My Top 30 Survivor Season Rankings
If you know me, I love all things Survivor. It was my last semester at Baylor and a group of my friends were watching the finale of Survivor: All-Stars. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but seeing the combination of hatred for Boston Rob by the other survivors, but love from the finale audience as he proposed to that season’s winner, Amber, had me hooked. I moved back home post-college for a bit while I was trying to find a job, and low and behold, my parents were fans. That fall I watched Survivor: Vanuatu with them and I’ve never looked back.
My fandom has reached depths of doing brackets with my friends and even applying (and getting a call back) with a video. What keeps this Survivor nerdom going is a podcast that dissects all things Survivor, both with the current season going on, past seasons and overall fan fiction. Rob Has a Podcast is hosted by Rob Cesternino, a charismatic two-time Survivor player, and has been a really fun way to pass the time on my two hour commute every day. Cesternino is incredibly active with his community, which I rarely have time to get involved in, but he has just put up a poll to rank all 30 Survivor seasons. I have decided to take on this challenge and thought my blog would be a good way to expound on the thoughts behind my rankings.
There are all sorts of things to factor into how to rank the seasons. You could do it by winners, challenges or just from a pure entertainment angle. I have never watched a season more than once, so I really had to pull from the old memory bank on what makes each season unique. I decided that my criteria for this list was that I would rank the seasons on the likelihood of me popping in the season to watch again. I thought this was a fair way to go about it, so here’s my list:
1. Season 20: Heroes vs. Villains
This season was extremely entertaining from beginning to end with a returning cast that was stellar. It represented a wide scope of players throughout the years and unlike All-Stars that was burdened by bitterness, this season had extreme strategy that ranged from genius to absurd.
2. Season 16: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites
Although the Favorites dominate, the Fans early demise in the pre-merge part of the season is just as memorable. Although it’s lopsided, Parvarti and her band of girls show you how to play Survivor. Besides immunity idols that are sticks and Erik giving away a million dollars, I can actually make myself laugh out of loud at the thought of the dynamics between fans Joel and Chet. “I hit my head.” “I don’t care.” “I know.”
3. Season 28: Cagayan - Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty
This was one of the best gimmicks that Survivor has ever used. The Brains self-implosion early on was delightful and can you remember a season that provided such amazing characters? Would the season be as good without Tony? Probably not, but the fact the he provided so much humor and hard gameplay and still won the game was extremely satisfying. It was just a great cast that gave us Spencer, Chaos Kass, Tasha and although he’s not my favorite, Woo. I was surprised to put such a newer season so high on my list, but I think that it’s that good, especially for not having any returning players.
You can thank this season for providing all the epic blindsides and flip flops you have come to expect from Survivor. Due to Rob Cesternino taking strategy and utilizing it in a different way, this is one of the first season’s that you never could predict what would happen from week to week. The men versus women tribes ended up being a fun success and this season provided for one of the most diverse and entertaining casts.
5. Season 2: The Australian Outback
Otherwise known as the season that everybody watched. I wasn’t even watching Survivor yet when this came out and I knew who Colby and Jerri were. Although the gameplay is lacking, it really established the two tribe dynamic and made alliances a not so dirty word. The elements really came out to play this season and it provided so many memorable characters and scenes (Skupin in the fire, sweet Elisabeth, Alicia’s finger, Kimmy’s chickens, etc.).
An underrated season. Although Vecepia hasn’t been the greatest winner around, I think this was just a fun season throughout. It was the first time where people did a major flip and I think it reinvented strategy in the game. As much fun as it was, it also brought real life issues of race and religion to the forefront. A young Boston Rob really did a lot to influence confessionals going forward and it’s fun to see how he played the first time. Kathy is a blast to watch and it’s a shame that Sean has never come back to play the game.
7. Season 25: Philippines
I think I like the three-tribe format because it ultimately develops underdogs, and the duo of Malcolm and Denise kept the season interesting throughout. The dynamics constantly fluctuated throughout the season and provided returnee players we always wanted to see come back (Penner, Skupin) and celebrities that actually played the game (Jeff Kent, Lisa Whelchel). Add characters like R.C. and Abi-Maria, and you have a great cast with a very satisfying ending.
Two words: Russell Hantz. Has there been any other player who had change the game more since Boston Rob? He ushered in a new era of Survivor (for better or for worse) and single handedly dominated the dynamics of the whole season. He became the villain you loved to hate and even though the debate of whether he should have won or not still continues to this day, totally encapsulates why I love to see how much a social game can affect this game. And let’s not forget about Shambo!
Some people are down on this season because of the transparency of ego and bitterness that weaved throughout. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this season, but I’m still drawn to it because it brought back so many people you wanted to see play again. Yes, it had an unlikable force go to the end, but I enjoyed seeing players get knocked off their high horse. This season made me interested in watching more, so that’s why I have it in my top ten.
This would be number one for most people because it started it all, but I actually had seen a lot of Survivor seasons before even viewing this one, and although compelling, I don’t think it’s the best Survivor season. It’s fun to see how far the game has come, but in current days, I don’t think this is the right season to introduce to new viewers. It’s a pleasure to see how far in advance Richard Hatch was thinking than everybody else and you can’t help but wonder if the game would have lasted this long without his presence? It’ll always have a special place in every Survivor’s fan heart, even though it isn’t the most shocking season ever. But who can forget Rudy, Sue’s jury speech or Greg and Colleen.
11. Season 27: Blood vs. Water
It’s the season where Redemption Island actually worked. The loved-ones aspect brought a new line of thinking about strategy that Survivor fans had never seen before. Once again the All-Stars dominate, but it was so much fun to see a character like Tyson mature and dominate. The second coming of the purple rock created a hugely memorable tribal council and the season produced new favorites like Vytas, Ciera and Hayden Moss.
I loved watching Todd strategically win this season. He is still one of my favorite winners and although the location put a damper on some of the challenges, I totally fell in love with the cast that consisted of Amanda, the biting Courtney and the lovable giant, James.
13. Season 7: Pearl Islands
The Outcast twist is a major fault of the season, but otherwise provided great characters with the likes of Sandra, Burton, Jonny Fairplay and Rupert (whether you love him or hate him, he is a standout character). Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this season and I just can’t remember much about it. Like Season 2, even if you aren’t a Survivor fan, you remember the dead grandmother scene.
I’ve always been an Aras supporter, but why did he come across as so smug? Even though he is known as a boring winner, his rivalry with Terry is pretty unforgettable. Shane Powers brought a new frenzy we hadn’t quite seen yet and the season gave us one of the best female players ever in the housewife turned master strategist, Cirie.
15. Season 30: World's Apart
I really liked this season more than other people because I actually thought the casting was brilliant. I think the season was overshadowed by the Will and Shirin feud and the overall, out-of-line commentary by Dan, but I loved seeing a cast who, for the most part, were all out there trying to win the game. Mike’s underdog victory was one for the ages, and I loved how the three-tribe dynamic of White Collar, Blue Collar and No Collar played out.
16. Season 26: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites 2
The first half of this season and the plight of the “Favorites” was a real downer. Phillip was just pure annoying, not funny, and Brandon Hantz’s fury seemed more dangerous than the elements. Thankfully we had Cochran to save the season and become one of the most likable winners ever.
Not much strategically happens in this season, save for J.T. and Stephen Fishbach’s alliance that ended up taking them to the end. Even if you hated him, Coach brought so much to this season and we also got our first introduction to Tyson. I just remember really rooting for J.T. and the way he won the jury over was pretty incredible.
The men versus women twist didn’t quite play as well the second time around, but I absolutely loved watching Chris manipulate his way from the bottom to the top. One of the most underrated winners ever in a season that people seemed to forget about, even though it had amazing characters like Eliza, Amy, Sarge and the unreasonable Twila.
19. Season 13: Cook Islands
Survivor was walking the line when they divided the tribes by race, but were fortunate to get players like Ozzy and Penner out of the mix. Parvati and Candace 1.0 are actually a little dull, but watching Yul strategically win with integrity intact is a marvel, despite the fact that he had an idol that pretty much made him untouchable.
I’m personally more down on this season because I just didn’t like watching one tribe get decimated. Tom was a stellar winner, but he had a pretty easy time. Stephenie and Bobby Jon are obviously stand outs and I wish Ian would come back at some point. I still can’t believe he willingly let Tom win the game and take Katie over him.
The brutality of the season overshadows what could have been a better cast if they weren’t confined to cages. It’s fun to see a tribe shakeup for the first time and who can forget Big Tom and Lex, but it’s a pretty forgettable early season.
22. Season 23: South Pacific
Why did we really need to see Coach versus Ozzy? This season was pretty lopsided the whole time. It was fun to see Cochran flip, but it still did nothing to change up the dynamics that Coach set in place. Sophie was a deserving winner whose game was brilliant, but not necessarily fun to watch.
Honestly, I just don’t remember much about this season. I don’t remember disliking it, but there aren’t many scenes that I remember. I do remember Stephenie 2.0 being very evil, while Rafe and Judd were standouts. This would be a fun one to revisit and then maybe it would climb up my list.
24. Season 22: Redemption Island
I hate the Redemption Island twist and you almost know that it was there so we could see Russell and Boston Rob in as many episodes as possible. Seeing Boston Rob dominate was a class in Survior strategy, but everybody else around him were about a thousand steps behind. With that element added to the fact that Russell goes home early, made for a season that everybody could predict from week to week.
I just remember how much I disliked this cast. When you can remember more characters you disliked than actually cheered for is a good indication of why this season is where it is. Bob’s win was a much needed sweet touch to a dismal season shrouded with players the show was trying to make us like (Sugar, Kenny). People ended up loving the villains more (Corinne, Randy).
The first time where Survivor casting got it wrong. Not all of the characters are busts, but the twists just never seemed to work in the show’s favor that year. The draft showed why producers should pick the tribes at the beginning and the sexual altercation between Ted and Ghandia just put a bitter note over the whole season. Brian Heidik dominated and didn’t care who liked him, including the audience.
Earl and Yau-man!!! And… yeah, who else was in this season? Oh yeah, Dreamz and… I just don’t remember much about this season besides those players.
28. Season 29: San Juan del Sur - Blood vs. Water 2
The blood vs. water format worked really well with All-Stars, but with all new players, it just fell flat. It was blatantly obvious that the majority of the cast didn’t know how to play Survivor, which ironically sent the savvy players home earn. Thank goodness for a win by Natalie or this season would almost be last. For the first time, I audibly heard myself saying out loud during the season, “This isn’t very good.”
The older tribe versus the younger tribe just didn’t work out. Add the Medallion of Power and a pretty unlikable group at the end, and you get Survivor: Nicaragua. It seems crazy that Marty has never played again, but besides him, the cast was pretty thin. Fabio was somewhat of a likable winner, but his extreme lack of gameplay was a good representation of what the season felt like.
Even Kim Spradlin’s amazing gameplay couldn’t save this season from being at the bottom of my list. Kim is perhaps one of the best female players to ever play the game, but was she even challenged? The One World concept just didn’t work and the season was just too full of people who didn’t know how to play the game and very unlikable characters. Colton wasn’t a villain that you loved to hate, you just hated him. There were challenges that even Jeff Probst wasn’t a part of! He knew to keep his face off of this season as much as possible. Thank goodness the following season, Philippines, was such a strong season or there may have been no Survivor after this one.
I would love to hear your feedback! Do you agree with my list? Should a certain season be higher?
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