LogFAQs > #971872862

Okay, finished with Season 4. I think my ranking is 1 > 4 > 3 > 2. I mostly agree with your assessments but honestly having Danny in season 1 is like having Justin in TAR27. An obnoxiously cocky know-it-all to root against because you just know they they're going to get second. I mean it, from episode 1 I was totally sure Danny would get 2nd and the way he got overtaken by Murph in the final stretch of the final challenge was a fantastic ending.

4 was definitely the closest and most exciting season from start-to-finish. The cast was not as dislikable as the season 2 cast, and not as apathy-inducing as the season 3 cast, but not as memorable as the season 1 cast. Renee was a bit of a dud for someone who was clearly cast to be a "character" in the same vein as Michelle and Freight Train. I do think the fact that it came down to the four young men at the end highlights the fundamental issue with the show (further highlighted by the fact that across four seasons, only 2 out of 12 finalists are female) which is that the challenges are mostly tailored to the skillsets of young, fit men. And it's like, you can't be mad at them for excelling at something they're good at, and I don't really know how they could fix it and stay in the spirit of the show other than casting bodybuilder women. And yet, season 3 not only had a female winner but an older female winner at that so it CAN be done, it just isn't happening with any sort of regularity.

3 is mostly kind of forgettable but has a good "main" story with some good sub-plots, a likeable final five with a couple of likable early boots and nobody to hate, and just kind of a more pleasant feel to it than the other three.

2 is dreadful. Too many people who are either obnoxious assholes, gigantic hypocrites, or just downright mean-spirited, and most of the aforementioned went far into the individual competition. As you stated, the fact that Zeus is the easiest to root for in the final four says a LOT. Also had two medivacs and an ejection so it was just a disaster production-wise too.