10 best ‘Survivor’ seasons, ranked
Since 2000, the CBS show Survivor has thrilled audiences with its premise: a group of castaways must learn to live and work together in the wild, while simultaneously voting each other out one-by-one. It’s a premise that never gets old because there’s always new people to play the game.
However, there are 47 seasons of the Survivor, and it can be hard to sift the good seasons from the so-so ones. That’s where we come in. Here are our picks for the best 10 seasons of Survivor, ranked.
10. ‘Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X’
This was one of the first times Survivor players were separated specifically by age, and it added one of the most tense elements to any season, before or since. Part of the beauty of this season was some of the partnerships that grew between the generational divides.
One standout was player David Wright’s evolution. He went from nerdy, timid nobody to a real strategist and all around excellent player. The look on Michaela Bradshaw’s face when she realizes she’s getting voted out also stands as one of the best blindsides of the series. She was so mad, but to be fair she was also very cocky.
9. ‘Survivor: The Australian Outback’
This season of Survivor really saw the show really get its legs. Sure, Survivor season 1 was a huge hit and iconic on its own right, but this season proved the experiment worked. You can see all of the staples, like Jeff Probst learning to do his play-by-play (he was not good at it yet).
We’re introduced to a number of iconic Survivor cast members in this season, including Jerri Manthey (who would go on to pose for Playboy back when that still made news), and Colby Donaldson. Outback also introduced a blindfold challenge and a stand-on-a-pole challenge, show staples to this day.
8. ‘Survivor 46’
The first season of the new era (longer episodes, more focus on gameplay) to appear on the list. This one had a cast that immediately felt iconic and a show that was refreshingly basic. But it was the cast that makes this one so incredible. Q bulldozed his way through the game until he couldn’t anymore.
Bhanu was incredibly odd and desperate for viral moments. It also contains one of the most shocking moments ever: game allies Charlie and Maria were torn apart when Maria went back on her word and supported Kenzi in the final three. Up to interpretation, but a lot of people think it’s because she was bitter about not making it that far.
7. ‘Survivor: David vs. Goliath’
Another interesting pairing, this one was basically an underdogs against overdogs season. What’s interesting about this season is the theme of the underdogs vs. their betters lasts through the whole run. It also has another one of those stellar casts with whip-smart competitors.
Memorable cast members include pro wrestler John Hennigan, TV writer Mike White and of course Nick Wilson, a lawyer who lived on the bottom the whole game but somehow squeezed his way into the finale.
6. ‘Survivor: Winners at War’
Anytime you bring Sandra back, you know it’s going to be a good season. The self-proclaimed queen of Survivor was back for a third time, and the cast was all previous winners – making for one of the most electric seasons of all.
Most of the cast members knew each other from previous seasons, and for the first time the cash prize was upped to $2 million. It was a real joy to watch iconic players go head-to-head and hopefully this is the kind of season we’ll get when the show hits 50. Another memorable singular event of the season: fire tokens, which would never be used in any season again.
5. ‘Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance’
Another banger. For this season, fans at home were allowed to vote on who they wanted to see back. Think of this one as a fan service season, but in the best way possible. The level of strategic gameplay alone on this season made it memorable, but it somehow exceeds expectations with some incredibly jaw-dropping moments.
There’s also the final three, which was won by blood, sweat and strategy and honestly, any of the final three could have ended up winning the whole thing. The journey of how they got there though, is the stuff of Survivor legend.
4. ‘Survivor: Cagayan – Brawns vs. Brains vs. Beauty’
This is an all-time classic season and made all the more memorable for having a then brand-new cast. Many of the members of this electric cast would return to play the game again, including an all-time great in Tony Vlachos. We also met Spencer Bledsoe and Kass McQuillen for the first time.
This season has it all: drama, chaos, intrigue and quite a bit of subterfuge. It demonstrates just how incredible the show can be when its firing on all cylinders.
3. ‘Survivor: Borneo’
How can we leave out the one that started it all? No one had any idea this show would end up being one of the longest running reality TV shows ever, but that’s just part of the magic. The show was an instant phenomenon, and legends like Richard Hatch and Kelly Wiglesworth became instant stars. The former even ended up in trouble with the law following his stint on the show, for reasons which we won’t spoil here.
2. ‘Survivor: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites’
The dynamic for this season was pretty simple in the beginning: make one tribe Survivor favorites and make the other Survivor superfans. Returning stars included all-time greats like Jonny Fairplay and Ozzy Lusth. It was a real treat to watch veterans play and scheme alongside first timers, and even more so when Parvati Shallow orchestrates her complete control of the game with an unbeatable female alliance.
1. ‘Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains’
Every single moment of this epic clash is so entertaining, it’s hard to pick one that sticks out. Nothing was more exciting than watching the likes of Boston Rob battle it out with the incredibly sly Russell Hantz or the alluring Parvati.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains had the perfect balance of fan-service and newness and it attracted a whole new generation of Survivor lovers. This is the perfect season to tell your friends about, and the perfect season to return to if you’ve been away from the franchise for a while.
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