Having aired 37 seasons, Survivor has had hundreds of players, and even more single games, so it's understandable that some are forgotten over time. However, there are a handful that I believe do not deserve to be forgotten. These 15 single games are drastically underrated in my opinion. Read on to find out why. Ranked from 15th to most underrated:
#15 Tijuana Bradley (Survivor: Pearl Islands) -- Tijuana who, you say? Tijuana -- queen of the PI pre-merge, I say! She was an underdog throughout the game going to the first three tribal councils, and luck is not the reason she stayed in the game. She was a challenge beast and had an impeccable social game. She was ultimately screwed by the outcasts twist. People say that Savage could have won the Pearls if the outcast twist hadn't happened, which is true, but Tijuana could have as well.
#14 Libby Vineck (Survivor: Ghost Island) -- Most fans remember Libby as yet another "blonde girl that was cast for her looks" but Libby had a lot more game than most people in her archetype. She was a key element of the famous Morgan vote and subtly led the strategy for much of the pre-merge.
#13 Heidi Strobel (Survivor: The Amazon) -- I struggled as to where to place Heidi on this list. The argument could be made that Heidi played one of the best games of anyone on this list, and although her game is underrated, I feel it does get at least some credit, so it's not so drastically underrated. The next time you re-watch The Amazon, please watch Heidi. People talk about Cesternino as "the" mastermind of that season, but Heidi made so many big strategic moves too, and paved the way for Jenna to eventually win.
#12 Chelsea Meissner (Survivor: One World) -- Yes, Kim played super well, and I'm not saying that Chelsea should have won One World, but it bugs me when Sabrina gets the credit as Kim's righthand woman. Chelsea was literally right there alongside Kim for the whole damn game and helped her make the moves that she did. She was also a force in challenges, and if you ignore her admittedly bad FTC performance, she could have easily won the game if next to anyone other than Kim.
#11 Michelle Schubert (Survivor: Milennials vs Gen X) -- Take everything I said about Tijuana and Libby and knock it up a few notches. Michelle was a lead contender to win based not only on her edit but her gameplay during the pre-merge of MvGX. She spearheaded the Mari vote and then helped orchestrate the CeCe vote. We also can't forget that she was excellent in challenges and had a stellar social game going on. She was dealt bad luck at the merge and was voted out because she didn't have an idol; not because she was a big threat or did something silly to get herself on people's radar. Michelle would be a very worthy returnee on a second chance-type season.
#10 Brandon Hantz (Survivor: South Pacific) -- Just a reminder that this a ranking of single games so Brandon's Caramoan game is a complete non-factor with this ranking. People remember Brandon for his train wreck Caramoan game, his struggles with Mikayla in the pre-merge of South Pacific, and giving away immunity. What they forget is that in his first season, once Mikayla was voted out, he actually played quite a decent game, helping Coach and Sophie with their moves, and yes, believe it or not, playing a very good social game. Several cast members said that had he not given up immunity, he actually stood a decent chance of winning South Pacific!
#9 Helen Glover (Survivor: Thailand) -- Helen made it to Day 37 and was the one person that could have possibly beaten Mr. Heidik in Thailand. Yet she never gets the credit she deserves. It was ultimately a misheard conversation, yes, you read that correctly, that got her voted out two days shy of FTC. She was good in challenges so if that misheard conversation never happened, she could have possibly won the FIC, voted out Heidik, and won the whole game. Why she's never talked about in the same light as Kathy/Lex/Darrah as another "fell short at the last minute but almost won" player is beyond me, but she deserves that same legacy.
#8 Laurel Johnson (Survivor: Ghost Island) -- Say what you will about Laurel's missed opportunity to take out Wendell/Domenick, that was one. mistake. Yes, one that quite possibly tossed her a million dollars, but it was one mistake nonetheless. Except for that miscalculation, she played a wonderful game, and it's fair to say that her loyalty and strategic brain was a key reason that WenDom did make it to the Final 2. She led the strategy for several votes, especially right around the merge, and never gets the credit for it. She's remembered as the person that broke the first ever final vote tie, but she deserves to be remembered for so much more as well.
#7 Ashley Underwood (Survivor: Redemption Island) -- Boston Rob is remembered as the only person that played in Red. Island, and when you say the name "Ashley Underwood" people usually think of her as one of his goats (alongside the likes of NatTen, Philip, and to an extent, Andrea). Ashley really wasn't his goat at all. Yes, she followed him strategically, but she also made her own moves, and was ready to blindside Rob but then he went on a winning streak. She was awful close in some of those immunity challenges though, and had she won one, she likely would have won the game.
#6 Ashley Nolan (Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers) -- Like Underwood, Ashley Nolan played a UTR but very strong game, making subtle strategic moves, holding her own in challenges, and playing a standup social game. The edit made sure to highlight this and she was actually my winner pick in the episodes leading up to her elimination at the F6. It was a disagreement with Ben that eventually led to her elimination, but it's beyond me why people don't think of her as someone that could have possibly won HHH. She was a lot closer than people ever give her credit for.
#5 Baylor Wilson (Survivor: San Juan del Sur) -- Like the two Ashleys, Baylor was an end-gamer that could have won if things had gone just a little differently, but people think of her only as a bratty girl and not the real player that she was. Sure she made some mistakes but it was ultimately an idol that took her out of the game, and had Jaclyn gone home that night instead, Baylor had a shot to win Final Immunity, take out Natalie, and win the game. I'm not saying she played a flawless game or would have won if it wasn't for the idol, but she should get the credit for keeping Missy in the game and playing hard all the way through. She deserves another shot in a returnee season.
#4 Cao Boi Bui (Survivor: Cook Islands) -- Cao Boi is, deservedly, remembered for his kooky personality and forehead red dots, but people forget that he was actually playing the game too, and he deserves to be this high on the list for one simple move: inventing the split vote strategy. It seems so basic, and it wasn't even executed the night he came up with it, but Plan Voodoo truly changed the way Survivor is played. Yul himself referred to the plan as "genius" and who knows how differently so many other seasons would have gone down if it wasn't for Cao Boi's crazy dream.
#3 John Hennigan (Survivor: David vs Goliath) -- I can hear "recency bias" screams already but I truly believe that the Mayor of Slamtown deserves this ranking. Why? Mainly because he was hardly ever referred to as a strategic player, but I believe he played one of the best games in the DvG pre-merge. While Angelina was overplaying and taking the bullets for all the big moves, John was right there alongside her subtly steering the direction of the game, similarly to how Mike did later in the game. It was him that "suggested" Jeremy go before Natalie. He accomplished what he wanted to without being a big target, and like Baylor, it was eventually an idol that took him out. If it wasn't for Nick's brilliant minority split vote plan, who knows how long John would have lasted.
#2 Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Cook Islands) -- It was my recent re-watch of Cook Islands that actually inspired this Top 15 when I saw how underrated Parvati's CI game was. Heck, I'd even been underrating it. She's always remembered for her Micronesia and HvV games, but when it comes to the Cooks people think of her as a flirt and nothing more. Yes, she flirted a lot, but it was legit strategy that worked. If it wasn't for Yul's super idol and Ozzy's winning streak, Parvati could be our winner of Cook Islands. Let that sink in, let it sink in how underrated her Cooks game is.
#1 Trish Hegarty (Survivor: Cagayan) -- And ladies and gentlemen, it comes down to this. Trish Hegarty of Cagayan, the most underrated single game in the history of Survivor. Like others on this list, Trish was a "backseat" player behind a bold player, in this case, Tony. But she was with him for the entire game and helped him make the moves he did. Specifically, the ultra-crucial Kass flip at the merge. Trish was the one that went out and convinced Kass to flip. If she hadn't done that, the Solanas were going to get totally Pagonged. Like Yul in the Cooks, Tony was protected by idols including a super idol, but had he not been, Trish would have been a, or the, lead contender to win Cagayan.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Learning to recognize the "decoy winner edit"
Especially in recent seasons, production seems to have a trend of building up a non-FTC player as a "decoy winner edit" to add suspense heading into the finale. This person is not to be confused with the runner up or second runner up (who also sometimes have edits that could be considered odd winner edits). The person receiving the decoy winner edit often, but not always, is the last boot (in modern survivor, the fire challenge loser), but does always make it to the finale.
Many people have been fooled by decoy winner edits before. So how can you recognize the decoy winner edit, and learn not to "fall for it"?
The important thing to remember is that a decoy winner edit is not simply a second person with a winner edit. It's a fundamentally different edit, with surface resemblance to a winner edit. The last four "decoy winner edits" (Tai Trang, Devon Pinto, Donathan Hurley, Kara Kay) all had weaker pre-merge content than you would expect from a winner (with the possible exception being Kara). Their edits usually spike just after the merge and are strong for the majority of the post-merge, but then drop in visibility again for the last 2 episodes before the finale. Which is a key difference between a decoy edit and an actual winner edit, as the winner edit stays consistent, or even increases slightly right before the finale. And then, as if it's a "surprise", the decoy winner edit usually spikes again during the finale itself right up until that person's elimination (an example of this is Kara's strong edit during the DvG finale. Even though I had ruled her out as a winner contender going into the finale due to her low-vis ratings in eps 12 and 13, I briefly had her as my winner pick right before the fire challenge.)
The takeaway: Although editors do a very good job trying to "fool" viewers, we can usually outsmart the editors by not paying too much attention to a player that has an edit spike at the merge after a low-mid-vis pre-merge edit, especially if that person then drops in visibility again right before the finale. And then even if they have a great finale, don't get fooled again in thinking that maybe they will actually win. Instead expect them to probably lose the fire making challenge.
Many people have been fooled by decoy winner edits before. So how can you recognize the decoy winner edit, and learn not to "fall for it"?
The important thing to remember is that a decoy winner edit is not simply a second person with a winner edit. It's a fundamentally different edit, with surface resemblance to a winner edit. The last four "decoy winner edits" (Tai Trang, Devon Pinto, Donathan Hurley, Kara Kay) all had weaker pre-merge content than you would expect from a winner (with the possible exception being Kara). Their edits usually spike just after the merge and are strong for the majority of the post-merge, but then drop in visibility again for the last 2 episodes before the finale. Which is a key difference between a decoy edit and an actual winner edit, as the winner edit stays consistent, or even increases slightly right before the finale. And then, as if it's a "surprise", the decoy winner edit usually spikes again during the finale itself right up until that person's elimination (an example of this is Kara's strong edit during the DvG finale. Even though I had ruled her out as a winner contender going into the finale due to her low-vis ratings in eps 12 and 13, I briefly had her as my winner pick right before the fire challenge.)
The takeaway: Although editors do a very good job trying to "fool" viewers, we can usually outsmart the editors by not paying too much attention to a player that has an edit spike at the merge after a low-mid-vis pre-merge edit, especially if that person then drops in visibility again right before the finale. And then even if they have a great finale, don't get fooled again in thinking that maybe they will actually win. Instead expect them to probably lose the fire making challenge.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
A closer look at the David vs Goliath 7-3-0 vote
Last night "good ol' Kentucky Nick" Wilson won Survivor 37 - David vs Goliath, on a 7-3-0 vote over Mike White and Angelina Keeley, respectively. There is no doubt that Nick played a wonderful game, and if I were on the jury I do believe I would've voted for him. That said, this, IMO, is one of the best Final 3s we've ever seen as Mike and Angelina also played great games. Therefore some fans have been surprised by the relatively large margin of Nick's win, especially with Angelina being shut out of votes completely. So, was the vote margin deserved, and why didn't Angelina get a single vote?
The elephant in the room -- the theme itself: In a season with a theme such as David vs Goliath, it's human nature to root for the "David". Nick, the only david of the F5 was up against two goliaths, so if anyone was on the fence, the underdog story could have helped sway them.
Nick's story: Although he didn't pull the full on "fall for my story" card like Jeremy, Adam, and Ben before him, his true "David" story of growing up in a trailer park and now being a public defender, certainly tugged on the heartstrings of the jury. It could have also pulled an on-the-fence juror or two over to his side.
Mike's slow game until Day 30: Yes, Mike played an excellent game and I believe he and Angelina both slightly "out-strategized" Nick (with Nick's social and physical games being much stronger). In FTC, Nick brought up the importance of timing Survivor moves, and Mike's timing wasn't so strong. He didn't really kick it into high gear until after Day 30 when he realized he needed some moves for the resume. He orchestrated three votes in a row: Gabby, Christian, and Davie, and he also beat Kara in the fire making challenge and won F7 immunity, so it's no surprise that all three of his jury votes came from three of the four last jury members -- the people that were in the game to see his flashy moves. If all game long he had played as well as he did in the last ten days, he could have easily gotten the respect of more of the jury, but the fact is that it was too little, and more importantly, too late, for the majority of the jurors.
Angelina's blunders: Angelina falls into one of my favorite archetypes in Survivor -- the aggressive style female gameplayer that wants to leave it all on the island. She's definitely the best player of this archetype since Sarah Lacina, and I believe is one of the legends of this archetype -- alongside the likes of Parvati, Ciera Eastin, Natalie Anderson, and Sarah. Despite all the BIG moves, you can't deny the fact that Angelina did overplay, especially in the end game, which left the jury with a bitter taste in their mouth. Angelina was on the track of a winning game until a little ways after the rice deal, which at the time seemed like a fantastic move. But she brought it up so much, that it clearly was no longer, a selfless move, which is why it was such a good move to begin with. But I don't believe she fully sealed her fate until the finale when she A. exaggerated about the "HARD" idol find, B. created one of the worst looking, and definitely most pointless, fake idols in Survivor history, and C. wanted to put on "theatrics" for the jury so blatantly, and asked Mike to help her pull that off. It would be interesting to see how this final vote would have gone down had she not "lost her marbles" during the end game. With this F3, I still believe Nick would have won, but it probably would have been something along the lines of a 5-3-2, or 4-3-3 vote.
Sexism: I wanted to bring this up because Angelina, several jurors, and Jeff himself, all did. Do I think that sexism was part of the reason that Angelina got no votes? Maybe. I could see someone along the lines of John or maybe Dan voting for a game like Angelina's, if it had been played by a male. That said, even if Angelina was a guy, I don't see the vote looking closer than 6-3-1 given Angelina's blunders at the end, and sexism is DEFINITELY not the reason that Angelina didn't win the game.
TO RECAP: All three finalists played great games, with timing being one big factor in the vote breakdown. Nick was the clear best player, but the other two would have been even closer competitors if Mike had started playing a bit sooner and Angelina hadn't fumbled at the end.
The elephant in the room -- the theme itself: In a season with a theme such as David vs Goliath, it's human nature to root for the "David". Nick, the only david of the F5 was up against two goliaths, so if anyone was on the fence, the underdog story could have helped sway them.
Nick's story: Although he didn't pull the full on "fall for my story" card like Jeremy, Adam, and Ben before him, his true "David" story of growing up in a trailer park and now being a public defender, certainly tugged on the heartstrings of the jury. It could have also pulled an on-the-fence juror or two over to his side.
Mike's slow game until Day 30: Yes, Mike played an excellent game and I believe he and Angelina both slightly "out-strategized" Nick (with Nick's social and physical games being much stronger). In FTC, Nick brought up the importance of timing Survivor moves, and Mike's timing wasn't so strong. He didn't really kick it into high gear until after Day 30 when he realized he needed some moves for the resume. He orchestrated three votes in a row: Gabby, Christian, and Davie, and he also beat Kara in the fire making challenge and won F7 immunity, so it's no surprise that all three of his jury votes came from three of the four last jury members -- the people that were in the game to see his flashy moves. If all game long he had played as well as he did in the last ten days, he could have easily gotten the respect of more of the jury, but the fact is that it was too little, and more importantly, too late, for the majority of the jurors.
Angelina's blunders: Angelina falls into one of my favorite archetypes in Survivor -- the aggressive style female gameplayer that wants to leave it all on the island. She's definitely the best player of this archetype since Sarah Lacina, and I believe is one of the legends of this archetype -- alongside the likes of Parvati, Ciera Eastin, Natalie Anderson, and Sarah. Despite all the BIG moves, you can't deny the fact that Angelina did overplay, especially in the end game, which left the jury with a bitter taste in their mouth. Angelina was on the track of a winning game until a little ways after the rice deal, which at the time seemed like a fantastic move. But she brought it up so much, that it clearly was no longer, a selfless move, which is why it was such a good move to begin with. But I don't believe she fully sealed her fate until the finale when she A. exaggerated about the "HARD" idol find, B. created one of the worst looking, and definitely most pointless, fake idols in Survivor history, and C. wanted to put on "theatrics" for the jury so blatantly, and asked Mike to help her pull that off. It would be interesting to see how this final vote would have gone down had she not "lost her marbles" during the end game. With this F3, I still believe Nick would have won, but it probably would have been something along the lines of a 5-3-2, or 4-3-3 vote.
Sexism: I wanted to bring this up because Angelina, several jurors, and Jeff himself, all did. Do I think that sexism was part of the reason that Angelina got no votes? Maybe. I could see someone along the lines of John or maybe Dan voting for a game like Angelina's, if it had been played by a male. That said, even if Angelina was a guy, I don't see the vote looking closer than 6-3-1 given Angelina's blunders at the end, and sexism is DEFINITELY not the reason that Angelina didn't win the game.
TO RECAP: All three finalists played great games, with timing being one big factor in the vote breakdown. Nick was the clear best player, but the other two would have been even closer competitors if Mike had started playing a bit sooner and Angelina hadn't fumbled at the end.
Survivor Winners Ranked 37th-1st UPDATED post David vs Goliath
Through 37 seasons of Survivor, we have seen 37 unique games win $1 million dollars. Each game has been unique, but some winners have arguably had more luck than others, and certain ones played truly masterful games. Here is my definitive ranking of each winner:
37th) Natalie White (Survivor: Samoa)
As I touched on in an essay a couple years ago, I generally believe that the best finalist wins the season. Survivor is about finding a way to get to the end while still having an impressive enough resume to win and having enough relationships with the jury members to make them want to award you a million dollars. If someone gets to the end and earns the jury respect, they have pretty much done that. However, once in a GREAT while I believe the jury makes the flat out WRONG decision. Yes, Samoa jury, I'm looking at you. Russell didn't play the best social game. I understand that. Yet he did play one of the best strategic games in Survivor history. Add in the fact that he was next to someone that should be considered one of the biggest goats ever, yes, in my opinion, the jury did make the wrong decision. Natalie was a goat that did not deserve to win a million dollars but did. For that she IMHO earns the title of worst winner in Survivor history.
36th) Bob Crowley (Survivor: Gabon)
Bob definitely did more than Natalie and although I would not have voted for him if I was on the Gabon jury (I believe that Sugar played the best game that season) I do not believe he is an "unworthy" winner. Kudos to him for being so old yet doing so well in challenges and creating an impressive fake idol, but that's about it. Overall unmemorable and lackluster, which to me speaks for most of the Gabon cast.
35th) Tina Wesson (Survivor: The Australian Outback)
I am almost certainly in the minority of Survivor fans ranking Tina this low. Her performance in Blood vs Water was impressive but in Australia she coasted along on her social game but had essentially no strategy and no physical prowess. Her social game was not OUTSTANDING either, just solid. If I had been on the Australia jury I would have voted for Colby. Moving on.
34th) Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama)
Ahh, the first winner on this list that I would have actually voted for to win! He was certainly better than Danielle, but that is not saying a whole lot. He was carried along by Cirie for most of the game and his main resume point is "beating Terry" but it was actually Danielle that won that final immunity challenge. Cirie or Terry would have been much worthier winners of Panama, but alas they did not make FTC.
33rd) Jenna Morasca (Survivor: The Amazon)
Jenna flirted and then won her way to the top which has to be commended but the fact is Heidi and Cesternino did most of the strategizing in The Amazon and Jenna was along for the ride for most of the game. C- strategy, B social, A- physical. In a tough crowd, that lands you 27th spot.
32nd) Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa)
Ethan played an incredible social game, did well physically but was carried by Lex strategically. Certainly deserved to beat Kim Johnson at the FTC but it is a real shame that Lex did not make the FTC as he would have been a much worthier winner.
31st) Sophie Clarke (Survivor: South Pacific)
Another situation where I would have voted for a different person, however that does not mean Sophie played a bad game. She was a Coach follower strategically for much of the game but did make some nice moves near the end, and did not play a brilliant social game but was decent physically including BEATING OZZY. That is certainly enough to consider her a "worthy winner", just not one of the best ones.
30th) Amber Brkich (Survivor: All Stars)
A lot of fans consider Amber to be at the bottom of the rankings with Natalie White but I strongly disagree. Amber played a very good social game playing Rob and knowing when to let him call the shots, won a couple challenges and had some underrated strategy (the Cesternino vote out was her idea). Yes, Rob dominated strategically and I probably would have voted for him but by no means is Amber a goat and she is a worthy winner.
29th) Vecepia Towery (Survivor: Marquesas)
Vee played a VERY good social game in Marquesas but Kathy dominated strategically and physically and also played a good social game. Another case of "last boot should have won" but of course Vecepia deserved to beat Neleh.
Following Ben one season later comes Wendell, following Ben one winner lower in the rankings as well. Wendell, like Michele in Kaoh Rong, played an under the radar but savvy game, lurking in the shadows of more obvious strategic player(s). While Domenick got credit for most of the moves, Wendell was with Dom through thick and thin, and made social connections that allowed for the moves to happen. It's the little things in Wendell's game (bringing the shell to Sebastian, trying to reason with Chris at the merge, and giving the immunity idol to Laurel) that make him so. very. good. Although his game may not have been flashy, it was darn good, and will forever be remembered as he won the only final vote tie in Survivor history!
13th) Ben Driebergen (Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers)
Ben played an incredible pre-merge game weasling his way into a good position on both his pre-merge tribes, quite similar to Jeremy in Second Chance. His entire pre-merge was very similar to Jeremy's, "steering" the game with quiet strategy and strong social bonds, aided by a strategic ally (Spencer for Jeremy, Chrissy for Ben). His game kind of fell apart after the merge and his strong group of 7 turned on him, which Jeremy's never did, and that's the precise reason I have him ranked lower than Jeremy or a similar player, Tom. The end of his game showed how capable he truly is though, finding three idols in a row, a Survivor first, and being the sole person to send someone home, another first. He was a late-game underdog that clawed his way to the end like Mike Holloway but did it with strategy rather than challenge wins and had a larger overall impact on the outcome of the season, so is ranked higher than Mike. Ben was a very worthy, fitting winner with a rollercoaster game, on a rollercoaster season.
37th) Natalie White (Survivor: Samoa)
As I touched on in an essay a couple years ago, I generally believe that the best finalist wins the season. Survivor is about finding a way to get to the end while still having an impressive enough resume to win and having enough relationships with the jury members to make them want to award you a million dollars. If someone gets to the end and earns the jury respect, they have pretty much done that. However, once in a GREAT while I believe the jury makes the flat out WRONG decision. Yes, Samoa jury, I'm looking at you. Russell didn't play the best social game. I understand that. Yet he did play one of the best strategic games in Survivor history. Add in the fact that he was next to someone that should be considered one of the biggest goats ever, yes, in my opinion, the jury did make the wrong decision. Natalie was a goat that did not deserve to win a million dollars but did. For that she IMHO earns the title of worst winner in Survivor history.
36th) Bob Crowley (Survivor: Gabon)
Bob definitely did more than Natalie and although I would not have voted for him if I was on the Gabon jury (I believe that Sugar played the best game that season) I do not believe he is an "unworthy" winner. Kudos to him for being so old yet doing so well in challenges and creating an impressive fake idol, but that's about it. Overall unmemorable and lackluster, which to me speaks for most of the Gabon cast.
35th) Tina Wesson (Survivor: The Australian Outback)
I am almost certainly in the minority of Survivor fans ranking Tina this low. Her performance in Blood vs Water was impressive but in Australia she coasted along on her social game but had essentially no strategy and no physical prowess. Her social game was not OUTSTANDING either, just solid. If I had been on the Australia jury I would have voted for Colby. Moving on.
34th) Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama)
Ahh, the first winner on this list that I would have actually voted for to win! He was certainly better than Danielle, but that is not saying a whole lot. He was carried along by Cirie for most of the game and his main resume point is "beating Terry" but it was actually Danielle that won that final immunity challenge. Cirie or Terry would have been much worthier winners of Panama, but alas they did not make FTC.
33rd) Jenna Morasca (Survivor: The Amazon)
Jenna flirted and then won her way to the top which has to be commended but the fact is Heidi and Cesternino did most of the strategizing in The Amazon and Jenna was along for the ride for most of the game. C- strategy, B social, A- physical. In a tough crowd, that lands you 27th spot.
32nd) Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa)
Ethan played an incredible social game, did well physically but was carried by Lex strategically. Certainly deserved to beat Kim Johnson at the FTC but it is a real shame that Lex did not make the FTC as he would have been a much worthier winner.
31st) Sophie Clarke (Survivor: South Pacific)
Another situation where I would have voted for a different person, however that does not mean Sophie played a bad game. She was a Coach follower strategically for much of the game but did make some nice moves near the end, and did not play a brilliant social game but was decent physically including BEATING OZZY. That is certainly enough to consider her a "worthy winner", just not one of the best ones.
30th) Amber Brkich (Survivor: All Stars)
A lot of fans consider Amber to be at the bottom of the rankings with Natalie White but I strongly disagree. Amber played a very good social game playing Rob and knowing when to let him call the shots, won a couple challenges and had some underrated strategy (the Cesternino vote out was her idea). Yes, Rob dominated strategically and I probably would have voted for him but by no means is Amber a goat and she is a worthy winner.
29th) Vecepia Towery (Survivor: Marquesas)
Vee played a VERY good social game in Marquesas but Kathy dominated strategically and physically and also played a good social game. Another case of "last boot should have won" but of course Vecepia deserved to beat Neleh.
28th) Danni Boatwright (Survivor: Guatemala)
ANOTHER case of "last boot should have won" as Rafe dominated strategically, and another season where I would have voted for the runner-up out of the Final 2. However, Danni by no means played a bad game. The best thing I have to say about Danni's game is that she knew how to adjust. She knew she wasn't the moststrategic, social, or physical, but she adjusted so that she was just strategic, social, and physical enough to get to the end, and earn jury votes. Other than that, she just sort of coasted through the game but she was definitely more game aware than some of those ranked lower than her.
27th) Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
Earl certainly deserved to beat Cassandra and Dreamz but Fiji is yes, ONE MORE case of "last boot should have won". Yau-Man dominated physically and strategically and both Yau and Earl played great social games. Not a goat, but a follower for most of the season.
26th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Islands)
Most people would now never rank a Sandra performance this low but when ranking individual games you have to remember what her reputation was pre-Heroes vs Villains. Her "anyone but me" strategy was valid but in the Pearls she did not play a great social game and she is squat in the challenges. UPDATED RANKING: I believe that in the most recent season of Game Changers the editors actually did the best job of highlighting Sandra's brilliant game play, despite it being her shortest game. After watching her dominate the early game Game Changers and rewatching a couple of her other seasons, I am convinced she was more in control and in better positions throughout the game than Vecepia and Earl so I have decided to move her up two spots.
25th) Jud "Fabio" Birza (Survivor: Nicaragua)
I am probably in the minority ranking Fabio this high but I loved him, thought he played a great game and was a worthy winner. His "goofiness" was a legit STRATEGY, he had some other underrated strategy and was quite decent physically. Certainly not one of the best but by no means one of the worst winners.
24th) Natalie Anderson (Survivor: San Juan del Sur)
We are now really in the group of winners that deserved to win, played very good games and was the best player in the FTC (and usually, the season). Natalie is no exception. Despite a quiet start appearing to be a Jeremy pawn, she really kicked it into gear mid-season and dominated strategically, socially and physically. Would be higher if she had played at such a high level all season.
23rd) Chris Daughtery (Survivor: Vanuatu)
Chris started out slow, performing poorly in challenges and following Bubba and Sarge but sped up at the end of the game winning challenges and manipulating the women (Twila, Leann and Scout) to turn on the other women (Ami, Eliza and Julie) which was VERY impressive. Chris also made some other subtle moves (convincing Twila to be hostile towards the jury was brilliant). He was certainly a worthy winner and deserves all the credit he gets but we cannot ignore that he was a bit of a "one trick pony" and that is why he is not higher than he is on this list.
22nd) J.T. Thomas (Survivor: Tocantins)
J.T. certainly played a masterful social game and has to be commended for playing the first ever "perfect game" in Survivor history but like Chris he was a bit of a one trick pony in that he was surprisingly weak physically and Fishbach did most of the strategizing. Certainly a worthy winner just not one of the best.
21st) Brian Heidik (Survivor: Thailand)
Brian is yet another winner that fits the mold of a very talented "one trick pony". His strategic game was, arguably, the best we had seen up to that point in Survivor history but his physical game was lackluster and his social game had its huge flaws (that's why Clay ALMOST beat him).
20th) Michele Fitzgerald (Survivor: Kaoh Rong)
Following Michele's win there was a lot of backlash about how Aubry should have won and people were even comparing her to Natalie White. That could not be farther from true. Michele played a very good game and was a very well-rounded player with a very good social game, 4 individual challenge wins (more than anyone else in Kaoh Rong) and some underrated strategy including voting out her friend and closest ally. The case could be made that she should be higher than this but for now she sits here, almost in the top half of winners and beating out some big names.
19th) Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X)
Our MvGX winner played a wonderful game balancing shrewd strategy with relationship building and challenge wins as well as a great FTC performance which led him to a 10-0-0 jury sweep. Adam would be even higher if he had been more of a "leader" driving the direction of the season, and/or if he could have won against more people. The fact is that David (Final 4 boot) or Jay (Final 6 boot) could have probably beaten Adam at the FTC. Nonetheless, a very worthy winner and he just cracks the top half of winners!
18th) Todd Herzog (Survivor: China)
Todd dominated strategically and had what may have been the best FTC performance EVER and built great social relationships with Amanda and Courtney which held his alliance together but overall he didn't build as many social friendships as Amanda which almost lost him the game. He would be higher except some of the players above him had more balanced social/strategic/physical games.
17th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Heroes vs Villains)
If this was a ranking of best players Sandra would be first but looking at individual games, her better winning game in HvV cannot be considered better than 16th. She perfected the "anyone but me" strategy, played a decent social game but of course was squat physically. Although she is a bit of a "one trick pony" she is the best one trick pony the game has ever seen and deserves to sit in this very respectable spot.
16th) John Cochran (Survivor: Caramoan)
Overall I consider Cochran similar to Michele having played a "balanced" game winning several challenges and playing a social game though I feel his strategy was just a little clearer and more well-defined than Michele's. Certainly a fan-favorite, good player and worthy winner.
15th) Mike Holloway (Survivor: Worlds Apart)
I am probably in the minority ranking Mike this high as he is often seen as an amazing challenge beast, and nothing more. But there is way more to Mike. In addition to being one of the best challenge competitors in Survivor HISTORY, he had legit strategy (successfully throwing the challenge to save Kelly, finding and successfully using an idol etc) and an underrated social game. A very good winner!
14th) Wendell Holland (Survivor: Ghost Island)
ANOTHER case of "last boot should have won" as Rafe dominated strategically, and another season where I would have voted for the runner-up out of the Final 2. However, Danni by no means played a bad game. The best thing I have to say about Danni's game is that she knew how to adjust. She knew she wasn't the moststrategic, social, or physical, but she adjusted so that she was just strategic, social, and physical enough to get to the end, and earn jury votes. Other than that, she just sort of coasted through the game but she was definitely more game aware than some of those ranked lower than her.
27th) Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
Earl certainly deserved to beat Cassandra and Dreamz but Fiji is yes, ONE MORE case of "last boot should have won". Yau-Man dominated physically and strategically and both Yau and Earl played great social games. Not a goat, but a follower for most of the season.
26th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Islands)
Most people would now never rank a Sandra performance this low but when ranking individual games you have to remember what her reputation was pre-Heroes vs Villains. Her "anyone but me" strategy was valid but in the Pearls she did not play a great social game and she is squat in the challenges. UPDATED RANKING: I believe that in the most recent season of Game Changers the editors actually did the best job of highlighting Sandra's brilliant game play, despite it being her shortest game. After watching her dominate the early game Game Changers and rewatching a couple of her other seasons, I am convinced she was more in control and in better positions throughout the game than Vecepia and Earl so I have decided to move her up two spots.
25th) Jud "Fabio" Birza (Survivor: Nicaragua)
I am probably in the minority ranking Fabio this high but I loved him, thought he played a great game and was a worthy winner. His "goofiness" was a legit STRATEGY, he had some other underrated strategy and was quite decent physically. Certainly not one of the best but by no means one of the worst winners.
24th) Natalie Anderson (Survivor: San Juan del Sur)
We are now really in the group of winners that deserved to win, played very good games and was the best player in the FTC (and usually, the season). Natalie is no exception. Despite a quiet start appearing to be a Jeremy pawn, she really kicked it into gear mid-season and dominated strategically, socially and physically. Would be higher if she had played at such a high level all season.
23rd) Chris Daughtery (Survivor: Vanuatu)
Chris started out slow, performing poorly in challenges and following Bubba and Sarge but sped up at the end of the game winning challenges and manipulating the women (Twila, Leann and Scout) to turn on the other women (Ami, Eliza and Julie) which was VERY impressive. Chris also made some other subtle moves (convincing Twila to be hostile towards the jury was brilliant). He was certainly a worthy winner and deserves all the credit he gets but we cannot ignore that he was a bit of a "one trick pony" and that is why he is not higher than he is on this list.
22nd) J.T. Thomas (Survivor: Tocantins)
J.T. certainly played a masterful social game and has to be commended for playing the first ever "perfect game" in Survivor history but like Chris he was a bit of a one trick pony in that he was surprisingly weak physically and Fishbach did most of the strategizing. Certainly a worthy winner just not one of the best.
21st) Brian Heidik (Survivor: Thailand)
Brian is yet another winner that fits the mold of a very talented "one trick pony". His strategic game was, arguably, the best we had seen up to that point in Survivor history but his physical game was lackluster and his social game had its huge flaws (that's why Clay ALMOST beat him).
20th) Michele Fitzgerald (Survivor: Kaoh Rong)
Following Michele's win there was a lot of backlash about how Aubry should have won and people were even comparing her to Natalie White. That could not be farther from true. Michele played a very good game and was a very well-rounded player with a very good social game, 4 individual challenge wins (more than anyone else in Kaoh Rong) and some underrated strategy including voting out her friend and closest ally. The case could be made that she should be higher than this but for now she sits here, almost in the top half of winners and beating out some big names.
19th) Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X)
Our MvGX winner played a wonderful game balancing shrewd strategy with relationship building and challenge wins as well as a great FTC performance which led him to a 10-0-0 jury sweep. Adam would be even higher if he had been more of a "leader" driving the direction of the season, and/or if he could have won against more people. The fact is that David (Final 4 boot) or Jay (Final 6 boot) could have probably beaten Adam at the FTC. Nonetheless, a very worthy winner and he just cracks the top half of winners!
18th) Todd Herzog (Survivor: China)
Todd dominated strategically and had what may have been the best FTC performance EVER and built great social relationships with Amanda and Courtney which held his alliance together but overall he didn't build as many social friendships as Amanda which almost lost him the game. He would be higher except some of the players above him had more balanced social/strategic/physical games.
17th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Heroes vs Villains)
If this was a ranking of best players Sandra would be first but looking at individual games, her better winning game in HvV cannot be considered better than 16th. She perfected the "anyone but me" strategy, played a decent social game but of course was squat physically. Although she is a bit of a "one trick pony" she is the best one trick pony the game has ever seen and deserves to sit in this very respectable spot.
16th) John Cochran (Survivor: Caramoan)
Overall I consider Cochran similar to Michele having played a "balanced" game winning several challenges and playing a social game though I feel his strategy was just a little clearer and more well-defined than Michele's. Certainly a fan-favorite, good player and worthy winner.
15th) Mike Holloway (Survivor: Worlds Apart)
I am probably in the minority ranking Mike this high as he is often seen as an amazing challenge beast, and nothing more. But there is way more to Mike. In addition to being one of the best challenge competitors in Survivor HISTORY, he had legit strategy (successfully throwing the challenge to save Kelly, finding and successfully using an idol etc) and an underrated social game. A very good winner!
14th) Wendell Holland (Survivor: Ghost Island)
Following Ben one season later comes Wendell, following Ben one winner lower in the rankings as well. Wendell, like Michele in Kaoh Rong, played an under the radar but savvy game, lurking in the shadows of more obvious strategic player(s). While Domenick got credit for most of the moves, Wendell was with Dom through thick and thin, and made social connections that allowed for the moves to happen. It's the little things in Wendell's game (bringing the shell to Sebastian, trying to reason with Chris at the merge, and giving the immunity idol to Laurel) that make him so. very. good. Although his game may not have been flashy, it was darn good, and will forever be remembered as he won the only final vote tie in Survivor history!
13th) Ben Driebergen (Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers)
Ben played an incredible pre-merge game weasling his way into a good position on both his pre-merge tribes, quite similar to Jeremy in Second Chance. His entire pre-merge was very similar to Jeremy's, "steering" the game with quiet strategy and strong social bonds, aided by a strategic ally (Spencer for Jeremy, Chrissy for Ben). His game kind of fell apart after the merge and his strong group of 7 turned on him, which Jeremy's never did, and that's the precise reason I have him ranked lower than Jeremy or a similar player, Tom. The end of his game showed how capable he truly is though, finding three idols in a row, a Survivor first, and being the sole person to send someone home, another first. He was a late-game underdog that clawed his way to the end like Mike Holloway but did it with strategy rather than challenge wins and had a larger overall impact on the outcome of the season, so is ranked higher than Mike. Ben was a very worthy, fitting winner with a rollercoaster game, on a rollercoaster season.
12th) Nick Wilson (Survivor: David vs Goliath) (new entry)
We have settled into a rut for the past three seasons of getting social male players as winners landing in the low teen rankings. I do believe that Nick's game is a notch above both Ben's and Wendell's. The interesting thing about Nick's game is that he had many flaws -- he would probably have been first boot if not for a medivac, he was on the wrong side of many votes, etc. That said, he also had many INCREDIBLE things on his resume. Splitting a minority vote? Genius. Winning three immunity challenges to get himself to the end? Underrated. Even naming his alliances was an under the radar but very smart idea. If he'd controlled more votes he'd be even higher, but good ol' Kentucky Nick definitely did play one hell of a game.
11th) Tom Westman (Survivor: Palau)
11th) Tom Westman (Survivor: Palau)
Tom played a very balanced, very good game. Because Koror avoided tribal for so long, strategy was not a huge part of the season but Tom did have a very good social/strategic game and may be the best challenge competitor in the history of the game. He is nearly solely responsible for Koror performing so well, and then tied the record for individual immunity wins. His game had its flaws (getting arrogant around the Final 5) but overall he did nearly as well as he could in this season.
10th) Jeremy Collins (Survivor: Cambodia)
Although he was pretty poor physically (winning the final immunity challenge was impressive though) his social game and unique strategy ("meat shields", playing idol for Fishbach, finding two idols to begin with etc etc) as well as the fact that he basically steered the entire direction of the game in Cambodia make him a worthy inclusion to this elite league of winners.
9th) Denise Stapley (Survivor: Philippines)
Denise did not play an in control game like someone like Jeremy however she was the ultimate underdog earning the title as only person in Survivor history to go to every. tribal. council. She used a great social game and some serious strategy to fight from bottom to top and was also no slouch in challenges. An absolutely worthy and great winner.
8th) Tyson Apostol (Survivor: Blood vs Water)
If this were a ranking of Survivor PLAYERS, Tyson would never be this high. His first two games were train wrecks including voting himself out in Heroes vs Villains. However when he returned for Blood vs Water we saw a complete 180 and it was a joy to watch. His winning game was a work of art managing a dominant alliance, injuring himself early but continuing on, winning the last two immunity challenges, finding two idols and successfully using them etc. Would be even higher if this had been his first go-round.
7th) Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano (Survivor: Redemption Island)
Unlike Tyson, Rob's first games were not trainwrecks, however it still took him four times to finally win and his winning game was against one of the worst casts in Survivor history in a season that may have even been created to give Rob the best chance of winning. All of those things though do not take away from the spectacular game that Rob did play in Redemption Island but he would be even higher if it had been on his first, second or third go-round or against a better cast.
6th) Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo)
On Season 36 Rich Hatch would never win with the game he won with on Season 1 and now he would be seen as boring, underwhelming and totally undeserving. However backtrack 17 years and 34 seasons and this man "created" the game that we still love today. Who knows how Survivor would be played now, or even if it would be played now at all, if Hatch hadn't created the concept of alliances. Although one of the least exciting winners, he is absolutely deserving of a spot in the elite tier of all-time winners.
5th) Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Micronesia)
Parv played a fantastic game in Micronesia flirting, strategizing and winning her way to the end pulling off some of the biggest and best blindsides in Survivor history along the way. However, I can't put her above #5 as she wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of the BEST player in Micronesia and the best player to never win Survivor, ms. Cirie Fields.
4th) Kim Spradlin (Survivor: One World)
One World is often tainted as having a bad cast. I disagree. The cast is flat out SOLID. But when you're playing with Kim Spradlin, just about anyone would look bad. Kim played FLAWLESSLY in One World dominating an alliance, making everyone trust her and winning her way to the end. Truly one of the best of the best.
3rd) Tony Vlachos (Survivor: Cagayan)
Ever since Cagayan aired I have been back and forth as to whether Tony or Kim is a better player. In the end Tony edges out Kim for the fact that he had a slightly more balanced game dominating strategically, socially and is underrated physically whereas Kim heavily relied on her social and physical games. Tony's ability to build spy shacks, find idols and lie and make people believe him but still convince them to give him their jury vote showcases what an absolutely amazing player he really is.
2nd) Yul Kwon (Survivor: Cook Islands)
I am certainly in the minority ranking Yul this high but to me he truly could not have played any better given the hand of cards he was dealt. He single handedly (in terms of strategy) led the Aitu 4 through one of the (dare I say BIGGEST) biggest comebacks in Survivor history. His use of his idol was the most unique but arguably successful use of an idol in history. Many people paint him as a "bad physical player" for only winning one individual immunity but you must remember that the entire time he was competing against one of the, if not the very, best individual challenge competitor in Survivor history, Ozzy. Remove Ozzy from the scenario I guarantee you Yul wins WAY more challenges. Add in the fact that Yul played against one of the very best casts ever including five Survivor "legends" and yes, to me he absolutely deserves to be this high on this list.
1st) Sarah Lacina (Survivor: Game Changers)
I can hear "recency bias" screams already but to me Sarah played so well in Game Changers, better than anyone else in Survivor history, that she truly exhibited gameplay that I did not think could be exhibited in Survivor. She revolutionized how this game is played and won and undoubtedly deserves this top spot. One thing that Sarah critics love to sight is that she didn't go to Tribal until Day 16. While that is very true and certainly didn't hurt her game, I have no reason to believe she would have been in any trouble had she gone to tribal. And unlike some players that didn't go to tribal until late in their winning games (Sandra both times, Michele, and others) she was already playing way before she went to tribal. She bonded with Troyzan immediately after the early tribe swap and that was clearly an important bond as she ended up in the FTC with him. She was constantly reaching out to people and WORKING the game, from start to finish. Her strongest strategic moves came in the mid-late jury faze. Her #1 biggest move was rallying the minority to vote out Sierra at the Final 9 and then fake frustration and shock of Sierra's blindside to successfully trick Sierra into willing Sarah her legacy advantage. We saw just how important that move was at the Final 6 when Sarah played it the one night she had enough votes to be sent packing. Sarah's absolutely brilliant gameplay was once again on display at the Final 7 when she outplayed an all-time great, Cirie to gain allies and for the first time ever successfully play the vote steal advantage. These are just a couple of her biggest moves but overall she played like Tony all season long, flipping back and forth, blindsiding people left right and center, but maintaining an A+ social game that she was rarely targeted and had enough friends on the jury to win in a fairly commanding 7-3-0 jury vote against a worthy competitor. Sarah also finally became the first female to win with an aggressive style game. Jurors have long struggled to award aggressive female players but hopefully Sarah and the Game Changers jury just proved it's possible and now hopefully it will happen more and more. Props to you, Officer Sarah, on the best single game in the history of Survivor!
10th) Jeremy Collins (Survivor: Cambodia)
Although he was pretty poor physically (winning the final immunity challenge was impressive though) his social game and unique strategy ("meat shields", playing idol for Fishbach, finding two idols to begin with etc etc) as well as the fact that he basically steered the entire direction of the game in Cambodia make him a worthy inclusion to this elite league of winners.
9th) Denise Stapley (Survivor: Philippines)
Denise did not play an in control game like someone like Jeremy however she was the ultimate underdog earning the title as only person in Survivor history to go to every. tribal. council. She used a great social game and some serious strategy to fight from bottom to top and was also no slouch in challenges. An absolutely worthy and great winner.
8th) Tyson Apostol (Survivor: Blood vs Water)
If this were a ranking of Survivor PLAYERS, Tyson would never be this high. His first two games were train wrecks including voting himself out in Heroes vs Villains. However when he returned for Blood vs Water we saw a complete 180 and it was a joy to watch. His winning game was a work of art managing a dominant alliance, injuring himself early but continuing on, winning the last two immunity challenges, finding two idols and successfully using them etc. Would be even higher if this had been his first go-round.
7th) Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano (Survivor: Redemption Island)
Unlike Tyson, Rob's first games were not trainwrecks, however it still took him four times to finally win and his winning game was against one of the worst casts in Survivor history in a season that may have even been created to give Rob the best chance of winning. All of those things though do not take away from the spectacular game that Rob did play in Redemption Island but he would be even higher if it had been on his first, second or third go-round or against a better cast.
6th) Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo)
On Season 36 Rich Hatch would never win with the game he won with on Season 1 and now he would be seen as boring, underwhelming and totally undeserving. However backtrack 17 years and 34 seasons and this man "created" the game that we still love today. Who knows how Survivor would be played now, or even if it would be played now at all, if Hatch hadn't created the concept of alliances. Although one of the least exciting winners, he is absolutely deserving of a spot in the elite tier of all-time winners.
5th) Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Micronesia)
Parv played a fantastic game in Micronesia flirting, strategizing and winning her way to the end pulling off some of the biggest and best blindsides in Survivor history along the way. However, I can't put her above #5 as she wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of the BEST player in Micronesia and the best player to never win Survivor, ms. Cirie Fields.
4th) Kim Spradlin (Survivor: One World)
One World is often tainted as having a bad cast. I disagree. The cast is flat out SOLID. But when you're playing with Kim Spradlin, just about anyone would look bad. Kim played FLAWLESSLY in One World dominating an alliance, making everyone trust her and winning her way to the end. Truly one of the best of the best.
3rd) Tony Vlachos (Survivor: Cagayan)
Ever since Cagayan aired I have been back and forth as to whether Tony or Kim is a better player. In the end Tony edges out Kim for the fact that he had a slightly more balanced game dominating strategically, socially and is underrated physically whereas Kim heavily relied on her social and physical games. Tony's ability to build spy shacks, find idols and lie and make people believe him but still convince them to give him their jury vote showcases what an absolutely amazing player he really is.
2nd) Yul Kwon (Survivor: Cook Islands)
I am certainly in the minority ranking Yul this high but to me he truly could not have played any better given the hand of cards he was dealt. He single handedly (in terms of strategy) led the Aitu 4 through one of the (dare I say BIGGEST) biggest comebacks in Survivor history. His use of his idol was the most unique but arguably successful use of an idol in history. Many people paint him as a "bad physical player" for only winning one individual immunity but you must remember that the entire time he was competing against one of the, if not the very, best individual challenge competitor in Survivor history, Ozzy. Remove Ozzy from the scenario I guarantee you Yul wins WAY more challenges. Add in the fact that Yul played against one of the very best casts ever including five Survivor "legends" and yes, to me he absolutely deserves to be this high on this list.
1st) Sarah Lacina (Survivor: Game Changers)
I can hear "recency bias" screams already but to me Sarah played so well in Game Changers, better than anyone else in Survivor history, that she truly exhibited gameplay that I did not think could be exhibited in Survivor. She revolutionized how this game is played and won and undoubtedly deserves this top spot. One thing that Sarah critics love to sight is that she didn't go to Tribal until Day 16. While that is very true and certainly didn't hurt her game, I have no reason to believe she would have been in any trouble had she gone to tribal. And unlike some players that didn't go to tribal until late in their winning games (Sandra both times, Michele, and others) she was already playing way before she went to tribal. She bonded with Troyzan immediately after the early tribe swap and that was clearly an important bond as she ended up in the FTC with him. She was constantly reaching out to people and WORKING the game, from start to finish. Her strongest strategic moves came in the mid-late jury faze. Her #1 biggest move was rallying the minority to vote out Sierra at the Final 9 and then fake frustration and shock of Sierra's blindside to successfully trick Sierra into willing Sarah her legacy advantage. We saw just how important that move was at the Final 6 when Sarah played it the one night she had enough votes to be sent packing. Sarah's absolutely brilliant gameplay was once again on display at the Final 7 when she outplayed an all-time great, Cirie to gain allies and for the first time ever successfully play the vote steal advantage. These are just a couple of her biggest moves but overall she played like Tony all season long, flipping back and forth, blindsiding people left right and center, but maintaining an A+ social game that she was rarely targeted and had enough friends on the jury to win in a fairly commanding 7-3-0 jury vote against a worthy competitor. Sarah also finally became the first female to win with an aggressive style game. Jurors have long struggled to award aggressive female players but hopefully Sarah and the Game Changers jury just proved it's possible and now hopefully it will happen more and more. Props to you, Officer Sarah, on the best single game in the history of Survivor!
Survivor Seasons Ranked 37th-1st UPDATED post David vs Goliath
UPDATED after the season finale of Survivor David vs Goliath.
37 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. Here is a definitive ranking:
37th) 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.
36th) 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.
35th) 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 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.
34th) 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 he is clearly not as good of a player as people make him out to be given his HvV AND now Game Changers performances) 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.
33rd) 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.
32nd) 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.
31st) 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.
30th) Survivor: Guatemala (winner: Danni Boatwright)
Guatemala was an okay season with a decent cast (unfortunately, none of the newbies have returned) but overall it just felt like something was "missing". Stephanie was fun to watch, but not as fun as in Palau. The Judd and Jaime craziness is some of the most memorable content, and not for a good reason. The hike through the jungle, the original hidden immunity idol, and a few fun strategic moments keep it this high, but overall it was very forgettable.
29th) 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.
28th) 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 24th. Moving on.
27th) 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.
26th) 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.
25th) 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.
24th) 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.
23rd) 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).
22nd) 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.
21st) 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 HHH. 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.
20th) Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers (winner: Ben Driebergen)
This recent season was one of much controversy. Controversial seasons land around 18th-24th generally. No, no not controversial because of a polarizing player like Russell in Samoa, or the tarnished legacies like All Stars, or the sexist stuff in Worlds Apart. Because of the SEASON itself. The theme of this season was a "rollercoaster". And because of that it was flat out awkward from Episode 5 to Episode 12. There was the first Pagonging in many seasons so the editors tried to keep it entertaining, when really it just made it seem corney. There were tons of twists this season, some of which were awesome (the new rules with the double vote, and the Final 4 twist), but others (the Jessica/Devon no vote for example) that made the season way too much of a clusterfuck. However, the pre-merge was decent with a string of great blindsides (Alan, Roark, Ali), the last couple episodes were quite good, the editors mixed up the editing finally and Devon/Chrissy/Ben/Dr. Mike ALL entered the finale as winner candidates, and the finale was, simply put, one of the best ever. I can't recall literally feeling like I was sitting on pins and needles for the ENTIRE finale, ever before. It ended less than an hour ago, but I already want to rewatch the finale. It was amazing, and unlike a lot of the season, wonderfully edited and easy to follow. Most of all, the finale was a PHENOMENAL way to end a season that I will, like most of the 17th-24th place seasons, remember in PRIMARILY positive light.
19th) Survivor: South Pacific (winner: Sophie Clarke)
I may be one of the only Survivor fans on the planet to rank South Pacific halfway through the rankings 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!
18th) 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!
17th) Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X (winner: Adam Klein)
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. Would be higher if the pre-merge had been more entertaining and if the cast had been somewhat more dynamic as a whole.
16th) Survivor: Palau (winner: Tom Westman)
Palau was a very fun and memorable season. The entire disaster that was Ulong would not be fun to watch every season but for one season it was extremely memorable and fantastic. Stephanie was nothing but gold this season and the entire end game gave us lots of people to root for. Tom's win was impressive and the challenges were great (Ba Ba Buoy, oh yeah!). Would be even higher if the editing had been better (Tom's win was WAY too predictable) and if there had been more strategic moments.
15th) 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 13 others edged it out.
14th) 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.
13th) Survivor: Philippines (winner: Denise Stapley)
The start of the third-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 that is just as good on a re-watch.
12th) 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.
11th) Survivor: Ghost Island (winner: Wendell Holland)
Ghost Island was one of the seasons that you knew would be good from the start. It kicked off with an epic premiere introducing a very cool twist that played out to perfection in the early days of the season, and had some very entertaining characters introduced early. The Morgan blindside is up there in terms of most epic very early season blindsides, and then there was the Brendan boot tribal with Michael's incredible (albeit unsuccessful) idol play. We then got a couple of big character blindsides with Stephanie and James, so pretty much the entire pre-merge was nonstop excitement. Things slowed down at the merge with a few unmemorable trips to Ghost Island and a few predictable boots, but the second half of the post-merge was very exciting with some big vote outs (Michael and Kellyn), some more Ghost Island excitement, and then of course the epic finale ending with our FIRST EVER FINAL VOTE TIE!!! This season is not in the topmost tier, but it was in the Top 10 until DvG knocked it out just a season later.
10th) Survivor: David vs Goliath (winner: Nick Wilson) (new entry)
Take everything I said about Millennials vs Gen X and amp it up several notches. Like MvGX, David vs Goliath started off with a BANG (the crazy Pat medivac, the awesome and unpredictable Jessica boot, the second ever evacuation -- first one being in MvGX, and the Bi medi-quit). The rest of the pre-merge was a bit duller and at times a little boring (Natalie Napalm got old after five episodes of it, and the whole Jeremy thing wasn't my favorite Survivor moment). There were still some good moments (Natalia's exit being the high point). As soon as the merge hit, the game amped up and continued getting better every. single. episode. The John blindside w/ split minority vote, the idol nullifier Dan blindside, the amazing double episode, Gabby's plan backfiring, Mike's move on Christian, and then an epic finale. All this made for a great season and definitely a notch above MvGX, but two additional factors catapult it in to the Top 10 -- the best editing of any Survivor season in history where SO MANY cast members got great edits and there were fun editorial tricks along the way, and an extremely dynamic cast that all CAME TO PLAY. It's hard to ask for anything more of a Survivor season than what we got from DvG. It would be even a little higher if Episodes 4-6 were a bit better.
9th) 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.
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. UPDATE 2.5 years later: Well, I was right on this one. I have seen many fans refer to Kaoh Rong as one of their favorite seasons, and it has upheld itself as one of mine. I've rewatched it a couple times and have even decided to bring it up above the Pearls. Its constant unpredictability, dynamic characters, big blindsides, and even editing just scratch the surface of this season's amazingness. It's a gem.
7th) 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
6th) Survivor: Cagayan (winner: Tony Vlachos)
Cagayan is in my opinion the beginning of the semi-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. It also has already given birth to six returnees including the best winner in Survivor history, and there are several more (LJ, Jefra, Jeremiah, Trish) that would be great returnees.
5th) 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). Would be even higher if the strategy and editing had been more well defined (it just felt "jumpy" at times).
4th) 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:
3rd) 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.
2nd) 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. A true icon.
1st) Survivor: Game Changers (winner: Sarah Lacina)
I'd always considered the five seasons of Cagayan, HvV, Micronesia, BvW and Cambodia to be the "final group" of season, the true legends, all so good that they're hard to rank. Well along came Survivor: Game Changers, and from close to the beginning I knew it would be in that "final group" but by the end of the season it was clear that it was truly in a league of its own. People can scream "RECENCY BIAS!" when they read this but I truly did not know Survivor could get this good, and it absolutely deserves this spot. There were twists and turns at every corner, voting blocs were deployed once again, and we watched the best single game in Survivor history getting played before our eyes. There were a record number of twists, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes not, but these all worked to perfection. The double-tribe tribal was so epic that it must happen at least once every season from here on out, IMO. The luxurious exile was brilliant and I want to see it again. The new final tribal format was SO MUCH BETTER and fairer, and YES, I NEED to see it again! Queen Sandra also cemented her legacy as best player in Survivor history, as did Cirie hers as the best to never win. There were redeemed legacies in Sierra and Culpepper. Some people sight the Final 14 Tribal Council as something that heavily "taints" the season but to me it ended up being a beautiful thing and added a little bit of cultural relevance in a season that otherwise lacked it. It only made the season better. And then on top of it all there was that legendary Final 6 tribal where Cirie was eliminated in historic fashion. The only negative thing I have to say about this season is that Sarah's edit was a bit too strong for most of the season but most people got "enough" air time including runner-up Culpepper who got a large enough edit to make us still wonder at least a little bit going into the vote reveal. Overall, it truly is way better than I ever thought possible!
37 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. Here is a definitive ranking:
37th) 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.
36th) 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.
35th) 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 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.
34th) 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 he is clearly not as good of a player as people make him out to be given his HvV AND now Game Changers performances) 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.
33rd) 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.
32nd) 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.
31st) 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.
30th) Survivor: Guatemala (winner: Danni Boatwright)
Guatemala was an okay season with a decent cast (unfortunately, none of the newbies have returned) but overall it just felt like something was "missing". Stephanie was fun to watch, but not as fun as in Palau. The Judd and Jaime craziness is some of the most memorable content, and not for a good reason. The hike through the jungle, the original hidden immunity idol, and a few fun strategic moments keep it this high, but overall it was very forgettable.
29th) 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.
28th) 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 24th. Moving on.
27th) 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.
26th) 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.
25th) 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.
24th) 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.
23rd) 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).
22nd) 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.
21st) 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 HHH. 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.
20th) Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers (winner: Ben Driebergen)
This recent season was one of much controversy. Controversial seasons land around 18th-24th generally. No, no not controversial because of a polarizing player like Russell in Samoa, or the tarnished legacies like All Stars, or the sexist stuff in Worlds Apart. Because of the SEASON itself. The theme of this season was a "rollercoaster". And because of that it was flat out awkward from Episode 5 to Episode 12. There was the first Pagonging in many seasons so the editors tried to keep it entertaining, when really it just made it seem corney. There were tons of twists this season, some of which were awesome (the new rules with the double vote, and the Final 4 twist), but others (the Jessica/Devon no vote for example) that made the season way too much of a clusterfuck. However, the pre-merge was decent with a string of great blindsides (Alan, Roark, Ali), the last couple episodes were quite good, the editors mixed up the editing finally and Devon/Chrissy/Ben/Dr. Mike ALL entered the finale as winner candidates, and the finale was, simply put, one of the best ever. I can't recall literally feeling like I was sitting on pins and needles for the ENTIRE finale, ever before. It ended less than an hour ago, but I already want to rewatch the finale. It was amazing, and unlike a lot of the season, wonderfully edited and easy to follow. Most of all, the finale was a PHENOMENAL way to end a season that I will, like most of the 17th-24th place seasons, remember in PRIMARILY positive light.
19th) Survivor: South Pacific (winner: Sophie Clarke)
I may be one of the only Survivor fans on the planet to rank South Pacific halfway through the rankings 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!
18th) 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!
17th) Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X (winner: Adam Klein)
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. Would be higher if the pre-merge had been more entertaining and if the cast had been somewhat more dynamic as a whole.
16th) Survivor: Palau (winner: Tom Westman)
Palau was a very fun and memorable season. The entire disaster that was Ulong would not be fun to watch every season but for one season it was extremely memorable and fantastic. Stephanie was nothing but gold this season and the entire end game gave us lots of people to root for. Tom's win was impressive and the challenges were great (Ba Ba Buoy, oh yeah!). Would be even higher if the editing had been better (Tom's win was WAY too predictable) and if there had been more strategic moments.
15th) 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 13 others edged it out.
14th) 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.
13th) Survivor: Philippines (winner: Denise Stapley)
The start of the third-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 that is just as good on a re-watch.
12th) 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.
11th) Survivor: Ghost Island (winner: Wendell Holland)
Ghost Island was one of the seasons that you knew would be good from the start. It kicked off with an epic premiere introducing a very cool twist that played out to perfection in the early days of the season, and had some very entertaining characters introduced early. The Morgan blindside is up there in terms of most epic very early season blindsides, and then there was the Brendan boot tribal with Michael's incredible (albeit unsuccessful) idol play. We then got a couple of big character blindsides with Stephanie and James, so pretty much the entire pre-merge was nonstop excitement. Things slowed down at the merge with a few unmemorable trips to Ghost Island and a few predictable boots, but the second half of the post-merge was very exciting with some big vote outs (Michael and Kellyn), some more Ghost Island excitement, and then of course the epic finale ending with our FIRST EVER FINAL VOTE TIE!!! This season is not in the topmost tier, but it was in the Top 10 until DvG knocked it out just a season later.
10th) Survivor: David vs Goliath (winner: Nick Wilson) (new entry)
Take everything I said about Millennials vs Gen X and amp it up several notches. Like MvGX, David vs Goliath started off with a BANG (the crazy Pat medivac, the awesome and unpredictable Jessica boot, the second ever evacuation -- first one being in MvGX, and the Bi medi-quit). The rest of the pre-merge was a bit duller and at times a little boring (Natalie Napalm got old after five episodes of it, and the whole Jeremy thing wasn't my favorite Survivor moment). There were still some good moments (Natalia's exit being the high point). As soon as the merge hit, the game amped up and continued getting better every. single. episode. The John blindside w/ split minority vote, the idol nullifier Dan blindside, the amazing double episode, Gabby's plan backfiring, Mike's move on Christian, and then an epic finale. All this made for a great season and definitely a notch above MvGX, but two additional factors catapult it in to the Top 10 -- the best editing of any Survivor season in history where SO MANY cast members got great edits and there were fun editorial tricks along the way, and an extremely dynamic cast that all CAME TO PLAY. It's hard to ask for anything more of a Survivor season than what we got from DvG. It would be even a little higher if Episodes 4-6 were a bit better.
9th) 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.
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. UPDATE 2.5 years later: Well, I was right on this one. I have seen many fans refer to Kaoh Rong as one of their favorite seasons, and it has upheld itself as one of mine. I've rewatched it a couple times and have even decided to bring it up above the Pearls. Its constant unpredictability, dynamic characters, big blindsides, and even editing just scratch the surface of this season's amazingness. It's a gem.
7th) 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
6th) Survivor: Cagayan (winner: Tony Vlachos)
Cagayan is in my opinion the beginning of the semi-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. It also has already given birth to six returnees including the best winner in Survivor history, and there are several more (LJ, Jefra, Jeremiah, Trish) that would be great returnees.
5th) 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). Would be even higher if the strategy and editing had been more well defined (it just felt "jumpy" at times).
4th) 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:
3rd) 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.
2nd) 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. A true icon.
1st) Survivor: Game Changers (winner: Sarah Lacina)
I'd always considered the five seasons of Cagayan, HvV, Micronesia, BvW and Cambodia to be the "final group" of season, the true legends, all so good that they're hard to rank. Well along came Survivor: Game Changers, and from close to the beginning I knew it would be in that "final group" but by the end of the season it was clear that it was truly in a league of its own. People can scream "RECENCY BIAS!" when they read this but I truly did not know Survivor could get this good, and it absolutely deserves this spot. There were twists and turns at every corner, voting blocs were deployed once again, and we watched the best single game in Survivor history getting played before our eyes. There were a record number of twists, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes not, but these all worked to perfection. The double-tribe tribal was so epic that it must happen at least once every season from here on out, IMO. The luxurious exile was brilliant and I want to see it again. The new final tribal format was SO MUCH BETTER and fairer, and YES, I NEED to see it again! Queen Sandra also cemented her legacy as best player in Survivor history, as did Cirie hers as the best to never win. There were redeemed legacies in Sierra and Culpepper. Some people sight the Final 14 Tribal Council as something that heavily "taints" the season but to me it ended up being a beautiful thing and added a little bit of cultural relevance in a season that otherwise lacked it. It only made the season better. And then on top of it all there was that legendary Final 6 tribal where Cirie was eliminated in historic fashion. The only negative thing I have to say about this season is that Sarah's edit was a bit too strong for most of the season but most people got "enough" air time including runner-up Culpepper who got a large enough edit to make us still wonder at least a little bit going into the vote reveal. Overall, it truly is way better than I ever thought possible!
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
The dream cast for a dream season -- Heroes vs Villains 2
Survivor 37 is about to wrap up, and we have Survivor: Edge of Extinction on the table for Season 38. After that, we'll be just a couple seasons away from the highly anticipated Season 40! There's been a lot of chatter about what Survivor might do to mark this huge milestone. While I'd be all for an all-winners season, if that's not in the cards, I can't think of anything more fitting than a re-do of one of Survivor's great seasons, which happened to be Season 20 -- Heroes vs Villains.
I have picked my dream cast for this season. A few notes: if Season 40 is HvV2 or another all-returnee season, I fully expect some EOE and S39 castaways, but since we do not know those casts yet, my hypothetical cast includes players through David vs Goliath. Also, I have four winners (two male, two female) on each tribe (with Angelina Keeley's position in DvG still unknown.) Although there were several other players (Spencer Bledsoe, Jay Starett, and Kelley Wentworth among them) that I thought were worthy of being on this season, they weren't clear villains or clear heroes, so I omitted them since they did not fit the theme. Without further ado, the dream cast of Survivor 40, Heroes vs Villains 2:
HEROES:
Ben Driebergen -- winner of Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers -- Ben entered HHH labeled a "hero", and I believe he lived up to the label in the game. Despite being on an admittedly controversial season, some of which was centered around him, I do believe Ben played to the best of his abilities and had some true underrated strategy, and finding so many idols near the end of the game was downright impressive. He is worthy of a spot on 40, and his touching marine story arc should leave no doubt in people's minds as to which tribe he should return on for this season.
John Cochran -- winner of Survivor: Caramoan -- Cochran is a perfect fit for this season as he fits the "nerd archetype" beautifully, and played a brilliant, but decidedly heroic game on the way to his win in S26. He's a fan favorite that people would be thrilled to see back.
Natalie Anderson -- winner of Survivor: San Juan del Sur -- Natalie was one that I hesitated "casting" a bit with, as she doesn't perfectly fit the mold of a hero or villain, and the argument could be made that she could be on either tribe. In the end, years after her win, she is still so popular, that I just had to add her on to this season, and I believe that although her gameplay was ruthless at times, that most fans see her as a hero. She'll be a great addition to this cast and add some "spice" to the heroes tribe!
Denise Stapley -- winner of Survivor: Philippines -- This one was easy. Denise needs to be on this cast for so many reasons, from the fact that there are relatively few middle-school players in the cast, to the fact that she is one of the most heroic female winners in history. She also played long enough ago, and was not a "big moves" player, so is someone that I could see sliding through for a while, and having a chance to win again.
Terry Dietz from Survivor: Panama and Survivor: Cambodia -- Terry is the epitome of a Survivor hero, from his immunity streak in Panama to his emotional, too early exit in Cambodia. It feels like more than almost any other player, that Terry's Survivor story has not yet had closure, and it would be fitting for him to find it on this legendary season.
Michael Yerger from Survivor: Ghost Island -- Some people may question whether or not Michael is worthy of a spot on this season among such all stars, but there's no question in my mind that he is. Under 20 year old players haven't had the best track record in Survivor, from deep runs but reckless play in Julia Sokolowski and Will Wahl, to early exists in Spencer Durahm and Jessica Peet. From his gameplay, you'd never know Michael was one of these under-20 players. He played a masterful game with big but smart moves, and under different circumstances, could have easily won. Let's give him a second shot to prove it!
Keith Nale from Survivor: San Juan del Sur and Survivor: Cambodia -- After SJDS, I wasn't a huge Keith fan, and I liked him only a bit better after Cambodia. My main problem with him? His straight up lack of smart strategic play. It actually bothered me that he didn't "play" the fake idol that Wentworth made for him on his exit day in Cambodia. That said, over time Keith has grown on me, and he truly is a Survivor hero. Not a strategy hero, but someone that will lighten up the game, and provide pure gold entertainment. I really do believe this season needs him!
Cirie Fields from Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, and Survivor: Game Changers -- Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the person that deserves to be Survivor's first ever five-time player! Universally thought of as the best player to never win, and universally thought of as a hero. Her one pre-merge game was on the heroes tribe in the first HvV season, let's hope she can fare better this time!
Cydney Gillion from Survivor: Kaoh Rong -- To this day I believe that production set her up for a (heroic) return when they edited her Kaoh Rong exit the way they did. I stand by my belief that in a season full of excellent players, Cydney was the best. The girl deserves a return, and this would be the perfect season for it.
Gabby Pascuzzi from Survivor: David vs Goliath -- The most recent boot in Survivor history is already a lock to return, if not on this season, definitely on another. She was a fan favorite, and although she definitely did play with gumption, I believe fans and fellow players alike see her as a hero. Having an emotional, nerdy female on this season would also be a nice touch in a cast full of big players.
VILLAINS:
Sarah Lacina -- winner of Survivor: Game Changers -- If Denise was a lock for the heroes tribe, Sarah is a lock for the villains tribe. She's the best kind of villain -- not one that you want to root against, one that you want to root for given her villainous but incredible gameplay. People sometimes ask "she played such a good game, she's a hero, right?". Great player? Absolutely. Best winner ever. Hero? Hell no. If you had any question as to whether or not she was a villain, the day she got the legacy advantage from Sierra should have answered your question. She needs to return, and she could be out early along the lines of Tony in Game Changers, or despite the big target, could play so well that she'll make it to the end again.
Parvati Shallow -- winner of Survivor: Micronesia -- Parvati may be a bit less likely to return than other people on my "cast", but if it happened, it would be epic. One of the best players in history, she is 100% deserving of a fourth game. I also like that I've cast one hero (Cirie) and one villain (Parvati) from the original HvV, on the same tribe, for the second one.
Angelina Keeley from Survivor: David vs Goliath -- I believe Angelina has leading odds to win David vs Goliath so this could mess up my "two male, two female winners on each tribe" format, but she, Parvati, and Sarah all really need to be on this season. Seeing Angelina play with Parv would be amazing, as I truly do believe that she is Parvati 2.0. Flirting with Nick at the Lyrsa tribal and convincing Dan to give her the idol are SUCH Parvati-style moves, that it would be so epic to see these two queens play together.
Chrissy Hofbeck from Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers -- Chrissy was a "hero" on HHH so it would be quite something to see her return as a villain here, but it's a no brainer that this is the tribe she deserves to be on. Like Sarah, she played great, but she was a villain, from her blunt comments to big, "what the heck?!" moves. Side note: sorry, Carolyn Rivera, you almost made it on to my "cast" but you and Chrissy are just too similar, and I believe Chrissy is a slightly better fit for this season.
Ciera Eastin from Survivor: Blood vs Water, Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Game Changers -- It's well known that I have been a huge Ciera fan ever since BvW. I truly hope that her early boot in Game Changers will not deter production from bringing her back, because she deserves it. Her gameplay is that of a true dynamic, loveable villain -- BIG. MOVES. No matter what, Ciera was going to make big moves, and when you vote out your mom and force a rock draw, you're not exactly a hero. But it does earn you a spot on Season 40.
Tony Vlachos -- winner of Survivor: Cagayan -- Like Ciera, Tony had a very early exit in Game Changers, but his previous performance makes him a shoe in for a season like this IMO. Tony is Russell Hantz 2.0, the most villainous winner in history, you name it. From spy shacks to llama talk this dude is pure entertainment and full of off the charts gameplay. I would so love to see him back.
Adam Klein -- winner of Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X -- This may be a surprising pick to some for the second male winner on the villain tribe but to me Adam earned his spot on this season, and he ain't no hero. His storyline? Heroic. His gameplay? Not so much. And when casting Survivor, gameplay should be the first and foremost criteria. He made big moves, snuck off to eat snacks with Taylor, found idols, and told countless lies. It all made him a great player.
Jonathan Penner from Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Micronesia, and Survivor: Philippines -- Penner is another possibly surprising pick, but he'll add a nice old school touch and is still talked about as one of the most famous villains of all time. He isn't a Sarah, Ciera or Tony over the top Type A villain, but he's a legendary Survivor villain nonetheless, and would spice up this tribe perfectly.
Domenick Abbate from Survivor: Ghost Island -- This is one of those picks that felt easy. Domenick was a TINY bit too villainous for his own good. His gameplay was electric, and he lost by a closer margin than any other runner up in history. His story feels unfinished, and expect more BIG MOVES from him this season!
Kyle Jason from Survivor: Kaoh Rong -- What a perfect villain to end on. More than perhaps anyone else in this cast, there's no doubt that Jason is a villain. Through and through. From rice dumping to machate stealing and idol fights, as well as aggressive gameplay, he was a Type A villain, but one that fans remember fondly and deserves a second shot.
TO WRAP UP: Although this would be the dream cast of all dreams, there are so many amazing Survivor legends that deserve to be on this season, and regardless of the cast, I really hope we get a Heroes vs Villains 2 (or all winners) for S40!
I have picked my dream cast for this season. A few notes: if Season 40 is HvV2 or another all-returnee season, I fully expect some EOE and S39 castaways, but since we do not know those casts yet, my hypothetical cast includes players through David vs Goliath. Also, I have four winners (two male, two female) on each tribe (with Angelina Keeley's position in DvG still unknown.) Although there were several other players (Spencer Bledsoe, Jay Starett, and Kelley Wentworth among them) that I thought were worthy of being on this season, they weren't clear villains or clear heroes, so I omitted them since they did not fit the theme. Without further ado, the dream cast of Survivor 40, Heroes vs Villains 2:
HEROES:
Ben Driebergen -- winner of Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers -- Ben entered HHH labeled a "hero", and I believe he lived up to the label in the game. Despite being on an admittedly controversial season, some of which was centered around him, I do believe Ben played to the best of his abilities and had some true underrated strategy, and finding so many idols near the end of the game was downright impressive. He is worthy of a spot on 40, and his touching marine story arc should leave no doubt in people's minds as to which tribe he should return on for this season.
John Cochran -- winner of Survivor: Caramoan -- Cochran is a perfect fit for this season as he fits the "nerd archetype" beautifully, and played a brilliant, but decidedly heroic game on the way to his win in S26. He's a fan favorite that people would be thrilled to see back.
Natalie Anderson -- winner of Survivor: San Juan del Sur -- Natalie was one that I hesitated "casting" a bit with, as she doesn't perfectly fit the mold of a hero or villain, and the argument could be made that she could be on either tribe. In the end, years after her win, she is still so popular, that I just had to add her on to this season, and I believe that although her gameplay was ruthless at times, that most fans see her as a hero. She'll be a great addition to this cast and add some "spice" to the heroes tribe!
Denise Stapley -- winner of Survivor: Philippines -- This one was easy. Denise needs to be on this cast for so many reasons, from the fact that there are relatively few middle-school players in the cast, to the fact that she is one of the most heroic female winners in history. She also played long enough ago, and was not a "big moves" player, so is someone that I could see sliding through for a while, and having a chance to win again.
Terry Dietz from Survivor: Panama and Survivor: Cambodia -- Terry is the epitome of a Survivor hero, from his immunity streak in Panama to his emotional, too early exit in Cambodia. It feels like more than almost any other player, that Terry's Survivor story has not yet had closure, and it would be fitting for him to find it on this legendary season.
Michael Yerger from Survivor: Ghost Island -- Some people may question whether or not Michael is worthy of a spot on this season among such all stars, but there's no question in my mind that he is. Under 20 year old players haven't had the best track record in Survivor, from deep runs but reckless play in Julia Sokolowski and Will Wahl, to early exists in Spencer Durahm and Jessica Peet. From his gameplay, you'd never know Michael was one of these under-20 players. He played a masterful game with big but smart moves, and under different circumstances, could have easily won. Let's give him a second shot to prove it!
Keith Nale from Survivor: San Juan del Sur and Survivor: Cambodia -- After SJDS, I wasn't a huge Keith fan, and I liked him only a bit better after Cambodia. My main problem with him? His straight up lack of smart strategic play. It actually bothered me that he didn't "play" the fake idol that Wentworth made for him on his exit day in Cambodia. That said, over time Keith has grown on me, and he truly is a Survivor hero. Not a strategy hero, but someone that will lighten up the game, and provide pure gold entertainment. I really do believe this season needs him!
Cirie Fields from Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, and Survivor: Game Changers -- Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the person that deserves to be Survivor's first ever five-time player! Universally thought of as the best player to never win, and universally thought of as a hero. Her one pre-merge game was on the heroes tribe in the first HvV season, let's hope she can fare better this time!
Cydney Gillion from Survivor: Kaoh Rong -- To this day I believe that production set her up for a (heroic) return when they edited her Kaoh Rong exit the way they did. I stand by my belief that in a season full of excellent players, Cydney was the best. The girl deserves a return, and this would be the perfect season for it.
Gabby Pascuzzi from Survivor: David vs Goliath -- The most recent boot in Survivor history is already a lock to return, if not on this season, definitely on another. She was a fan favorite, and although she definitely did play with gumption, I believe fans and fellow players alike see her as a hero. Having an emotional, nerdy female on this season would also be a nice touch in a cast full of big players.
VILLAINS:
Sarah Lacina -- winner of Survivor: Game Changers -- If Denise was a lock for the heroes tribe, Sarah is a lock for the villains tribe. She's the best kind of villain -- not one that you want to root against, one that you want to root for given her villainous but incredible gameplay. People sometimes ask "she played such a good game, she's a hero, right?". Great player? Absolutely. Best winner ever. Hero? Hell no. If you had any question as to whether or not she was a villain, the day she got the legacy advantage from Sierra should have answered your question. She needs to return, and she could be out early along the lines of Tony in Game Changers, or despite the big target, could play so well that she'll make it to the end again.
Parvati Shallow -- winner of Survivor: Micronesia -- Parvati may be a bit less likely to return than other people on my "cast", but if it happened, it would be epic. One of the best players in history, she is 100% deserving of a fourth game. I also like that I've cast one hero (Cirie) and one villain (Parvati) from the original HvV, on the same tribe, for the second one.
Angelina Keeley from Survivor: David vs Goliath -- I believe Angelina has leading odds to win David vs Goliath so this could mess up my "two male, two female winners on each tribe" format, but she, Parvati, and Sarah all really need to be on this season. Seeing Angelina play with Parv would be amazing, as I truly do believe that she is Parvati 2.0. Flirting with Nick at the Lyrsa tribal and convincing Dan to give her the idol are SUCH Parvati-style moves, that it would be so epic to see these two queens play together.
Chrissy Hofbeck from Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers -- Chrissy was a "hero" on HHH so it would be quite something to see her return as a villain here, but it's a no brainer that this is the tribe she deserves to be on. Like Sarah, she played great, but she was a villain, from her blunt comments to big, "what the heck?!" moves. Side note: sorry, Carolyn Rivera, you almost made it on to my "cast" but you and Chrissy are just too similar, and I believe Chrissy is a slightly better fit for this season.
Ciera Eastin from Survivor: Blood vs Water, Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Game Changers -- It's well known that I have been a huge Ciera fan ever since BvW. I truly hope that her early boot in Game Changers will not deter production from bringing her back, because she deserves it. Her gameplay is that of a true dynamic, loveable villain -- BIG. MOVES. No matter what, Ciera was going to make big moves, and when you vote out your mom and force a rock draw, you're not exactly a hero. But it does earn you a spot on Season 40.
Tony Vlachos -- winner of Survivor: Cagayan -- Like Ciera, Tony had a very early exit in Game Changers, but his previous performance makes him a shoe in for a season like this IMO. Tony is Russell Hantz 2.0, the most villainous winner in history, you name it. From spy shacks to llama talk this dude is pure entertainment and full of off the charts gameplay. I would so love to see him back.
Adam Klein -- winner of Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X -- This may be a surprising pick to some for the second male winner on the villain tribe but to me Adam earned his spot on this season, and he ain't no hero. His storyline? Heroic. His gameplay? Not so much. And when casting Survivor, gameplay should be the first and foremost criteria. He made big moves, snuck off to eat snacks with Taylor, found idols, and told countless lies. It all made him a great player.
Jonathan Penner from Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Micronesia, and Survivor: Philippines -- Penner is another possibly surprising pick, but he'll add a nice old school touch and is still talked about as one of the most famous villains of all time. He isn't a Sarah, Ciera or Tony over the top Type A villain, but he's a legendary Survivor villain nonetheless, and would spice up this tribe perfectly.
Domenick Abbate from Survivor: Ghost Island -- This is one of those picks that felt easy. Domenick was a TINY bit too villainous for his own good. His gameplay was electric, and he lost by a closer margin than any other runner up in history. His story feels unfinished, and expect more BIG MOVES from him this season!
Kyle Jason from Survivor: Kaoh Rong -- What a perfect villain to end on. More than perhaps anyone else in this cast, there's no doubt that Jason is a villain. Through and through. From rice dumping to machate stealing and idol fights, as well as aggressive gameplay, he was a Type A villain, but one that fans remember fondly and deserves a second shot.
TO WRAP UP: Although this would be the dream cast of all dreams, there are so many amazing Survivor legends that deserve to be on this season, and regardless of the cast, I really hope we get a Heroes vs Villains 2 (or all winners) for S40!
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