This week, I struggled to find a topic to write about. So I’m just going to rank my top 10 pre-merge Survivor seasons in prep for this week’s Survivor.
10. Survivor: Samoa- Seeing Russell run the game was so fun to watch. Looking back, I’m not the biggest fan of Russell or this season, but the pre-merge is definitely memorable, from Russell’s shenanigans to the medical evacuation of Russell Swan to blindsides upon blindsides and lots of Shambo. Good stuff.
9. Survivor: The Amazon- This season is one of my favorites, and the dynamic of Men vs. Women was so cool. I loved seeing the boys crumble, while Rob made everyone seem like puppets, and we even got a few blindsides. Good for some Old School pre-merge Survivor.
8. Survivor: Cambodia- The first returning season on the list (there are quite a few). This was a great start to a pretty good season. It was cool to see people like Savage, Varner, and Wiglesworth play again, and we got treated to a lot of great character moments from Jeremy, Spencer, and the biggest turnaround: Kelley Wentworth, who quickly went from forgettable pre-merge player to Survivor fan favorite. The second she found that idol, I knew she was in it to win it.
7. Survivor: Borneo- The first marooning is the first iconic Survivor sight. No one will ever forget those first few moments at Borneo. A Survivor game changer from the first few seconds. The characters who went home aren’t too memorable, but I’m so happy we got this pre-merge, or we wouldn’t have this amazing game now in 2017.
6. Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X- Two words: Michaela. Blindside.
5. Survivor: Blood vs. Water- Seeing old contestants compete with loved ones was fantastic. It added such an emotional dynamic that made some boots very heartbreaking or intriguing. The Culpepper battles, the sacrifice Rupert made for his wife, and Colton leaving as a quitter yet again made this pre-merge incredibly memorable and had a great effect on the long-term game, with Tyson’s storyline especially.
4. Survivor: Palau- Nothing was crazier than seeing a tribe go from full numbers to a tribe of one. There wasn’t even a merge, in a way, but this was still one of the most memorable pre-merges. The only flaw is that it was almost painful watching the Ulong tribe lose so many times, and became almost predictable by the time it was Steph vs. Bobby Jon.
3. Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers- This season isn’t over, but I’m so happy that we’re getting well edited characters across the board. This pre-merge has been one of the best, with blindsides to the players AND the viewers. We are always somewhat clued into what is going on, but Patrick’s boot was a shock, Ali’s boot was a shock, and Alan’s blindside was just so entertaining. There have been great character moments, a super well played out tribe swap, and some excellent characters. Through and through, one of the best edited pre-merges of all time.
2. Survivor: Game Changers- This season wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. But the pre-merge was exciting full of vibrant characters in Sandra, Malcolm, Tony, and JT, and of course, that moving moment with Zeke that will be remembered forever.
1. Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains- Who wouldn’t put this in their top 10? This season is iconic from start to finish, and while we lost some amazing characters and legends (Cirie, Stephenie, Tom, Rob), we got some great gameplay, an awesome rivalry between Rob and Russell, and the sweetest blindside ever resulting in Tyson’s elimination. Perfection of a Survivor season.
I would actually switch Amazon with Redemption Island.
I love Amazon (it's in my top 10) but the merge is where it's really at. For Redemption Island. That season sucks but the conflict of Zapatera Vs. Russell and his dumb ass girl alliance was great as well as the first two tribal councils from Ometepe.
The rest of the season after Matt's 2nd vote just sucks
NewNightmare7 I agree, Redemption Island is a crap season but has some good early moments... But Amazon is my favorite season after China, HvV, and Micronesia, so I wanted to show it some love since the other three are commonly praised and Amazon gets less attention
This week, I struggled to find a topic to write about. So I’m just going to rank my top 10 pre-merge Survivor seasons in prep for this week’s Survivor.
I love Amazon (it's in my top 10) but the merge is where it's really at. For Redemption Island. That season sucks but the conflict of Zapatera Vs. Russell and his dumb ass girl alliance was great as well as the first two tribal councils from Ometepe.
The rest of the season after Matt's 2nd vote just sucks