5 notable Atlantans on ‘Survivor’

In honor of 15th year, we look back at area’s most impactful contestants.

CBS’ “Survivor” has been a groundbreaker and the ultimate survivor in and of itself.

The show that turned phrases such as tribal council, immunity idol and blindside into common “Survivor” terminology enters its 30th season and 15th year tonight. Ratings are a third of what they were at its peak in 2001, but in this day of splintered viewership, “Survivor” still is viable.

Of more than 440 contestants over the years, only a handful hail from metro Atlanta. Here’s a ranking of the five most notable:

5. John Rocker, season 29 (“Survivor: San Juan del Sur”), 16th place

In 1999, the former Atlanta Braves reliever was subsumed in a maelstrom of controversy over racist and insensitive comments in a Sports Illustrated story. That story continues to haunt him. He tried to stay incognito, but some contestants recognized him and put it against him. Natalie Anderson, who would eventually win, verbally

‘Survivor’