Whether you love or loathe Evil Russell, most people agree that this season of Survivor: Samoa has been a good one. But how good? Where does it rank next to other seasons like Palau, Pearl Islands, and The Australian Outback? That’s right, it’s time for our oft-debated seasonal Survivor rankings! This is where I break down the first to the worst Survivor seasons, and tell you where the latest edition ranks (with two episodes left, at least). What will come in No. 1? Where does the oft-debated All-Stars season fall? And will Survivor: Samoa crack the top 10? The top 5? Click the “Read full post” link below to read my entire rankings, and then let us know on the message boards how you would rank the first 19 seasons of Survivor. And awaaaaay we go…
1. Survivor: Borneo (Winner: Richard Hatch)
Think back to when this show first came on the air — and how we had never seen anything like it. Nothing will ever be able to duplicate that sense of wonder and excitement…
2. Survivor: Micronesia — Fans Vs. Favorites (Winner: Parvati Shallow)
…although this one came damn close. It wasn’t just the most insane four-episode-run in Survivor history (with Ozzy, Jason, and Erik all getting blindsided, and then Amanda pulling out one last hidden immunity idol). It was also great characters (Chet and Joel are the 21st century odd couple) and the perfect mix of solid and stupid gameplay.
3. Survivor: Amazon (Winner: Jenna Morasca)
Probably the most unpredictable season ever from week to week. Some people hate on Morasca as a winner, but she won challenges and played a great social game.
4. Survivor: Pearl Islands (Winner: Sandra Diaz-Twine)
Rupert stealing shoes. Fairplay getting drunk at Tribal Council. Osten sucking at everything. It was all delicious. Loses points, though, for the awful Outcasts twist, which also led to a disappointing final two.
5. Survivor: Palau (Winner: Tom Westman)
I loved watching one tribe decimate the other, culminating with Stephenie becoming a tribe of one. And the challenges may have been Survivor’s best ever.
6. Survivor: Samoa (Winner: ???)
Never in the history of Survivor can I remember a player going from being so hated to so hailed as Russell Hantz. His controlling of the game (especially post-merge when his side was down 8-4) was truly a work of art. Evil genius art. (Note: This ranking could move up or down a few slots depending on what happens in final two episodes.)
7. Survivor: Marquesas (Winner: Vecepia Towery)
An underrated season that saw the first totem pole shake-up: where people on the bottom got together to overthrow those on the top. Yes, it was a weak final two, but it also had a woman peeing on a guy’s hand. Plus: Purple rock!!!
8. Survivor: Cook Islands (Winner: Yul Kwon)
What a difference a mutiny makes. It was listless until that fateful moment when Candice and Penner stepped off the mat. Then, we finally had underdogs to root for. The Tribal Council fire-making tiebreaker between Sundra and Becky may be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
9. Survivor: Australian Outback (Winner: Tina Wesson)
An overrated season. Probst loves it. I didn’t. Solid but unspectacular. Pretty predictable boot order as well. Dude did burn his hands off, though.
10. Survivor: China (Winner: Todd Herzog)
Really good cast. Kinda blah location.
11. Survivor: Tocantins (Winner: J.T. Thomas)
Okay, you may hate Coach. But imagine for a second this season without him. Bo-ring! His unintentional comedy single-handedly lifts this into the middle of the pack. Seriously, other than Tyson getting blindsided, were there any memorable moments that didn’t involve the Steven Seagal wannabe?
12. Survivor: All-Stars (Winner: Amber Brkich)
Overall, a letdown, but man, were there some hate-fueled fireworks at those final few Tribal Councils. Plus: Best. Reunion Show. Ever. (Remember Jerri getting literally booed off the stage?)
13. Survivor: Panama (Winner: Aras Baskauskas)
Ah, just writing the word Panama gets me daydreaming about Survivor Sally and her intoxicating knee socks. Terry was robbed on a final challenge that may or may not have been completely fair. Another unmemorable final two.
14. Survivor: Gabon (Winner: Bob Crowley)
It got a bit better near the end, but it was still a case of too little, too late. The fact that so many unworthy players went so far is simply too damning.
15. Survivor: Africa (Winner: Ethan Zohn)
Some great challenges. Not that much else was great.
16. Survivor: Guatemala (Winner: Danni Boatwright)
One of the more unlikable casts so far. (Remember Judd? Jamie? Stephenie’s evil twin?) Rafe was good for a few laughs, though. Especially on rope obstacles.
17. Survivor: Vanuatu (Winner: Chris Daugherty)
I don’t blame producers: The battle of the sexes worked well the first time around.
18. Survivor: Thailand (Winner: Brian Heidik)
The fake merge and brutal last challenge (where the final three had to hold coins between their fingers in a crazy painful pose) keep this dud out of the bottom spot. Barely.
19. Survivor: Fiji (Winner: Earl Cole)
The season that we shall never speak of again. With the exception of Yau-Man and Earl, a true bummer of a cast, and the “Haves Vs. Have-Nots” twist was perhaps the worst creative decision in Survivor history — after the “Outcasts.”
Okay, those are my rankings. Now, how would you rank the first 19 editions? (And yes, I am prepared for another onslaught from you disgruntled Fiji lovers out there.) Hit the message boards and let us know. But first, make sure to check out our Survivor Talk exit interviews (featuring guest co-host Jenna Morasca) with both Monica and Dave below. (Our feisty chat with Dave is truly a Survivor Talk for the ages.) And to get all the Survivor scoop delivered right to your virtual door, make sure to follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.
Photo credit: Monty Brinton/CBS
Eh, this season is the first that I’ve stopped watching. Sure, Evil Russell is interesting – but in a bad way. And the rest of the survivors are kinda bland. Shambo is interesting, I guess.
I PURELY HATE RUSSELL IF I KNEW HIM PERSONALLY I WOULD PROB DO ALL I COULD TO CROSS HIM UP EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE. MAN HE IS ONE ROTTEN NO GOOD FOR NOGHING EVEN IF HE IS RICH HE STINKS AS A PERSON AND NE THING ELSE U WANNA CALL HIM EXCEPT A NICE GUY
PURELY DONT LIKE THE STUPID GUY
Here here (Raises his wine glass in a toast)!
Obviously, for personal reasons, I find Tocantins the worst. I literally threw my glass at the wall and shattered it when JT won that final immunity challenge.
So what do you mean buy “obviously for personal reasons”?
I wanted Stephen to win. I thought he was adorkably cute. Plus I loved Taj. JT winning was okay,but I guess I didn’t love him as much as everyone else.
I absolutely love Survivor but no one i like ever wins! I guess that’s what makes the show interesting!
I hope Ethan Zohn gets better singlechristiansmatch
i predicted jt winning incredibaly early on. it was crazy.
they all have their ups and downs but next season is going to blow ALL of them outta the water, what is better then Boston Rob head to head with coach and Tyson, or the Parv/Amanda Alliance against Russel… the sugar shack vs. sierra for the cute blond… its going to be insane. Hero’s vs Villain’s will be one to remember!
Oh please no Sugar AND Sierra
1. Tocantins – Coach was one of the best characters ever, Tyson was possibly the funniest, and we got the best ever final 2 with JT (the Warrior) and Stephen (the Wizard).
2. Amazon – Rob C made this season hilarious. Loved the Guys vs Girls at the start, particularly the guys fascination with the chicks on the other tribe.
3. Micronesia – So many blindsides made the per-merge one of the most entertaining ever. James and Erik were hilarious.
4. Pearl Islands – Rupert, Jonny Fairplay is all you need to say.
5. Australian Outback – Hard to place, as the first two seasons were so different. but Tina and Colby were a great and likeable team and Jerri was a great villain.
6. Borneo – Again, hard to place as it was so different, but Richard really set up the show. Sue’s anger, Rudy’s heroism, Colleen and Greg, and Sean’s alphabet strategy were all memorable.
7. China – Really got the show back on track after a few lacklustre years. James was the star of the show, especially his physicality at challenges. Also great to see a real fan like Todd dominate.
8. Cook Islands – This season isn’t liked by some people, but I actually enjoyed it. Ozzy was dominant, the Raro brats with Nate, Parvati, Adam and Candice were entertaining, and Yul was ok.
9. Panama – With Cirie, Shane, Aras etc, Casaya was probably the second most entertaining tribe ever, behind Timbira with Coach, Tyson, Sierra, Brandan etc. Terry vs Aras was fun.
10. Gabon – Lots of big characters. Sugar provided one of the most interesting stories ever. Randy was a great villain, Matty and Bob were good heroes and Kenny and Crystal were a great middle-ground.
11. All-Stars – Was great to see most of the characters back, although casting players like Jenna L etc. was a mistake and probably cost this season from being great.
12. Africa – Lex, Big Tom and Ethan were entertaining to watch as the dominant force. The young vs old rivalry early was also entertaining.
13. Palau – Stephenie’s underdog story at Ulong was engrossing for the audience. Tom W dominated everything.
14. Marquesas – The Rotu overthrow defines this season.
15. Fiji – The rich vs poor twist was a poor one and cost the season. Also, not a great cast with only 1 applicant. Dreamz is underrated as a character though and Yau-Man was interesting. Unfortunately, they were the only 2 decent characters.
16. Guatemala – I thought bringing back Stephenie and Bobby Jon was an interesting twist, but this season just doesn’t stick out for me. Judd was funny, but apart from that even the big characters like Rafe and Gary were boring.
17. Vanuatu – Just couldn’t get into this season. Not enough interesting people. Ami was good, and it was interesting to see ho Chris worked with the women, but apart from that it was a bit boring and I didn’t really like any other characters.
18. Thailand – Too many of the boring people stayed too long and the season just didn’t have anything special. The worst season by quite a long way.
At the moment, Samoa is around the same standard as China and Cook Islands for me, so around the 7-9 mark. It’ll go up even higher if Russell wins.
man finally someone who actually has some sense in rating seasons. couldnt agree with you more on the ratings
you lot are crazy. everyone i know loves this season. i wld rate it 2nd to borneo, not 6th! micronesia is overated for me. i dont get the obsession with this season at all. yes there were a few dumbasses and a few good looking people, but survivor is all about the intelligent ppl and Im sorry Iv seen more intelligence than parvati flirting and stupid boring boring amanda winning easy challenges in samoa, pearl islands, australia, and africa.
Wait, what? It’s all about the intelligent people and you rank Samoa #2? Samoa has been one of the least strategically sensible seasons ever.
And for the record, Parvati had great strategy her second season, ditching her flirting “strategy” of S13.
I’m the same way. It’s the first season that I’ve missed episodes and didn’t bother to find out about it. I watch it when I can. I’ve lost all interest in this show and will probably never watch again. I’ve missed the way the show was in the past. Anything past Cook Islands were boring to me.
Give Heroes v. Villains a shot!
My perspective is slightly different, given I have watched all the seasons within the past 3 years. lmao Dalton you crack me up with the purple rock, but I am one of those who happened to enjoy Fiji. I guess it’s different when you watch them years after the fact, some seasons would have pissed me off too if I watched them when aired. Here’s my list:
Borneoa
Micronesia
Palau
Samoa
Cook Islands
Amazon
Pearl Islands
All Stars
Fiji
Gabon
Vanuatu
Africa
Tocantins
Guatemala
Thailand
Australian Outback
China
I have to say that my list also looks totally different from Dalton’s but here is mine.
1. Borneo (Just can’t top it.)
2. Amazon (Jenna.M and Rob.C made this season so unpredictable and fun to watch.)
3. Australian Outback
4. Tocantins (Great combo of old school likable characters, including the love to hate Coach and complex strategy.)
5. Cook Islands (Aitu 4= Favorite Alliance ever)
6. Gabon (Ranks with Amazon as the second most unpredictable season and Kenny even almost pulled what Russell.H is hoping to do.)
7. Paula
8. Africa
9. Pearl Islands (Amazing start, very weak ending.)
10. Samoa (Most amazing tribe comeback in history.)
11. Fiji (Haves+Have Nots maybe worst twist in history but the Earl, Yau-Man and Michelle team helped me get through that part until the solid post-merge episodes)
12. China
13. Panama
14. Micronesia (Great strategy season but when I can’t even remember the name of the kid who give up the Immunity necklace, shows how bland the fans were, plus I think Pavarti played the game people unfairly accuse Jenna.M of playing.)
15. Guatemala (Post-switch Nakum= Most Obnoxious tribe in Survivor history)
16. All-Stars (The game just doesn’t play as well when everyone knows what to expect from players.)
17. Vanuatu (Easily the most hypocritical cast of all time and this even puts Lex into consideration.)
18. Marquesas (No personality or dramatic tension whatsoever)
19. Thailand(Just taking about it brings back bad memories)
P.S Samoa may go lower if I’m right about what will happen soon.
I think this almost perfectly matched how I would rate the Survivor Seasons.
lol… Paula
Dalton, for the love of Jeff Probst, stop and I mean please stop spreading the lie about how bad Survivor Thailand was! It seems every season I have to defend it – & the reason I feel so strongly about it is – Its because of that season I got hooked on Survivor in the first place, by watching the re-broadcast on the Versus cable channel – Jake Billingsley was the wisest elder person ever on Survivor – Robb looked/acted just like Ashton Kutcher , Erin had the most smokin hot bod ever on Survivor & Brian Hedik (personal life aside) played the most stealth game ever until the very end + it had personal real life drama with the sleeping arrangements + its finale drew 24 mil viewers and Survivor Thailand won the PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST REALITY SHOW – so after this weekend’s finale – go back with some Milwaukee’s Best and snacks and watch Survior Thailand again – its better than Gabon, Fiji, Vaunavatu, China and on par with the others!
@ Jammy:Um… I’m not Dalton and and while I can respect the personal connection to Thailand, it simply was not a fun season.
Between the sleeping issues of Ted and Ghandia, the pretty racist attitudes towards Shi-Ann and the worst final 4 yet there was nothing fun about the season. Yes strategy is a big factor in Survivor but Brain was a sexist jerk just for the sake of it. I mean Yul, Earl, Todd, J.T, Danni (During the freaking Guatemala season!) and Tina managed to play amazing strategic games, win and show class. Thailand was memorable for all the wrong reasons and I am the one guy who actually thought Fiji was an okay season.
@Ian: Yeah my girlfriend thought that was cute too.
@TV_Pete: Just wondering how would you rank the seasons?
I didn’t really notice those things you mentioned, especially about Shi-Ann, thought she had a nice reward visit that was poignant for her…I think maybe if I had to wait week after week for things to happen – it may have not been so fun but when the re-broadcast was shown on Versus they would show 3 hours back to back on Wednesdays – so a lot would transpire in one night & I swear 3 hours of Survivor just flies by — I always remember Jeff Probst scolding Stephanie (the firewoman from Arkansas who sent in the racy audition tape) for not being sexy enough – Jeff was at a different place in his life back then but can you imagine him saying that to anyone else ever on Survivor like Amanda, Parvati or Shambo (ok scratch that one) But the people I mentioned Jake, Robb & Erin were not boring and would light up any season on Survivor — Brian as the winner I agree now is 20/20 – but his game was soo smooth – he never got in anyone’s face and very gently got rid of Ted his main ally at the very end ..I know the prevailing thought is, it was a bad year, but 24 mil viewrs for the finale & that specific season winning the People’s Choice Award, as the cast of Survivor Thailand went up to receive the award with Mark Burnett – google 2003 People’s Choice Award Survivor and you’ll see a picture of them on stage – so it wasn’t just me
Wow so now you’re not even waiting until after the penultimate episode to do this?! Ridiculous.
Good point.
Seems like a pretty good list. I think I’d put Gabon a little higher though. The whole scene where Randy used the fake idol was at least enough to make it better than Panama.
I was just thinking of the awesome fake idol getting tossed into the fire. One of my favorite moments on the show.
And in keeping with the tradition of awesome fake out moments, let’s not forget Micronesia. I mean, only Jason could think that a stick with a happy face carved on it was the immunity idol, and just when things couldn’t get any better, Jason gives the fake idol to Eliza and she plays it at tribal council
i will agree that fiji was probably the worst season, but it probably gave us the funniest thing ever seen though.. when michelle just falls off that platform. i do also think marquesas and tocantins are ranked a lot higher than they should be. i also disagree with palau position because it should be a lot lower. although it was “cool” to see one tribe decimate another.. besides that, there wasn’t much going on in the season, quite bland in fact. I probably would of ranked vanuatu higher. although the beginning of the season was really bland, the end of the season really picked up when chris more or less turned all the girls against one another and who could ever forget eliza
Totally agree with you. G
That was totally hilarious!
The thing about Palau was the amazing challenges they had. The backdrop of WWII was also cool. Steph’s story was interesting and that’s about it.
It is hard to rank a season having not seen the last two episodes. You make a very good argument with everything though, but if somebody weird and obscure wins this season like Brett or Jaison I might have to rethink it. Plus I’m not a huge fan of seasons where we see one main character and everyone else is the supporting one. Russell has played a very good aggressive game but I don’t necessarily agree with all of his moves.
Also I would never in my life rank Cook Islands above Australia. Despite Australia being overrated by some it had Mike falling in the fire, the pig slaughter, the flood, the Kimmi and Alicia fight, and of course Debb wanted to build a shelter with rawks. Cook Islands had God Jonathan Penner and even God couldn’t get me to like the Aitu underdogs. Lets have the four most boring people at the merge win because Yul was lucky enough to have found the idol.
Love Guatemala, hate Palau. I think we don’t match. My list would be totally differente. I guess the only thing we agree on, is about the outcast twist. I don’t like neither.
Guatemala (Great cast for me)
Borneo
China
Gabon
The Amazon
The Australian Outback
Vanuatu (Queen Ami)
Micronesia
Pearl Islands
Cook Islands
Marquesas
Exile Island
All-Stars
Tocantins (I’m brazilian, and i can’t like this season. One of the worst casts. And maybe the worst winner.)
Africa
Fiji
Thailand
Palau
Waiting on the Samoa end to put it on my list.
thank god for the guatemala fans out there! i don’t get why people hate it so much. great cast. great location. great challenges. great winner (in my opinion).
I don’t get the Tocantins hate. Loved, loved LOVED JT and Stephen from the beginning and its always great to see your favorite cast members go to the end.
I would rank Cook Islands higher because I loved the munity and how it came back to bite them in the butt. Yul and Ozzy were awesome. And Jonathan was a very memorable character on the show. And who can forget Cowboy!
Thailand ranks dead last and Panama, Guatemala, and Palau are so forgettable that they’re interchangeable. Yau-Man saved Fiji, and Vanuatu was not that bad considering Chris defeated the 7-woman alliance much like we see with JT in Tocantins and Russell in Samoa.
Why the big deal about the smaller team defeating the bigger team in Samoa? We’ve seen it already in Vanuatu (Chris), Cook Islands (Yul’s team), and Tocantins (JT, Taj, and Stephen). Samoa is NOT that good with Russell being the ONLY standout.
I agree with you Alex. Although Russell and Shambo have been entertaining on Samoa, all the rest of the cast have been so boring I can’t see it being ranked so high. A Survivor season needs many different personalities and clashes in order to root for certain people, alliances, etc.
I think it’s most how it was edited. The other players could have been much more interesting, if we were actually given a chance to know them.
Russell’s accomplishment is far better then that of the ones mentioned. Chris had an amazing comeback, but he also made a ton of unnecessary moves (lying to Julie/Eliza when he already had the votes). Yul only needed one person, not four, and in Tocantins, most of the Timbira tribe played for JT to win (Brendan’s alliance and Coach’s alliance).
I agree. It’s not that great of a season. I find myself reading while the show was on, haha. It would rank one of THE worst season in my book.
i think guatemala and gabon are very underrated, particularly gabon
gabon had bar none one of the best, most diverse casts in a LONG time.
I’m really confused how everyone hated this season and thought it was boring and now, post-merge, everyone thinks it’s one of the best ever. Samoa has had an extremely boring cast, though that perception might be to the producers’ credit. It was also a very strategically weak season. I wonder if some of these players have even seen Survivor before. Worst season since Fiji.
I agree. According to Dalton and some other people, Samoa is OVER-RATED. It focused too much on Russell H. and Shambo. Most of the players lacked any strategic sense. And the challenges were weak.
What made it one of the worst for me was the editing. I would of loved to get to know the other contestants. This and Foa Foa getting your butts kick week after week made it boring for me.
I agree Carl the editing was way too focused on a few people. From all the episodes I only really know Russell and Shambo, which is unfortunate because I bet there could have been several other memorable characters
I’ve watched them all, too. I think Tocantins (JT/Coach season) should be higher. Pearl Islands needs to move down a few pegs. And there’s a reason Marquesas is underrated- it was boring!
I agree about Tocantins. I loved Coach! He alone brought the season up to one of my top five. His delusions were the best thing to ever happen to Survivor.
I agree with your rankings especially amazon being so high
only thing is i think Vanuatu deserved to be 3 or 4 steps higher
also THERE ARE FIJI LOVERS?!?! I didn’t know such a group existed must be with them scientoligists
I’d drop Borneo to after Palau–just because it was first doesn’t earn it enough praise in my book to be #1, though it was a good season. Samoa is nothing without Russell and as such isn’t well-rounded enough to ranking highly. I’d definitely drop it after Panama. As for the rest of the list…close enough…depends on my mood when I’m reading it.
Borneo is overrated to me. I’ve recently re-watched it and the editing back then was very boring. It lack that excitement we get from Survivor these days. Borneo is in my both three seasons along with Marquesas,Micronesia.
Dalton, you left off one other bright spot in the Fiji cast: Michelle. Too bad she got screwed over by a lame twist.
TOTALLY AGREE. She was the first person to start a fire with her glasses, and hilariously fell from the platform during a challenge. Very likable, could make it to the end (she’s in alliance with yau man and earl!) but pity the lousy twist.
Yeah Michelle got robbed for the Heros Vs. Villains season.
Yeah, she was on my Heroes list.
She would’ve made a better hero than Candice, that’s for sure