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Survivor 20th Anniversary Season Power Rankings (Seasons 1-40)

May 31, 2020 by PowerRankings101

I’m doing something very special for Survivor’s 20 year anniversary. I will be doing a season ranking, giving some insight on each season, my favorite moments and moves, best characters, and all that. It’s a lengthy read but something I’ve spent all day on. Obviously, my opinions are subject to change (even rearranging as I’m finalizing posting it), and of course, subjective. People may disagree, and that’s fine. Let’s be civil about it all, agree to disagree, and just enjoy this show that has given so much life and pleasure to so many fans nationwide. Here we go.

40. Survivor: Nicaragua (season 21)- Ah, my least favorite season. The fact that Jane Bright, one of my least favorite contestants of the season, won the fan favorite prize bewilders me. That just shows how unlikable the cast is, and the only good thing to come out of Nicaragua is that the most likable guy ended up winning. Fabio is a fine winner, I don’t hate him too much, but again, it might be because he’s the lesser of all evils. I wish Holly had made final tribal, because I think she had the perfect balance of a great redemption arc and good control over the numbers. Brenda, Marty, and Alina are all likable enough, but don’t go far enough to justify their gameplay. The double quit, while horrendously offensive to the viewer, actually ended up being the biggest highlight, and most entertaining moment for me, which should speak volumes about why this is the worst season in my opinion.

Favorite Player: Holly Hoffman; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Fabio Birza

39. Survivor: Thailand (season 5)- Thailand is a train wreck, and my least favorite of the Old School seasons. The fake merge was pretty entertaining, but definitely screwed over Shii Ann, the season’s only true fan favorite (thank goodness they brought her back). I thought it was entertaining to see just how delusional some of the contestants were, breaking rules in challenges, and stupidly not writing the name of the person they were voting out on parchment—looking at you Clay—but I just can’t say the entertainment value was enough to win me over from the poor gameplay on most people’s part. The editing is pretty boring, and while Brian was a dominant winner, I didn’t feel like I related much to him. For this reason, it’s in my bottom few seasons in the ranking.

Favorite Player: Shii Ann Huang; Who I Would’ve Voted for in the Final Tribal: Brian Heidi

38. Survivor: Redemption Island (season 22)- Having Russell in 3 out of 4 seasons in a stretch seemed a bit overwhelming. Seeing Boston Rob back, however, gave us one of the greatest winning games ever. I do think it was a dominant strategic game, with the buddy system being perfectly executed. I just wish he was playing against some harder, tougher people. Maybe do a One World and put Russell and Rob on the same beach? It just led for a predictably boring stretch of a season, with Phillip Sheppard being the eighth wonder of the world and providing so much amazing entertainment amidst the boredom. Redemption Island itself was a dud, as the person who won his way back just went right back out, and Andrea, who won the final challenge, also revolving doored it out right after that. It lacked everything except for the great winner. But even Rob winning…is it impressive that it took him four times and he beat inexperienced players?

Favorite Player: Rob Mariano; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Rob Mariano

37. Survivor: Worlds Apart (season 30)- This season sucks. So much. It’s hard to think of a favorite contestant, as they all just either came across as incredibly boring or extremely problematic. Mike and Carolyn were the only two I genuinely like, so props to them for making the final two (wait, there was a final three? oh, yeah, Will Sims, lol). Seeing Mike fight to the end was fun to watch, but he even had his missteps that put him in the “must win out” situation to begin with. I just can’t get on board with the cast. The dynamics could have been so much more effective, but just weren’t. One of Survivor’s weakest, and easily the worst of the 30s. HOWEVER, the reunion show where they picked the cast for 31 was the most exciting moment for me in Survivor history, so there ya go.

Favorite Player: Carolyn Rivera; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Carolyn Rivera

36. Survivor: Island of the Idols (season 39)- This season is probably going to rank amongst many’s worst of all time, and as you can see here, it’s one of mine as well. The sexual assault and inappropriate touching put a huge damper on the season as a whole, shown almost comedically from the start, further becoming a major issue, and sinking Kellee’s game, and almost sinking Janet’s. The idea of the Island of the Idols was cool, but the fact that the winner, Tommy, didn’t even go to Island of the Idols all season just made the twist seem like a pointless dud. I felt like Sandra and Rob’s influence overall took away a lot of the airtime from the main game, and ruined the likes of Janet’s game for sure. Janet, my super mom, was the favorite contestant I had seen in a long time, and I wished the idol nullifier, if it had to be used, would have been hidden and found in a manner like season 37, rather than being handed to Dean over a coin-flip. Of course, Tommy is someone we have to talk about, being an overall likable guy. He played a very old school game, which I honestly respect, and feel like he gets more hate than he should. The fact that he is the only winner (since this fire making task was introduced) to be taken to the final tribal—Ben had to win fire making, Wendell had to win fire making, Nick won immunity and brought Angelina, Chris went to fire with Devens, and Tony just went to fire with Lacina—is pretty impressive, showing that Tommy’s social game was just that good. The pre-merge was also pretty fun, with Kellee finding many immunity idols and hiding them in her hair, and of course, Super Mom being a boss. I think the positive characters like Elaine, Noura, Dean, and others were likable and entertaining enough to not put this last, but the D*n Sp*l* stuff just put an overall poor taste in my mouth.

Favorite Player: Janet Carbin; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Tommy Sheehan

35. Survivor: One World (season 24)- This season suffers from the winner being SO good that the overall gameplay feels lacking and pretty stagnant. Kim steamrolled everyone else, which made it honestly a bit boring. This is TOTALLY not going against Kim’s winning game, which I think is the best ever. And that’s exactly why it’s higher than the likes of some other seasons, because Kim is that good. I think Sabrina is great, and honestly like Chelsea a lot too, and felt like she would’ve been my vote had Kim not been sitting next to her. Troyzan gets some hate too, which I don’t understand, as he provided some of the entertainment needed and was one of the only people to boldly oppose Kim’s dominance and try to target her. As for the rest of the cast…yikes. Kat is someone I just couldn’t get on board with, Christina and Alicia just annoyed me to no end, and the entirety of the men—aside from Troy—were boring and cringeworthy through and through. I was actually rooting for Leif for a while, but his edit truly disappeared and made it hard to remember he was even there. Colton is the main reason why this season is so hard to rewatch—at least the pre-merge—and I felt like bringing him back was one of the worst decisions made by production.

Favorite Player: Kim Spradlin; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Kim Spradlin

34. Survivor: Caramoan (season 26)- I like Cochran, and think he’s great winner. But aside from Cochran, do I like many of the others? Brenda and Erik are good but SO under edited, and fans like Eddie and Reynold are fine, but maybe just because the favorites were so bad. Corinne is worse here, Phillip is Phillip, Brandon almost ruins the season, Dawn plays a cowardly endgame especially with the Brenda boot, Malcolm is good but has no shot due to playing back to back seasons and seeming like a huge threat. Andrea is probably the next best favorite, and even Andrea really isn’t too dynamic of a player in my opinion. I just can’t root for this season much. Highlights? Seeing Francesca voted off first TWICE, and the Three Amigos’ idol play. The season really only shines, for me, in Cochran’s winning game, and seeing him emerge as the favorite from early on and continue to defy expectations made him a great winner. I hated him on South Pacific and ADORED him here, so I think there’s a lot of merit to how he was able to grow between seasons.

Favorite Player: John Cochran; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: John Cochran

33. Survivor: Palau (season 10)- Contrary to many, I don’t like Survivor: Palau. I felt like, while Tom was a hero and had charisma, he did spew some BS to his fellow jurors that tarnished a bit of his perfect image in my mind. Ian jumping off at the final challenge just puzzled me. The Ulong tribe was so bad, and the only reason I think Stephenie is truly a “game changer” is because she was the most bearable of the bunch. I do like Steph, but don’t think she deserves ALL the praise she gets, as her tribe DID lose so many times. Eliminating two contestants off the bat just seemed a bit cruel, for people who work so hard to go on the show and finally made it. I just don’t care for it.

Favorite Player: Jenn Lyon (RIP); Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Tom Westman

32. Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (season 25)- This is a season that started weak, picked up big time, and ended weak. I don’t necessarily know how to explain it. This season isn’t even weakened by its cast, but by its advantages, and the changes made to the game. The fire making twist isn’t a bad twist, per say—I do still prefer the standard final four vote out—but the way it wasn’t introduced off the bat was incredibly problematic. Had the contestants known this would be a thing, it would’ve played into more of the season’s strategy, and many people wouldn’t be claiming “Ben was rigged” the whole time. Ben deserves credit for finding all his idols, and playing spy, but I do think the characters in the season (Dr. Mike, Joe) were more entertaining than the game players (Chrissy, Ryan). In the middle of those, you have Devon and Lauren, who I felt were good characters AND good game players, which made the season pretty watchable, especially in the endgame. The pre-merge is pretty forgettable for me, and Cole is someone who irritated me a lot, but again, some of the merge episodes (particularly the wrestling for the idol under the flag, JP’s blindside, Dr. Mike throwing Lauren’s half idol into the fire) really entertained me. I wish the finale had lived up to the middle of the season.

Favorite Player: Lauren Rimmer; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Chrissy Hofbeck

31. Survivor: Game Changers (season 34)- A confusing cast, but one that showed many levels of expertise and potential. I wasn’t opposed to seeing people like Sarah Lacina, Hali Ford, or Michaela Bradshaw get a second shot, and seeing legends like Malcolm, Sandra, Tony, Cirie, and Ozzy defend their own legacies. All of this being said, I think the twists ruined a bit of it for me, seeing Malcolm go out from a weird double tribe tribal, and Cirie go home for being the only one without an idol. It was unfair to a lot of them. Sarah, however, does have an incredible winning game and really steamrolled everyone to the end. She even got Sierra to give her a Legacy Advantage after voting her out. Genius. I think the pre-merge is fun, with some fun blindsides like J.T. and an amazing applause for Sandra’s vote-off, but seeing big characters like Malcolm, Ciera, and Tony go so early just ripped out a lot of potential and excitement I had for the season. And why, WHY would Jeff Varner stoop so low? Just a terrible move on his part. The title alone has problems, as “Game Changers” only applied to maybe 6 cast members (Cirie, Sandra, Tony, Ciera, Malcolm, and J.T., 5 of whom were voted out before the merge). Just a mess of a season, only salvaged by its winner, and Cirie being on screen for every episode.

Favorite Player: Cirie Fields; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Sarah Lacina

30. Survivor: Marquesas (season 4)- I’m not as high on this season as many others are, and find it to be pretty forgettable. While many recognize Rob, John Carroll, and Kathy as the standouts, the dynamic that really brought me in was Paschal and Neleh’s bond. I love the duo, and felt like Neleh is definitely underrated and struggles from a meh tribal council performance. V is still a good winner, and certainly played the first flip-flop game successfully, but this is also the first season where the edit didn't really give the winner amazing content, as it wasn’t as flashy as most winning games. I like Vecepia but wish the show gave us more to see. The purple rock tiebreaker is a great moment for some, but I absolutely hate seeing Paschal go because of it, and makes it hard to enjoy the action that follows it. Still, a fine season, especially given its Old School-ness.

Favorite Player: Paschal English; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Vecepia Towery

29. Survivor: Africa (season 3)- I love Ethan as a winner, but I find Africa to be a bit boring. I didn’t really love the pre-merge players, and felt like aside from Big Tom, Lex, and Ethan, I didn’t have many too root for in the post-merge either. The tribe swap makes for a really interesting game move from Ethan, but I think Ethan’s overall win was based more in social and likability factors than strategic or gameplay factors. Lex was the true mastermind in strategy, and even he didn’t seem to outshine some games that would follow in the next few seasons with people like Rob Cesternino or Brian Heidi. I do think where Africa has strength is in the atmosphere, and the environment of the season. The live animals and actual hazards made it seem like true and utter survival, which I give it credit for. I do think, until Survivor: Gabon, it was my favorite season to watch for a visual, survivalesque aspect, so I’ll give it that.

Favorite Player: Lex van den Berghe; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Ethan Zohn

28. Survivor: Edge of Extinction (season 38)- I’m not a fan of the edge, but I do think the cast made up for it, in my opinion. I don’t love Joe, but I absolutely adore David, Wentworth, and Aubry, and thought it was interesting to see how the newbies really got the best of all of them. Wardog was such an entertaining presence, and made so many fun blindsides, with Chris off the bat, and then Wentworth later in the game. Victoria was my personal favorite of the season, being in complete control and on the right side of every vote, perfectly playing an “under-the-radar” game. The big issue I have, again, is the Edge, and how it not only screwed the games of people like Victoria and Gavin, but let someone who got voted out on episode 3 come back and win it all. Chris did everything he could in the last 3 days, but I felt like people like Gavin and Victoria, and even Julie, deserved praise for lasting as long as they did. Rick Devens was a fan favorite, but like Chris, he was voted out, so as good as his Ben Drienbergen eseque endgame was, I still don’t think Devens was deserving as this was his second shot already. I did like Reem, and felt like, if I had to watch the edge, I’m glad she was the ambassador of it. I just hate the twist, and prefer Redemption Island if you’re going to have same season returnees, or Outcasts where it only happens once before the merge. The fire making challenge between Devens and Chris is a highlight, but had Chris not won it, I think it would’ve made things a lot worse, as Devens’ edit would’ve just been overbearing if he had actually won. I think the cons unfortunately outweigh the pros, but the cast and returnees are enough to keep it from the very bottom.

Favorite Player: Victoria Baamonde; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Gavin Whitson

27. Survivor: South Pacific (season 23)- I hated Ozzy by the end of Micronesia, and Coach through both his prior seasonal runs, but I ended up liking them both a bunch more after this season. Redemption Island actually played into some strategy, like Ozzy’s Trojan Horse play. It was cool to see Sophie come from behind and beat both Ozzy and Coach in the end, as I really did like Sophie and felt like her edit got in the way of showing her true potential. I know season 40 showed just how good she was too. The season, however, suffers from some truly unbearable side characters like Brandon Hantz and for this season, Cochran, and unmemorable ones like Rick Nelson, Keith, and Whitney. The season was too heavily focused on the big players, but unlike season 22, we got to see a newbie take them down.

Favorite Player: Sophie Clarke; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Sophie Clarke

26. Survivor: Samoa (season 19)- Russell Hantz is very entertaining, but I can’t say the editing didn’t help him. The editing was clearly making this the Russell show, and similar to Rob’s Redemption Island, it seemed like nothing else mattered except for his game. While he made some great moves, I would’ve loved to see Natalie get a bit more airtime and justification of her winning game. I like Natalie, but felt like Russell did outplay her, and had his social game not been so bad, we may be calling him the greatest of all time. The other tribe is actually lots of fun, with an underrated Erik Cardona, Dave Ball, Shambo, Russell Swan, Laura, John, and Brett all being memorable characters, in my opinion. There was something cool about watching the Foa Foa four make it to the end, but I just wish we got more perspective from more than just Russell, and I think it would’ve made the endgame that much more powerful if we had seen Natalie play a really solid game throughout the edit.

Favorite Player: Erik Cardona; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Russell Hantz

25. Survivor: Ghost Island (season 36)- This season isn’t bad, but I don’t love it either. The edit made it very clear we were to root for Dom and Wendell, and I think it did a good job in not favoring one or the other. I was very frustrated with Laurel’s gameplay, and think she’s one of the worst final tribal council contestants ever because of her unwillingness to take down two guys she KNEW would beat her. The Malolo tribe was a very good group of characters—from Stephanie Johnson to James Lim, and Brendan Shapiro as well as Michael Yerger, Jacob Derwin, Donathan. Lots of good characters. The reason why this season is higher than a lot is because of the tiebreaker at the end. It was just an incredibly, all-time favorite moment for me, and truly made up for the heavy Dom and Wendell edit. I finally understood why the edit was so heavily in favor of both of them, and thought it was a really cool and fitting finale to their journey. I would’ve picked Dom as a game player, but still love Wendell as a character even more so. Ghost Island as a twist itself was also a cool way to revisit famous Survivor moments, but the “no game, no play” moments seemed like a waste of time. Overall, not a terrible twist, but could’ve been handled much better.

Favorite Player: Wendell Holland; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Domenick Abbate

24. Survivor: San Juan del Sur (season 29)- I like this season for its characters, and from the moves made by eventual winner Natalie. But I have a problem with Natalie being really the only one making moves other than Josh and Jeremy, who were taken out so early in the merge. John Rocker was unlikable, his girlfriend quitting, which left a poor taste in my mouth. I do think it was fun to watch some of the train wrecks ensue, but I don’t think the gameplay itself was too miraculous from anyone other than Natalie. That being said, Natalie is a great winner. She dominated this season, laying low until the end, going all Kill Bill on the people who ended Jeremy’s game. I wish the family dynamics had played a bit of a bigger part, though the Wentworth and Jon & Jaclyn dynamics were somewhat interesting. I probably wouldn’t rush to rewatch this because of the lack of gameplay and train wreck of some character’s journeys, but I do think the winning game elevates it.

Favorite Player: Natalie Anderson; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Natalie Anderson

23. Survivor: Tocantins (season 18)- I have a love-hate relationship with Tocantins. I love J.T., Stephen, and Taj and think they are a fantastic trio. I absolutely cannot stand Coach, which is where much of the season is dragged down for me. Coach is someone you can’t take seriously, and is fun to laugh at, but when he is present in so much of the episodes, it makes it hard to enjoy anything else. Tyson was someone I felt like was a super unlikable person when I was younger that I’ve only enjoyed more with time, and seeing his blindside was perfect for the season’s arc and Coach’s downfall. I do think J.T. gets a bit too much credit, as Stephen really was the strategic mastermind behind the votes, and J.T. only won because Stephen had a really bad final tribal. I would’ve honestly voted for Stephen, and think J.T.’s perfect game is easy to respect, but hard to fully agree with, as I think Stephen played a far better strategic game. But then again, I’m not on the island.

Favorite Player: Stephen Fishbach; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Stephen Fishbach

22. Survivor: Panama (season 12)- Okay, I really like Panama for its cast. Seeing Terry as the underdog, while also being the strongest guy out there and going on an impressive immunity run; Cirie being a true television treasure; Danielle being a solid character and villain; Courtney and Shane’s amazing dynamic. The only issue I really have is that Aras himself is probably the least exciting of the final six, and wasn’t the most exciting winner. His Blood vs. Water game is honestly way more entertaining and rootable for me, mostly due to the dynamic with Vytas. I feel like the season has a better endgame than pre-merge, but is overall pretty watchable. Also shout out to Dan Barry, one of my favorite early robbed players.

Favorite Player: Terry Deitz; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Danielle DiLorenzo

21. Survivor: Philippines (season 25)- I didn’t love this season as it aired, but looking back, it had all the makings of a great Survivor season. The destruction of the Matsing tribe, Jonathan escaping elimination time and time again, Denise surviving every tribal, and Malcolm being blindsided at final four. It was so so good. I don’t care for the other two finalists, Lisa who seemed to soak up a bit too much airtime, and he who must not be named, but I do think there were enough interesting characters to keep it entertaining. I loved to hate Abi, and felt like the dynamics of Abi, RC, and Pete were great to watch. The reason why this season works so well is because it was the first since All Stars to use the three tribe format, and this allowed for some really great character moments, and less characters were lost in the edit, as the tribes each had only six people to focus on. Even early boots like Zane and Angie made their mark, and people like Carter, Katie, and Dawson were fun to watch for their memorable missteps….or kissing Jeff. I mean, she KISSED JEFF!

Favorite Player: Jonathan Penner; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Denise Stapley

20. Survivor: Cook Islands (season 13)- I don’t exactly love much of the gameplay aside from Yul’s, but I do think the successes of Cook Islands rely in the character moments. From Billy Garcia’s amazing intro to the season with a two episode arc, to Candice and Jonathan’s mutiny, and Ozzy winning so many immunities. I think the cast is strong, and gave us my favorite player of all-time, Parvati, so I gotta thank them for that. It has great character moments, and I wish the idol wasn’t SO powerful that it gave Yul a bit more to work against to prove himself, but I can’t complain. It’s a good season.

Favorite Player: Parvati Shallow; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Yul Kwon

19. Survivor: Fiji (season 14)- Fiji is underrated. The Edgardo blindside is one of the most exciting displays of gameplay in the history of the show, and I think this season truly showed the power of immunity idols and how dynamic they could be used in gameplay. I liked the underdog story with the haves and have nots, though I felt like Sylvia got a bit of a bad deal early on, and would’ve been a much more dynamic player had she lasted longer and not been so easily exiled. Yau-Man is a great hero, and the Dreamz betrayal is great television. I actually think Dreamz’ gameplay deserves more credit, and only gets torn down because of his betrayal. If he had justified the move better and showed more remorse, he may have taken some votes in the end. But the true hero here is Earl, who really dominated the game and played an awesome season. He was the clear winner from the beginning, but I do think someone like Earl is hard to not root for and edit positively. It loses a few points for how Anthony was treated, but I do think the positives here outweigh a lot of the negatives.

Favorite Player: Earl Cole; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Earl Cole

18. Survivor: Guatemala (season 11)- Guatemala is criminally underrated and pretty freaking awesome. The underdogs like Lydia and Rafe making it so far, Danni being smart and not leaking ANYTHING to production, and Stephenie being the biggest target and making it all the way to the end. Those are just the endgame players. You have Judd, an amazing character, Brian Corridan, a great premerge player, Gary Hogeboom, a celebrity who really played hard and impressed me for the most part. Even Cindy Hall, under edited, had a great memorable presence for me. Where the season tends to lose me a bit is how Rafe and Stephenie’s games really fell apart in the end, and how I expected better gameplay from them in the endgame. I think the premiere is certainly one of my favorite Survivor episodes ever, seeing strong people falling from heat stroke in the jungle, a giant trek to start off the season. It only hammers home just how brutal the environmental challenges of the game are. Also shout out to being the first season with the hidden immunity idol, the biggest game changing twist.

Favorite Player: Gary Hogeboom; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Danni Boatwright

17. Survivor: Vanuatu (season 9)- Like Guatemala, this is a criminally underrated season, and even better than Guatemala because the winner is stronger. Seeing Chris being able to outlast all the women was truly impressive, even if Chris wasn’t my cup of tea. I really felt heartbroken by his betrayal of Julie, but the final tribal council performance from Chris really showed me why he deserved to win. He was against all odds, and managed to justify his betrayals in the end. Amazing. I thought Eliza was actually pretty entertaining, and Twila was good television too. The pre-merge is a bit forgettable for me, but I do remember people like John Kenney and Dolly being notable promising contestants that were gone too soon. Overall, entertaining as hell, and a season I think is very underrated.

Favorite Player: Julie Berry; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Chris Daugherty

16. Survivor: Kaoh Rong (season 32)- I’m a big Michele defender, and think she plays a really good social and strategic game. The edit mostly harpooned her likability in the Survivor community. I do think Aubry was such a great player too, and made for a very close final tribal in my opinion. The supporting characters are excellent, a really powerful fighter in Cydney, a wonderful spirit in Tai, and great villains in Scot and Jason. I don’t remember much of the pre-merge except for Caleb’s medical evacuation, and think the game really does pick up more at the merge, but overall, it’s a solid season with one of the most evenly deserving final fours in history.

Favorite Player: Cydney Gillon; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Michele Fitzgerald

15. Survivor: All-Stars (season 8)- Why people hate All-Stars, I’ll never know. I actually really like it, and think Rob and Amber play a dominant duo game. I disagree with Amber winning, as I feel like the jury was just too bitter toward Rob’s amazing play. Rob did apologize for some things, something Russell Hantz never did, and I don’t know why his game is compared, as Rob made it a point to apologize to the likes of Big Tom and all. I think the idea of having all these All-Stars come together is exciting no matter the outcome, something I’ll talk about with Winners at War. Seeing Hatch again, Cesternino, Rudy, Tina, Colby, all of them. It was magical. Granted, they were taken out early, but in those few episodes, we got to see a lot of them, and the merge ended up creating new legacies for players like Rob, Shii Ann, Jenna Lewis, Amber, and Rupert. The Sue Hawk controversy is definitely hard to watch, and I do feel bad, but I do thin the rest of the game is just so much fun to watch, specifically seeing Boston Rob emerge as the true villain we have come to love to hate to love. The good certainly outweighs the bad.

Favorite Player: Rob Mariano; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Rob Mariano

14. Survivor: Borneo (season 1)- You can’t ignore the season that started it all. But the season that started it all is…a bit boring. But who cares? This is the season that gave us a season 20, a season 40, maybe a season 50 or 60. It is iconic and special, and heartwarming. I don’t even have much to say about the gameplay, just how awesome is was to see this bunch of 16 survive on their own, win challenges, vote people out. Rudy and Rich’s relationship is special and groundbreaking for reality tv. Kelly was a great endgame underdog. Sean’s ABC strategic is hilariously brilliant. Sue’s speech is an all-timer. Greg’s coin flip. The awkward beer reward with Jeff. Naked Hatch. All iconic.

Favorite Player: Richard Hatch; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Richard Hatch

13. Survivor: Pearl Islands (season 7)- I very much enjoy Pearl Islands. The characters are great, with an amazing character in Jonny FairPlay, a fantastic merge boot in Savage, and a lovable hero in Rupert. Sandra, while a bit under the radar, really played a solid game with the “anyone but me” strategy, and was a very deserving winner. The Outcast twist didn’t bother me as it happened before the merge, and led to a really fun dynamic with Lill and Burton. The grandmother lie is an infamous moment, and the looting at the beginning of the season was equally entertaining. I think the pirate theme only elevated it. Overall, a solid season that had equally good gameplay as it did character moments, and tied into the themes and twists seamlessly. Not many complaints, to be honest.

Favorite Player: Jonny FairPlay; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Sandra Diaz-Twine

12. Survivor: Gabon (season 17)- I actually love Survivor: Gabon. The cast is so bad, they’re great. It’s an oddball cast, which really makes everything fun to watch. Seeing stereotypical contenders like Ace, Marcus, Dan, and Charlie go out at the halfway point led to a really exciting endgame with underdogs like Sugar, Kenny, Crystal, Susie, Randy, and eventual winner Bob. Matty was the guy I was rooting for the most in the end, and his emotional moment with his girlfriend then fiance, was special and would only be topped by Season 40’s family visit extravaganza. What I love most about Gabon are the visuals. The crystal clear picture quality (being the first season filmed in HD), and the animals and lush greenery, made for a wonderful visual season. Bob is a likable guy, and I”m glad he won, and think his move of making the fake idol doesn’t get enough credit. The episode where Randy’s cookie is stolen by Sugar and given to Matty, only for Randy to then play Bob’s fake idol and get himself voted off, is my favorite episode perhaps of the show’s existence. I wish we could have Randy on every season. I love it all.

Favorite Player: Randy Bailey; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Bob Crowley

11. Survivor: The Australian Outback (season 2)- How can you not love Australia? The setting was great, the final two was amazing, and the cast was pretty awesome too. Even the ones who never came back to Survivor like Elisabeth, Rodger, and Mad Dog Maralyn, end up being some of my favorite characters of the season. This feels like Borneo in the sense that they were still figuring things out, but the gameplay is heightened a bit in strategy, which makes it better, in my opinion. Keith sucks, but I think the rest of the cast makes up for it. Tina is a good winner, and I wished they had given her a bit more of an edit earl on, but do think it was deserved.

Favorite Player: Rodger Bingham; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Tina Wesson

10. Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X (season 33)- I love this season. To have a finale where three players have a SERIOUS case for winning in Jay, David, and Adam means that this season is pretty damn awesome. There were some pre-merge blindsides that were quite exciting like Mari, Lucy, and Michaela. And then there were some really great merge moments like the rock draw, the emotional moments between Jay and Adam, a great talk from Bret and Zeke about sexuality, and an amazing blindside of Jay with a fake idol. Great moments. Adam is a great winner, and I felt like his emotional content almost overshadowed for most just how good his strategic play was. He almost screwed himself at the merge, but bounced back from it really well. I just found myself really rooting for him, and seeing a lot of myself as a Survivor fan, in Adam. David was a great underdog too, who really took control of the game and showed his abilities later on. Where the endgame slightly loses me is Hannah and Ken, who I didn’t really care much for, but I think Ken blindsiding David in the end gives him a bit of merit. I just love the season, and I think it’s mostly due to Adam being the epitome of a super-fan just living his dream. His emotional moments were so powerful, and made his winning game that much easier to root for.

Favorite Player: Adam Klein; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Adam Klein

9. Survivor: Blood vs. Water (season 27)- Such a fun season, with a great pre-merge, merge, post-merge, and finale. I do think the Redemption Island aspect works best here, and created an amazing sacrifice from Rupert, a heroic victory run for Laura Morett, and a stellar underdog win for Tina Wesson. The family dynamics were incredible, Ciera voting out her mom was memorable, Katie being rocked out was sad but great tv, and the pre-merge shenanigans of Brad Culpepper being hated and Colton quitting were fitting for their story arcs in Survivor. For the former, it set up a good redemption arc in season 34, and for the latter, it finally ended his streak on Survivor, showing why he’s probably the worst to ever play. Tyson is a great winner, and finally won me over (as I mentioned, I didn’t love him when I first saw him on Tocantins). I do think his competition of Gervase and Monica wasn’t great as I didn’t love either, but I do think Ciera and Hayden made the endgame extra fun, and having Tina in the mix was also cool. Aras and Vytas had some great rivalry bits as well. Overall, awesome social dynamics and some fun moments that made this a memorable and worthy season of praise.

Favorite Player: Ciera Eastin; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Tyson Apostol

8. Survivor: The Amazon (season 6)- My favorite of the Old School seasons (the first 8), and one of my favorite non-winning games from Rob Cesternino. Rob dominated the strategical aspect of the game, and really changed the way the game was played. Heidi and Jenna were fun supporting characters, and I actually don’t mind Jenna’s win, as I think she won when she had to, and proved herself to really be a solid force to be reckoned with, even if her strategical side was lacking. To see the men fall head over heels for the looks of the women was humorous, and seeing them lose challenges made it fun to laugh at. The men tribe sucked. The social dynamics here are probably the strongest I’ve seen from Survivor, and I really enjoyed seeing the strategy become a formidable part of the game, rather than just survival and social bonds. Gotta love it. Now get me some peanut butter.

Favorite Player: Rob Cesternino; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Jenna Morasca

7. Survivor: David vs. Goliath (season 37)- One of the best new school seasons, with great gameplay from a group of underdogs in Davie, Christian, Carl, and Nick. The way the season played out, with Nick being the last remaining David amongst four Goliaths and winning his way to the end really seemed like a powerful poetic statement of the social dynamics of the season. The pre-merge was full of amazing moments and characters, Napalm Natalie being the reason for the best of them all, JACKET GATE. The Idol nullifier was a fun twist, and was used perfectly to make a great blindside in Dan, following an amazing vote split blindside of John. It was so poetic in literally everything that happened, even at the get-go with Pat, the face of this David vs. Goliath season, being the person taken out by a medical emergency, making the Davids underdogs off the bat. When the narrative pairs perfectly with the twist here, I can’t not put it amongst my favorite seasons of all time. Haven’t rewatched it as much as the others, but I have a feeling it holds up.

Favorite Player: Davie Rickenbacker; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Nick Wilson

6. Survivor: Cagayan (season 28)- The first season of llama speaker Tony, the greatest to ever play Survivor. I am amazed at how entertaining this season is from start to finish. While I didn’t care for Trish, I loved the dynamic between her and Tony, and felt like the blindside was one of the highlights of the season for me. Sarah Lacina wasn’t a huge player this time, but her blindside is equally surprising and satisfying. What I love about this season is how Kass and Tony literally got wherever the wind blows them, and how successfully they play that style of gameplay, one playing with a much stronger social game than the other. Seeing Woo make the wrong move and giving a satisfying winner was a blessing, and Spencer was a fun underdog to root for and against. Tony is the main star here, though, really subverting the stereotypical controlling dominant winner. He thought outside the box, brought new levels of fun and creativity to strategy, and managed to be entertaining all at once. From the pre-merge to post-merge to finale, we had so many amazing characters, and the train wrecks here weren’t train wrecks for being clueless game players, but because they were so explosive and flashy in their gameplay. I just love it from an entertainment aspect, and especially from a gameplay one.

Favorite Player: Tony Vlachos; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Tony Vlachos

5. Survivor: Winners at War (season 40)- The trickiest to rank, as I’ve only seen the season twice. I do think seeing the Old Schools go back to back to back to back etc. was tough to watch, but felt poetic, as the next generation of Survivor greats was emerging, similar to how I felt with the All Stars threats all going early. Denise idling out Sandra was fun, Michele proving herself as a worthy winner was great, and seeing Rob cry was touching to see. The family visit is iconic, Adam was a fun pre-merge and Fleur De Lis presence, and seeing Sarah and Tony’s multi-season arc coming to a fitting fire making challenge was emotional as ever. Lets talk about Tony. What a win! He was incredible in keeping his radar low until it was time to strike. He never received a single vote, and ended up getting lots of respect for playing outside the box—yet again—and doing everything he could’ve to ensure his spot in the end. The best winner, in my opinion. I have to give credit to both Lacina and Sophie, who played amazing games, and were only bested by Tony (one by fire, one by blindside). My only issue here is with the edge, which took a bit of editing time away from the real game (especially in Tyson’s second boot episode), and gave a bit TOO much power to those on the Edge. Yul did better than Tyson in the game, but Tyson wins the challenge because he was on edge longer and bought peanut butter?? Hmmm, it just doesn’t add up. Regardless, if there was any season to have the Edge, it’s this one. We still get to see Parvati and Ethan and Rob and Amber, even if they go pre-merge, which is something I honestly wish we had in Heroes vs. Villains, as the pre-merge characters are so good. But I do think they should’ve ended it at the merge, and I think Natalie coming back so late in the game seemed to take away from how well Michele, Tony, Lacina, Ben, and Denise did in getting so far on their own. Fire tokens were a fun new addition, but I wish the voted out players didn’t have such a heavy influence on what was happening in the game. All these qualms aside, how can I not love seeing all of these winners back on screen together? I never imagined it to be possible, and it was quite magical to watch all of them playing with each other. The best blindsides didn’t rely on advantages, like Ethan or Sophie’s boots, and I think the stakes were so high, it made every episode so exciting. Maybe not my favorite season of all time, but I do think it satisfied, especially in it’s first few episodes and its epic finale. Just no more edge, ever again, please.

Favorite Player: Tony Vlachos; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Tony Vlachos

4. Survivor: Cambodia (season 31)- Such a good season, and my favorite of the 30s, because of its winner, and the way the cast incorporated new school and old school gameplay. There were voting blocks, which made things exciting, while some players stuck to loyalty and alliances, and in the end, both strategies end up paying off for Jeremy, one of my all-time favorite winners. Jeremy played a dominant game, but was never flashy about it, which I really respected. I loved how seamlessly he kept bigger threats in front of his own. I think Ciera, Abi, and Wentworth become fun underdogs in the post-merge, and pre-problematic Varner makes a fun pre-merge villain, the best of the pre-merge contestants. The cast itself is so good, because they were all hand-picked by fans, which made it feel special and personalized. Kelly Wiglesworth, while underwhelming, still found a way to make us happy just by showing up in the first place. People we thought we’d never see again, like Varner, Savage, Deitz, Kimmi Kappenberg, and Peih-Gee were on our screens again, and I was so excited. The only real duds of the cast, in my opinion, were Monica and Shirin, which is a pretty good ratio to me between bad and good casting. Spencer is another fun character to watch, and had Jeremy not been so dominant, could’ve gotten some votes in the end. The final six vote is a lot of fun and adds lots of complexity to the game. Overall, a great strategic season, and a wonderful winning game from Mr. Collins.

Favorite Player: Jeremy Collins; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Jeremy Collins

3. Survivor: China (season 15)- DAYUM. Anyone who knows me knows that China will always hold a special place in my heart as the first season I ever watched. The pre-merge is entertaining, with characters like Chicken, Dave, Aaron, and Leslie being some seriously dynamic and entertaining personalities. You have some of Survivor’s best villains in Jean-Robert, Courtney, and even Todd. And equally good heroes in Amanda, Peih-Gee, and James. The gameplay is consistently good throughout, from the James blindside, to the Jamie fake idol play, and Todd’s endgame being able to convince the jury that he should win over the clear favorite Amanda. Todd’s final tribal performance is one of my absolute favorites, and really hammers home why he’s such a good winner. What I also love about China is the culture that is woven through the season, in both its location and its challenges. The Chinese culture gives this season such a unique and distinct presence, and leads to some emotional moments, especially in the premiere with Leslie and moments throughout with Peih-Gee and her heritage. Hiding the immunity idols in plain sight was also a phenomenal little twist, and only emphasizes why Todd is such a smart player. Courtney Yates is entertaining as ever. I love this cast so much, and it is easily my favorite non-returnee season for sure.

Favorite Player: Todd Herzog; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Todd Herzog

2. Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (season 20)- Had the heroes not been picked off so quickly at the merge, this would probably be my favorite season, but it’s still number two because it’s SPECTACULAR. Seeing the push and pull between legends like James vs. Steph, Tom vs. Cirie, Rob vs. Russell. It was all so so good. Sandra getting Coach out was great, and continuing to allow Russell to make all the enemies. Sandra is a great winner because she made sure she did enough to survive, while still being nice enough to the opposing side to justify a win. She went toe to toe with Russell, and prevailed. Parvati is the true winner in my book, making amazing moves against Tyson (credit to Russell too) and then J.T., going from everyone’s biggest target to a second place runner up. Magical stuff. Again, seeing the Heroes go out back to back to back at the merge sucked, just because it made it a bit predictable, but the Danielle boot that broke it up kept things exciting and entertaining. Colby, the game’s first hero, being the last hero standing was extremely poetic, even if it was a bit disappointing, and seeing Rupert, the most popular player ever, give Sandra the million for the SECOND time (Pearl Islands, then now) was extremely lovely to see, as Sandra showed how she bridged the heroes and villains gap enough to earn respect, while still maintain her villainous ways. I think the season is almost perfect, with the pre-merge being just so much fun, even at the expense of favorites like Rob and Cirie. J.T. giving Russell the idol would’ve paid off if he was right, but seeing him be wrong and get blindsided with that idol was an amazing moment. I just love it all. The best cast ever established, full of equal characters and game players, and I think it’s the perfect way to transition from Old School to New School. The three best players sat in the end, and that makes it all the more fitting in this top 2 ranking. The only one to top it is the one that my girl Parv actually won.

Favorite Player: Parvati Shallow; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Parvati Shallow

1. Survivor: Micronesia (season 16)- Wow, what an amazing season. The fans aren’t the most memorable, but the season gets rid of the duds in the first few episodes, giving us a truly dynamic game from the tribe swap forward. Even Kathy, the quitter, shows some real humanity and emotion, that makes us almost feel for her when she quits (something I can’t give Pearl Islands, Nicaragua, or San Juan del Sur’s quitters credit for). Seeing FairPlay and Yau-Man go home so early was tough, but like I said, everything from the swap forward makes up for ALL of it. Ozzy making a fake idol, tricking Jason, booting Eliza, then to be sent out with his own. AMAZING. Seeing Ozzy cry about it and be a sore loser? Even better. Watching Cirie, Amanda, and Parvati dominate the game was incredible, and seeing Erik, the underdog, essentially give up a million dollars in a crazy blindside….utterly fantastic stuff. The fans were truly fans and played hard, from Joel early on, to Tracey, and then Jason and Alexis and Natalie and Erik. It was admirable, but seeing the Favorites still prevail was great. Cirie was robbed in the end, but I do think we got a satisfying final two regardless, with Amanda once again butchering her final tribal, and Parvati proving why she is one of the best of all time. Certainly my favorite player of all time, which may be why I love this season so much. The challenges are memorable, with the water bucket challenge engraved in my mind till death, and an amazing final immunity that is tense as ever. I saw this season for the first time having only seen China, but I still loved every moment. Going back and seeing the first 15 seasons, THEN watching this, I loved it even more.

Favorite Player: Parvati Shallow; Who I Would’ve Voted for in Final Tribal: Parvati Shallow

And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed these rankings. It took MULTIPLE hours to write, and twenty years of watching Survivor to create. I love the show, and I’m grateful for this spectacular life-changing social experiment. My favorite game of all time.

In case anyone needs a recap:

1. Micronesia
2. Heroes vs. Villains
3. China
4. Cambodia
5. Winners at War
6. Cagayan
7. David vs. Goliath
8. The Amazon
9. Blood vs. Water
10. Millennials vs. Gen X
11. The Australian Outback
12. Gabon
13. Pearl Islands
14. Borneo
15. All-Stars
16. Kaoh Rong
17. Vanuatu
18. Guatemala
19. Fiji
20. Cook Islands
21. Philippines
22. Panama
23. Tocantins
24. San Juan del Sur
25. Ghost Island
26. Samoa
27. South Pacific
28. Edge of Extinction
29. Africa
30. Marquesas
31. Game Changers
32. Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
33. Palau
34. Redemption Island
35. Caramoan
36. One World
37. Island of the Idols
38. Worlds Apart
39. Thailand
40. Nicaragua

#survivor
#casting

Comments

Here are the seasons which I would've voted for a different person than who actually won:
Worlds Apart, Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, Marquesas, Edge of Extinction, Samoa, Ghost Island, Tocantins, Panama, All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains

Sent by PowerRankings101,May 31, 2020

Favorite 5 winners: Parvati Shallow, Tony Vlachos, Jeremy Collins, Kim Spradlin, Todd Herzog

Sent by PowerRankings101,May 31, 2020

Thank you to all who read...I spent lot of time on it. Much love xoxo

Sent by PowerRankings101,May 31, 2020

when three of the top five seasons have parvati. the true queen.

Sent by BigBrother_78,May 31, 2020

BigBrother_78 Oh absolutely, my favorite player ever. But also, James and Amanda happen to be in all of the top THREE!

Sent by PowerRankings101,May 31, 2020

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Survivor 20th Anniversary Season Power Rankings (Seasons 1-40)

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