Board 8 > Survivor Crew Ranks The Survivor Seasons (Topic 2)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Inviso still has a +20 coming from Tocantins, so I wouldn't say it's a race just yet.
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My Personal List:
1. ?????
2. ?????
3. Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance (Season 31)
4. ?????
5. Survivor: Vanuatu (Season 9)
6. ?????
7. ?????
8. Survivor: Africa (Season 3)
9. ?????
10. ?????
11. Survivor: Palau (Season 10)
12. Survivor: The Australian Outback (Season 2)
13. ?????
14. Survivor: Marquesas (Season 4)
15. Survivor: Kaoh Rong (Season 32)
16. Survivor: San Juan del Sur (Season 29)
17. Survivor: Gabon (Season 17)
18. Survivor: Blood vs. Water (Season 27)
19. Survivor: Fiji (Season 14)
20. Survivor: Guatemala (Season 11)
21. Survivor: Worlds Apart (Season 30)
22. Survivor: Game Changers (Season 34)
23. Survivor: Panama - Exile Island (Season 12)
24. Survivor: Cook Islands (Season 13)
25. Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites (Season 16)
26. Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers (Season 35)
27. Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X (Season 33)
28. Survivor: Caramoan (Season 26)
29. Survivor: South Pacific (Season 23)
30. Survivor: Samoa (Season 19)
31. Survivor: Ghost Island (Season 36)
32. Survivor: All-Stars (Season 8)
33. Survivor: One World (Season 24)
34. Survivor: Nicaragua (Season 21)
35. Survivor: Thailand (Season 5)
36. Survivor: Redemption Island (Season 22)
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I wrote this up a few days ago but never ended up sending it to burke.

5. Survivor: Exile Island (Season 12)
I'll give you five damn good reasons why this season is in the top 5 - Cirie, Shane, Terry, Courtney, and Bruce. The fact that so many high-quality characters went so deep into the game is amazing (albeit a bit depressing that the two most boring members of the final 7 ended up being the final 2), and helps boost this already crazy, dramatic season into elite territory. Add to that a new twist that, in this season in isolation, was unique and gave the season an identity WITHOUT breaking it makes it worthy of top 5.
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#8: Tocantins
Average Ranking: 10.73

GTM: 3 - stephen and jt bffs xoxo loved it. dragon slayer exile was so much fun

FBike: 3 - "Back to basics" isn't a bad thing, and this season shows why. The relative lack of twists actually worked to benefit the season.

DoctorBlind: 6 - This is such a pure season of Survivor. The characters in this were amazing, and despite it being a long time since I last watched it, I still remember many of them unusually well. The season was well-edited, had plenty of funny moments and led to such a great bromance.

darkx: 6 - No writeup

Naye745: 6 - the final 9 cast is great. Coach's story arc is dominant, but is perfect throughout, striking the balance between his ridiculousness and everyone's incredulous reactions. ("Who is this jackass?") a lot of fun from start to finish, a reminder of how nice 16-person seasons can be.

eaed: 10 - JT is one of my favorite Survivor players of all time and his team up with Fischbach is phenomenal here. It bothers me so much when everyone tries to take it away from him on his comebacks because hes swinging for the fence. Everyone on this season feels like good casting and those that dont get to go pretty early. Plus, with the somewhat of a return to basics and the underdogs taking over this season really is top quality.

BCT: 12 - The poor strategy allowed the edit to focus on character development more than any season in years Coach, Tyson, J.T., Fishbach, Taj, Erinn, and Sierra are all phenomenal casting. Its also incredible how everyone is in love with J.T. and he gets away with it!

Mana Sword: 12 - No writeup

Illuminatus: 13 - No writeup

YoRyan: 21 - decent but your enjoyment. i suppose, is dependent on your tolerance for Coach

Inviso: 25 - Tocantins is a very bland season. Like, there are some major characters with big personality in the season, but the problem is that theyre ultimately irrelevant to the season as a whole. In fact, you could make that same statement about a BUNCH of the events of Tocantins, because there is an entire alliance that gets ignored (rightfully so, because it doesnt matter) to make room in the edit for a DIFFERENT alliance (that does nothing and goes nowhere.) Really, Tocantins is a season with a story revolving entirely around a pair of players that pretty much run the game from minute one, and it leads to very stagnant gameplay all around. Yeah, there are a couple blindsides, but its basically blindsiding one member of tribe when they think its a different member of that same tribe. It also doesnt help that the dominant alliance is the bland one, picking off the dynamic personalities. So yeahits not really negative or mean-spirited or anything like that. Tocantins is just boring.
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too low !!!!!
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fwiw i have tocantins 7th (kaoh rong at 6th was correct)
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Naye745 posted...

fwiw i have tocantins 7th (kaoh rong at 6th was correct)

Fixed. That was bound to happen eventually.
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#7: The Amazon
Average Ranking: 10.27

YoRyan: 2 - nothing i can say that already hasn't been said really. Iconic

Illuminatus: 3 - No writeup

Mana Sword: 5 - No writeup

darkx: 7 - No writeup

DoctorBlind: 9 - This season, and namely one character in particular, completely hooked me when it first came out. Sure the winner couldve been better, but the post-merge was genuinely great. Flip-flopping and lying - my kind of Survivor.

BCT: 10 - One of the best strings of blindsides with a memorable, polarizing cast with one of my favorites ever make this season ripe with entertainment, but an unsatisfying winner kicks it down a notch. One of the less predictable early seasons with people to root both for and against but unfortunately one of the against won it all

eaed: 13 - Like the season that follows it on my list, I didnt care too much for this season on the first watch but on the rewatch I absolutely adored. The little things about it plus, being an RHAP fan now, watching Rob at work really is so intriguing to watch. When the season ends, it really hurts that Rob doesnt actually win it all. I do find myself a little bored in the premerge though so thats where this one runs out of momentum for me.

Inviso: 14 - Amazon is the first season where the game really diverted from a standard majority takes control early into the merge and picks off the minority formula. So in that regard, its at least interesting once you get down to the final eight or so. Furthermore, Id say that about a quarter of the cast are top-tier characters that honestly shouldve been brought back for multiple seasons by now. That being said, the biggest flaw of Amazon is the overall cast. Four characters are amazing, and then another handful are conditionally interestingbut Id say that about ten of Amazons sixteen cast members are either outright duds, or unpleasant to the point where they might as well be duds. I dont want a season carried by only a small number of decent characters, so Amazon doesnt impress me as much as perhaps it should.

FBike: 14 - For everything bad that can be said about this season, at least it wasn't predictable. Most of the cast is forgettable, but we get to see the standouts again in returnee seasons and there are some moments that allow this season to be worth watching again.

Naye745: 15 - Rob Cesternino is wonderful and steals the show, but Jenna's win felt so undeserved at the time. the early season intermingling of the boys and girls tribes is great, and i loved Rob's heel turn against the "cool kids" when he realizes he's playing for 4th.

GTM: 21 - I guess rob was a thing
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this feels a little high to me

also inviso i'm curious who your four top-tier characters are
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Inviso - 214
DoctorBlind - 178
Illuminatus - 167
YoRyan - 162
Mana Sword - 155
eaed - 152
darkx - 149
GTM - 130
BlueCrystalTear - 118
FBike - 112
Naye745 - 97
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Naye745 posted...

this feels a little high to me

also inviso i'm curious who your four top-tier characters are

Matt, Rob, Christy, Deena. With Heidi and Butch as decent supporting cast members.
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i'd probably replace christy with heidi but agree otherwise :)
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#6: Borneo
Average Ranking: 10.18

FBike: 4 - I might be giving Borneo a bit of an advantage based on its being so old, but keep in mind that this was the original Survivor. No one knew what would happen, and certainly no one knew that strategies developed here would still work nearly two decades later.

Naye745: 4 - the original season is so different from anything that followed it, it honestly feels impossible to even place it on this list. but going back and rewatching it is still a treat; the slower pace and different focus allows for its characters to breathe and stand out. and the main drama points are still great - Richard and Rudy, snakes and rats, and Rich taking home the final vote. A classic, and rightfully so.

YoRyan: 5 - 2raw2real, Snakes and Rats still gives me chills

Inviso: 9 - While it has a below-average pre-merge (what with it being the first season and the rationale behind peoples eliminations being straight-forward survival reasoning), every single player that made it to the merge in Borneo is a star personality, and its no surprise that six of the ten have returned to play a second time (with varying results.) Despite the season having a pretty basic storyline, the personalities kept the show exciting and fun, and they really emphasized the whole different people from different walks of life aspect the shows entire premise was based around. Plus, even in the midst of an obvious boot order, the season has a moment almost every episode to spice things up, leading to one of the best finales in Survivor history. It stands the test of time, thats for sure.

eaed: 9 - I can understand how Burke said that Borneo could be excluded because of how unique it is compared to the other seasons of the show. However, between the Nostalgia and the watching of the characters make the rules of the game. And for this, I will continue to enjoy it and rank it high in these projects.

BCT: 11 - The initial season offers one of the best casts Survivor will ever have, but it hasnt aged well due to its campy feel, helpless Pagongs (seriously, you dont understand Outwit, Outplay, Outlast at all?), and a few bland challenges over too quickly. Its clear production had no clue what theyd created or how to do it properly yet but thats part of the charm (so is Rudy).

Mana Sword: 11 - No writeup

DoctorBlind: 11 - Its so tough to rate the first season of Survivor considering its just so unique and timeless. Survivor would not be the same if Borneo came out as a dud. Luckily we were graced with interesting and relatable characters thrown together without any guidance or knowledge of how to play the game, resulting in a success that took America by storm.

Illuminatus: 11 - No writeup

darkx: 13 - As awesome as it is, there are parts of it that REALLY drag.

GTM: 24 - a good start to a great show
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season 1 of the amazing race feels the same to me - the editing, the spirit of the show, and the attitudes of the players involved are so radically different than any season after, because it was new for everyone. they're both some of my favorite seasons of their respective shows, but also feel next-to-impossible to rate alongside anything else

borneo, specifically, still holds up really well as long as you're okay with the drastic change in pace, especially compared to modern seasons. the characterization is still really good and the whole dynamic is a lot of fun.
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Pearl Islands
China
Heroes vs. Villains
Philippines
Cagayan

1, 2, 5, 9, 16
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First time posting in a Survivor thread since like 2010 and just wanted to mention one thing about Borneo. I feel fucking terrible for Joel. He had the exact same idea as Richard to and yet no one on Pagong wanted to make an alliance. He gets voted off and the world proceeds to forget about Joel and fall in love with Richard.

well, richard was perhaps somewhat fortunate to be on tagi but also had a lot more ability to schmooze with people successfully that i dont think should be outright ignored here
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Yeah there's really just no way Joel could have pulled off what Richard did.
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Also I predict:

5. Philippines
4. HvV
3. Cagayan
2. China
1. Pearl Islands
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#5: Philippines
Average Ranking: 9.00

darkx: 4 - No writeup

Inviso: 6 - Somehow, in the midst of a string of terrible seasons (ranging from Nicaragua through Blood vs. Water, depending on your opinions), Survivor managed to pluck a diamond from the rough with Philippines. It brings back returning players, yes, but two of them are less returnees and more just allowing people to finish a season after they got medevaced on their first go-around. The three tribe format actually works in this instance, unlike All-Stars, and it allows for decent characterization across the board (although one tribe is CLEARLY inferior to the other two.) The season features flips, quality strategy, blindsides, and one of the better growth arcs the show has put together for a major character. It also manages to tell a unique winner story that will probably never be replicated again, so it winds up standing out as a highly unique season overall.

eaed: 6 - Survivor is such a good season. It was unique. It really started with a real good twist. Then the matzinging of it all. I really have a hard time describing what made me feel make this lower than the others because to me the top 7 is like splitting hairs. There was some players that I didnt care for in this season though and thats why it is a little bit lower.

FBike: 6 - This was a refreshing break from the garbagey seasons that preceded it. It has actual funn moments and compelling gameplay, and the switch to three initial tribes worked well, though not the way the producers hoped it would go.

BCT: 7 - A breath of fresh air during the First Dark Age, offering an amazing cast (for Malcolm and Abi alone, but it doesnt stop there), an eventful string of blindsides, cookies, and many satisfying and/or amusing moments, including Russ Swan mistaking Probst for God during a meltdown, one of the most amusing first boots ever, and Malcolms first idol bluff.

Illuminatus: 7 - No writeup

Naye745: 8 - after the general mess of seasons 19-24, Philippines was a needed shot of life. the first return to the three-tribe format since (i believe) All-Stars helped build storylines and characters. despite featuring returning players, the season largely thrived without them. and the eventual winner participated in (and survived) every tribal council.

Mana Sword: 9 - No writeup

YoRyan: 13 - pretty much saved survivor, at least for me. Good all the way through

GTM: 16 - i'm like a storyteller, it's what I do

DoctorBlind: 17 - This is another one thats pretty difficult for me to rank. I love the underdog story here, but there really arent very many likable characters this season. I dont really care for the winner either (or maybe thats just because the one I was rooting for finished 4th), which probably weighs heavier in my rankings than it should.
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survivor fans agree: philippines p good
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Inviso - 218
DoctorBlind - 195
Illuminatus - 174
YoRyan - 171
Mana Sword - 164
GTM - 159
darkx - 157
eaed - 156
BlueCrystalTear - 125
FBike - 115
Naye745 - 102

FBike v Naye
Inviso vs DocBlind
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well my top 3 are all still alive so i am in pretty good shape regardless of how this all swings out lol
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#4: China
Average Ranking: 5.36

DoctorBlind: 2 - China had been my favorite season for a long, long time. Its exceptionally well balanced, and produces an excellent cast highlighted by Courtney Yates, one of my all-time favorites. Filled with good villains, likable protagonists, clever gameplay and exciting twists, itd be one of my initial go-tos in terms of introducing new viewers to the show.

FBike: 2 - This will probably be the ranking that exposes me as an old-school fan. This season is better now than when it first aired. It's a bit "back to basics," but it remains an exciting and strategic game.

darkx: 2 - No writeup

YoRyan: 3 - arguably the most well rounded seasons ever

BCT: 5 - Fei Long is probably the best starting newbie tribe the show has ever had. The location is epic, the challenges are epic, and the cast is epic. Aside from the awful, unfair excuse for a swap, everything this season checked the right boxes. They all came to play and theyre a diverse, fascinating group of people.

GTM: 5 - I was once like erik

Illuminatus: 5 - No writeup

Inviso: 7 - The last really themed season of the show (and one of the last old school, sixteen-player seasons), China is pretty solid all the way through. I think the cast of China is extremely strong, with one of the best selections of pre-merge boots ever, and unlike some more modern seasons, there are still strong characters around to take the place of those characters eliminated early on. The setting, while muddy at the two camps, allows for a lot of culture to shine through, particularly during reward challenges. As a result, not only do you have strong personalities, but you have strong personalities interacting with one another in a season with a very strong theme. The final tribal council is one of the most competitive of the final three era, and the end result is a highly satisfying winner, capping off an amazing season overall.

eaed: 7 - Survivor China is the one of those seasons that was almost absolutely perfect. The gameplay was great. The theme was great. The cast mostly great. There are only or two duds but this season is over the top and for that reason it is here.

Mana Sword: 8 - No writeup

Naye745: 13 - a season that really showed the strengths of a smaller cast. red tribe was loaded with stars - James, Todd, Courtney, Amanda, and Jean-Robert all dominated the season. of course, even lesser lights like Jaime and her failed idol, Peih-Gee throwing the challenge (and pissing off james) and Chicken (dayum!) stood out. a great location and a memorable winner as well - a really strong season.
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The top three are Cagayan, HvV, and Pearl Islands in some order.

Here are the spots each person has remaining:

Naye745: 1, 2, 3

eaed: 1, 2, 4 (#3 was Cambodia)

Illuminatus: 1, 2, 6 (#3 was The Amazon)

GTM: 1, 2, 9 (#3 was Tocantins)

darkx: 1, 3, 14 (#2 was China)

Mana Sword: 1, 4, 13 (#2 was The Australian Outback, #3 was Micronesia)

FBike: 1, 5, 7 (#2 was China, #3 was Tocantins)

YoRyan: 1, 7, 12 (#2 was The Amazon, #3 was China)

BCT: 3, 4, 6 (#1 was Cambodia, #2 was Micronesia)

DoctorBlind: 3, 5, 7 (#1 was San Juan del Sur, #2 was China)

Inviso: 4, 5, 10 (#1 was Kaoh Rong, #2 was San Juan del Sur, #3 was Vanuatu)
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gj naye
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Nice Naye!

Mana: 1, 2, 6

3. Borneo
4. China
5. Philippines
7. Micronesia
8. Palau
9. Exile Island
10. Amazon
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It's still confusing having two Manas here. (I suppose it was even worse during Game Changers...)
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So Inviso and I shared the same ranking for Borneo, Philippines and China. That's funny.
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remember when I was at the bottom of the outliers list, those were good times
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naye has this, consider it CALLED
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look at how boring i am, lmao

i think my 2 and 3 will be 3 and 2, and 1 will be 1
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I have the lowest one left.
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I'm guessing

3. HvV
2. Cagayan
1. Pearl Islands
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the average ranking jump from phillippines to china, sets the top 4 apart from the rest
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#3: Heroes vs. Villains
Average Ranking: 5.00

Mana Sword: 1 - No writeup

eaed: 1 - Heroes vs Villains holds a special place in my heart. In Survivors 10s I had fallen out of love with Survivor but then Survivor Heroes vs Villains came out and I found out that a lot of my favorites were going to be on the season I just knew I had to watch it. So when I watched the first episode of Survivor it was everything I remembered I loved about Survivor and more. The players were fantastic, the challenges were good, and then to see some of these amazing Survivor players together on one beach it really felt like this cannot be topped. And then, like the other season in my top 5, every episode felt electric more often than not the editing made it unclear who was going home on a week in and week out basis and overall I couldnt help but tune in. And then at the time, I would hop on AIM to talk to my brother at college about it and then I would go on CBS.com to watch the extra videos and overall just wanting more and more until the next episode. I think this is the season that made me a superfan and thats why it is my number 1.

Illuminatus: 1 - No writeup

GTM: 2 - russell 2: electric boogaloo. also fat colby

DoctorBlind: 3 - Despite my main guy bowing out too soon for my liking thanks to an idiotic move by an alliance member the episode prior, I have to give this season credit for getting me back into Survivor. The marketing for this season was A+, billing it as a clash of titans. And really thats what it was. A season of returning players has never nailed down such a perfect roster than HvV, and I loved every minute of it (except the aforementioned vote). So many delicious moments throughout the season leading up to an immensely satisfying conclusion.

Naye745: 3 - a season loaded with hype and it delivered. the insane, and packed, first episode. Russell and Parv turning the game around on Boston Rob. JT's letter. Parvati and Sandra openly mocking Russell at the end. the first two-time winner. for once, an all-returnee season met the hype, and got the most out of its characters. and Sandra cemented her legacy as an all time Survivor great character and player.

BCT: 6 - An absolute thrill ride, flawless through nine episodes, but an unsatisfying late merge with an obnoxious troll with a poor, been-there, done-that comeuppance ultimately make the end result unsatisfying. I highly blame the placement here on Hantz fantigue. If Parvati had voted out Hantz at F5 over Colby, this couldve been #1. Just imagine Hantz on the jury!

YoRyan: 7 - almost fanfic-y at times, amazing season. Even despite of Russell's grating pressance

FBike: 7 - This is what an All-Star season should be. Every single episode featured social maneuvering and guile, with a couple infamous moments that will not soon be forgotten. I do have to say that this season would have turned out far differently if the cast had the option to watch Samoa first...

Inviso: 10 - Barring seasons with a small number of coaches, some of which barely feel like returnees, Heroes vs. Villains is the best returning player season by a HUGE margin. Yes, it features a major flaw first seen in Samoa, with a single player garnering a fuck ton of screen timebut it actually isnt as bothersome when you put that overbearing personality up against a bunch of bona fide all-stars. The cast is surprisingly good, given the penchant for stuffing a bunch of duds into returnee seasons to make up the numbers, and the boot order is solid, with only a few hiccups on one tribe. There are big moves, big moments, and while idols are important to the season, after a certain point, they fade into the background and allow the season to develop organically. Throw in a great final three and an amazing winner, and Heroes vs. Villains is a solid season all around.

darkx: 14 - No writeup
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Now I have to wonder if my 14. HvV was the sole factor keeping Cagayan at #2.
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seems quite possible haha (assuming cagayan is #2 of course)
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Inviso - 225
DoctorBlind - 195
Illuminatus - 176
YoRyan - 175
darkx - 168
Mana Sword - 166
GTM - 160
eaed - 158
BlueCrystalTear - 128
FBike - 119
Naye745 - 102
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The most outlier points i can still get is 3, and Mana Sword and GTM both definitely have more than that coming. So looks like I will finish in the bottom half of outlier after all.

EDIT: Actually it's still possible for GTM to finish below me but Mana Sword will definitely pass me.
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I predict Ill finish with 204. Im a little surprised at how high of an outlier score Ill end up getting.

#2: Cagayan
Average Ranking: 4.73

GTM: 1 - the greatest season of characters, strategy, my favorite tribal council, and the dumbest move ever in survivor (if you're going for the million)

Naye745: 2 - the defining season of the modern era. showed the strengths of an all-newbie season and the three tribe format. for better or worse, i feel like almost every season since has been trying to recapture the magic of this season - many loosely-tied tribe themes and a mountain of twists/advantages. that said, the characters of Cagayan are incredible; it features one of the most notable winners, and Kass, Spencer, Tasha, Woo, Trish, and even earlier boots like Sarah and J'Tia are standouts as well. following this one week-to-week was magical.

BCT: 3 - One of the most erratic winners backstabbing half the cast makes this season wild, alongside the disastrous Luzon tribe being ripe with entertainment. Everyone brought it this season not to mention it was filled with personality, an awesome variety of challenges, and a final two! Its doubtful Survivor will have another newbie season that tops this one. They all came to play and they all were interesting and the final product had the right mix of everything. And the punchline of Woo taking Tony to the Final Two is still gold.

darkx: 3 - No writeup

Mana Sword: 4 - No writeup

eaed: 4 - This season had an extremely great cast across the board with may be one or two duds but this season like the others in this range are just so good from week to week aside from the Alexis boot. And with Tony is another extremely dynamic winner in good strategy and good entertainment value it really pushes this season over the top.

Inviso: 5 - Does Cagayan feature idols too heavily? A little bit. Is one of the final four exceptionally obnoxious? Oh hell yes. Does every aspect of the season come together to create television gold in spite of this? HELL yeah. Cagayan manages to get a LOT of things done right, while not really deviating from the way modern Survivor is played. The cast is solid overall, albeit with one tribe thats more dud than not. The pre-merge features some amazing story work through the pre-swap portion, and even post-swap, theres still fun to be had due to the zaniness of a character or two. Cagayan also gets my vote for the best merge episode ever, which leads to a string of great boots that leave you guessing and keep the season from becoming dull. By the time Cagayan reaches its final six, I would say EVERY character is worthy of an All-Star return (and five of the six have done just that), regardless of my hatred for a certain player. Would I have liked a little better casting towards the middle of the season? Yeahspending most of the early merge getting rid of boring characters wasnt greatbut whatever. The endgame rocked and we got a great winner out of the deal.

FBike: 5 - If not for a few weak episodes right after the merge, this would be in the running for the #1 spot. As is, it still remains among the greats.

Illuminatus: 6 - No writeup

DoctorBlind: 7 - This season was all over the place. The Brains tribe was a hilarious mess from the get-go, and the ensuing post-merge has blindside after blindside. So many fantastic tribals in this one, and really good editing all around. It also boasts a great selection of characters and a fascinating winner, so kudos all around.

YoRyan: 12 - will probably be low compared to others. Still a very good season. Not a huge fan of the stretch of eps where it turns into the Spencer and Tony show
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#1: Pearl Islands
Average Ranking: 3.91

YoRyan: 1 - if this season isn't in your top 3, idk why you watch the show

FBike: 1 - The strange pirate theming of this season certainly fits the cutthroat gameplay that Survivor was beginning to develop. The cast is memorable and the game is unpredictable at all times.

darkx: 1 - No writeup

Naye745: 1 - the first episode is possibly the best opening in Survivor history. the Outcast twist was controversial but unlike anything the show had tried before. the dominant tribe came apart by the merge, and the majority alliance shifted back and forth throughout the season. But far more notable than all of that is the strength of three of the biggest Survivor characters of all time, all on the same tribe, dominating the narrative of the season, and combining for unforgettable drama and story. Rupert may have become a parody of himself, but in the first episode when playing pirate and stealing the other team's shoes, everyone was drawn to his character. Jon was the first major survivor villain, openly mocking the other players, bending the rules ("She died, dude.") and nearly lying his way to the final. And Sandra, of course, stood out as a brutally honest player, with a straightforward and winning strategy (anyone but me) that she used to outsmart Jon and Burton at the end. it still blows my mind that those three Survivor titans ended up on the same 8-person tribe in the same season - probably the best casting success of all 36 seasons. when i made this list, there was some uncertainty throughout, but #1 was never a doubt. Pearl Islands is perfect, a season beloved by both superfans and casuals, one that stood as an indicator for everything the show could be, and also served as proof that the show could last for years to come - the show's old enough to vote! - as long as it continued to bring great characters and stories.

eaed: 2 - I believe I have said it before but Pearl Island is a great example of a Survivor perfect storm. Every little thing falls perfectly in line. The theme fits the characters, the characters fit the theme, the art is perfect. While, others may not agree but, the come from behind battle that is the Morgan tribe. Plus, when you throw in the childhood nostalgia that comes with Survivor Pearl Island it really makes it amazing. I dont even mind the Outcast twist that much because at the end of the day we lose a nobody from the Drake Tribe and then we lose someone that doesnt want to be there on the Morgan Tribe. Overall, this season is just so perfect.

Illuminatus: 2 - No writeup
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BCT: 4 - The pirate theme made this season stand above anything before it and they havent been able to replicate it in the time since. The Drake tribe is one of the most incredible the show has ever seen, as you cant not find Rupert, Sandra, Jonny Fairplay, Burton, and Christa to be interesting, complex characters that bring interesting moments to the show. I wonder how Fairplays grandmother is doing

Inviso: 4 - Almost everything about Pearl Islands is fantastically handled. You started out with a great opening episode that has one of the funniest scenes ever (the village dichotomy between Drake and Morgan), and there was an amazing pirate theme to really tie the season together. Now, admittedly, Pearl Islands is a lot like Exile Island in that one tribe REALLY carries the season in comparison to the other tribe, BUT unlike Exile Island, theres enough material on the lesser tribe to keep them from dragging the season down too much. Pearl Islands features one of the series most legendary heroes, and features the series MOST legendary villain, and it winds up with a fun and unexpected winner on top of all that. Its almost flawless, and Im glad it has always gotten the recognition it deserves.

DoctorBlind: 5 - This season is an absolute classic. The pirate theme is probably my favorite of the bunch, and it was well executed throughout the season. I also appreciated The Outcast twist, although Im glad theyve never brought it back since. At its core this is just an exceptionally fun season. Rupert is larger than life, Jonny Fairplay is hilarious, and Sandra is sass unfiltered. Sure, there were some duds among the cast as well, but really solid overall.

GTM: 9 - I liked the outcast twist

Mana Sword: 13 - No writeup
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Did Pearl Islands get the #1 spot last time we did this?

more like poop islands!
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(You ranked it in your top half, Mana Sword...)
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I know I'm just messing around
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Besides, it's not poop. It's dirt.
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DoctorBIind posted...

Did Pearl Islands get the #1 spot last time we did this?

Yes
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