12. China – I feel
badly for putting this so low on my list, because it gave us a lot of great
things. It gave us a unique location, some all-star players and some great game
play. Todd's domination in FTC is something all potential Survivor players should watch, because it's a thing of beauty. Unfortunately, it also gave us the beginning of
the final three format and is probably the biggest perpetrator of the winner’s
edit. Still, it was a great season – but like Exile Island, there are more
seasons that were simply better.
11. Africa – I have a feeling a lot of people would disagree with this ranking. And I admit, it may largely have to do with nostalgia. But hear me out: Africa was a unique location and presented wild animals killing you at night as a legit threat. We saw some truly awesome fan favourites in Lex and Big Tom. Africa featured a tribal shake up for the very first time in the show’s history, which sent everyone scrambling. Between this and one of the show’s best (and my personal favourite) winners to date in Ethan, Africa may also be an underrated season. This may change with another viewing at some point, but it deserves a shot at the title. Plus, fun fact: this was the first time a winner got the prize with a 5-2 vote.
10. Amazon – Survivor divided its tribes in a specific way for the first time in Amazon, giving us the battle of the sexes. It was a blast to watch and a shame when the tribes were switched up relatively early on in the game. With Amazon, we saw some great players, especially in Rob Cesternino. We had our first handicapped player in Christy, who is deaf. There certainly wasn’t a lack of strategy in Amazon, and it still holds up extremely well after all of these years.
9. Pearl Islands – I
recently re-watched this first season and was surprised to see how good it was.
Solid players, solid strategy and the introduction of two extremely opposite
players: sweet, loveable Rupert and lying, manipulative Johnny Fairplay. And
okay, it has to be mentioned: love it or hate it, Fairplay’s “my grandmother
died” scheme is one of the most classic moments in Survivor history. Pearl
Islands also had a pirate theme to it, which I enjoyed a lot more the second
time around. Even if you didn’t like the Outcasts twist, and especially if you
didn’t like Lil in the final two, it was a great season that is a must-watch
for any new viewers.
8. Marquesas – I’m
not sure how I feel about this particular ranking. On the one hand, it gave us
many great things and is probably an underrated classic. On the other, it’s
been a good 12 years since I watched the season. Considering how early on
Marquesas came in Survivor history, I could be remembering it with rose
coloured glasses. But let’s talk about the good, shall we? Marquesas took us
back to the beach, gave us the first time one tribe dominated over the other
(Rotu didn’t go to tribal council until day 15) and introduced us to the likes
of Kathy and…. Boston Rob. Yep, Boston Rob gave us his first performance and at
the time was extremely notorious. Marquesas also gave us what is likely to be
the first major blunder of an alliance: the Rotu 4 revealed the tribe’s pecking
order during a challenge, which resulted in the others coming together and
voting them out one by one. Sweet. Unfortunately, Marquesas also gave us our
first arguably weak final two in Vecepia and Neleh. It was the first –
and up until recently – only time the players had to go to rocks to determine a
split vote. Poor Paschal.
7. Tocantins – This
season is ranked around the middle in most other Survivor lists, but I have
always heartily disagreed. There was some solid game play here, most noticeably
with the “secret” alliance between Taj, JT and Stephen. We got the most memorable Bromance with
JT and Stephen, which was adorable and something I’d like to see
more of in the future. We saw some great players – Tyson especially – and love
him or hate him, we saw the first installment of Coach. Tocantins also gave us
the first “perfect game” winner in JT, who won all jury votes without a single
vote cast against him. Way to go! Bizarrely, it marks the last time we saw a
final two, which is quite unfortunate.
6. Cook Islands – This
was another one of those seasons where I was pleasantly surprised at how well
it has aged. It started out as a heated controversy – the tribes were divided
up by race – but even without that element, it was a great season. The turning
moment was when all players were given the chance to mutiny and join the other
tribe – and two players did! The other tribe was shrunk down to only a couple
of players, and against all odds, they came back to make it to the end.
Incredible! Plus, this season gave us some of my favourite players: Parvati,
Penner, Yul and – at the time – Ozzy. (Let’s talk about Ozzy for a sec. I loved
him in Cook Islands, but after his lame showmance with Amanda in Micronesia, I
liked him less. When he came back as an arrogant prick in South Pacific, I was
over it.) Cook Islands also gave us one of the most random and hilarious
moments, when one of the earliest castaways to get voted out declared his love
for Candice at tribal, even though they’d exchanged about 5 words. Watch Jeff
Probst’s reaction to that, you will not regret it. All of this paired with a stunning location, definitely give this one a go.
5. Palau – Once my
second all-time favourite season, I admit this one didn’t hold up quite as well
as I remembered. The winner’s edit was too obvious, as was the boot list.
However, Palau has the distinction of being the first and only season of
Survivor to feature a tribe that completely decimated the other tribe and is
the only season to never officially have a merge. That was incredibly fun to watch! You couldn’t but feel for Steph
as she desperately watched her tribe get smaller and smaller, and she couldn’t
do a damn thing about it. Plus, Palau gave us one of my favourite winners in
Tom. He was a true leader of his tribe and will go down as one of the most
deserving winners, in my books.
4. Philippines – Pretty
much everything about this season worked, and worked incredibly well. There was
a great twist: three returning players who had been med evac’d from their
previous installment were back to take another shot at the title. Another thing
Philippines had going for it: Malcolm. Malcolm became the new Golden Boy of
Survivor, and nobody can get enough of him. Even though he didn’t win, everyone
was satisfied with a deserving winner in Denise. Between this and some great
game play, Philippines has earned its spot in the top 5.
3. Caramoan – I’m
just as shocked as you are to see such a recent season crack the top three.
Admittedly, the first half of the season wasn’t quite as strong. Bringing the
mentally unstable Brandon Hantz back was a mistake, and we all paid the price.
His epic meltdown wasn’t fun to watch – it was actually horrifying and sad.
(Caramoan also brought us the Jeff Probst back rub. Make fun of it all you want,
but Jeff knows what he’s doing out there. Props to him for being such a solid
host.) Post-merge, the season took off flying. There were so many twists, turns
and blindsides, I can barely keep track. Sure, there were a few unpleasant
moments – most notably Brenda forcing Dawn to take out her false teeth at final
tribal – but we also saw some of the best game play in the show’s history. "Hold up, bro!" will forever be one of my favourite Survivor moments.
2. Australia – Yes, I have some residual guilt ranking this season so high because of nostalgic
reasons. Australia was the first season I watched, and so it will forever hold
a place in my heart. But you know what? I feel okay with this decision, because
I can defend it well. Australia gave us some really great, memorable players –
especially with Skupin, Colby, Tina and even Jerri, who was the first-ever Survivor villainess. Australia gave us the first and worst
injury in the game to date – Mike Skupin falling in the fire and severely
burning his hands – and perhaps the only injury to make a serious impact on the
rest of the game. But one of the reasons why Australia was so good was because
it showed the castaways truly surviving. They were out there the longest (42
days instead of the 39 that has marked the show before and since Australia).
They endured some incredibly grueling weather when a flood completely destroyed
their camp. They were so hungry that Elisabeth’s hair was falling out and Jeff
Probst had to come to their camp and do an exchange for rice. (I highly suspect
these last two things are the reason why they nixed the 42 days idea – they may
have genuinely worried someone would die of starvation or malnutrition out there!)
We saw the Survivors truly survive out in the Outback, and while there have
been many seasons since where the contestants have had bad weather, I don’t
think any of them suffered as badly as the Australian cast. That may not make
it sound appealing, but damn, it was fascinating to watch.
And the all-time best season is….
1. Fans vs. Favourites
– As if there were any doubt. FvF gave us what is probably the best example
of an alliance taking charge of the game, dominating it and taking it to the
end. We saw some of the best blindsides in the show’s history, as well as some
of the most ridiculous tribal councils rivaled only by FvF 2 (Caramoan, for
those keeping track). Parvati is probably the best to play the game, and she
more than deserved her win. She mastered the game and executed it perfectly. I
know this is a great season, because I can go back and watch it again and
again, and still enjoy every minute of it. Great players, great moves, great
strategy. If I had to choose one season to use as an introduction to someone
who’s never seen the show, this would be it.
Where will Blood vs. Water fall on this yet? Time will tell! Catch the finale this Sunday.
