Tribal can be hard to watch. Upon going in, Mike was convinced that he played a game based around loyalty and honor. The jury however, points out that he suffered from a ''severe'' case of ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, which is anything but noble. Even worse is the fact that, to the jury, the fact he's not owning up to his disloyal game since he genuinely didn't realize it was one reads to them as him pulling the NeverMyFault card, costing him their respect and everyone's possible votes but Jonathan's. By the end of everything, you can tell that Mike both realizes that his game was anything but noble and that he just lost the game to Maryanne.
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:''43'']]
211	* Episode 3 of ''Survivor 43:'' Despite [[LovedByAll her entire tribe having nothing but respect and love for her]], Nneka Ejere was unanimously voted out by Vesi to try and conserve challenge strength following a losing streak. Cody Assenmacher is absolutely devastated to vote out his friend, spending the last few minutes of the show on the edge of breaking down while Nneka [[GracefulLoser leaves with her head held high and no ill feelings]]. As she had ironically said earlier in the episode, players rarely account for what to do when forced to vote out someone they've become close to.
212	[[/folder]]
213
214	[[folder:''44'']]
215	* Bruce Perrault taking an injury in the first episode of ''Survivor 44'', forcing him be pulled from the game and you can clearly tell it's crushing him as well as his tribemates.
216	* Speaking of ''Survivor 44'', Matthew ultimately quits the game due to his injury getting worse and you can tell that he realizes that it's his own fault for making the injury worse via competing in the day 2 challenge.
217	* At the merge of ''Survivor 44'', Frannie realizes that, by winning immunity, she pretty much doomed Matt to the chopping block (which ends up getting him booted). By the same token, Carolyn realizes that there's a high chance Yam Yam goes home as well, causing her to break down sobbing.
218	[[/folder]]
219
220	[[folder:''45'']]
221	* When the new Lulu tribe is meeting each other, Bruce realizes that the Lulu beach is the old Tika beach. Almost instantly, the good mood is sucked away as Bruce gets another reminder that he lost his first chance at the million bucks in a massive bout of bad luck.
222	* After collapsing for a second time, Jake bemoans that he doesn't want to get medically evacuated because he put in so much work to try and get in shape and that he doesn't want to go home because his body shut down on him.
223	* At the merge, when Emily realizes that Kaleb is who everyone is voting for, she's utterly distraught by the idea she has to turn on him to make sure that she stays in good with the others, even though she knows that if he goes, she's most likely easy pickings.
224	* Kellie's blindside, and both her and Kendra's reaction to it. For context, Kellie had been complaining for several rounds that her status as Bruce's closest ally was dragging her game down and that she would cut him loose at some point. After passing up an opportunity to take an easy vote for Sifu instead, Kellie's game unravels the exact day she decides to finally take Bruce out. He wins immunity, and though it seems Jake's the target, just as it seems like another unanimous vote out, Kellie's name gets read. Then again, and again... as Kellie realizes that her biggest fear has come true, she falls into a state of complete disbelief. Before her torch is snuffed, she almost looks like a zombie, meekly asking who turned on her, and being utterly gutted when she realizes that Emily, whom she had been developing a friendship with was among the people who voted for her. She's so lost she forgets her torch on the way to the snuffing. And while all this is happening, Kendra can only sit in the background silently crying.
225	* Bruce is stunned to learn that Kellie was planning to betray him due to how she saw him as overbearing and difficult to work with. As he undergoes a massive JerkassRealization he resolves to change his behavior, not just for the sake of his game but also so he can maintain a good relationship with his family.
226	* Episode ten is easily the saddest episode of the season, with many players breaking down in tears as the reality of the game hits them.
227	** The episode begins with Julie filled with guilt over betraying Kellie and Kendra's trust, and confiding in Drew that she's terrified of the Reba Four turning against each other, with Drew able to only comfort her.
228	** While the circumstances leading to it are unclear, Katurah receives letters from home during a reward... one of which is from her mother, whom she broke contact with a year prior to the competition. The unexpectedness of it causes Katurah to break down in tears while the other women comfort her. Making things worse, Katurah suffers a panic attack during the episode's immunity challenge and has to pull herself out.
229	** After being told multiple different plans, and being unsure of which one is true, Jake breaks down crying, his self-esteem completely gone as he reveals in a confessional he feels like an idiot for being stuck along the ride with no ability to discern who's manipulating him. To make things worse, Katurah offers some sympathy, but also tries to get away as fast as possible. Bruce is the only one who reaches out to Jake and offers him genuine words of encouragement.
230	[[/folder]]
231
232	[[folder:''46'']]
233	* Episode 3 has quite a few gut punches.
234	** Bhanu has hit the DespairEventHorizon. He knows he's going home because of how close Kenzie, Tiffany and Q are, to the point where he breaks down in front of Ben and Liz. They're moved and try to encourage him, but he still loses his vote. Only Q trying to save him at expense of Kenzie perks him up a little.
235	** Randen is pulled from the game due to a nerve injury possibly being a slipped disk, which could paralyze him. Even worse is the fact that it could simply be a pulled nerve and something that might have healed on its own. Jeff and his tribe are clearly crushed over him getting pulled over something that could have healed on its own.
236	** With Randen gone, Venus realizes that, once again, she's alone and on the bottom. However, she's not ready to give up.
237	* Bhanu's four-episode long downward spiral is heartbreaking to watch for a guy who came in all smiles before, over the course of the game, being reduced to hysterical rage, pathetic begging, histrionic dramatics, abject despair, and ultimately heartbroken acceptance. To make matters worse, Bhanu ends with his faith shaken, questioning why his god even allowed him to compete in a game he clearly was not cut out for.
238	* Tevin admitting that he learned how to clean fish from his dad and how he wanted to go fishing with him, but his career got in the way. Tevin kept pushing him off and when he finally thought he had time, his father passed away.

Context TearJerker / Survivor