Some things to note:
1. These are my rankings. Mike's rankings will obviously be different.
2. Just like you, I am human so my opinions/rankings on seasons change all the time but for now, this is what I'm feeling.
3. There will be some twist names thrown out in these rankings. If you’re wondering how the twists worked, feel free to check out the season overviews on the wiki to get an idea of the twist. https://mns-survivor-series.fandom.com/wiki/M%26N%27s_Survivor_Series_Wikia
Okay, let’s wrap up the rankings!
6. China (S23): Right off the bat, I really loved the theme of M&N’s Survivor vs BigBen’s Survivor. We kept it a total secret and it was awesome seeing everyone’s reaction at the cast reveal. Gameplay wise, China was very competitive for the most part but, there were a couple of rounds in the pre-merge that felt like a total drag (looking at the members of OldNewz’s Outcasts). Besides that, there’s nothing to really complain about. The gameplay was stressful, the cast was active, and Ray (GentlemanG) ended up being the first ever 2x winner in both series after playing a very dominant game. M&N’s Survivor also had their first ever firemaking challenge as BigBitch insisted that it would be better than rocks (it wasn’t), so that was pretty cool. Oh and Ethan (Ethan000) was the first boot so that was another highlight of China.
5. Maui (S2): I don’t want to speak for Mike but to me, Maui left me feeling that my decision to co-host a series was a great one. It’s hard to describe how awesome Maui was for a newbies season but, I’ll give it my best shot. Admittedly, the season did start off rocky with two big names getting taken out in Joe (BigJoeFrimodt) and Nick (NjKoda1998) but things just kept going up from there. The merge was filled with blindsides, flips, voting blocks, insane idol plays (shoutout to Justin/BeastBoy) and some crazy drama. The jaw dropping moments just kept coming and coming and finally, it ended with an intense rock draw at F4 where Andrew (levonini) got his torch snuffed. I think the best part about Maui was just how much of a wildcard the cast was. On paper, the cast didn’t seem to be star studded but, there were so many goddamn breakout players and characters. One breakout star was actually David (DavidM7) who won after playing such a chaotic game and his win felt like a great conclusion to a hectic game. The two biggest reasons Maui ranks below Second Chances is simply because of a weaker pre-merge and a terrible logo (oops).
4. Second Chances (S14): With a location like Greece, how could we not do a “Gods & Goddesses” twist? Nah but for real, the G&G twist was our most ambitious twist and once again, credit has to go to Mike because it played out incredibly. We also approached casting differently as we held pre-season competitions and it worked as we got an insanely active cast. For the most part, the drama in Second Chances was top tier but, there was a point during the pre-merge where Dana (TotsTrashy) got into some major fights and things got a bit too toxic for my liking. Besides that, there were tons of jaw-dropping moments and I actually want to highlight Tyler’s (UnicornChicken) boot. Garret (Obstreperous) flipping on Tyler right before the merge was not only smart but it was one of the best blindsides I’ve ever seen across group games. Funny enough, Garret later went inactive during a crucial vote at F12 which actually caused an iconic rock draw. It was hilarious because the game was a war between two major alliances and everyone needed Garret’s vote so for him to be inactive, it really drained everyone emotionally. Anyway to wrap things up, I loved Second Chances and the season would have ranked higher had Mud (mudndawilderness) made it to the end and won but he sadly got taken out 5th.
3. San Marino (S18): I’ve always said that San Marino’s cast was the most fun to host and I still stand by that to this day! There wasn’t a moment throughout the game that didn’t have me smiling. There were so many great moments (Will using his idol on James, JB voting out K.C, etc.) and it felt like all the big players had something to prove. It was a real pleasure to have such an active cast and overall intense game after the awfulness that was Tasmania. On top of all that though, to have a F2 of Christian (Christian_) and JB (_JB_) was awesome as both had played such phenomenal games. Christian in this season also secured the record for most Individual Immunity wins in a single season with 6. I will say though that over time, the first three boots of San Marino really hurt this season’s ranking because it was just boring. If it weren’t for those initial boots, San Marino would rank a lot higher.
2. Siberia (S29): Siberia aka “The Last Dance” was SO good. Not only did the twists work well together but, they cliqued very well with the cast too which you always love to see as a host. Besides the very first boot, every vote was exciting and the game was pretty much on fire from JB’s (_JB_) boot and onward. Siberia’s pre-merge is definitely in the upper echelon of the series with the amount of drama and chaos that came from tribes trying to throw challenges. Everyone showed up to challenges and the activity was so high that it even inspired me to restart the exit interviews. Also, the strategy really felt next-level and there were so many goddamn blindsides that if I were to explain them all, this paragraph would turn into an essay. Another pro for Siberia was just getting KC (KCObedencio) and Austyn (Oysterman11) to play again since we’ve wanted both back for years. The F3 was excellent but it did suck to see Tyler (bamold1999) get 4th as he had such an uphill battle the whole merge. Brandon (brandonrichie) was a fantastic winner (probably our most cutthroat winner) and overall, Siberia is a fantastic season.
1. Heroes vs Villains (S20): I'm ecstatic to say that Heroes vs Villains is definitely our best season. It was such a stacked cast and each round was a delight to host. I do think that the game left many mentally scarred but, I think that just speaks volume on how emotionally invested everyone was. When it comes to twists, the “Black Vote” was definitely an impactful twist early merge and throughout the game, it was hilarious watching players deal with the paranoia that came from the “Fake Idols” twist. Speaking of idols, Ethan (Ethan000) getting voted out with just one vote because of a double idol play was an insane highlight of the season and one of the best moments of the series. It was touched on earlier but everyone's will to win was unbelievable and a perfect example would be the endurance duel between Dylan (DBWs) and Will (Survivorfan37) where they had to post every 5 minutes and that shit lasted over 11 HOURS. And it was the night of Dylan’s birthday! When it comes to FTC and strictly talking about how they were in the game, having a tied FTC vote between Kara (k4r4k) and Dana (TotsTrashy) was really a poetic ending for a “Heroes vs Villains” themed season and an ending that CBS Survivor producers would kill for!
And that’s it! It really was a blast going down memory lane for these rankings. What are your thoughts on the rankings? Thought I ranked a season too high or too low? Let me know, I’m interested to see. Anyways, I want to give a special shout out to everyone who’s followed along with these rankings. I apologize for taking so long but life had me busy haha.
