Most and Least Favorite Past Contestants

[cooksdelight]

Rob's going to have to find some more reality shows to do in order to pay for 4 daughters' weddings. :)

[Hanahope]

Rob's going to have to find some more reality shows to do in order to pay for 4 daughters' weddings. :)

Kid or Family Survivor.

[Oholibamah]

Without fail, my favorite Survivor "type" is the whip-smart female who excels at strategy, puzzles, or simply giving some quality snark. This includes Kelly G, Erinn, Courtney, Parvati, Sandra, Cirie, Peih-Gee and most recently, Ciera.

 

In the absence of snark and wit, I will also accept the Killbot version who dominates challenges or plays an aggressive game and makes no apologies. For example, Kim, Denise, Tasha, Brenda and Andrea.

 

Although much less common, I will also accept a male incarnation of the snarky, brainy strategist. This includes Penner, Yau Man, Boston Rob, Brian Corridan and Yul.

 

Rounding out my personal Top 20 are Amber and Erik Cardona. They fit the more "beta female" and "alpha male" types that I typically find merely tolerable, but Amber has enough kickass elements and Erik enough wit that I love them regardless.

 

For whatever reason, I just don't get all that excited about male players.

 

I find the same thing for myself, and it may center on the editing shoving them down my throat. Or maybe they just have a habit of casting egotistical assholes. Whichever.

 

Just about everyone from One World (including Kim) for turning a blind eye to Colton and Alicia's blatant bullying of Christina and for using it to their advantage.

 

Unless events happened off-camera that I'm unaware of, Colton and Alicia mistreated Christina on a tribe that had no interaction with Kim, Chelsea, et. al. In fact, Kim had very little direct interaction with Colton at all.

 

In short the whole season turned on a move Kim had nothing to do with... that was unprecedently stupid... and that kept the women as a group alive when otherwise each one would have had to scramble individually to stay in the game.

 

Assuming this "move" is the decision to give away Immunity then I disagree, both that it was unprecedented (challenges have been thrown before, and winning and then giving it away actually does less to threaten momentum than outright throwing it) and that Kim's entire game hinged un it.

 

If, however, this "move" was Colton's maneuvering that completely fractured his tribe, then there is some merit to that. However, a deeply divided tribe is nothing out of the ordinary, and Kim's masterful exploitation of this division deserves all the credit it gets.

 

Even if the men kept Immunity and ran the table, Jay, Mike and Bill were unhappy with the way things were going and were ripe for the picking either at the swap or the merge. I remain unconvinced that Colton's poor gameplay did much of anything to bolster Kim's success.

 

I'm probably the only person in the world (other than his wife) that likes Rupert.

 

I feel like this speaks to that ever-present distinction between casual fans and hardcore fans; I think the general public contributes to this Rupert-frenzy that Probst mentions, but hardcore fans generally disagree. And since casual fans would typically not be posting on the interwebs, his actual popuarity is eclipsed and often seems incomprehensible. But it's there.

 

She won, but only because Coach screwed up FTC so badly, and couldn't admit the truth to either Brandon or Oz.

 

Sophie's strategy was predicated on the very knowledge that Coach will screw up FTC. It didn't just happen that way by chance. She aligned with him specifically to use as a Goat and masterfully baited him at FTC. Although, given that people tend to find her "delusional", it will probably be argued that she retconned all of this strategy and that she was just a big block of wood who did nothing. Heh.

[kikaha]

bamah, another tribe has won the challenge, and then chosen to go to tribal anyway?  

 

 

[kikaha]

My choice for best-ever player has been Pavarti.  Thinking it over, I'm changing that to Rob.  He not only took himself to the finals.  He carried the woman he loved there as well.  A no-lose situation that was unprecedented and is unrepeated. 

 

Then he raised the bar even higher, by wedding her, having/raising children with her, in what appears to be a happy marriage.  Remarkable game success that carried over into real life as well. 

 

Oh, Kim was part of the cool girls club that mistreated Christina from the very start -- because she had the audacity of trying to actually make a deal with the men.  Alicia was the ringleader, and the others went along.    

[Oholibamah]

bamah, another tribe has won the challenge, and then chosen to go to tribal anyway?

 

No, but challenges have been thrown, and I see little merit in making the distinction except to say that winning and then giving it away actually does less to threaten momentum: "We can beat you, but we have bigger fish to fry." We often see shitty tribes gain momentum after the opposition throws a challenge, so in some ways it's better to let your opponents know they didn't actually win.

 

Oh, Kim was part of the cool girls club that mistreated Christina from the very start -- because she had the audacity of trying to actually make a deal with the men.  Alicia was the ringleader, and the others went along.

 

My memory is admittedly hazy, but I don't recall her being treated particularily horrendously at this stage of the game. Especially not enough to put a strike against one of the most good natured, likeable players in 28 seasons.

[Hera]

Oh, Kim was part of the cool girls club that mistreated Christina from the very start -- because she had the audacity of trying to actually make a deal with the men.  Alicia was the ringleader, and the others went along.

I agree that Kim was popular from the outset and Christina was not, but Christina appeared to make that deal—which included offering up the labor of the other women—entirely without their input or permission. No, it didn't justify the bullying she from Alicia (or, later, from Colton), but it's completely understandable to me why the other members of her tribe would be annoyed with her for doing that. I don't actually remember any interactions between Kim and Christina (though I haven't seen the season since it aired) and I don't remember thinking the behavior towards Christina really crossed into bullying territory until after the tribal swap which separated her from Kim anyway (and it was mostly done by Alicia).

[kikaha]

I'm going on memory here: the other women tried to charm the men into giving them fire.  But they were unwilling to offer anything in return.  They all failed and even seemed insulted that the guys expected to trade, not give.  Entitlement anyone? 

 

Christina was the only woman who negotiated.  She succeeded.  The guys agreed to share fire with the women.  Her reward was to get ostracized.  I don't remember what she offered them, but it seemed pretty reasonable to me, especially for the single most important thing the women needed but didn't have. 

 

If her fellow tribemates felt the price was too steep, they could back out of the deal.  As has been pointed out, Christina had no real authority.  They agreed to her terms though. 

 

I thought they should have congratulated her for getting fire for them.  They did the opposite.  I thought at the time it was a power play to minimize someone not in their alliance, who accomplished what they could not.  Alicia certainly was the ringleader, but Kim played along, and so did the others in their alliance. 

[fishcakes]

That's how I remember it as well, @kikaha. Alicia offered the guys a striptease in exchange for fire and they were like, "uh, yeah, we're good," then Christina went in and made a real deal, which none of the other women seemed to have any problem with. We saw Alicia start bullying Christina immediately after that. At the very first tribal council she said that Christina was a snake and shady and that if it weren't against the rules she'd punch her out. Christina tried to stand up to Alicia but got no support from anyone else; they all sat there looking uncomfortable because they knew Alicia was full of shit, but she was in their alliance.

 

With Kim/Chelsea/Sabrina/Kat, the dynamic towards Christina was more of a mean girls clique freezing out the unpopular girl than active bullying. Alicia would alternately abuse Christina and then be her friend and basically broke her spirit. Christina at the end of the game is a completely different person from Christina at the beginning. Later, Kim and Chelsea had more than one conversation about how Christina was so passive that they could keep her around and she would never scheme against them or get any votes if she got to the end. I don't have a problem with dragging a goat along, but I do have a problem with mistreating or letting someone else mistreat someone to turn them into a goat. Alicia's bullying was blatant and it wasn't only when she was with Colton. It started on at least day 3 and went on until she was voted out. Everyone knew what she was doing and they didn't care because it worked to their advantage to have Christina under the thumb of someone in their alliance.

[kikaha]

challenges have been thrown, and I see little merit in making the distinction except to say that winning and then giving it away actually does less to threaten momentum:

 

I think there are important differences.  For one, the tribe that throws a challenge may not have won it, even if they had tried.  Throwing the challenge may not change the outcome at all.  But voluntarily going to tribal absolutely changes things.  In One World it guaranteed one of the winners would get the boot.  Instead of up 3, with the women in total disarray, it left the men up just 1.  Without that, I feel the women's alliance, that ran the entire second half of the season, was dead in the water. 

 

Another difference: throwing a challenge is done in secret.  It can take just a few people, who wish to target a single person. That didn't happen in One World.  The men huddled together in public: every single one agreed to go to tribal.  Every single one was safe, and chose to put himself in jeopardy.  Hall of Shame moment that is unprecedented in Survivor. 

 

Throwing challenges almost always ends up backfiring on the tribe.  Even if you think voluntarily going to tribal -- after you win the challenge -- is the same, both are terrible decisions that can greatly benefit people on the other tribe.  In this case it kept alive a tribe that was flailing about, losing challenge after challenge, in danger of getting Pagonged. 

Edited July 12, 2014 by kikaha

[Oholibamah]

Another difference: throwing a challenge is done in secret.  It can take just a few people, who wish to target a single person. That didn't happen in One World.  The men huddled together in public: every single one agreed to go to tribal.

 

This is indeed not the norm, but still not unprecedented. Drake unanimously decided to throw a challenge (despite Rupert’s moral qualms) with both alliances thinking somebody else was the target.

 

the tribe that throws a challenge may not have won it, even if they had tried.  Throwing the challenge may not change the outcome at all.

 

I think this gets at the heart of why people find Manano’s decision so disturbing. This idea that something was had and then given away speaks to a change of outcome that isn’t viewed the same when merely throwing a challenge that may have been lost, anyway. This is why Erik and Brandon get a lot more flack than Brenda for giving up Individual Immunity, or why Jenna gets more credit for doing so than Parvati in HvV: the stakes were seen as being higher because Jenna/Erik/Brandon had already won.

 

It’s simpler for us to imagine what might have happened had Erik kept Immunity. Things get hazier when we start wondering if it would have mattered had Parvati not ceded to Danielle, or if such-and-such tribe decided not to throw a challenge.

 

But the minute a tribe decides to throw a challenge the outcome has already been decided (unless J’Tia is on the other tribe). Throwing a challenge and giving Immunity away after winning have the same result: somebody from that tribe is going home. Whether or not that tribe is full of winners or almost-winners or complete losers has the exact same outcome.

 

Instead of up 3, with the women in total disarray, it left the men up just 1.  Without that, I feel the women's alliance, that ran the entire second half of the season, was dead in the water.

 

I think the consequences of this move have been overstated. The men and the women were not homogenous groups, and both tribes had massive fractures. Had Manano kept Immunity, Monica would have likely gone home only one week sooner, and assuming Bill ended up on nuManano in her place, would have been targeted by Colton one week later, achieving status quo. Even if we substitute Monica for Christina or assume Bill is kept around over Alicia, the men were still deeply divided and Kim still managed to align herself with Mike, Jay and Troyzan at nuSalani. The women were far from dead in the water.
 

Bill was a known enemy to Colton and assuming he had a brain, was likely to flip. If the girls go to TC instead and axe Monica or Christina, the potential flippers who could work with the men have been removed. I don’t see it as a clear-cut terrible move, especially considered alongside the One World twist and Colton’s abysmal social game and clumsy use of scare-tactics.
 

Every single one was safe, and chose to put himself in jeopardy.  Hall of Shame moment that is unprecedented in Survivor.

 

They say to always pack your bags, and I suppose anything could have went down. But only Bill was in danger, and IMO only Bill is a clear-cut moron for electing to visit TC.

both are terrible decisions that can greatly benefit people on the other tribe.

 

Theoretically it’s not always a terrible move. But considering it has only proved moderately successful once (China), it stands to reason that it in practice, the payoff is not worth the risk. But the idea of tribal lines had been long dead by One World, especially with gender-divided seasons historically not following tribal lines.

 

I don't have a problem with dragging a goat along, but I do have a problem with mistreating or letting someone else mistreat someone to turn them into a goat.

 

I might be a terrible person, but I think Kim fulfilled her responsibility of basic human decency by not being an asshole. I genuinely felt for how Christina was treated by Alicia, but I also don't think Survivor is the right context to villanize the other Salani women for not stepping in. There is obviously a line, and that line is going to be different for everybody, but for me Alicia's behavior only escalated from unlikable to intervention-worthy after the swap.

[Trick Question]

Sophie's strategy was predicated on the very knowledge that Coach will screw up FTC. It didn't just happen that way by chance. She aligned with him specifically to use as a Goat and masterfully baited him at FTC.

 

This.  Having seen Coach over his past two seasons, Sophie (correctly) predicted that Coach was a terrible Survivor player and could be easily manipulated into "leading" their alliance and thus taking all of the heat along the way.  The crazy thing is, that alliance/tribe was made up of so many weak players whose games nobody respected (Rick, Edna, Albert, Brandon) that Coach would've actually beaten any combination of a final three that didn't have Sophie, so the fact that he didn't recognize this and ditch her was another glaring flaw in Coach's Survivor resume.

 

Favourites: Sandra, Rob Cesternino, Rafe, Yul, Earl, Yau Man, Kim, Eliza, Andrea, Denise, Malcolm, and my all-time favourite Cirie.

[amaranta]

Browsing through this thread for the first time and I have tears in my eyes.  I had no idea about Caleb; he seemed like such a great guy.

 

Players I've felt both ways about:  Coach.  HATED him his first season, then found him completely adorkable with his crush on Jerri in HvV (not to mention, the Dragonz!!), then hated him again when he came back on season Forcible Prayer.  I really liked both JT and Malcom their first seasons, not so much when they came back.  And I suspect I wouldn't have cared for Parvati on her first season had I seen it, but since I didn't, she gets to stay on the favorites list.

 

You're in my head!  Except that I did see Parvati's fist season.  I didn't like her.

 

Other favorites: Yul, Earl, Cirie, Stephanie (first season only), Ozzie (ditto), Denise, Tasha, Kim, Sandra, Rob.

 

Least: Hantzes, Rupert, Colton, Na'onka.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

Least: Hantzes, Colton, Na'onka.

I'd forgotten about Na'onka. Probst's eyeroll when she said "I know I quit, but I'd have won if I'd stayed in!" was truly something to behold.

 

KKKolton was still worse, though.

Edited July 19, 2014 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[Trick Question]

Another factor in the infamous S24 decision to surrender tribe immunity was the twist of having them both on the same beach.  Because they were such close proximity and the woman were openly begging for deals, the men could all see how badly they were doing and thus didn't fear them at all, and thus felt comfortable in giving up one challenge.  Had the tribes been on separate beaches, the men (even despite their success in challenges) might've still seen the woman more as an unknown entity and not been so keen to give up their advantange.

 

It was still a dumb move, yet not quite 'the dumbest move in Survivor history.'

Edited July 23, 2014 by Trick Question

[QTBlueMoon]

Favorites: Richard Hatch, Boston Rob, Cirie, Rob Cesternino, Jonathan Penner

Least: Hantzes, Special Agent Phil, Ozzy

 

I could watch that first set of players over and over and over again.

[KHenry14]

You know, after all these seasons and over 450 players, it's hard to remember everyone. :)

I always liked Shii-Ann, Very smart, though not the best in the social game. I also liked the nerds, Cochrane and Spencer. Nice to see them find a way to do well. Loved Rob Cesternino. And dear old Neleh, how she ended up on this show is beyond me.

The dislikes are much easier. Hated Coach from the second I laid eyes on his phony face. The Hantz' go without saying IMO. Na'Onka for being the biggest beyotch in Survivor history. And a quitter to boot. Jerri Manthey for, well, being Jerri. And wasn't it Patricia from Marquesas who sang that stupid Survivor song? She's on the list just for that.

Edited August 9, 2014 by KHenry14

[fishcakes]

I could never stand Shii Ann while she was playing, but both times that she was voted out, she was immediately such a good sport and had a sensible perspective about it being just a game that I do really like her as a person.

 

It was Wanda from Palau who sang the Survivor song, which is no doubt why she was eliminated before the tribes even got to their beaches. Patricia from Marquesas was bossy and a bit of a control freak, which was annoying but not as annoying as Wanda. Speaking of Marquesas, someone asked Boston Rob on Twitter recently who he still hangs out with from the game and he said Tyson, Sean Rector, and Peter Harkey. Peter was the first person voted off that season and a bit of a nut, so I love that he and Rob are still friends. I remember during the first episode Rob saying something like, "when he said he was a holy person, I thought he meant religious. But it turns out he was talking about the actual holes in his body."

 

I'm currently rewatching Vanuatu, which was my least favorite season for the longest time during the pre-Hantz era, but it was $13 on Amazon and I needed another item to qualify for free shipping, so here we are. I'd forgotten how much I liked JP who was voted off third. The guy was super dumb but really handsome, which, considering the awfulness of most of the Vanuatu players, was enough. I also liked Rory a lot, mainly for his hilarious facial expressions.

[KHenry14]

Thanks for the correction about Wanda. I didn't realize that the "song" didn't happen till Palau. I can't imagine going through the hassle of getting cast into the show then not even getting to play.

BTW, I happen to agree with Probst about how lousy Thailand was. I should have put Clay on my list of disliked contestants. And was Helen of this season the woman who recited recipes all day long? I'm a bit of a cook myself, but even to me that would have been incredibly annoying.

[SVNBob]

I'd forgotten how much I liked JP who was voted off third. The guy was super dumb but really handsome, which, considering the awfulness of most of the Vanuatu players, was enough.

Since you're a JP fan, I recommend checking out the second season of Solitary, as he's one of the contestants in that iteration.

[fishcakes]

And was Helen of this season the woman who recited recipes all day long?

 

She was. I don't know why she didn't realize that would annoy the hell out of people who were starving.

 

Since you're a JP fan, I recommend checking out the second season of Solitary, as he's one of the contestants in that iteration.

 

Oooh, thank you. I've never heard of that, but it looks like the kind of thing poor dopey JP would get mixed up with. "Hit myself in the stomach over and over again? Okay!"

[cooksdelight]

I posted earlier on another thread that Lindsay (Trish's tormentor last season) announced she was going to be gone for a month or more, and I speculated as to whether they might have asked her back. But, since she quit, the general consensus is no. However.... she's got an entirely different look going now, so I wonder if it's another reality show? What takes a month to film?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204222285013312&set=a.1561885123050.82298.1112993036&type=1&theater

[lilabennet]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, everyone.  I admit that I had to look a lot of the people you mentioned up to remember who they were.  I am one of those people that forget everything about the season the moment the finale is over.  Sometimes I am surprised to see some faces at the reunion that I could have sworn were part of an earlier season instead of the one I had just watched.  I especially appreciate the mentions of Yul, because I found Cook Islands on Amazon Prime and I can't wait to watch it again.

 

Favorites: Ian, Sandra, Malcolm, Tom Westman, Penner, Parvati, Coach (because he is just so ridiculous), Yul, Spencer, Tasha, Denise, Courtney, Taj, Coby (Palau), Stephen Fishbach, Fabio

 

Least liked: Boston Rob, Hantz 1, Hantz 2, Cochran, Rupert, Stephenie, most stunt casting especially Jeff Kent

[Ms Blue Jay]

I think I'm pretty well versed in most of the seasons, but have zero to vague recollections of Seasons 2-6.

 

Favourites:

Colleen & Greg, Aras (surprised to never see him mentioned!), James Clement, Russell Hantz (yes, unapologetically so), Woo & Tony.  I wanted Brendan and Taj to go far in their season, so sad when Brendan was cut.

 

I was obsessed with Ozzy when I first watched S13, like crazy obsessed, but everything's kind of dwindled after seeing subsequent seasons, learning about the porn, knowing he's a "friend" of Lindsay Lohan's, etc.

I loved Brenda during first season, that kind of dwindled after the Dawn teeth incident.

I actually loved Dreamz initially, but yeah, the car thing soured me.  

I liked Ami at first too, but she got weird later on.

 

There are a lot of contestants I'm super attracted to, like Malcolm, Kat, Ryan Opray, etc. but trying to be more objective, I don't think they were my favourites :) 

[Lantern7]

Damn, there's way too many seasons to go through.

 

Why do I like Sandra? Because she spent 78 days in the game, 77 of them with two of the bigger pieces of garbage the show has ever cast: Jon Dalton and Russell Hantz. The fact that she didn't murder either of them is a testament to how awesome she is, not to mention the double win and the snark factor.

 

Tom Westman may have burnt Ian like an innocent marshmallow, but I think he played the ultimate game. I don't think any other alpha has ever gotten by on immunity wins like he did, and he didn't have a single vote cast against him. I liked Ian as well, but watching Tom play was like witnessing the Kool-Aid Man go through a brick wall. OH YEAH!!! That makes S20 hard to watch, because he got voted off in favor of gimpy James.

 

I have other faves, but I think that I hate more than I love. Like fuggin' Special Agent Phillip, who was a general nutjob in both his seasons, pushed Brandon Hantz over the edge, and worshipped at the feet of Rob Mariano. It's okay to believe in a god, but "Boston Rob"?

 

Who else . . .  Russell for wrecking the game. Colton for being the Boy Queen of Samoa (though I do buy him getting hurt the first time, plus I'd probably lay off after Caleb got killed). Crystal for sucking in every sense of the game. Naonka for being a bitch. Rupert for being petty once you get past the beard and tie-dye (though he did outplay Russell in S20, which was funny). And I feel that if Tyson didn't more or less vote himself out of S20, the Rob vs. Russell/"Redemption Island" situation never happens, and Rob doesn't get his million bucks against Phillip and a buttload of overmatched players. So, yeah, Tyson winning last year rubbed me the wrong way. And I still think Rob is the most overrated player in the history of the game.

 

Get back to me in a few weeks . . . I can probably dislodge more memories. And I think it's okay to preemptively hate John Rocker before S29 starts. What a pantload that guy is.

[lilabennet]

I need to add Alex from Fiji to my least favorite list.  That guy is the worst kind of dick.  He is the unmitigated, infallible hero in his own deluded version of reality.  If another person makes the exact same move that he makes it is evil, but when he makes it then he is just playing a game and it is nothing personal.  That is one of my biggest peeves in Survivor.  His exchange with Cassandra at the final tribal council was disgusting.

[BK1978]

I do not remember a lot of the reasons why I feel the way I feel so please forgive my spotty memory...

Dislikes:

Parvati: I just never got why people loved her so much.  She was an asshole her first season, was not much better on her second season.  I think the only season where I did not dislike her was season twenty.  Also, I still say both Amanda and Cirie played better games during the season that she won.

 

Rob C. from the Amazon:  I hate people who always have to be "on" and I felt that he was very much one of those people.  I also found him to not be more corny/lame than funny.

 

Rupert:  I liked Rupert at first but I hated how entitled he was.  How he thought people should just let him win and not play for themselves.

 

Na'Onka: I actually do not even remember why I disliked her so much but I know at the time I did so she is on the list.

 

Colton: He just seemed like a piece of crap.

 

Alicia:  See what I said about Colton and swap he for she.  That is probably why they were such good friends out there because they were both pieces of crap.

 

Lisi: Honestly much like Na'Onka I have no clue as to why I hated her so much but I do remember that I did hate her.

 

Rocky: The guy was a bully, I remember really relating to Anthony because he reminded me of myself so I hated Rocky for the way he treated Anthony.

 

Tyson: This dude just irked me on every season he was on.  There is nothing that really stands out to me but yeah he irked me.

 

Brenda: I did not like her from her first season and I cannot recall why (Oddly enough I remember more about the older seasons) but the Dawn thing at the final Tribal Council was just so petty to me and reminded me why I did not like her.

 

Kass:  She was just too smug and she had no real reason to be.  I mean she played terribly and she seemed to think she was great.

 

Favorites:

 

This list is a lot longer so I will probably not say why I like them (Heck I probably could not remember why anyways).

 

Colleen, Dr, Sean, Butch, Lex, Rory, Eliza, Twila, Tom W., Gary Hogeboom, Judd, Cirie, Crazy Shane, Penner, Yul, Earl, Yau-Man, Michelle Yi,  Peih-Gee, Amanda Kimmel, Randy, Sugar, Erinn, Coach, Russell Hantz, Phillip Sheppard, Tarzan, Troyzan, Kim Spradlin

[KnitsWithRaceCars]

I need to add Alex from Fiji to my least favorite list.  That guy is the worst kind of dick.  He is the unmitigated, infallible hero in his own deluded version of reality.  If another person makes the exact same move that he makes it is evil, but when he makes it then he is just playing a game and it is nothing personal.  That is one of my biggest peeves in Survivor.  His exchange with Cassandra at the final tribal council was disgusting.

I rewatched that episode last night to see what I had forgotten, and I am with you 1000% about Alex at FTC.  What an [Expletives deleted]!  Poor Cassandra!  I remember that her social game was really good.  I'm not saying that she should've won.  My ideal F3 would be Yau, Earl, and Michelle (Cassandra out at F4), with Yau winning.  But Cassandra did not deserve the treatment she received at FTC.

[fishcakes]

Alex was a jackass at FTC, but in general I don't think he was a bad guy. I'm inclined to think all of that MY QUESTION IS SHUT UP business was him trying to be memorable more than malicious. Other than FTC I don't remember him being particularly horrible (granted, it's been a while since I've seen Fiji) and I do recall that earlier in the season when Stacey and Lisi were openly treating Dreamz and Cassandra like shit over the french press coffee, Alex showed them how to use the press and also gave a confessional saying he didn't understand or agree with Stacey and Lisi being so nasty about it.

 

Overall I do think the Fiji players were more unpleasant than usual, as compared to the seasons up until then (we hadn't yet reached the utter jerk stores that were Nicaragua and One World). Maybe it was the have and have-nots scenario that brought out the worst in people, but I suspect Lisi and Rocky would be awful no matter what. Stacey became nice once she was out of a power position, which is worth nothing, and Mookie had a barely concealed mean streak. But at least there was also a high percentage of dopey nicknames.

[Jellybeans]

Love Boston Rob because he played each game differently but he played them all like a fiddle. And, four daughters? Hee.

My least favorite is a tie between Russell and Rupert, leaning more towards Russell.

I still admire Richard Hatch. I mean he even tried to tell the IRS he thought CBS paid his income taxes....

[cooksdelight]

I liked Hatch because he saw the game the same way I saw it... a reflection of corporate America and how different people are in different positions. Some are worker bees, some are supervisors, some are the engineers. And that's how he played it, and it worked. That first season will always be my favorite because players weren't jaded and it was fresh, new and interesting.

And there was Rudy. I will always love the man.

[Lantern7]

My beef with Rob is that he needed a cast of dummies to win. Look at SAS: in order to keep his alliance-mate Amber in the game, he had to get Lex to promise not to vote her out, which the Mogo Mogo majority decided to do. And you had the trio of Rupert/Jenna/Tom not contemplate voting out one of them while they were on their reward trip near Day 36, even though Rupert saw the same thing happen while on the jury during S7 with Burton and Jon. Seriously, the three of them didn't have enough brainpower to toast a slice of bread. And don't get me started on Redemption Island, where Rob and Russell were spoon-fed a group of dopes to dominate, and they had a safety net in Redemption Island. Russell failed because a. He tried playing the same game in three out of four seasons, and b. he got beat to the hidden idol. Rob was fortunate that he had the likes of Phillip watching his back and making for an overmatched goat by Day 39, along with the 19-year-old girl that also made the final day . . . or am I misremembering?

[peachmangosteen]

My most hated is probably always gonna be Russell. Everyone else I just forget about until I see them mentioned, but my Russell hate is always around.

 

My faves are Sandra, Parvati, Courtney, Natalie White, Kim, and Penner.

[LexiconDevilOne]

I liked Hatch because he saw the game the same way I saw it... a reflection of corporate America and how different people are in different positions. Some are worker bees, some are supervisors, some are the engineers. And that's how he played it, and it worked. That first season will always be my favorite because players weren't jaded and it was fresh, new and interesting.

And there was Rudy. I will always love the man.

This, always. Could NOT have said it better!

Favorite, will always be the two time winner Sandra.

Least, RobM, Courtney(from China, such a bitch), anyone named 'Hantz', NeOnka, and those god awful 'twinnies'.

Edited September 25, 2014 by LexiconDevilOne

[Constantinople]

 

Sophie's strategy was predicated on the very knowledge that Coach will screw up FTC. It didn't just happen that way by chance. She aligned with him specifically to use as a Goat and masterfully baited him at FTC.

This.  Having seen Coach over his past two seasons, Sophie (correctly) predicted that Coach was a terrible Survivor player and could be easily manipulated into "leading" their alliance and thus taking all of the heat along the way.  The crazy thing is, that alliance/tribe was made up of so many weak players whose games nobody respected (Rick, Edna, Albert, Brandon) that Coach would've actually beaten any combination of a final three that didn't have Sophie, so the fact that he didn't recognize this and ditch her was another glaring flaw in Coach's Survivor resume.

 

The conventional wisdom for South Pacific was that if Ozzy wins the final immunity challenge, Ozzy wins the game. There's no way in hell that Rick or Edna is beating Ozzy. I also recall Sophie saying in post game interviews that Brandon was well liked and a threat to win (this seems hard to believe, but it may be true). As it turned out, it was Sophie who beat Ozzy in the final challenge, so if Coach had already booted her, Coach loses anyway. Thus, a Final Four of Coach-Albert-Sophie-Ozzy may well have been Coach's best chance of keeping Ozzy out of final tribal while still having a chance to win.

It's not as if Sophie had any great social game, which is why I find it hard to credit Sophie with any kind of social strategy. Sophie had had little if any self-awareness, and had no idea how disliked she was and how she came off as a whiny entitled asshole (when Ozzy lectures you about how bratty you are, you've got issues). Fortunately for her Coach lacked even more self-awareness, but she still screwed-up, just not enough to lose. It's notable that more mentally unstable a juror was, or the less time a juror spent with Sophie, the more likely s/he would vote for her.

Sophie was good in challenges, most importantly beating Ozzy in the final challenge, didn't foolishly propose big moves for the sake of it and, unlike Coach, she made it to final tribal her first time, not her third.

It's probably a good thing that Sophie won. Had Coach won, there probably would have been some cosmic cataclysm after his ego expanded faster than the universe. But as winners go, she one of my least favorite (though still better than Fabio).

Ultimately, South Pacific is the answer to the question, what happens when 3 goats go the final.

[Lantern7]

Is it too soon to bring up John Rocker? He's a perfect mix of asshole and dumbass . . . and he was recruited, which means he probably doesn't know how to play the game. On the one hand, he could misplay the idol and get sent packing soon. On the other hand, he could be a goat that gets dragged to Day 39 for an easier win. I still can't believe he found the stupid idol because Jeremy shared his clue. Nobody should be that lucky, especially not an asshole like him.

 

ETA: I think John is a male Crystal Cox . . .  somebody whose ineptitude would be funny if not for the crap personality.

[Nashville]

Favorite: James the gravedigger

Least favorite: Colton. And anyone named Hantz.

[ShadowSixx]

I just started watching last season and loved Spencer, Tasha, and Woo even though Woo played stupidly in the end.

Kass was just a heinous bitch, she swear she was playing the game but she was playing off emotions and acting like a bratty child.

Can I put Probst on my least as well? He irks me with his pot stirring ass, with his comments, favoritism, just sounds like a douche. I never disliked a host of a show but Jeff is the 1st.

[Nashville]

Can I put Probst on my least as well? He irks me with his pot stirring ass, with his comments, favoritism, just sounds like a douche. I never disliked a host of a show but Jeff is the 1st.

I temper my response to Probst, for a simple reason; he's a victim of the edit room, same as the contestants. This is a natural consequence of the show's format. Every episode is a week's worth of events condensed down into an approximately 42 minute long run segment, so we rarely see more than about 0.4% of what's actually going on. Even with the time-preferential edit afforded TC, you're still not talking much more than 3-5%; I've read past contestants talking about grueling TC sessions where they're talking for 2-1/2 to 3 hours at a stretch, and that's getting edited down to 5-10 minutes of screen time. In and of themselves, I don't think the broadcast episodes are capable of providing an accurate depiction of ANYBODY - including Probst.

[Lantern7]

Heading into the late stage of the season, I have to say . . . aside from John Rocker (always as if one word instead of two names), I don't think there's anybody worth putting on a "best all-time" and "worst all-time" list. For instance, I'm rooting for Natalie, but mostly because she's from TAR and hasn't done anything stupid beyond cussing out John Rocker. And I can't think of her sister Nadiya as "The Crazy Twinee" because I thought the first vote was flawed. Just a big group of "meh" for the most part, though your mileage may vary. Personally, I think we'll forget all about S29 as soon as S30 kicks off.

 

ETA: I'd throw Probst on the "worst ever" pile, editing be danged. I guess familiarity really does beget contempt. Over in The Challenge circles, I'd joke about host TJ Lavin being a poor man's Jeff Probst . . . then I realized that Jeff Probst himself is a poor man's Jeff Probst.

[BigRedCheese]

Best, Kelly Wigglesworth from the first season, she was the original challenge beast. I also loved Gretchen, wish she would have gotten farther, I would love to hear either of them on Rob C's podcast.

 

Worst, for me, it's hands down Shambo, I have sworn to not watch if she ever returns (don't know if I would stick to it, but I have sworn it). A close second would be Denise the lunch lady.

[choclatechip45]

 

Best, Kelly Wigglesworth from the first season, she was the original challenge beast. I also loved Gretchen, wish she would have gotten farther, I would love to hear either of them on Rob C's podcast.

Kelly did an interview with Survivor OZ. It's not as good as Rob C's podcast, but its an interesting listen on what she has been doing with her life since Survivor.

[BigRedCheese]

Thanks for the tip about the Kelly interview, very interesting, surprised to find out she doesn't watch the show, not even her own season. I wish Survivor would do an all star season with everyone from the first season, the ones that couldn't  or wouldn't participate  could have a fill in from their family.

[TudorQueen]

For me, Richard Hatch created the template in the first season, and, like Asimov's Laws of Robotics, everyone who followed has had to deal with that in some way.

 

Tom Westman shattered that template and made his rivals into helpless admirers.

 

However she did it, Sandra won two seasons, without being a challenge monster, a social charmer, or the biggest brain on the island. I liked her fine throughout, but her actual achievements have my respect.

 

Loved Yau-Man,Yul, Ethan, Cirie, Pei-Gee, Ozzie (first season only), Malcolm and Rudy (how could I not love a crusty, conservative old guy who thinks he hates homosexuals, but forms a true alliance and, it turned out, friendship with one on the island). And he always kept his word. Also loved Matthew, and I haven't seen him mentioned here as either a favorite or a least favorite. I thought he was sexy and intense and interesting, and a better player, overall, than he was credited to be. It doesn't hurt that I disliked Jenna, who won, and Heidi, and their whole 'don't hate us because we're beautiful, but hey, we'll strip for peanut butter' thing. Loved Penner a lot and I'm sorry he's never won.

 

I have always liked Rupert, though I understand how some could find him wearying. I have never liked Parvati, and find her last name amusingly significant.

[KimberStormer]

 The problem with Kim was she sapped the FUN right out of the game...she had such a locked stranglehold on the game it was deadly dull and her personality was non existant as well. A similar thing happened on BIG BROTHER this summer when Derrick so totally dominated the game it was boring with no suspense. I liked the way Natalie played...she took chances that should have sent her to the jury numerous times and yet somehow still prevailed!

 

This is one of those things I can intellectually grasp but just can't identify with.  Because I looooove Kim.  I loved her long before she emerged in the editing as the powerhouse that she was.  (I remember my Survivor-watching buddy saying "everyone on this cast is terrible" and I was like "what about Kim?  I like Kim" and he was like "who the heck is Kim?")  Clearly, based on the game, she's powerfully charismatic, and for me at least that charisma reached through the TV screen and grabbed me immediately.  Every time she's on Rob Has a Podcast I feel it all over again; like when she was up for Miss Survivor and lost to RC in what has to be the worst travesty of Survivor justice since Bob beat Sugar.  But I guess it doesn't work for everyone.  It reminds me of Parvati a little bit--so many fans can't stand her, but a lot of people who have actually met her in person have said she's got this powerful magnetism.  Like Coach's amazing HvV quote, one of my favorites, "She's got the charm, she's got the smile. For some reason when she pays attention to you, you feel like you light up. It's not that people don't see it, it's just that they're allured by her charm. They're taken by it. They're smitten by it. It's unbelievable."  I feel like I get some of that through the TV screen, but many people don't.

[choclatechip45]

 

Clearly, based on the game, she's powerfully charismatic, and for me at least that charisma reached through the TV screen and grabbed me immediately.  Every time she's on Rob Has a Podcast I feel it all over again

I completely agree. I was pretty indifferent to Kim when One World was airing. I thought she played an amazing game, but I thought she was boring. After appearing on RHAP I completely understood how people could fall for her charm.

[TudorQueen]

Forgot to add Shii-Ann to those I love (I really felt for her when the expected merger didn't happen), and Denise Stapely, who actually accepted my Facebook friend request and whose postings were almost as good a reflection of why I loved her as her conduct during the game.

 

Don't really like Rob M (or his little lamber) but I do respect his overall gameplay and enthusiasm for it.

[Kromm]

This is one of those things I can intellectually grasp but just can't identify with.  Because I looooove Kim.  I loved her long before she emerged in the editing as the powerhouse that she was.  (I remember my Survivor-watching buddy saying "everyone on this cast is terrible" and I was like "what about Kim?  I like Kim" and he was like "who the heck is Kim?")  Clearly, based on the game, she's powerfully charismatic, and for me at least that charisma reached through the TV screen and grabbed me immediately.  Every time she's on Rob Has a Podcast I feel it all over again; like when she was up for Miss Survivor and lost to RC in what has to be the worst travesty of Survivor justice since Bob beat Sugar.  But I guess it doesn't work for everyone.  It reminds me of Parvati a little bit--so many fans can't stand her, but a lot of people who have actually met her in person have said she's got this powerful magnetism.  Like Coach's amazing HvV quote, one of my favorites, "She's got the charm, she's got the smile. For some reason when she pays attention to you, you feel like you light up. It's not that people don't see it, it's just that they're allured by her charm. They're taken by it. They're smitten by it. It's unbelievable."  I feel like I get some of that through the TV screen, but many people don't.

For me the problem is that many (Jeff Probst seemingly at the head of the line) seem to want to punish Kim in terms of recognition, simply because she played such a dominant game. Like it's a fault, not an element of making her the best female player out there.

 

Think about how ridiculous it would seem to suggest lets say... a professional football player... was less of a great football player simply because they didn't showboat and entertain the crowds.  But just scored points in a workmanlike unflashy fashion. That's the treatment Kim seems to get when people talk about how her in terms of her season being boring.  They're punishing her for the lack of adequate competition, also.  

 

Bottom line: Kim played one of the best games ever played on the show.  Yes, she benefited from being surrounded by a bunch of sheep, but it still took a massively well done Svengali act to pull that off.  But people from Jeff Probst on down either act like she doesn't exist, or talk about her (as if it was a bad game move) using phrases like North of Eden saying Kim "took the fun out of the game".  With respect North... IMO... no she didn't.  The producers who cast around her did, if anyone at all did.  All Kim did was play an amazingly epic game, even if it didn't suit audience members trying to determine a "best player" with the rightful criteria of a "most entertaining player".  Both valid measures to analyze a reality show star with.  Just different measures that shouldn't be treated like they're the same thing when discussing them.  Great player list?  Kim tops it.  Interesting/entertaining player list?  Kim's nowhere on it.  Its a hair that needs to be split or we're rewarding exactly what the show often wrongly does--entertainment at the expense of game integrity.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Kromm

[peachmangosteen]

I loved Kim. I normally would hate a season that was so dominated by one player (I hated RI and I hated last season of Big Brother much for that reason.) but I loved watching Kim. I found her plenty entertaining.

 

Every time she's on Rob Has a Podcast I feel it all over again; like when she was up for Miss Survivor and lost to RC in what has to be the worst travesty of Survivor justice since Bob beat Sugar.

 

Don't remind me that Bob won that season. I will never be over that shit!

[Miss Scarlet]

It reminds me of Parvati a little bit--so many fans can't stand her, but a lot of people who have actually met her in person have said she's got this powerful magnetism.  Like Coach's amazing HvV quote, one of my favorites, "She's got the charm, she's got the smile. For some reason when she pays attention to you, you feel like you light up. It's not that people don't see it, it's just that they're allured by her charm. They're taken by it. They're smitten by it. It's unbelievable."  I feel like I get some of that through the TV screen, but many people don't.

That might be true, but I think one of the reasons a lot of people dislike Parvati is because they can very clearly see that her "charm" is really inauthentic. There's a scene where she "charms" Coach in the water by flattering him and saying "I don't fear has ever controlled you" and then goes into a confessional and totally bashes him. I think some people can tell, even without the confessionals, that what she says is mostly fake and full of crap. 

 

I always thought it was interesting that the players that found her the most charming seem to be the ones that are most insecure and most in need of attention. Players like Coach and Russell need constant attention and validation. I don't think they can detect if it's authentic or not and if they could, I don't even think they would care. If Parvati is smart enough to pick up on this and choose to work with these people because her "charm" can work best on them then good for her, but I always thought it was very telling that her charm never worked on guys who seemed to be smart or mature or more secure with themselves. 

 

She also gets a lot of credit for her double idol play in H vs V. I thought that was an awesome moment and really exciting, but I've read that the reason she did that is because she knew Amanda so well outside of the game and could tell Amanda was lying to her about who the Heroes were voting for. Using both idols was brave of Parvati, but is it really that impressive that she could tell when one her good friends was lying to her? I think that would be expected. It would be more impressive if she had pulled that off with a stranger or another player. Which is why, even though I do enjoy All-Star seasons, Survivor is really a game meant to be played with strangers. 

Edited December 20, 2014 by wudpixie