As a show with tons of characters, this trope is very much inevitable to happen.
- Jeff Probst himself can be a bit divisive. Some fans feel that he is a good host that keeps contestants on their toes, while others dislike him for his favoritism towards certain male contestants, his tendency (especially in recent seasons) of inserting himself more and more into the show at the expense of the players, and his sometimes-questionable decisions as Executive Producer.
- Big Tom from Africa is a Large Ham who brings enthusiasm and humor that you just can't help but enjoy to some. Others, especially recently, see them as having problematic tendencies in their humor and elsewhere.
- Vecepia Towery is a very divisive winner, even to this day. There are some that see her as an incredible Badass Pacifist in her own right, steering her fellow castaways into cutting just the right throats to win her the game. There are also some though, that feel that her gameplay is overrated, and that in a chaotic season, she was the one that did the least to stir things up and was guaranteed 8th place without the Rotu flippers. To be entirely fair though, most of the former reaction is at least partially due to attempting to compensate for the overly atrocious reception she got at the time for backstabbing fan favorite Kathy, and the latter reaction is usually a response to the former one.
- Brian Heidik, big time. You either think he's a master at hiding his true nature coupled with the best strategic game of his era, or you despise his sociopathy, and gambebot tendencies in a season filled with incredibly varied personalities. Even if you don't think these reactions are mutually exclusive, his victory over Clay tends to divide people feeling that this is either the best or worst possible ending for the season.
- Rupert Boneham was a beloved fan favorite and one of the most popular characters ever during and after Pearl Islands, but while many still view him fondly, he has also earned many detractors following his multiple return appearances. Many see him as a mediocre or even bad strategist, while others take issue with his ego, Sore Loser status, and angry outbursts, or just feel that his pirate schtick is played out. Supporters still feel that his camaraderie, soft heart, and mild eccentricity make him very likable.
- Lex and Rob Mariano in All-Stars. It mainly boils down to whether or not Lex was a hypocrite for not voting for Rob to win All Stars after Rob backstabbed Lex once Lex saved Rob's girlfriend Amber from the vote, since, according to those who argue against Lex, his gameplay was not so different from Rob's. The entire conflict between Lex and Rob has been one of the most heavily debated conflicts in Survivor history. Either you side with Lex, who was rightfully pissed that Rob, a close friend, stabbed him in the back after he did a personal favor for him, or you side with Rob, believing that Lex is an extreme Hypocrite, eliminating Ethan in a similar way that Rob eliminated Lex, and that Lex was very bitter. Several people however, Take a Third Option and dislike them both (at least in this season).
- Stephenie LaGrossa was one of the most popular contestants on Palau due to her massive Iron Woobie status that season. Keyword is "was" as in Guatemala, she basically Took a Level in Jerkass that season, and she manages to earn quite a few detractors because of that. However, she still has her fans because of her story arc in Palau.
- Yul. Either he is one of the stronger winners or is overrated because of all the twists that helped him get to the end.
- James Clement was also wildly popular in his first appearance (China), even winning the $100,000 fan-favorite bonus prize, but has become divisive following his later outings. In China, James was popular for his sense of humor, work ethic, and loyalty. However, many fans felt that he behaved like a Jerkass during Heroes vs Villains, which lost him a lot of love. To make matters worse, certain moments of Jerkass behavior are even visible in China and Micronesia (despite overall positive edits), leading some to believe that James simply benefited from Manipulative Editing all along.
- Russell Hantz, who in Samoa comes across as either a brilliant player (to viewers who favor the strategic side of the game), or a terrible sport who needs to learn that people don't win by only playing his way (to viewers who value the social side of the game). And even some strategic fans see him as a Jerkass Creator's Pet. In Heroes vs Villains, some people feel he's just the same Spotlight-Stealing Squad from before, and some even blame him for Jerri and Colby not getting enough screentime. Some however, believe that he actually works really well in this season, thanks to getting a more balanced edit, a satisfying comeuppance, and even a pretty funny/Impressive storyline where he tricks J.T. into thinking he's on the outs (resulting in him getting an idol).
- Jud “Fabio” Birza from Nicaragua is very well liked as a character, but a very divisive winner. On one hand, some fans feel he didn’t play the game well or have good strategy, mostly coasting to victory on luck and immunity challenge victories. Others argue that Fabio played a simple, but very well executed Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass strategy, hiding his capabilities until the latter section of the game so he wouldn’t be seen as a threat, while also winning hearts and minds with his likable personality, and see winning immunity challenges as being part of good gameplay rather than luck.
- Coach is a bit of an odd example. Back in Tocantins, he was hated by fans due to his overwhelming airtime to the point that many accuse him being a Creator's Pet as well being a Hypocrite. However, Heroes vs. Villains makes him more well-liked by showing him in a more comedic light, and made him in appearance in Tocantins to go through a positive Character Perception Evolution. The real base-breaking part about Coach comes in South Pacific. Some fans like his Character Development that season by going from a Cloudcuckoolander to much more serious and strategic person while others felt he was better when he was just a Cloudcuckoolander.
- Troyzan. People either find him to be a rootable underdog who helped make a Seasonal Rot somewhat more entertaining or a Sore Loser who came across as a Jerkass. And while Troyzan asked a question to Kim at the final tribal council in which she will not get his vote if she answers the question wrong (in which she supposedly did answer it wrong causing Troyzan to vote for Sabrina), some fans believe that Troyzan was never going to vote for Kim in the first place coming across as a bitter juror.
- Kim Spradlin is also one. While many people stated that she played a very good game in which it can possibly be the best game ever and she went to become one of the few female top tier winners on a show, fans may believe that she is a bit boring and helps contribute to her season being a Seasonal Rot.
- Lisa from Survivor Philippines as while she has plenty fans due to her starring in The Facts of Life in addition to liking her for being one of nicest contestants that season, some other people felt that she was a bit of an unnecessary Spotlight-Stealing Squad. An example of this being where in the Final Nine, her and Skupin were in a position to flip to the other alliance and during that episode, the editors put way more focus on Lisa than Skupin despite Skupin being the one to flip not her.
- People either find Abi-Maria to be an entertaining villain or an unlikable Jerkass.
- Cochran. Either you think he's an lovable dork or a weasel. There's very little middle ground.
- This only got worse after Caramoan where he wins the game unanimously... in a game filled with both new players and people that could accurately be labeled before the season as Cochran's friends, practically ensuring that he at least got reasonably far into the game. People commonly debate just how dominant a player he can be called for winning that.
- A third more recent camp, is that Cochran is generally more likable off the show than on it, as the editing generally tries too hard to make him a favorite at best.
- Thanks to Hype Backlash, Ciera Eastin has become this, more-so specifically at the show's attempts at Ciera being a huge maker of big moves by going to rocks by flliping on Tyson's alliance, and voting against her mother. Detractors find her to be an overrated player, as they point-out that Ciera's mom would have been voted out with or without Ciera's vote, and believe that Hayden should receive the credit for the rock-draw, as he was the one to convince her to flip. Her fans, on the other hand, state voting against her mom was a good way to demonstrate loyalty to her alliance while avoiding the possibility of her being on the bottom of her tribe due to being associated with Laura M., and praised Ciera for making sure that she tried to make it to the final three instead of playing for 4th place like some past players have made beforehand.
- Spencer Bledsoe. Fans are divided into two camps: either he's an extremely skilled player who managed to overcome being on the bottom of the pecking order several times to reach the game's final stages, or he's obnoxiously smug and only had himself to blame for always being on the bottom. This especially flared up in Cambodia, where he ended up in a power position near the end and Took a Level in Jerkass at the final 4, ending up with no votes in the final tribal council.
- Shirin from Worlds Apart is a major one. Either you find her incredibly annoying, and believe she plays the victim, or you find her to be a sympathetic character who is still struggling with the abuse she went through when she was younger.
- Joe Anglim. While Joe has a decently sized fanbase due to his challenge prowess as Jeff went on to state that he was one of the most popular contestants in Worlds Apart, a lot of fans felt he was a bit overrated and didn't do much to become a "fan favorite".
- Savage received some haters from Cambodia as well for his Holier Than Thou attitude, his Irrational Hatred towards fan favorite Stephen, becoming a Sore Loser, and taking a level in jerkass. Some people however, found him a source of much-needed humor.
- Kyle Jason from Kaôh Rōng is an odd case. Most fans dislike his performance on the show, but there's some debate as to whether he's a decent guy who's dragged down by Scot, or a plain-old Jerkass who's just as bad as him. The former camp has a sizable chunk of the fandom vouching for him to return to the game to clear his name, and the latter camp never wants to see him again.
- Ryan Ulrich. On the one hand, he's liked because he is competent strategist, genuinely friendly, and had a Moment of Awesome before the merge. On the other hand, opinions have soured as the game wore on and revealed his Chronic Backstabbing Disorder for Ryan. Not to mention that his poor handling of alliances leads him to betray the same person twice in a row and lose the trust of everyone but Chrissy. The result is that, ironically, he is pretty well liked on his own, but considered insufferable when he is together with Chrissy.
- Ben Driebergen from Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers and Winners at War. Most of the controversy from his first season was due to the fire-making twist, which ended up saving him from being voted out at final four and going on to win over Chrissy, who had been edited as a growing strategic threat, and Devon, who was a much loved Ensemble Dark Horse who would have been guaranteed a spot in the Final Three. While much of that controversy has died down as the twist is permanent, Ben as a player has become very polarizing, which is especially highlighted in Winners at War. Some people see him as entertaining for his on-going feuds with players like Adam, Rob and Jeremy, as well as genuinely endearing due to his sympathetic veteran backstory, love for his family and more social moments with fan favorites like Denise and Tony. Others see him as unbearable due to said conflicts against aforementioned players painting him in a petty light, and feel that his social and strategic game is more noticeably atrocious due to being surrounded by more experienced winners. Some even argue that instead of Ben, Mike Holloway should have been invited back due to being a better example of a scrappy and physical underdog winner. His divisive reception has only worsened due to his actions in Winners At War finale; mainly, that he willingly sacrificed his game for Sarah. For some, they see this as an incredibly heartwarming moment between two good friends choosing friendship over money, and a redeeming moment for Ben, as his poor social game and abrasive personality made him seem incredibly unlikable. For others, they were livid that Ben willingly threw away the chance at two million dollars, as it rendered his feuds and vote-outs towards fan favorite winners for nothing, and see it as proof that the choice to add him in an all winners season was a complete waste.
- Michael from Ghost Island became a fan favorite thanks to his impressive strategic acumen for his young age, as well as his underdog story. However, many also consider him a bland character that takes up way too much screentime.
- Rick Devens from Edge of Extinction. Due to being such a big character, he tends to get the spotlight more than the remaining castaways, and this has people split; he's either an entertaining and fun character with a scrappy underdog story that people love, or he's an annoying and unlikable camera hog.
- Shan from 41 has a very divisive reception. Some love her for her aggressive gameplay and willingness to make big moves, while others are turned off by her rude comments about other players.
- There's very little middle ground on Jonathan from 42. His fans love him for being a physical powerhouse who have pushed even the weakest tribe members to victory and admired his commitment to the game. His detractors dislike his abrasive attitude when it comes to strategy and perceive his behavior as misogynistic.
- Rocksroy's reception is inversely proportional to the already divisive reception of 42. Those who love 42 despise him for mouthing off all the players and making controversial statements like his wife nags at him or wanting an all male alliance. Those who hate 42 love him as they felt the players he mouthed off had it coming for slacking off and treating the game more like a wellness retreat than a competition and don't think the statements he made were bad at all since the men did have the majority even if it wasn't the best strategic move.
