UPDATED after the season finale of Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X
33 seasons of Survivor have each been unique and have been highly talked
about by fans. Some are iconic, some are unforgettable and some are
some of the best TV in history. Having not watched two seasons,
Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Guatemala, please find my rankings of the
other 31 seasons, 31st-1st!:
31st) Survivor: Redemption Island (winner: Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano)
To me every episode of Survivor is enjoyable. In fact only the episodes
of Survivor: Borneo, season 1, were at all boring, but it is still fun
to watch because it is the first. season. ever. However, compared to a
lot of other seasons, Redemption Island is a snooze fest. It's premiere
was decent, the "Rice Wars" episode was iconic, seeing Redemption
Island for the first time was fun but other than that it was boring.
The casting was BAD, there were no real blindsides, Ometepe kept
winning, the challenges were lame and it felt like the season was
created to finally give Boston Rob a win. However, what made this the
worst season of Survivor in history is that from Day 1 the editing made
it clear that Boston Rob would indeed win. He practically got HALF the
confessionals the whole season! Add in the fact that Phillip Sheppard
and Matt got a WHOLE bunch tons of people including end-gamers Natalie,
Ashley and Grant got VERY little airtime.
30th) Survivor: Fiji (winner: Earl Cole)
Unlike Redemption Island, Fiji had okay editing and was not rigged for a
specific person to win. However, Fiji did have THE WORST twist in
Survivor history (Haves vs Have Nots which was more like Hotel and
Restaurant vs Backpacking with no food) which meant that one tribe won
ALL the pre-merge challenges, which led to a pagonging making for a
boring pre-merge and post-merge! In addition, the casting was
lackluster except for Earl, Yau-Man and Dreamz and the entire Car Deal
was so awkward that it was the last time there was ever a car reward,
which is a real shame. Yau-Man and his awesomeness save this season
from being dead last.
29th) Survivor: Panama (winner: Aras Baskauskas)
You may start noticing a theme here, but one of the reasons Panama is so
low is the casting. You truly need a good cast for a good Survivor
season and Panama's cast was lackluster. Cirie was gold, Terry was
great, Shane was entertaining but everyone else including the winner
Aras were pretty boring. In addition, there were no real iconic moments
from this season (oh wait, Shane's blackberry was iconic) and the
editing was fairly poor. The main storyline was Terry vs Aras which I
never really got into. The first ever hidden immunity idol was cool but
it was never played and first Exile Island was fun (though I have never
been a huge Exile fan) but overall it just does not compare to the
seasons above it.
28th) Survivor: Tocantins (winner: JT Thomas)
I am almost certainly in the minority ranking Tocantins this low.
Somebody once put it pretty clearly: if you love Coach, you love
Tocantins, if you hate Coach, you hate Tocantins. Pre-South Pacific I
more or less hated (well, strongly disliked), Coach. That means that I
dislike Tocantins because Tocantins was the Coach show. Tyson was a
A-hole in Tocantins too. JT was fine but I have never been his biggest
fan and I DO NOT get the Fishbach love. Taj was awesome but she was
one of the only bright spots this entire season. Overall unforgettable.
27th) Survivor: Thailand (winner: Brian Heidik)
Brian was a great winner and it was very entertaining to watch him on
his "business trip". Other than him the casting was terrible, the
editing highlighted Brian's win from very early on, the culture did not
have a nearly large enough influence for such an awesome location, and
the entire Ted/Ghandia thing was one of the most awkward storylines in
Survivor history. Moving on.
26th) Survivor: Marquesas (winner: Vecepia Towery)
To me there are several "groups" of seasons, and Thailand
represents the end of the "worst" group and Marquesas is the beginning
of the next group. I have much less negative to say about Marquesas but
still not too much positive to say. The rise and fall of the Rotu 4
was one of the first power shifts in Survivor history, it was fun to
watch Vecepia play a brilliant social game, Paschal and Neleh's bond was
neat but overall it wasn't classic "awesome" Survivor. ALL the
religious influence in this season is what puts it on the bottom of its
"group" of seasons.
25th) Survivor: The Australian Outback (winner: Tina Wesson)
Overall I for one find Australia similar to Marquesas. It had a few
more iconic moments (Skupin falling in the fire, Colby's immunity run,
Colby's dumb move) but it had a bit too much Colby for me and not enough
of the other players, especially given the (good) quality of what could
have been a more evenly-edited cast. With it only being season two
Jeff was lackluster and the editing was rough which prevents it from
climbing higher on this list.
24th) Survivor: San Juan del Sur (winner: Natalie Anderson)
I am a HUGE fan of the Blood vs Water theme but it definitely seems to
work better with half returning players. The return of Exile Island was
disappointing after the success of Redemption in the first BvW season.
The editing was weird, not over-editing Natalie which was good but
certainly under-editing Jaclyn and Missy and over-editing Jeremy.
Keeping it this high is Natalie. She played a very good and EXTREMELY
entertaining game and made the last few episodes quite decent.
23rd) Survivor: Borneo (winner: Richard Hatch)
As I mentioned the ONLY episodes of Survivor I find somewhat boring are
some of the Borneo episodes. It would be DEAD LAST if it wasn't the
season that created the show we love. I don't have much more to say
about it, except that it is almost not a "typical" season. To me it is
more a "test run" season that had to be ranked somewhere. This was
arguably the hardest season to rank. The case can be made that it must
be first, because it is the first ever season or that it must be last
because it is the most boring season ever. In the end I put it 23rd.
Moving on.
22nd) Survivor: One World (winner: Kim Spradlin)
Although there is a fairly small jump, I do consider One World the start
of the next "group" of seasons. I consider myself a One World fan.
Well, not a FAN, but a fan. Compared to other Survivor fans, that is.
One World is very often ranked in the "dreaded three" with Redemption
Island and Fiji. I cannot for the life of me understand why. Yes,
Kim's win was somewhat predictable and the challenges were somewhat
lackluster but Chelsea, Sabrina and Troyzan were much better edited than
any non-Rob people in Redemption Island and overall the editing was
much more even. The casting was average at worst and the One World twist
was a great experiment that I wouldn't mind seeing again. Overall a
season I think of in positive light.
21st) Survivor: Caramoan (winner: John Cochran)
Caramoan is a very interesting season and represents the best and the
worst of Survivor all at the same time. Cochran was a fantastic winner
that played a great game, was entertaining and easy to root for.
Watching him was some of the best TV possible therefore he obviously got
a large edit. Too large, however, as most of the other people were
under-edited. The casting to begin with was weak. The fans (except for
Laura, Michael and maybe a few others) were not fans and the favorites
(except for Cochran, Malcolm, Brenda and Erik) were not favorites.
There were too many water challenges and camp life was often boring. In
addition to Cochran and his awesomeness the only other thing that
brings this season up (and in a big way) is that the post-merge tribals were super
entertaining with a string of great blindsides.
20th) Survivor: Nicaragua (winner: Jud "Fabio" Birza)
Fabio is one of my favorite players ever and although I do not by any
means consider him one of the best winners he was very entertaining and
fun to watch. Brenda was a fan-favorite as was Jane. Marty was TV gold
but Chase and Sash totally got on my nerves. The double quit was a
buzz killer but the unpredictability was good. The editing was
average. This all results in an average season.
19th) Survivor: Samoa (winner: Natalie White)
Samoa is one of those seasons that could have been a very good season
had the editing been better. It's cast was certainly underrated but
they all got very little airtime except for Russell and Shambo. Russell
and Shambo were so entertaining that I cannot possibly rank this season
lower than this, despite bad challenges and bad editing. A buzz killer
at the end of the season though when Natalie beat Russell in one of the
only wrong jury decisions in Survivor history.
18th) Survivor: All Stars (winner: Amber Brkich)
All Stars was a fun season with all the twists and turns and of
course it being the first returning player season in Survivor history.
The powerful duo of Romber that was bound to break at somepoint never
did which was fascinating TV. Bringing this season down is slightly
below-average editing, all the controversy surrounding Sue's &
Jenna's quits, Rob and Lex's fight, plus several tarnished legacies
(Cesternino, Jenna, Sue, Colby).
17th) Survivor: Gabon (winner: Bob Crowley)
Gabon is a season that has been discussed in length with some people
claiming it is the best ever and others claiming it as one of the
worst. To me I just don't get the Gabon love nor the Gabon hate. It's
just an average season of Survivor. There is really no iconic moment
associated with it and the cast was meh. The unpredictability and all
the tribe swaps keeps it this high.
16th) Survivor: Worlds Apart (winner: Mike Holloway)
Worlds Apart is definitely the start of the next "group" of seasons in
my opinion. I enjoyed it considerably more than Gabon and only slightly
less than South Pacific. Mike was a fantastic winner that was a joy to
watch and overall the final 5 of that season was pretty strong (Mike,
Carolyn, Will, Rodney and Sierra) with only Will playing a bad game.
The editing was quite decent, building up both Mike and Carolyn equally
with enough attention to Rodney and Sierra that they both were
considered winners candidates going into the finale. The challenges
were pretty good and there was some fun strategy. Oh and the cast?
Killer. Jenn and Shirin didn't last all that long but were SO
MEMORABLE. The only real thing bringing this down (and fairly far down)
is all the negative attention/bullying surrounding this season with
Dan, Will, Rodney, Shirin and Sierra.
15th) Survivor: South Pacific (winner: Sophie Clarke)
I may be one of the only Survivor fans on the planet to rank South
Pacific in the top half of seasons but it bewilders me why so many
people HATE it. To me it is hands down the most underrated season in
Survivor history. The editing was great, cast quite decent, pre-merge
even and fun and Ozzy sending himself to Redemption was so much fun to
watch. Cochran's flip and the pagonging does bring it down but not to
the BOTTOM! Slightly better than average is the worst I can possibly
rank South Pacific. In fact just writing this makes me want to rewatch
it!
14th) Survivor: Africa (winner: Ethan Zohn)
We are now really in the stretch of seasons that are pretty darn good
and that I would never get tired of rewatching. Survivor: Africa is
definitely SOLID Survivor! Ethan may not be the best winner but Lex,
Kathy, Little Kim, Big Tom, Goldsmith and so many others make this cast
one of the better ones. All the attention on the location was awesome
and some underrated strategy took place. GOOD SEASON!
13th) Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X (winner: Adam Klein)
I am so glad that our latest season cracked the top half. Millennials vs Gen X started with a BANG when both tribes had to evacuate on Day 2 for the first time in Survivor history, due to a cyclone. The second episode was awesome with all the excitement surrounding the Mari #blindside. However, most of the pre-merge was dull and predictable, saved only by one player (Michaela) and great challenges. However, the post-merge was nothing but excitement with blindside after blindside including the 3rd ever rock draw which led to one of the leading threats to win being eliminated. Also, the editing was very good with Adam's win not becoming obvious until David was voted out and not even being considered until Episode 11 or 12. All things told, most definitely a solid season.
12th) Survivor: The Amazon (winner: Jenna Morasca)
The Amazon really represents so much of what we love about Survivor from
Cesternino's brilliant strategy, the Jaburu girls and their drama (who
could forget THAT peanut butter moment?), Deena and Christy's gold TV
moments, the men vs women theme, some awesome challenges and great
editing. There is hardly anything bad to say about this season but in
the end 11 others edged it out.
11th) Survivor: Vanuatu (winner: Chris Daughtery)
This is another season that I probably rank slightly higher than
most Survivor fans and I am also in the minority preferring it to The
Amazon. The opening ceremony was epic, the men vs women battle was just
as evident as it was in the first season, the cast was awesome, the all
girls alliance dominating and then crumbling coupled with Chris'
amazing come from behind victory was just gold. It just is not as
AMAZING as the Top 10 but it is certainly Survivor in all its glory.
10th) Survivor: Philippines (winner: Denise Stapley)
The start of the second-to-last "group" of seasons starts with the
Philippines. After a string of seasons (Nicaragua, Redemption Island,
South Pacific, One World) that were mostly below average
Philippines is truly the season that "saved" Survivor. Denise was an
awesome winner, the editing was perfect, the disaster that was Matsing
was entertaining and the cast was killer. Definitely a legendary season
of Survivor.
9th) Survivor: China (winner: Todd Herzog)
China was an extremely entertaining season worth a re-watch any day.
The editing and especially casting were some of the best in Survivor
history, watching Courtney's underdog storyline unfold was fantastic,
James made his first appearance on Survivor and delivered including THAT
double idol vote out and all the cultural reference was nothing short
of fantastic.
8th) Survivor: Kaoh Rong (winner: Michele Fitzgerald)
People can scream "recency bias!" all they want but I truly believe that
Kaoh Rong is an all-around AWESOME season. Throughout the season Kaoh
Rong seemed similar to San Juan del Sur with power shifts at similar
times, a similar merge and an under-the-radar female winner. However,
if San Juan del Sur came from hell Kaoh Rong came from heaven. The cast
was SPOT ON, editing much more even, better challenges and more
unpredictability. A few years down the road I think we will still be
talking about Kaoh Rong in very high regard.
7th) Survivor: Pearl Islands (winner: Sandra Diaz-Twine)
Survivor fans often differ in terms of opinion of how good a season is
but MOST fans can agree Pearl Islands is a VERY good season. The pirate
theme was so intriguing, the cast was amazing (Rupert, Sandra and
Fairplay, need I say more?), the dead grandma lie was so iconic, the
editing was great and the challenges were some of the best in Survivor
history. So, so, so good.
6th) Survivor: Cook Islands (winner: Yul Kwon)
Cook Islands is right up there with South Pacific for me as the most
underrated season in Survivor history. It gets a bad rap for the racial
divide twist but for me that was not a bad thing. If that is seen as
racist, why aren't men vs women seasons seen as sexist? Doesn't make
sense to me. And that only lasted for TWO episodes anyway! EVERYTHING
about this season was amazing. The casting (it gave birth to five
legends!: Parvati, Penner, Ozzy, Yul and Candice), the comeback of the
Aitu 4, the mutiny, and of course the Billy and Candice moment.
#MoreLoveForTheCooks
5th) Survivor: Cagayan (winner: Tony Vlachos)
Cagayan is in my opinion the beginning of the final "group" of
seasons--the true legends. It also receives the distinct honor as the
best all-newbie season in Survivor history. The cast was probably the
best all-newbie cast ever, the editing was amazing, the challenges
weren't great but also not bad but the unpredictability yet defined and
compelling strategy made for a truly fantastic season. Tony is one of
the best winners ever and will surely return to the game one day but we
have already seen 4 other Cagayan players return to the game.
4th) Survivor: Heroes vs Villains (winner: Sandra Diaz-Twine)
Very often considered the best season ever, Heroes vs Villains is
certainly a Survivor gem. The cast is one of the best ever, the game
play is hard to beat (Parvati's double idol play MAY be my favorite
moment in Survivor history) and of course we had our first ever two-time
winner (though it should have been a different person, but that's
another story).
3rd) Survivor: Micronesia (winner: Parvati Shallow)
Micronesia's cast, like Cambodia, was FULL of people there to PLAY the
game. The final 4 Black Widow Brigade members (Parvati, Amanda, Cirie
and Natalie) almost certainly comprise the best final four ever. The
string of Ozzy/Jason/Erik blindsides was amazing and the pre-merge is
certainly underrated. It was the best season ever for a long time but
then came:
2nd) Survivor: Blood vs Water (winner: Tyson Apostol)
When Heroes vs Villains did not trump Micronesia and then we had that
string of bad seasons many fans were starting to believe that Micronesia
would forever hold the title of best season ever and that Survivor
would never return to it's glory days. Well then came along Season 27,
Blood vs Water. To me it became the best season in history. The loved
ones twist was so refreshing, Redemption Island redeemed itself, the
cast was amazing (Ciera is my all-time favorite Survivor player) and we
had someone vote their mom out. Oh yeah, there was a freakin' rock draw too! Truly a season to be remembered for a long, long, long time.
1st) Survivor: Cambodia (winner: Jeremy Collins)
Blood vs Water did not hold its title for too long because along came
Survivor: Cambodia--Second Chance. Because the fans voted the castaways
in they felt the need to PLAY hard not only for themselves and their
family but for America. Every single person came to play their own
game. We had two tribes become three tribes. We had a record number of
tribe swaps. We had one of the harshest seasons in terms of
conditions. And through it all the season gave birth to "voting blocs"
which will forever change the way Survivor is played. Ladies and
gentlemen, for now, Survivor: Cambodia--Second Chance, Season 31 is the
very best season in Survivor history!
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