Favorite Survivor season ever?

[MrYunis]

Hello guys. I'm new to this forum, been reading on here for quite some time, so I know some of the regular posters here.

I don't know how active this forum is when Survivor isn't on. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Forgive me if this thread has been done before, if so, delete or close this one. I have read numerous top 10's from many of you guys of your favorite seasons. I would like to know the overall favorite season in here? I have a feeling it might be Borneo but I could be surprised.

You can only vote once, so you have to vote for your personal favorite Survivor season of all time. Please explain your decision as well if possible.

My favorite season is season 28 (Cagayan). It was the first time where I saw a cast where just about everyone came to play. No one was happy with 2nd place. Great moves, great drama, fantastic entertainment. It doesn't hurt that two of my favorites (of all time) made it to the final 2 that season. It rarely happens when my favorites make it to the end (and even win), so I was ecstatic when Woo took Tony to the end.

Probably one of the funniest seasons as well. As far as I could tell there was no bad blood between any of the contestants when the show was over. I don't remember if Sarah was still bitter at Tony though.

Edited June 9, 2017 by MrYunis

[KimberStormer]

Micronesia for me!  So much going on every minute (some people think the pre-merge is boring....but those people are crazy), that location which was used for a few seasons is beautiful, super entertaining cast, memorable challenges, Exile Island, my favorite won and not even by playing boring old-school Survivor. . . it's the one where everything worked for me.

[MrYunis]

Micronesia pretty much had the opposite effect on me. When the favorite tribe was introduced I was hyped. James, Fairplay, Yao-Man, Jonathan & Ozzy. Probably the season where I had so many people to root for (also the big guy on the fans tribe, forgot his name). It was a big let-down for me when Erik gave up his immunity and I stopped watching the season after that. I might have to watch it again but I've never been a fan of Parvati, so knowing she ends up winning probably kept me away from watching it back for so many years.

[Daisy]

Okie dokes. this is a bit complicated. 

The finale/reunion of Survivor: Australia. Without this i wouldn't know they were going to Africa. I was in such a Mother Africa kick when i was 16 (not as much as Linda!), but I've always said had they gone anywhere else, I wouldn't have watched the show. So that would mean Africa is 'my favourite' because of that connection. 

Overall - I have to say Micronesia. It had everything. So many laugh out loud moments, really great gameplay,it had a decent enough pre-merge as well. like every episode had something and a lot of the storylines from Day 1, really carried forward for most of the show. I don't know what Kimber means by "Old School Survivor." but I think it was the perfect merge of old-school survivor traits with some stuff I wasn't tired of (yet) like Exile island. (just for the Cirie tired-laughing, we walked across the ocean. and then the clue told us we had to go back across the ocean). There was a great blend of challenges/storylines, and other than being robbed. robbed! of a Cirie vs. Parvarti final I'm happy Parv won and at the time I didn't like Parvarti (but it wasn't against her i just thought like Amber she was a "cute girl bringer-inner" but it was how she played that really cottoned me to her and how she played - something that crystalized in HvV - which is my Second favourite, for the same reasons as Micronesia)

[KimberStormer]

3 hours ago, Daisy said:

 I don't know what Kimber means by "Old School Survivor." but I think it was the perfect merge of old-school survivor traits with some stuff I wasn't tired of (yet) like Exile island.

By "boring old-school Survivor" here I mean: get alliance, be at top of alliance, win challenges pre-merge, Pagong other tribe, vote out non-alliance members of your tribe, win game.  No idols, no Big Moves to enrage the fans.  Examples: Richard, Tom, Kim, Jeremy, Sophie, Todd.  Parvati didn't win this way because she made a Big Move or two, egads the horror!  I love several winners who played Boring Old-School Survivor but I can't help but wish they had gotten to play Exciting Big Moves Survivor, because I am the reason Survivor fans can't have nice things and I love Cirie-style Big Moves more than anything else.

But I don't mean the season as a whole, which was in that mid-period Survivor sweet spot, as you say.

[MissEwa]

I went with Micronesia, on balance, although HvV was probably a close second, for the reasons outlined by @Daisy and @KimberStormer. It's not perfect but on balance, it's my favourite - good casting, good moves, edited so you could follow what was happening (and the one and only time I liked being blindsided by an idol find at tribal), my all-time favourite location, good winner. 

Even with just nine votes I have to say I'm already fascinated by the results of this poll. 

[simplyme]

For some reason, Cook Islands ends up being my favorite. It isn't just the mutiny and the Aitu Four, but everyone that season had their own idea of how to play the game, and they played hard. Even though Ozzy won four of the last five immunity challenges, there were SO many people that season that were physical and mental competitors: Parvati, Yul, Candice, Adam, Nate, Jenny. And Cao Boy literally dreamed up Plan Voodoo, a plan that would expose and flush the hidden immunity idol. So even though I usually talk about other seasons more, Cook Islands (and Yul) get my Favorite Season love.

I've always felt like Fiji had a lot of potential, but that Haves vs. Have Nots thing was brutal. That and boy, there were a few toxic personalities that season that stayed around way too long. I'm looking at you, Rocky and Lisi.

I loved Micronesia, but there was a lot of dead weight on that cast. Pitting fans against favorites generally ends up with very few memorable fans for a reason. Most end up being fodder. That said, the Black Widows played a great game.

Cagayan... I've decided I'm going to have to see if a rewatch helps me clarify my feelings on it. It was an exciting season, but it was also incredibly frustrating to watch. I can't tell if Tony wins because he's brilliant (but paranoid), or if he wins because people are stupid and he rides his idols, especially the never-should-have-come-back Tyler Perry immunity idol. There's a reason they got rid of that type of immunity. And Woo... Oh my God. Could you be any dumber? Taking Tony instead of Kass to F2? So I want to rewatch and see what solidifies for me on rewatch. (Almost done with rewatching S20, so it'll be a while. Our rewatch schedule got postponed due to a neck issue. S20 is like the season that never ends for us because of that.)

Also, welcome to the forum, @MrYunis! You sure started posting with a good 'un.

[Daisy]

Thanks Kimber. 

I liked Cook Islands too. to be honest with you, I can't even lie. I love the first 20 seasons so much. 

Borneo is great because it's the birth of the game (and though while it is really slow 'now' it has great iconic moments). I do think too there were more things that could have been shown - ie: Sue and Kelly's friendship and exactly how that friendship burned up (like it still amazes me it's just that Kelly was playing nice w/Colleen + Jenna). 

Australia was great because of just the dynamics of the cast, I think I never got why Jerri was the "black widow" (unless it was for the jerky thing, and I always felt Kel had jerky). and I was really team Kucha too (also I still never got why people hated Keith that much but i mean everyone did not like him). 

Africa, again - sentimental spot for me due to my first survivor full season. I know people don't like this one as much because Ethan was a 'nice guy' winner, and it was landlocked and boring but you always remember your first (teehee). 

Marqueas - for me.. in the top 10 of my favourite seasons, because it's Borneo - 2.0 but someone pressed fastforward. And theoretically the "Rich" still won the season. (as Vee didn't have issues, flipping flopping, making alliances that suited her etc) where Neleh was the "kelly" staying loyal to her convictions and the storylines were really great. 

Thailand - a slow season but I don't know. I just enjoyed it for whatever reason. i call this the prologue to Palau. (it's very similar). 

Amazon was a great season. I like it better with time (i think things like Rob/Jenna's commentary and the evolution of survivor makes me appreciate this one). 

(I mean i can go on and on, so I'll stop hahaha). I think the first 10 seasons show several ways you can play, the next 10 while i think it struggled with some concepts at times (i know people had an issue with gender split tribes and the racial split tribes)   exile island (when done well, always works for the most part). 20 through 30 was a little bit more... Narrative driven and instead of enjoying the season it's more of "this is the story of whom we like.". 

so far between 33 and 35.... I loved Second Chances a lot and MvGX. I liked Aubry's season as well... but just liked. Worlds Apart brrzzt and gamechangers.. i'm gonna give it a brrzzt too. 

 

[KimberStormer]

1 hour ago, MissEwa said:

Even with just nine votes I have to say I'm already fascinated by the results of this poll. 

Agreed!  I love that there's a San Juan Del Sur superfan here!

[MissEwa]

31 minutes ago, KimberStormer said:

Agreed!  I love that there's a San Juan Del Sur superfan here!

Heh. I kind of feel like you can't throw a curveball like that in without explaining why...

It's so interesting that we have the same favourite, @Daisy, because I didn't start watching until season 19 and the five season I've never seen are Borneo (started it, but I think it's a hard season to come back to if you're a Modern Survivor person), Africa, Marquesas, Thailand and Gabon. And while I really liked Australian Outback I didn't watch the finale - that would have been a great season but those extra three days and one or two episodes just killed it. I hate the six-person finales because they're too much but that last episode of Outback was sooooo sloooooow I couldn't even finish it (and it's not like I didn't know how it ended). 

Another factor is that it's a totally different experience watching seasons for the first time in real time not knowing how they end versus a first-time binge while knowing the winner. Everything I've seen pre-S19 I've known who won which took a lot of the suspense out of it, although sometimes was reassuring - I don't think I could have watched Fiji not knowing Earl won, or Exile Island not knowing that Terry didn't. 

I do like almost all of the pre-s19 seasons I've seen though. My other top picks are probably Cook Islands and Pearl Islands (both, again, it really helped knowing how they were going to end). I also really like China and think Guatemala is hugely underrated. I like All Stars more than I think I should. The only ones I struggled with were Vanuatu (I watched the first few episodes and then came back to it months later. It just didn't hold my attention) and Fiji - but that was mostly because it was really brutal to watch, even knowing who won. 

S19 onwards, my faves are HvV, One World (I just really really really like Kim), Phillipines (I just really really really like Malcolm, and Denise is pretty great), Game Changers and MvGenX. I have a soft spot for Samoa, because it was my first whole Survivor viewing experience, and the evil little dude lost to one of those dumb girls he spent the first half of the season mocking. I - unpopular opinion - also like Rob, so it was nice to see him win, even with all the asterisks. 

Edited June 10, 2017 by MissEwa

[LadyChatts]

I'm going to go with Amazon.  A tribe twist that didn't completely tank or suck.  A young 20 something male being the first boot for the first time in Survivor history.  Fun, interesting, and memorable personalities.  This was a season that proved you could have good, unpredictable game play without needing idols or show intervention.  Seeing people who were overly cocky about their position in the game getting blindsided (before they turned every vote into a blindside), and people never learning that they might not be in control.  And, at the time, a surprising outcome.  Jenna's victory makes perfect sense, but back then, I would have bet everything I owned on Matt winning (of course, CBS spoiled the ending right before the vote reveal, when they accidentally showed the caption "Jenna's family").  Some other highlights: Rob C doing a Casey Kasem dedication to Roger when he voted him out, Butch getting completely wasted at camp, crazy Matt and the machete sharpening, Shawna wanting to get voted out claiming she was sick and over it, then perking up once the tribe swap happened and they got boys at their camp, the camp being burned down, Christy saving all her money at the auction and spending it on a love letter from home (and Jenna being annoyed that she would dare outbid her-I know Jenna's mom had cancer at the time, but Christy hadn't bought anything at that point), some of my all time favorite challenges, and I loved the location.  I remember how big a deal it was to have Christy, the first ever deaf contestant.  Oh, and of course, Jenna and Heidi getting naked for peanut butter.     

[NutMeg]

That was a tough one. I ended up voting for Heroes vs. Villains because it was both an entertaining season and ended up with a winner I was happy with. I could have as easily chosen Micronesia, Cook Islands or Guatemala, or even Amazon, the only season I watched years after it had run. What tipped the balance is that there was no vote for Heroes vs. Villains when I voted, and that just didn't seem right :)

It would be interesting to have people only voting on endgame (at least after the merge), or on winners, although that last one has been discussed extensively in other threads. Guatemala was good even before the merge, which is not even the case - I'd even go as far as to say it was even better before the merge, because there were so many interesting contestants. Micronesia, well, we all know that we love it, don't we? Cook Islands had this group of 4 people who against all odds bested and 8 people tribe to become the F4, for maybe the first time ever - it also had a few "oddballs" that I would have liked to see last longer; I also liked that, armed with a (granted, way too powerful [not so hidden] immunity idol), Yul didn't go the way Terry had and found a way to secure the safety of the 4, and that the F3 included at least two people who had been instrumental to getting themselves there, and that the vote was so close between two of them. Panama deserves some love too, for this wonderful misfits tribe who took out their opponents one by one without ever letting go of their internal dysfunction but also without letting it interfere when they had to work together. Amazon had a great cast too. I'd add One World, but really mostly for the second half of the game. The later seasons, well I've enjoyed watching them, but none has blown me away, or proven unforgettable.

[Oholibamah]

My litmus test for "favorite season" was revealed in how I felt rewatching each one with somebody who hadn't seen them. For a lot of them I would "count down" the episodes until a certain big episode or moment would happen.

With Micronesia that never happened, because every episode had a big play or a memorable moment or a blindside or just a fucking stick, and there was no waiting game or counting down episodes. It was like a symphony of perfection from start to finish. 

Watching in real-time is admittedly different: there's a dynamic of bingewatching and watching week to week that some seasons do better than others. For example, sloughing through weekly episodes of MvGX was impossible, but the season was admittedly good when taken all at once. Meanwhile something like Outback keeps you wanting more week to week, but is very slow to binge. The seasons I can recall being insanely excited about watching each week would be Cambodia and Pearl Islands. I even rewatched the Pearl Islands premerge before the merge started, which I haven't done before or since (although this is likely a function of being 15 and having a ton of free time).

And then, there are emotional reasons as mentioned by Daisy. For me it would be Heroes v Villains: I stopped watching Samoa halfway through and vowed to never watch again, but the promise of Rob, Courtney and Parvati brought me back and delivered.

I also think of Africa fondly because Kelly Goldsmith was my TV Girlfriend/Beard for a long-ass time. I had her face on a t-shirt, celebrated her birthday, and did school projects about her. Creepy now, hopefully cute at 13. But I tried rewatching this recently and it gets very dull after she's booted, although I don't think thats the only reason. 

[simplyme]

I also have to confess that some of the seasons I haven't seen. Pearl Islands was my first, and I loved it. I've recently gone back and tried (four times) to watch Borneo and failed. Miserably. It's like, "Wth is this documentary on bumbling fools we cast adrift in Africa, and is Greg a serial killer or the first person playing a character?" I think the farthest I got was through three or four episodes, but it felt like it took twenty hours. (Honestly, it's the same suffocating feeling of boredom I got watching the The Age of Innocence, my sis-in-law's favorite movie. The one that when it ended, I said to my bro, "How did you stay conscious? That was god awful boring." His response, "Uh, I only finished because I thought you were enjoying it. That was painful." We now admit when we're bored to avoid such torture.) Anyways, I'm relieved @MissEwa didn't make it through Borneo either. Maybe they'll still let me have my Survivor fan badge.

I've watched and enjoyed most of Africa, though I stalled right before the finale and just haven't gone back. I should finish, but I usually find the final episodes to be one of the most boring, especially if I already know who wins, so I'm finding it hard to muster the interest when there are other options. The rest of the season was good though, and the location was amazing.

[MrYunis]

Wow I must admit I'm surprised by the love Micronesia gets. It had the potential to be one of the best Survivors ever but failed miserably in my opinion.

The first old school Survivor I probably enjoyed was Pearl Islands. Rupert and Fairplay were both hilarious on that season. Also being a wrestling fan, I loved how every time Fairplay would go up to vote, he would do a wrestler's catchphrase.

I guess I'm in the minority here again like I am with Cagayan but I loved Samoa. How they just let Russell play the way he did is their own fault. It was however his own fault that the 2nd most undeserving winner of all time beat him in the final. The most undeserving winner of all time is Michelle from Koah Rong. I just re-watched it to see what moves she made.. Still looking.

[simplyme]

Heh. This is awesome. @MrYunis is the yin to my yang (or vice versa)! I think we appreciate different characters and styles of play. I really liked Natalie White from Samoa and think her game is undervalued. I can see some awesome discussions in the future. :)

@KimberStormer tends to get stuck in the role of defending JT, who I dislike heartily, so if you're a JT fan she may welcome the help.

[NutMeg]

Pearl Islands was also my first Survivor season and I was hooked, it became my weekly must-see and the show has remained so since. I think Fiji cooled my ardour a bit, but China started better and was gorgeous to watch, and after the amazing Micronesia, Gabon, while interesting at the start, couldn't match up. So I guess that since Fiji I've started to notice the unevenness in seasons, but in a way that makes it more fun: a season start and I go into it blind, not knowing what to expect. Some people will impress me, some won't, some will evolve in a way I never would have seen coming, both in a good way or imploding, and the sheer surprise and expectation of what could and sometimes does happen keeps me watching. 

ETA: I see I'm still the lone champion for Heroes vs. Villains :) So glad I voted for it to prevent a no point score :)

Edited June 10, 2017 by NutMeg

[LadyChatts]

I get what people are saying about Borneo and some of the old school seasons feeling like a chore to watch (if you can get through them at all).  I've been making the effort to re watch the older seasons (Borneo, Thailand, and Outback), and I think a lot of it is the slower pace compared to today. They have all the elements I miss, but I'll find myself saying 'okay can we get to something exciting now.'  Borneo especially is like that pilot TV season that does really well, but they decide to change everything for the rest of the series run.  

I re watched Cook Islands recently, and while it is still a top 10 season for me (especially where challenges are concerned-why can't they re use some of those?) I find myself not liking it as much as before.  The Aitu 4 kicking Raro's ass wasn't as exciting on re watch, and I actually found some of the Raro members-dare I say-appealing?  I still can't understand how Candice has come back twice, although I'm glad she was included for BvsW since we got to meet her hubby.  I actually found Adam and Nate to be a lot funnier than I remember.  I'd love to see both of them play again.  Cao Boi I also had a new found appreciation for, and wish he had gotten a better edit than eccentric oddball, even if that was part of his charm.  But he definitely seemed smarter and wiser than they gave him credit for.

[MrYunis]

8 minutes ago, LadyChatts said:

I re watched Cook Islands recently, and while it is still a top 10 season for me (especially where challenges are concerned-why can't they re use some of those?) I find myself not liking it as much as before.  The Aitu 4 kicking Raro's ass wasn't as exciting on re watch, and I actually found some of the Raro members-dare I say-appealing?  I still can't understand how Candice has come back twice, although I'm glad she was included for BvsW since we got to meet her hubby.  I actually found Adam and Nate to be a lot funnier than I remember.  I'd love to see both of them play again.  Cao Boi I also had a new found appreciation for, and wish he had gotten a better edit than eccentric oddball, even if that was part of his charm.  But he definitely seemed smarter and wiser than they gave him credit for.

Cook Islands is definitely in my top 10. Main reason is because of Cao Boi but the other reason is definitely because of the Aitu 4. I did like Nate and Jonathan on the other tribe but I liked the underdog story and how they kept sending Candice to Exile Island. I do agree with you on Candice though. How she was invited back again I will never understand. Also one of the best moments of the season was when Jonathan re-joined the old Aitu after betraying them at the mutiny.

[simplyme]

Candice was invited back because she was an absolute force in challenges. In that cling-to-a-pole-while-two-people-try-to-pry-you-off challenge, she was a monster. She also clung to the totem pole in Get a Grip for 2 hours and 15 minutes through a rain storm to make Ozzy earn his first ever victory in that immunity challenge. And until she mutinied, most people on both tribes seemed to like her (although Becky started voicing reservations about trusting her).

My read is that she didn't feel like anyone had her back at Aitu. Penner, the person she knew the longest and was supposedly closest to, was talking to Yul a lot. She didn't trust Penner. She knew Yul and Becky were a solid two. Back at Raro, though, she felt Adam and Parvati would have her back and she could make inroads with the others. When the chance to switch came, why wait and try to explain why she didn't move when she had the chance? She didn't expect Penner to follow, or the mutiny to bond the Aitu 4 and motivate them, or for Yul to sway Penner with the idol. From her perspective, her plan made sense for her game, and she didn't do it out of malice. But from the viewer perspective, I think it made her unintentionally come off as a mean girl, and after that she had a huge target on her. I don't know if she would have mutinied if she'd realized that Penner would too and that what was left of Aitu would HATE her.

I mean, it was a pretty critical mistake to make, but I can totally see how it's a logical move to make for her, especially in the 10 seconds she's allowed to think about it. She's obviously been thinking about joining back up with Adam and Parv, so why not then? Five seconds left!

I rewatched Cook Islands recently, and I admit I found a new appreciation for Candice in there. I also found Adam and Nate a lot more amusing on rewatch, and in the earlier episodes I took great delight in trying to read Brad's face. There's one scene where JP is being a jerk and he and Adam just kind of glance at each other like, "Am I the only one not loving this guy? No?" Then they glance away.

Honestly, rewatching made me wish Adam had wandered back at some point. He was smart. He was funny. He was athletic. He was certainly better at the social game than Penner was, and I don't just think that's because of their ages. Everyone who meets Penner knows very shortly that Penner is all about Penner and advancing in the game. Adam hides that better.

Edited June 10, 2017 by simplyme

[MrYunis]

1 hour ago, simplyme said:

My read is that she didn't feel like anyone had her back at Aitu. Penner, the person she knew the longest and was supposedly closest to, was talking to Yul a lot. She didn't trust Penner. She knew Yul and Becky were a solid two. Back at Raro, though, she felt Adam and Parvati would have her back and she could make inroads with the others. When the chance to switch came, why wait and try to explain why she didn't move when she had the chance? She didn't expect Penner to follow, or the mutiny to bond the Aitu 4 and motivate them, or for Yul to sway Penner with the idol. From her perspective, her plan made sense for her game, and she didn't do it out of malice. But from the viewer perspective, I think it made her unintentionally come off as a mean girl, and after that she had a huge target on her. I don't know if she would have mutinied if she'd realized that Penner would too and that what was left of Aitu would HATE her.

I'm not bashing her for the move, in fact it was a very ballsy move and could have changed the game in her favor had her tribe won one or two challenges against Aitu. I just find her boring, that's all. Going by the logic of bringing her back because of her strength in challenges, I guess Laura (Ciera's mom) should get a 3rd try as well. They're both very similar to me; strong in challenges but pretty boring to watch.

[simplyme]

20 minutes ago, MrYunis said:

I'm not bashing her for the move, in fact it was a very ballsy move and could have changed the game in her favor had her tribe won one or two challenges against Aitu. I just find her boring, that's all. Going by the logic of bringing her back because of her strength in challenges, I guess Laura (Ciera's mom) should get a 3rd try as well. They're both very similar to me; strong in challenges but pretty boring to watch.

Oh, I'm not knocking you. I'm sorry if it at all came across that way. I'm just explaining why I think she was brought back, especially since several people mentioned it. And I can see finding Candice boring. She doesn't show a whole lot of emotion most of the time. I think most of us find her shining emotional moment to be flipping off Brad Culpepper in BvW.

As to Laura, I loved watching Laura in challenges. I don't know that she necessarily deserves a third shot because while she's amazing at challenges, her social game isn't very good. Then again, I could say the same for Ozzy and he's played four times, and her own daughter Ciera has played three. I'd much rather see Laura than Ciera. (Pleeeease enough with Ciera.)

Most if all, though, I want to see new people right now. For God's sake. 

Also...As far as I can tell whether or not someone is brought back has a lot to do with how production feels about them, not what they did or didn't do or how viewers feel. I think Game Changers (insert hysterical laughter here) should have proved that. I mean, Caleb? C'mon. Production brought him back because they thought he had a cross-over fanbase from BB and Probst liked him, not because "He almost died for Survivor!" was game-changing. (If it was, Russell Swan is wondering what happened to his call.) 

[Nalan]

On ‎6‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 1:01 PM, MrYunis said:

It doesn't hurt that two of my favorites (of all time) made it to the final 2 that season. It rarely happens when my favorites make it to the end (and even win), so I was ecstatic when Woo took Tony to the end.

I don't know how that F2 can be anyone's favorite, but whatever.

[Nalan]

7 hours ago, MrYunis said:

It was however his own fault that the 2nd most undeserving winner of all time beat him in the final.

Dude.  If you really think Natalie was undeserving of beating Russell, you really weren't paying attention.

[MissEwa]

5 hours ago, NutMeg said:

ETA: I see I'm still the lone champion for Heroes vs. Villains :) So glad I voted for it to prevent a no point score :)

That's the problem with a single-answer poll. I think if you could choose three, or give points to your top 3/5, HvV would be going quite well. It deserves more love - even if it's not quite up to Micronesia ;) 

5 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

I get what people are saying about Borneo and some of the old school seasons feeling like a chore to watch (if you can get through them at all).  I've been making the effort to re watch the older seasons (Borneo, Thailand, and Outback), and I think a lot of it is the slower pace compared to today. They have all the elements I miss, but I'll find myself saying 'okay can we get to something exciting now.'  Borneo especially is like that pilot TV season that does really well, but they decide to change everything for the rest of the series run.  

I think this is it. It's not bad, it's just slow. And if you already know what happens, and you're not used to that pace, it can feel like a slog. Plus it's just not as nice to watch - I don't know when Survivor switched to digital (if it was ever shot on video), or when it went high-definition but I've just started re-watching Micronesia and even that feels old, in terms of picture quality. That could also be that I've mostly got the old seasons through less... official... channels, though. 

[MrYunis]

1 hour ago, simplyme said:

Oh, I'm not knocking you. I'm sorry if it at all came across that way. I'm just explaining why I think she was brought back, especially since several people mentioned it. And I can see finding Candice boring. She doesn't show a whole lot of emotion most of the time. I think most of us find her shining emotional moment to be flipping off Brad Culpepper in BvW.

As to Laura, I loved watching Laura in challenges. I don't know that she necessarily deserves a third shot because while she's amazing at challenges, her social game isn't very good. Then again, I could say the same for Ozzy and he's played four times, and her own daughter Ciera has played three. I'd much rather see Laura than Ciera. (Pleeeease enough with Ciera.)

Most if all, though, I want to see new people right now. For God's sake. 

Also...As far as I can tell whether or not someone is brought back has a lot to do with how production feels about them, not what they did or didn't do or how viewers feel. I think Game Changers (insert hysterical laughter here) should have proved that. I mean, Caleb? C'mon. Production brought him back because they thought he had a cross-over fanbase from BB and Probst liked him, not because "He almost died for Survivor!" was game-changing. (If it was, Russell Swan is wondering what happened to his call.) 

I wasn't feeling like you were knocking me. I was just trying to have a discussion. :)

I agree that you could put Candice, Laura and Ozzy in the same category as to why they've been invited back, but in Ozzy's case, he is probably one of the most popular Survivor contestants ever. Whereas Candice was probably the least entitled person to get an invite to Heroes Vs. Villains (and that include people like Sugar and Danielle).

1 hour ago, Nalan said:

I don't know how that F2 can be anyone's favorite, but whatever.

 

1 hour ago, Nalan said:

Dude.  If you really think Natalie was undeserving of beating Russell, you really weren't paying attention.

To each his own opinion I guess. But I'd love to explain why:

Woo: I can relate to Woo a lot with him always being positive and just enjoying his surroundings and his time on the island. Probably not the smartest player to ever play but I liked how he chose Tony because of his loyalty and I believe he thought he could beat him.

Tony: One of the most charismatic people to ever play the game. He made his season hilarious, exciting and dramatic (just started watching the season for a 4th time). One of the greatest winners ever in my opinion. The first day on his 2nd season where he just went crazy, told the people he was going to look for the idol and just ran off. Probably the funniest Survivor moment ever for me. Sad that he didn't last long (although expected).

[Nalan]

7 minutes ago, MrYunis said:

To each his own opinion I guess. But I'd love to explain why:

Woo: I can relate to Woo a lot with him always being positive and just enjoying his surroundings and his time on the island. Probably not the smartest player to ever play but I liked how he chose Tony because of his loyalty and I believe he thought he could beat him.

Tony: One of the most charismatic people to ever play the game. He made his season hilarious, exciting and dramatic (just started watching the season for a 4th time). One of the greatest winners ever in my opinion. The first day on his 2nd season where he just went crazy, told the people he was going to look for the idol and just ran off. Probably the funniest Survivor moment ever for me. Sad that he didn't last long (although expected).

Yeah. . . . Not a good case for either.  Loyalty is good in the early goings, but when you're trying to win . . . that's just dumb.  Which is why Woo's far from one of my favorites.  And Tony is easily one the worst, not best, winners, since his paranoia should've gotten him kicked weeks before the end, and he was saved by so many other stupid decisions and that overpowered idol.  Without either, he's gone.  He got LUCKY to win Cagayan, and his early flame-out in Game Changers just validated those thoughts.  And I don't know where you got it in your head that he's charismatic.  He's not.  At all.

[MrYunis]

1 hour ago, Nalan said:

Yeah. . . . Not a good case for either.  Loyalty is good in the early goings, but when you're trying to win . . . that's just dumb.  Which is why Woo's far from one of my favorites.  And Tony is easily one the worst, not best, winners, since his paranoia should've gotten him kicked weeks before the end, and he was saved by so many other stupid decisions and that overpowered idol.  Without either, he's gone.  He got LUCKY to win Cagayan, and his early flame-out in Game Changers just validated those thoughts.  And I don't know where you got it in your head that he's charismatic.  He's not.  At all.

Well I think every single Survivor winner had a portion of luck winning the game. That being said, to have the ability to blindside your alliance twice and still be good with them the next day is not an easy task. You have to look for idols in order to find them and Tony looked. Saying Tony got lucky by having the overpowered idol is the same as saying Yul got lucky by having it as well.

Funny thing is they used it pretty much the same way, although I admit Tony showed it off more than he had to.

I'd like to know who your favorite winner(s) is/are of all time?

[enlightenedbum]

Micronesia's pre-merge disqualifies it.  The post-merge is amazing, with hilarious nonsense going on literally every episode.  But before that you've got the very dumb fans doing very dumb things, the most poorly designed challenge ever taking out Penner, Yau getting caught in the crossfire of an extremely stupid fight between Penner and Cirie, more dumb fans doing dumb things, two quits, and Eliza kicking ass and taking names in challenges.  Only one of those things is actually fun to watch.

I took Cook Islands.  Has a premise that causes you to look at it askance, works out pretty well, blows up that premise, has a couple reasonably interesting tribes, has a giant game changing twist and then immediate comeuppance for the people who act like arrogant assholes who create their own downfall (BONUS: it's to keep the cool white kids together that they make their terrible decision! Which is a satisfying conclusion to the racially divided season, as far as I'm concerned.), you've got Yul using his single idol to protect four people, Penner narrating, Ozzy's ridiculous athleticism, FOUR people they have asked back multiple times (Ozzy, Candice, Parvati, Penner), Penner making fun of Probst's challenge narration.  It's just good times throughout, except maybe the dumb thing where Ozzy throws a challenge.  But even that results in the hilarious if incredibly cringey Billy confession of love for Candice.  The single most stunned Probst has ever been.

Honorable mentions: Borneo, Amazon, Pearl Islands, Palau, Micronesia, Heroes vs. Villains

And also special honorable mention to Fiji.  Not a great season (again the pre-merge is terrible, especially the pre-swap), but it has the single greatest episode (the one where Edgardo is booted, obviously) so I thought it deserves mention.