Month: February 2019

After much discussion with my alliance-mate and occasional podcast-mate Al, we have finally compiled our rankings of the 37 seasons of Survivor. This is based on a bit of everything – the cast, the gameplay, the quality of winner, how good CBS handled their side of things, etc.

Enjoy!

37. Nicaragua (Season 21)

Why watch?
So, I’m about to say a lot of bad things about Nicaragua, and they’re all deserved. But here’s the thing – it’s like a train wreck that you can’t look away from. Due to all its faults, it’s definitely a discussion-worthy season that is rarely boring. And the winner, while miles away from having a good or great season, was at least the right choice. And as a bonus, there’s an advantage gimmick that’s actually pretty neat.

Why vote it out?
Oh boy, where to start? The season’s structure is one of the series’ most predictably bad ideas. But let’s get to the colossal problem here – the cast. It’s not that they’re not compelling. While they do wind up on the relatively bland side of the scale as far as casts go, there is enough personality here to sustain a season. The problem is the gameplay. The show was 21 seasons in at this point, coming off what remains one of the most strategically interesting seasons to date. And somehow, they put together a cast with largely no idea of how to play. The strategy and decision-making is so excruciatingly bad, you will yell at your television. Or laugh at it. Like I said earlier, this season isn’t un-entertaining. Train wrecks seldom are.

36. Gabon (Season 17)

Why watch?
Survivor’s last trip to Africa was its first season in HD, and there really are some breathtaking vistas. Randy is a revelation, easily one of the most entertaining and unique Survivors ever. Matty is a somewhat rootable hero, and Corinne a fun player as well.

Why vote it out?
To be 17 seasons in, the gameplay is remarkably bad. Hardly anyone seems concerned at all with their end-game. The cast is mostly bitter (and not in the weirdly fun way that Randy is), and the game gets pretty nasty at times. It might be the least tactful cast to date. The season lacks people to really root for, and it culminates with a terrible final tribal council where no one seems to really want to win.

35. Thailand (Season 5)

Why watch?
The winner delivers one of the more dominant seasons in Survivor history. That, along with the beautiful setting, is pretty much all that sets it apart.

Why vote it out?
A remarkably unlikeable cast. By the season’s midpoint, you’re just rooting for the elements to defeat these people. One castaway makes an unwanted sexual advance on another, and the victim is the one that gets immediately voted out. It’s no coincidence Probst calls Thailand the worst Survivor season ever. With each bit of tearful nonsense from Jan or petulant outburst from Robb, you’ll find it hard to disagree. Also, while the winner might very well be one of the most dominant Survivor strategists ever, you realize by the end that it’s probably because they’re a sociopath.

34. Guatemala (Season 11)

Why Watch?
Guatemala brings back one of the most well-liked bad luck contestants ever, Stephenie LaGrossa, and while Palau was a much better season, more Stephenie is a good thing.  Bobby Jon rages so hard he just turns into an actual howler monkey mid-challenge, and Rafe Judkins is an underrated Survivor in terms of likability. Judd Sergeant provides laughs. Guatemala is the first season with a hidden immunity idol, though it was in beta testing and was unremarkable. The winner is one of the series’ more unique in terms of path to victory.

Why Vote it out?
Beyond what I highlighted above, Guatemala is kind of a dud season. It doesn’t bring any new players or strategy that are notable to Survivor, and as a result it’s not particularly memorable. The setting is one of the series’ worst, and most players don’t really stick in the memory.

33. Kaoh Rong (Season 32)

Why Watch?
Kaoh Rong attempts to recapture the magic of Cagayan by bringing back the Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty tribe setup, and while it generally fails in finding a comparable cast, that remains one of Survivor’s better-working tribe division concepts. The Kaoh Rong cast comes ready to compete, which is the season’s most appealing quality. There are different strategies at work, and it ends with one of the best Survivor twists to date, in my opinion.

Why Vote it Out?
It’s a very unlikable cast, withe few players to root for. Aubrey Bracco is a protagonist, but not in the same vein as some others who saved dreadful seasons. There are a record 3 medical evacuations, one of which is genuinely scary. The season’s middle stage is marred by two dominant players who, when the game is turned against them, turn petulant and bitter. I think the wrong person wins at the end, though honestly it was hard to care by that point.

32. Fiji (Season 14)

Why watch?
This season gives us a satisfying winner, some solid laughs, and introduced the world to the wonder that is Yau-Man Chang, one of the most joyful players to ever grace the screen. It also has some very memorable tribal councils and decisions. One remains probably the most notorious in the show’s history.

Why vote it out?
Survivor’s big seasonal twist is one of its worst: in an effort to test how much surroundings matter, they give one tribe a luxurious camp to live in, and the Haves rather predictably demolish the Have-Nots. Most of the cast is unlikable, entitled whiners. With Rocky, the show was clearly trying to find another Boston Rob, but they found an insufferable knock-off that lacked Rob’s wit and charm. There was a player quit before the season even started, which set the tone for the year ahead. The final tribal council is boring – few interesting questions are asked, everyone knows who will win, and the jury members going the angry route just don’t tend to make any sense. One performance at FTC might be the strangest and most baffling in the series’ history. And if I have to hear Cassandra say “mmm-hmm” one more time, I’m going to scream.

31. Redemption Island (Season 22)

Why watch?
The Redemption Island gimmick was pretty interesting in its first season, before we really knew how it would work. The big selling point on this underrated season, on the other hand, is its top-heavy cast. Your attention is pretty limited to about 6 players, but they are fun to watch and manage to sustain the show for its season. That starts with two returning players, both of which have compelling but very different experiences. It introduced a few new interesting players, and chief among them might be the most truly bizarre and entertaining player yet.

Why vote it out?
Extremely well-controlled alliances are never all that fun to watch, because they’re just so coldly efficient. This is impressive to watch, but sucks a lot of intrigue out of the season’s story. The player gameplay becomes frustrating as a result – there is a clear emerging winner, and no one seems willing to do anything about it. While the winner is fun to watch, and pulls off one of the more dangerous social strategies in Survivor history, dominating winners often don’t accompany the most compelling seasons. And, the whole Redemption Island thing turns out to be an unwelcome distraction.

30. South Pacific (Season 23)

Why Watch?
It’s not un-entertaining. The winner does a nice job and wins in an atypical fashion. Two returning players manage to stay highly relevant for the entire season. The new casting unearths several future returnees, including one of the most beloved archetypal Survivors to date.

Why vote it out?
There’s not much about the gameplay that’s memorable. While one castmember makes the season entertaining, it’s kind of from a trainwreck perspective. At a certain point, you start to worry about mental health issues, and it’s not quite as fun to watch. There’s a religious angle to one tribe’s gameplay, and it undercuts a lot of the potential strategy. The other tribe seemed entitled, which undercuts their own strategy. The cast is overshadowed by the big players, and more than half the castaways are instantly forgettable.

29. Samoa (Season 19)

Why watch?
Samoa is one of the most important seasons to the evolution of Survivor, all thanks to one player. That player, one of the show’s most important ever without necessarily being one of its greatest, dominates the season. He probably gets 2/3 of the confessionals, and the entire storyline revolves around him. He revolutionizes certain aspects of gameplay, aspects that are still present nearly a decade later. He also fails to revolutionize another aspect, and this failure became critical for the longterm success of the series, I believe.

Why vote it out?
Despite its importance, unfortunately, it’s not a good season on its own. Part of the reason one player dominates the screen is that the rest of the cast just seems so tame, unwilling to attempt anything even mildly dangerous. The amount of uninteresting Survivors who seem to be there more for the experience would be shocking to modern viewers. Many Survivor fans will claim the wrong person wins this season, and while I disagree, I do think the season’s conclusion is highly frustrating. While there is a fun tribal comeback aspect, it’s somewhat ruined by the majority of post-merge players that lacked passion or gameplans. Also, two cast members are medically evacuated – one of which was one of the few interesting players. And to top it off, there is a genuinely unlikable contestant, not in a fun Jonny Fairplay/Villain kind of way, but in a “this guy belonged on Thailand” kind of way. Samoa’s conclusion and season is one of the more interesting seasons to discuss and analyze, I think, but it’s such a drag to actually sit through, I’m not sure it’s worth it.

28. Vanuatu (Season 9)

Why watch?
The winner comes into the game with a plan and executes it to near perfection. It’s a modern way of playing, ahead of its time, and frankly it’s a little surprising that the Vanuatu jury wasn’t as bitter as All-Stars the year before. It also features one of the best Final Tribal performances, as the winner deviously sets up their opponent to fail. Some personalities are big and memorable, with a still almost unbelievable post-merge chain of events.

Why vote it out?
Vanuatu is kind of a weird season. It didn’t really produce a lot of big names in Survivor history. The pre-merge is entirely forgettable. It produced more players to root against than to root for, but they’re never really vile enough to make you want to quit. Vanuatu is a bit of a diamond in the rough – it’s mostly about gameplay instead of entertaining twists, and it may be a test for more casual fans.

27. Marquesas (Season 4)

Why watch?
BAHSTON RAHB. Harlem schoolteacher Sean’s horseback riding, Neleh’s earnest “Oh my heck!” exclamations, Vecepia’s calm and careful management of those around her, Paschal’s (mostly) measured reactions, and Kathy’s likable sensibility all were reasons to watch, but they all paled in comparison to our introduction to Rob Mariano, one of the most charismatic players ever. Marquesas gave us our introduction to the dreaded purple rock.

Why vote it out?
The stronger cast members don’t really shine until late, and the rest are mostly dull. There’s some uneasy racial tension late in the game that’s probably brought on by severe hunger. And once that purple rock is drawn, the season mostly drifts to a quiet conclusion rather than finishing with a flourish. Its biggest problem is that its most compelling contestant is eliminated far too early.

26. One World (Season 24)

Why Watch?
It features what remains perhaps the most perfectly played winning season, particularly from a social perspective, and that alone makes it worth watching for Survivor fans. The season has a bit more emotional weight than most, which is something. The crumbling of crossover alliances is at least somewhat interesting to watch.

Why vote it out?
Some of the more memorable members of the cast weren’t memorable for necessarily positive reasons; there are some genuinely unlikable people here. A big part of the winner’s dominance stems from rampant ineptitude from their surrounding cast. While the cast of women was above average, the cast of men was one of Survivor’s worst. Gameplay is highly frustrating, with most of the cast wildly unaware of their own chances of winning (possibly due to one player masterfully obscuring the scoreboard, in a way). And among those who are aware, they largely can’t be bothered to change those chances. Lastly, the One World concept, while interesting on paper, was a dud in practice and was abandoned after this season.

25. Africa (Season 3)

Why watch?
A great cast – Lex, Big Tom, Ethan, Kim(s), T-Bird, Clarence, and even Survivor’s biggest loner, Frank. There are some beautiful scenes, some rewards are pretty neat, and the rightful winner is awarded. Also, Africa features the first ever surprise tribal switch.

Why vote it out?
Africa. When they’re not on reward or in a challenge, they’re sitting in the most boring camp ever to grace the Survivor screen. It’s just a big flat circle with a shrub fence around it to keep out the wildlife – wildlife not to be taken lightly, as this was probably the closest a cast ever came to legitimate danger. The conditions wind up being exceptionally harsh, and the excellent cast winds up a bit muted by being hungry all the time.

24. Worlds Apart (Season 30)

Why watch?
The Worlds Apart concept isn’t bad, forming tribes on the basis of choice of occupation. All 3 tribes – White Collar, Blue Collar, and No Collar – embrace their tribal identity and refer to it constantly. Worlds Apart also, due to the way the game plays out, features some of the most high-stakes immunity challenges the show has seen. It’s an entertaining season with a lot of big personalities.

Why vote it out?
The cast is frustrating, with too many players unaware of the state of the game. Among winners, it’s probably the winning season with the least amount of nuance – which in a way is interesting, but tribal councils tend to be boring. It’s also at times a pretty ugly season – there are some comments and discussions which will rub many viewers the wrong way. While it’s more entertaining than Koah Rong, it’s similarly devoid of truly likable people.

23. All-Stars (Season 8)

Why watch?
It’s the first returning player season, and it’s the first season where everyone arrives ready to play. Strategy trumps the nobility of sticking to your word for the first time. However, the main reason to watch is simple – two players start the game trying to use flirtation to manipulate the other, and then slowly start to develop feelings for the other. Real, beyond-the-game feelings. It’s not often you can watch real people fall in love in a setting that discourages it.

Why vote it out?
It’s disappointing in numerous ways. There’s a really nasty moment involving a naked male player delivering a full-body press against a female contestant, a moment which winds up being handled less than sensitively by the cast and crew. There are 2 quits (though both are understandable and atypical). There’s an anti-climactic middle act which features Pagonging.  One player condescendingly tells others when they’ll be voted out (“it’s business, you understand”) and then reacts petulantly when told the same thing (“you made a promise as a friend!”). And ultimately, a bitter jury can’t really get over its hurt feelings. While the returning cast had a refreshing strategic intent, their execution of that strategy was staggeringly bad.

22. Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (Season 35)

Why watch?
HHH features some of the most entertaining tribal councils in Survivor history. It’s a pretty wild finish, and the insanity surrounding hidden immunity idols is unparalleled.

Why vote it out?
HHH owes its big moments to general incompetence from many players. The cast and concept were massive disappointments. For all its big moments, those moments don’t really happen with a better cast. It’s kind of a big mess of a season, punctuated by a terrible late-game twist, but you can’t say it’s not entertaining.

21. Ghost Island (Season 36)

Why watch?
I’m not sure an original cast has ever produced a single duo so dominant as Ghost Island did. It becomes a unique kind of season, where these two, each other’s largest rival AND ally, try to figure out how to eliminate their mutual shield without risking their own status in the game. It makes for an interesting endgame and great final episode. There are a few good personalities in this cast as well.

Why vote it out?
The Ghost Island concept, great on paper, turned out to be a big disappointment. The cast’s inability to solve the problem of the dominant duo really puts a damper on the latter half of the season. While those two players are fascinating until the end, you wind up throwing up your arms in frustration at everyone else.

20. Palau (Season 10)

Why watch?
It’s hard to watch Palau and not fall in love with Stephenie Lagrossa. Palau features the most dominant player season the series had seen yet, and the rest of the cast is pretty solid on a personal level. The Tom-Ian father-son dynamic is a fun one to watch, and it culminates in what might be the Survivor’s most legendary challenge.

Why vote it off?
The most compelling storyline is the pre-merge tribal dominance which gave rise to the term “Ulonging”. After the merge, it’s pretty boring for a while. It picks back up near the end, but some strategic misfires suck the mystery out of the finish. While it’s a great season to watch for major characters and their storylines, as a big picture season, it’s a little disappointing that everyone else is so easily dominated.

19. Panama (Season 12)

Why watch?
Panama has some hallmarks of a great Survivor season. First off, it marks the debut of one of the most beloved Survivors ever. Second, it has one of Survivor’s great challenge beasts, even though he’s awfully smug about it. Third, you can tell Survivor was starting to find its groove with casting – there’s a lot to like about the players. From the sheer hilarity surrounding Bruce and Courtney to the polarity of Shane Powers’ emotions as he’s trying to go cold turkey off cigarettes, the watchability quotient is high here. This might be the last great “camp life” season, in that their interactions remain some of the most entertaining in any season. Best of all in Panama is the evolution of strategy. Heads are in the game more than in some previous seasons, and the “honesty/integrity” talk of early seasons finally starts to take a backseat to some real gameplay.

Why vote it out?
While producers did improve the rules surrounding the hidden immunity idol from Guatemala, they still didn’t get it quite right. By allowing the idol to be played after a vote, it didn’t create the kind of drama it would in future seasons. Starting with four tribes created a bit of a mess, and Exile Island never made too much of an impact.

18. Game Changers (Season 34)

Why watch it?
All-Star seasons almost always bring a higher level of gameplay, and Game Changers is no exception. All players, most of all the winner, come in with gameplans and try to maintain agency within the game.

Why vote it out?
This is the season where Survivor gets a little overzealous with its idols and advantages. It’s really over the top, and it almost ruins the end stages of the game. Also, for as great an idea as Game Changers was, I’m not sure the cast truly fit the theme. They got some big fish for sure, but as fans looked down the cast list, the reactions were closer to Michael Bluth:

via GIPHY

Unfortunately, some of the most anticipated players, the true game changers among the cast, are eliminated far too soon.

17. San Juan del Sur (Season 29)

Why watch?
The second Blood vs. Water season brings back that fun dynamic which complicates individuals’ gameplay. It also features a pretty wide open cast, where almost everyone is compelling in their own way. It contains one of the show’s best winner seasons, a cunning and ruthless performance so well hidden, even viewers may miss some of the strings being pulled. And finally, behold the glory of Keith Nale, one of Survivor’s most unlikeliest casting gems.

Why vote it out?
For all that I like about San Juan del Sur, it just doesn’t have a lot to offer the Survivor pantheon. It doesn’t have big moments, instead relying on season-long story arcs and players making sound but undramatic decisions. There are some goat players who make it a bit too far, but that’s pretty common in later seasons.

16. The Australian Outback (Season 2)

Why watch?
A phenomenally deep cast. Once it’s 4 boots deep, nearly everyone had a lasting impact. The small relationships also towered over Season 1. It’s nearly as iconic a cast as Borneo, with Survivor’s first real All-American archetype, Colby. There’s also Survivor’s 1st medical evacuation, which was a pretty jarring dose of reality in the early seasons.

Why vote it out?
It’s early Survivor, so it features what I call Robot Probst and a cast that is pretty devoid of strategy. It also happens to be the longest season, stretching 42 days. More isn’t better when a large swatch of contestants more or less accept their fate and just wait for their torch to be snuffed.

15. Blood vs. Water (Season 27)

Why watch?
Survivor has thrown a lot of stuff at the wall over the years as far as gimmicks go, and I don’t know if any were both as bold and as successful as the Blood vs. Water approach, which pitted former Survivors against loved ones. It winds up working out pretty much as intended, forcing experienced (either first or second-hand) players to think about the games and their decision-making in new ways. It’s a fun cast, where the loved ones surprisingly aren’t overshadowed by their more experienced better halves. In some cases, the new contestants even outplay the returnees. It makes for a refreshing take on the show.

Why vote it out?
There’s no reason NOT to watch it. The only real issue with BvW is that it lacks big moments. It’s not particularly memorable for its gameplay or strategy; neither is bad, mind you – it’s a well-played and satisfying season. It’s just not a particularly iconic or important one beyond its central theme.

14. Pearl Islands (Season 7)

Why watch?
It’s impressive when a season can introduce one of the show’s all-time most memorable players. Pearl Islands had two – Sandra Diaz-Twine and Rupert Boneham. Rupert’s effusive playfulness couldn’t have more perfectly matched a season’s theme than this one – Pirates! – and he endeared himself to a generation in the opening minutes of the season. He’s just so fun to watch, wearing his heart on his sleeve, showing a childlike enthusiasm for everything. Meanwhile, Sandra is one of the most observant, calm, strategically sound players of the early era. Her instincts for tribe management are impeccable for a first-time player. And while he’s far from a legendary player, Johnny “Fairplay” Dalton delivers an incredibly memorable game. From a game design, it’s perhaps the most unique season, featuring the biggest singular twist yet in the show’s existence. The buried treasure quirk was great, and one I think the show could return to now that players have figured out how hidden immunity idols work. Looting, kidnapping, etc – the pirate-themed season was fantastic.

Why vote it off?
Pearl Islands certainly goes for it and feels different, as they’re willing to try anything – and it completely backfires, resulting in an infuriating twist that was almost universally hated. Outside of Rupert, Sandra, Fairplay, and Morgan Tribe’s heart and soul, Andrew Savage, the cast is largely forgettable. However, we’re splitting hairs. This was a fun season, even with its somewhat major misstep.

13. Caramoan (Season 26)

Why watch?
Caramoan has one of the best winner performances, a pretty fun post-merge, and the Fans vs. Favorites aspect brings back a few interesting players who didn’t get a chance to fully blossom their first time around. It may not be the most consistent season, but there’s a really good stretch of gameplay after the merge. And again, the winner arc may be my favorite – the fact it rates this highly despite its problems says a lot about that aspect.

Why vote it out?
Ok, Caramoan has some problems. First, the cast of favorites was a bit underwhelming. Rather than really bringing a lot of favorites, they brought back a menagerie of odd personalities. There were a few welcome returnees, as mentioned above, who we definitely wanted to have a second chance, but it lacked in star power. The fans somehow were more disappointing, a group with remarkably bad early-season strategy. The pre-merge, as a result, is perhaps the series’ worst. It’s not boring – large, abrasive personalities dominate the early episodes in a Jerry Springer kind of way. It’s a disaster. And then there’s the reunion, Survivor’s worst (well, outside of the Gumbel era) because of a hard-to-defend choice. The Final Tribal Council doesn’t hold much intrigue and features one of the nastier (and pointless) moments in the series’ history. The bookends on Caramoan are terrible, slightly souring the good stuff in between.

12. The Amazon (Season 6)

Why watch?
A Battle of the Sexes brought Survivor’s first themed tribes. It’s entertaining from the get-go (Ryan and Daniel on the balance beam in Episode 1 is still hilarious), and the cast is an enjoyable one. By season 6, Survivor’s casting had moved on from people trying to use it as a springboard to fame. Amazon may be the first cast comprised of people who just loved the game and wanted to play it hard. Rob Cesternino is one of the most valuable additions to the Survivor family. Whether it was Heidi and Jenna earning their peanut butter, the general likability of Christy, or the outright terrifying crazy-Matthew, Amazon had a much fresher cast after the black hole that was Thailand.

Why vote it off?
There’s little to dislike. Breaking up the men and women results in some of the men being a little overly obsessed with the females. Tribal council discussions of which girl is hottest have aged poorly, but they’re still funny. The season lacks a dominant player or winner, but that just speaks to the parity among the players in the young, attractive, and fun cast.

11. Tocantins (Season 18)

Why watch?
Tocantins just kind of checks every box. It has a satisfying, record-breaking winner. It has solid gameplay discussion. It had the best Exile Island concept yet, one that gave the post-merge gameplay so much more potential (even if it didn’t quite deliver). But best of all was the cast. They knock the casting out of the park, and Tocantins is filled with players who, whether you love or hate, are compelling. Numerous players would return in future seasons, and they remain fan favorites to this day. Worth singling out is Coach Ben Wade, who might be one of the most entertaining personalities Survivor has ever unearthed. Bonus – what other season features a Heisman winner getting horny in a desert?

Why vote it out?
It’s hard to not enjoy this season, but at the same time, it doesn’t really stand out for innovation or big moments. Tocantins is all about the personalities, and it failed to add anything new or notable to the evolution of the game.

10. Philippines (Season 25)

Why watch it?
Philippines is just fun. It is a much needed step forward after the doldrums of the previous 4 seasons. We get 3 returning players, including one of the most verbally entertaining Survivors ever. We get multiple celebrity players, and here’s the thing – unlike some other seasons (ahem, Nicaragua), the celebrities actually make the season better. The contestants play hard, strategically, and the winner plays my favorite “honest” game in the show’s history. If you want a blueprint for how to play strategically without backstabbing too many people, watch this season. Everyone here seems to get it, making Season 25 the season that arguably ushered in the truly modern era of Survivor. It gives us arguably the best and most likable version of the Ozzy archetype, a beloved player who would return for two more seasons. It also introduces one of the more hilariously unpredictable villains in the series’ history.

Why vote it out?
Philippines isn’t particularly important to Survivor lore. Like many seasons, its pre-merge isn’t great. However, the cream rises to the top, and the finish is strong. There’s not much to dislike here. It’s a season light on hugely memorable moments – honestly, its most memorable moment might be one player’s exit speech – which keeps it from being an iconic season. But it’s awfully enjoyable.

9. China (Season 15)

Why watch?
China is a uniquely excellent season, thanks to its unusual setting, which provides opportunities for the rare reward experiences you actually care about watching. The cast is small, just 16 deep, but it’s carefully cultivated, with not one dud among them. Several players from this season would go on to play multiple future seasons as returnees. The personalities are just so strong in so many different ways. There’s something memorable about everyone on screen, which is extremely rare. It’s a solid season for challenges, which is a plus. China featured one of the biggest blindsides to date, an iconic moment in the show’s history. It also has a strong, satisfying winner in a final 3 that has no goats.

Why vote it off?
When the big blindside happens, it’s frustrating that certain players couldn’t capitalize on opportunities. While the winner’s strategy proved a strong one, there’s plenty to question elsewhere in the tactics of this season. The final tribal loses a bit of intrigue when one player really underwhelms with their Q&A session. There’s a twist that was poorly conceived by the producers, a twist that could (and did) instantly incentivize tribes to throw challenges. Oops.

8. Borneo (Season 1)

Why watch?
It’s the OG Survivor! It’s unlike any other season in that the players don’t really know what they’re doing at all. You see the slow genesis of the alliance, the single most important strategic element that contestants brought to Survivor, and it is used in Borneo to dominate the game. Borneo also features the greatest moment in Survivor history, Sue’s iconic “let the snake eat the rat” speech. Featuring a great cast that created so many Survivor archetypes, it’s the season that launched the phenomenon. It’s must-see. Rudy and Rich are a HOF duo to watch on screen, Colleen was an instant star, and there’s a 4-1-1-1-1-1-1 vote, y’all.

Why vote it out?
By no means should you miss the weirdness that is Borneo, but it’s weird by comparison to modern Survivor. The show moves at a comparatively glacial pace, and the bulk of attention is paid to camp life and social interactions. The challenges seem simplistic, Probst is robotic and solemn, and the gameplay is at times appallingly bad by modern standards; after all, there’s a 4-1-1-1-1-1-1 vote.

7. Cook Islands (Season 13)

Why watch?
Cook Islands kind of has everything. First off, it has an incredibly diverse and deep first-time cast, of which 4 contestants would go on to be multi-season players, and several others remain memorable to this day. It has an extremely satisfying winner. It has a great runner-up. There are twists and turns. Even the early episodes have some great moments. But the best thing Cook Islands has is strategic discussion. There’s a LOT of it, and this is the season where strategy really starts to evolve in Survivor. Combine all that, and this is one of Survivor’s greatest seasons.

Why vote it out?
The theme of the season, separating tribes by race, fizzles quickly. However, the disappointing theme did lead to Survivor’s most diverse cast ever. Other than that, a charismatic alliance turns petulant when the game turns against them, and they spend a bit too much time whining and finger-pointing. But let’s not kid ourselves – there’s very little to dislike.

6. Cambodia (Season 31)

Why watch?
Subtitled “Second Chances”, Cambodia brought back one-time players, none of which won, but all that made an impact in some way. And they brought them back via a fan vote. The cast, as a result, really embraces the theme, trying to correct past mistakes. And they feel extra pressure, having been voted in by fans. It results in some fantastic gameplay, with everyone turning it up to 11. This season was the genesis of the voting bloc style of play that would dominate the better seasons of the 30’s. It has just the right amount of idol presence, too. It’s simply fantastic, even featuring a great winner.

Why vote it out?
I have no complaints about Cambodia. Maybe it doesn’t have the iconic water-cooler worthy moments some other seasons ahead of it can boast, but it’s one of Survivor’s most consistent seasons. It’s a must watch, but it does have a high barrier of entry: there are a LOT of references to players’ first seasons, so to really appreciate Cambodia, you need to have seen a lot of previous Survivor.

5. Cagayan (Season 28)

Why watch?
Cagayan, revered among Survivor fans, is one of the most fun seasons you’ll find. So many players come to play, and they bring fresh, unique approaches to the game. It really has it all – great challenges, strategists, personalities, and several players willing to scramble, fight, and turn the game on its head every 3 days. It’s the kind of season you’d expect from an all-star season. To have come from a first-time cast, it’s phenomenally fun.

Why vote it out?
You don’t. It’s an essential Survivor season. There are a handful of players that may not be memorable or standouts, but no more than any other season.

4. Millennials vs. Gen-X (Season 33)

Why watch?
For as corny an idea as this was, the casting was a goldmine. The early boots take care of the only duds in the cast, and the interactions between the two generations make for some of the best TV Survivor has ever created. There is genuine emotion this season, unique gameplay, and some unforgettable moments, including a gut-wrenching rock draw!

Why vote it out?
Well, you know who loves the idea? Jeff Probst, who milks that Millennial/Gen-X thing until you’re sick of it. Luckily, the players mostly cast aside the theme on their own, but by that point your eyeballs may be tired from constant “participation trophy” references.

3. David vs. Goliath (Season 37)

Why watch?
I have tried to be critical of this season to make sure it’s not recency bias pushing it to this spot, but I keep coming back to how incredibly entertaining this season was. It’s the best edit in Survivor history. There are so many moments that are all-timers: “Can I have your jacket?”, Christian vs. Alec, the rice negotiation, Angelina running around with a ladder, the idol grid, the idol nullifier, “BING!”, etc. It’s a deep list and a deep season. I don’t know that there was one episode, aside from perhaps an early one or two, that wasn’t incredibly captivating. The winner navigates the season well, delivering one of the series’ best Final Tribal Council performances to date. It has some of the best gameplay the series has seen, a satisfying winner, some of the best production ever, and, most importantly, an awesome cast. There’s a reason DvG popped up on some lists of the best TV seasons of 2018, with Vice even declaring it “the best thing on TV“.

Why vote it out?
You could try, but Davie Rickenbacker would just stand up and idol it back to safety anyway.

2. Micronesia (Season 16)

Why watch?
Micronesia was the first season to feature a “Fans vs. Favorites” initial theme, and my goodness, is it fun. Micronesia is loaded with both situational and physical comedy, and it honestly qualifies as a must-watch season for that alone – it remains Survivor’s funniest season. But there’s also some shocking gameplay and deception along the way. The post-merge has an air of inevitability to it, but how the show arrives to that inevitable end is utterly fascinating, unbelievable and wholly entertaining. Also, the winner is one of Survivor’s most impressive.

Why vote it out?
The fans are largely starstruck, somewhat to the point where they’re a bit reluctant to play quite as hard as the group of favorites. There are 2 medical evacs and a quit, and while medical evacs can add to the drama, 3 exits without a vote robs us of 3 tribal councils in a season full of great tribal councils. But we’re nitpicking a great season.

1. Heroes vs. Villains (Season 20)

Why watch it?
The concept is fantastic, and the labels impact players and the way they play. It remains Survivor’s greatest themed season, as the theme is discussed and remains relevant throughout the season. Survivor often doesn’t get theme and game structure correct, but it is nailed here. No panicked tribe swaps to try to shake things up, just good guys vs. bad guys. The gameplay, while not always strategically ideal, is some of the most interesting and dynamic the show has ever produced. The cast is outstandingly entertaining – as they’re put into this pressure cooker, some are reinforced in their heroism or villainy, some crack, and others evolve. And ultimately, the final tribal council is satisfying without too much bitterness from the inevitably large egos on the jury.

Why vote it out?
You can’t, because this is an essential Survivor season, but it comes with some caveats. To fully appreciate all the personalities on this season, you really need to have seen most of their previous seasons. In my estimation, Australia (S2), Pearl Islands (S7), All-Stars (S8), Palau (S10), Micronesia (S16), Tocantins (S18), and Samoa (S19) are all necessary pre-watches to fully enjoy the magnitude of personalities involved here. That can be daunting. But if you’ve seen those (mostly great) seasons, Heroes vs. Villains is the cathartic release all previous seasons built toward. It was a perfect conclusion to the first decade of Survivor, a conclusion that understood and tapped into the core of why people loved the show all along.