The Greatest Single Season Performances in Survivor History

Over the course of 24 seasons of Survivor there have been many attempts to try to isolate the best Survivor Player Ever and I've seen a good number of "Best Survivor Winners" lists.  Rankings are always difficult because the seasons are so different.  I do always find it interesting in sports when someone looks at the best single seasons.  Just a lot of fun hypotheticals - What was better Bonds in 2001, McGwire in 1996, Ruth in 1921?  Chamberlain in '62 or Jordan in '96 or Robertson in '62?  Marino in '84, Manning in '04, or Brady in 2007?  Graff in '88 or Federer '06?  ''68 UCLA or '82 UNC? Lots of fun ones.

I decided to to the same thing here for Survivor.  I am just look at individual, single season performances. Is it fair to compare Boston Rob who played 4 times with Yul who played once? I'm looking at all players, not just winners.  Who really deserves the credit in Australia - Colby or Tina?
This way, everyone is on as even a playing field as possible.
Lots of criteria will be used in evaluating these individual season performances.  Challenges performances and wins, strategy, overall control of gameplay, other players in the season, control of ones destiny, and alliances/partnerships.  Lots to consider, but let's give it a try.

Best Individual Single Season Performances in Survivor History:

Honorable Mention:

Kathy - Marquesas - also strong in All-Stars too
Lex - Africa
Vecepia - Marquesas - not too memorable, but a good win
Rob - Amazon
Rafe - Guatemala - Maybe the most under-rated player ever.  4 individual immunity wins, driving force of his teams strategic moves, but allowed Danni to back out of final 2 deal.  Big mistake that keeps him off the list.
Ozzy - Cook Islands - Crazy good in challenges, but no real strategy game
Amanda - Fans vs Favorites - partner in crime with Parvati
Aras - Not a bad player, but actually benefited from Terry's dominance
Sophie - not very memorable, but some big challenge wins against veterans Ozzy and Coach


23. Yau-Man -Fiji - The lone bright spot of the Fiji season.  Yau-Man was all over the action.  3 immunity wins, found the hidden idol, made a fake idol, lost his spot in the finals due to Dreamz going back on his public promise.

22. Chris - Vanuatu - Some call Chris an undeserving winner, but I think he deserves some credit.  He was the last man standing, and overcame a strong 6 woman alliance.  He was in control of most of the women, getting them to turn on each other, and even got all the people he back stabbed to vote for him at the final Tribal Council.

21. Terry - Panama - Maybe the best individual immunity Survivor ever.  He one 5 straight and each time he needed to win to keep himself in the game.  Poor social game and inability to win the challenge at the final 3 puts him in only at number 20.

20. Earl - Fiji - Not too much memorable about Earl, but he did his thing, sweeping the finale and not getting a single vote against him the entire season.

19. Colby - Australia - Amazing season.  Domination in challenges, but ruined by the sole decision of taking Tina to the final over Keith.

18. Russell - Samoa - Say what you will about the person, Russell dominated this season.  He took his numbers down tribe at the merge and transformed them to the game's driving force.  He found hidden immunity idols without clues, using them to turn the game around, and won the final immunity challenge, ensuring Brett would not make it to the finals.  His social game was too harsh and he got too cocky at the end, but that does not mean he didn't play a great season.

17. Sandra - Heroes vs. Villains - The winner of one of the best, most competitive, most unpredictable seasons of Survivor ever, comes in at only 17?  Yep, Sandra was lucky to get to the finals, with Parvati and Russell doing most of the work.  She was very fortuitous, but won in the end, for the second time.

16. Danni - Guatemala -  Nothing too exciting about Danni.  She did all the things she had to do to win - strategy, alliances, social, a challenge win in a pretty tough season.

15. - Rob - All-Stars - Rob deserved to win Survivor All-Stars.  There is no other way around it.  He bossed the season.  He was huge in challenges, and somehow even got Amber to the final with him.  He wheeled and dealed and backstabbed.  He lost in the end by one vote, but did score a hot wife.

14. Sandra - Pearl Islands - Yep, Sandra's Pearl Islands win was better than her Heroes vs. Villains win.  In the Pearl Islands, Sandra's game wasn't hugely different, but she played a much larger role in the game's strategy.  The season had so many twists and turns and backstabs, but Sandra stayed adaptable and pitted the right people against each other at the right time, all while staying on top herself.  Was the best to show that strong physical play is not necessary to be a strong Survivor.

13. Bob - Gabon - Gabon was an interesting season as was Bob's.  He shined in the outdoors aspect and was pretty good in challenges, winning 3 and made an awesome fake immunity idol.  But there were a few times Bob was on the outside.  It was Sugar that kept him in the game and took him to the final.  Very likable, though and totally deserving.  It's just many of the upcoming players on the list were in control of the game from start to finish.  That was not the case for Bob.

12. Parvati - Heroes vs. Villains - I'm not sure why Parvati didn't win Heroes vs. Villains.  She definitely played the best game.  If she would have won she'd surely be top 4 on list list.  But the jury was a bit too bitter and gave the win to Sandra.  Despite this, Parvati played an amazing game - winning 3 huge challenges, flirting like crazy, strategizing with Russell, and pulling off what I think was the greatest strategic move in Survivor History - giving immunity idols to Jerri and Sandra when it was tied 5-5.

11. Ethan - Africa - Ethan was the Jack-of-all-Trades, maybe the first player to be likable, strategic, and physical throughout the entire game.  Sorry Colby.  He, though wasn't totally the driving force all the time.  He had a quality alliance, and when looking at the facts, Lex actually did most of the leg work and was the power player of the season.

10. Jenna - Amazon - The biggest determiner on this list is controlling the game, but it is also the sign of a good player when you can take a game where you are not in control and flip to where you are in control.  I would say the Amazon was like that a few times for Jenna - not in control, in control, not in control, in control.  I don't totally like here as a player, kind of whiny at times and cocky at other times, but big challenge wins and playing the men nicely brought her an impressive win.

9. Todd - China - There are basically two ways to win survive, through winning challenges or through strategy.  The best performances are a combination of the two. Todd is an example of the strategy route.  I don't think he won a single challenge, but he controlled his alliance, made a few smart moves, and won easily.  Not the most memorable performance, but high quality.


8. Brian - Thailand - This is where we start to get to the very best seasons.  These top 8 can definitely call themselves All-Stars and are clearly the players of the best Survivor Seasons ever.
Coming in at 8 is Brian.  He had a bit of luck that there was not a merge at the normal time, but led his weird older person tribe back from a numbers disadvantage, then voted the other tribe out one at a time, then voted off alley Ted, the only real physical threat, at the right time, then took Clay to the final instead of Jan so he looked strong in the final Tribal.  All and all, a stellar season.

7. Richard - Borneo - Richard Hatch, the godfather or Survivor, the one who started it all.  The first season of Survivor was SO much different than the show today.  Richard was really the only one who knew how to play the game, you know, actually talk about who you are voting off and make deals with people.  A bit cocky, he put together a quality team and was in charge from day one.  After the merge, he voted off the other team one-by-one, used Sean as long as he needed him, dropped Sue after they were down to 4, had Rudy in his pocket the whole time, and audaciously dropped out of the final immunity challenge knowing both players would take him to the final.  A great start to the franchise.

6. Parvati - Fans vs. Favorites - She is just so damn charming.  She could sell a 1985 TV as a 80-inch plasma.  A truly dominate game in Micronesia, with some of the best blindsides in the history of the game, but she did have some help in getting there.  She had a strong 3-woman alliance with Amanda and Cirie, a bunch of "fans" pawns, and it did help that it was a final 2 and not a final 3.  Lots of great moves along the way, but blindsides of Ozzy and Erik will be up there with the best ever.

5. JT - Tocantins - Like Parvati in Micronesia, JT was dominate, and like Parv, he had some help on the way, a partner in crime in the form of Stephen.  This is what keeps him and Parv from the top 4 on the list.
He had someone to do the work with, to bounce ideas off, someone to take away some of the spotlight.  And Stephen was probably leading the strategy side of things. They followed a similar script to others, leading the numbers down tribe back over the numbers up tribe  But JT was obviously the man, winning a good number of challenges and sweeping the final vote.

4. Kim -One World -

 Kim's performance was the one that led me to the development of this list.  I think she won One World without really sweating.  She started with with the strategy, working the men with ease.  Then she stepped up her challenge game and didn't really give her competition a chance to vote her off.  It was pretty odd watching on TV.  It just seemed so obvious she was gonna win the whole thing.  She had the social game too, winning easily at the end.  Strategic, physical, social.  Yes, that will get you a high spot on the best seasons ever list.

Top 3: Much of this list is just judgement calls.  8-4 could really be in any order, same with like 23-18.  The top 3 is perfectly clear, though.  3 individual seasons stand out as easily the best in Survivor history.  Each of the top 3 played vastly different games, and I'll try to defend by top 3 placement below.

3. Rob - Redemption Island - Rob's performance in Redemption Island was certainly the most dominant.  Was it the best?  I don't think so.  He was ridiculously in control of the entire game.  The thing that brings him in only at #3 is the lack of competition.  His tribe mates were clueless and Russell, who was hyped as his competition, wasn't even voted out by Rob.  His uber-control was impressive, but kind of boring.  I guess he was subtle enough in his domination, an awesome liar, or his tribe mates were just dumb. The never even considered voting him off! Amazing season, and maybe I'm going against my own criteria here, but the guy played 4 times!  The rest of his season was so naive! That puts him just below the next two on our list.

2. Yul - Cook Islands - Yul was a first class mastermind.  His was not in outward control like Rob.  It was behind the scenes decision making.  His was a strategy game  He never won an individual challenge, and didn't need to.  He voted off the right people at the right time and led his tribe after infamous mutiny to an amazing challenge winning streak. He had the hidden immunity idol the entire time.  He used it amazingly, without actually having to use it. He  got Jonathan on his side by using the idol, one of the best moves in the history of the game, then voted Jonathan off to get the good will of the other tribe.  This little write up cannot do justice to his game play.  And what puts him above Rob is the fact the he came back from a disadvantaged position and he faced some great competition - Parvart (on this list twice), Candice, Jonathan, Ozzy, and some other strong males.  Got it done!

1. Tom - Palau - And #1 on our list of greatest Survivor individual season performances - Tom Westman and his Palau season.  Lots went into this choice.  It was his dominance of every facet of the game.  First off, he led his team to Complete Defeat of the other tribe.  They won EVERY immunity challenge.  There was no need for a merge or a new tribe name. The other tribe (one person!) was absorbed into his tribe. That is boss.
Then when when it came down to an individual game, he controlled that too.  He first voted off Coby, the one tribe member who wasn't really in his alliance, then voted off Gregg when he was started to put together possible opposition.  He stuck with his main alley Ian to deflect some of the attention and in the final challenge got Ian to give up on the condition that Tom take weak Katie to the Final Tribal and not Ian.  Crazy!  Yes, that is domination.  The best single season ever.  Team play, individual play, manipulation, stamping out threats, strategy, and getting votes from everyone that was once in his alliance.

 Congratulations Tom!

Survivor One World

Early spring once again gives us Lent, the promise, but usually unfulfilled promise of nice weather, lots of basketball, and a new Season of Survivor. This time, we can actually say this is a new season of Survivor. No new players and an interesting "One World" twist.
First off, NO MORE REDEMPTION ISLAND! Can you tell I'm excited? Now if you are off, you are off, maybe better dramatized this way
Back to the One World thing. Both tribes are living at the same camp. It does provide something new and possible intrigue, but we'll see how it plays out. Survivor did kind of did this once before in the Thailand season. Tribes were put together at the same beach when teams were tied 5-5. They thought it was a merge, but the tribes actually stayed divided. It was an interesting, albeit short-lived twist. I think it will work better this season with the tribes divided by sex.
Also there will be "Do it Yourself" challenges with no Jeff Probst. We've seen one so far, and it was pretty dumb. If you look back on some of the original seasons, Jeff did not provide any play-by-play in challenges and they were decidedly less dramatic. I'm not sure the reason behind it. Probst too busy? Add to the tension between tribes? Hopefully there won't be too many more of these.

Let's take at my initial thoughts (before watching episode 3) on the Survivor One World Cast:

Alicia - Seems like a bitch, don't think I'd want her on my side as you can't trust her and she's pretty volatile. But she does have a body-body.

Chelsea - I would not mind being stranded on a desert island with her. She's hot (Survivor seems to be upping the hotness after a pretty weak cast last season. Even the older women are hot this time) seems to be smart and can catch some chickens. I'm rooting for her.

Christina - Eh, not sure where she fits into the game

Kat - Not the brightest bulb. I don't see her getting far as she seems to be there to have fun and not necessarily play the game.

Kim - I like her, she seems well rounded and actually possesses common sense. In a Seinfeldian critique, her eyes are a little too close together.

Monica - 41? How much of that body was always hers?

Sabrina - I like her. She seems pretty funny and good at reading others.



Bill - Stand-up comedian? Say something funny already.

Colton - Uggh. I do not want this to be the Colton Season. This guy sucks. I hope he goes soon.

Greg (Tarzan) - Seems an interesting old man. I'd like to see more of him.

Jay - The new Grant - hasn't said too much, but did start fire ridiculously easily. Less douchey than his Frat Pack alliance.

Jonas - The only regular guy in the bunch. I'm rooting for him.

Leif - Not tall. Not talkative.

Matt - Seems pretty douchey.

Michael - See Matt, but a little less proud about it

Troy - Dude said, "Greg can't be Tarzan, I'm Troyzan." That's all you need to know.

There you go. I am optimistic about this season. Hopefully there will be a tribe switch at some point, maybe a mutiny or something to really shake things about. I like a few of the women, but am uncertain about the men. It's early.

What is the Best Season of Survivor?

What is the best season of Survivor? I've tackled this question once before - back after Season 17 - but a lot has happened since then, so let's take a look at it again.
Now lists like this always differ from person to person. I look for a few specific criterion when evaluating a season.
1. Was the cast entertaining? - Usually I will use likable, but unlikability is just as important to a season of Survivor
2. Was there someone to root for at the end? You can have a great season, but if there isn't someone to root for in at least the last episode, the season really loses steam.
3. Unpredictability - This will come in two forms, both equally important to Survivor - big moves and blindsides
Other things also come into play like location, challenges, attractiveness, and where I was at the time.

Some of the rankings have changed somewhat dramatically from the first list, some not so much. This time, I saw 4 distinct tiers from my rankings. Tier 1 will be the clear best - picks 1-4. Tier 2 will be good, entertaining seasons - picks 5-8. Tier 3 were normal seasons, better than normal TV, but just average Survivor, unmemorable - picks 9-17, with picks 13-17 especially interchangeable, with little distinguishing them from one another. Tier 4, bad seasons picks 18 -23.
Alright, enough explanation, let's get to the countdown.
Ranking the Seasons of Survivor

23. Survivor Fiji
Actual Season #14
Quality Contestants: Yau-Man
Why 23? Boring. I did not finish watching this season. People were mean and unlikable, challenges unmemorable. Yau-man was the only redeeming quality of this season.
Turning Point: There was this weird haves vs. have-nots motif from this season. The winners of the first challenge got the good camp and then went on to win every immunity challenge, even after the teams were switched up.

22. Survivor Nicaragua
Actual Season #21
Quality Contestants: Marty? Fabio?
Why 22? Again, unmemorable, no big moves or twist, generally unlikable, dull contestants. Again, I did not finish watching this season.
Turning Point: ????

21. Survivor Redemption Island
Actual Season #22
Quality Contestants: Boston Rob, Philip
Why 21? The placement of this season depends on how you feel about Boston Rob. If you like masterminding, boring, predictably TV, you'll like this season. I respect the game he played. It has to be the best ever, but that does not mean that this was a good season to watch. Even with Redemption Island, NOTHING happened.
Turning Point: Rob gaining the confidence of every single person in his tribe.

20. Survivor Thailand
Actual Season #5
Quality Contestants:???
Why 20? This is rated the worst season by many and I can see why. It may be puzzling then, that with zero quality contestants, this season still beats out 3 others on my list. I think part of it is due to the newness of Survivor at this point and the fact that the underdog tribe of mostly older people took over the game. Also, it was compelling to see how far Brian's control of the game went.
Turning Point: This was the weird season where when the tribes were tied 5-5 they moved to the same beach, but did not merge. They stayed as separate tribes, and Brian's tribe won the next two immunity challenges confirming their dominance in the game. This could be the inspiration for this season's "One World", but I hope this season is better than Thailand.

19. Survivor Africa
Actual Season #3
Quality Contestants: Ethan, Tom, Lex, Kim P
Why 19? Africa had a lot of good contestants (see above) and interesting people (add Frank and Brandon to the list.) It had the first tribe switch in Survivor history, yet it was a boring, at times hard to watch season. Most of this is due to the locale. It was super hot, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thorn bushes to protect them from the animals. I think the low rank is also due to the disappointment compared to previous seasons.
Turning Point: There is the obvious tribe switch, where the old people's alliance lost their power, but there was also this odd episode after the merge where Lex was on a mission to find out who voted for him in the previous tribal council. He thought it was Kelly even though she was in his alliance so he voted for her, Kelly voted for him and got the numbers-down tribe to do the same. But for some reason, Brandon went with Lex and voted off Kelly too, sending her home with a 5-4 vote. If Brandon votes for Lex, the Lex/Tom/Ethan/Kim alliance is done-zo.

18. Survivor All-Stars
Actual Season #8
Quality Contestants: Most
Why 18? This is another season expectations were high, but disappointment abounded. This lends to the low rating. Mostly, though, it was players already knowing each other and having established relationships that made it a bad season. People knew each other, how they played the game, and knew them outside the game. This added a very negative personal element to the game. There was no feeling out period, no forming of strong teams, just getting rid of people perceived as threats.
Turning Point: Lex believes Rob and protects Amber. Next episode, Rob votes out Lex. Rob and Amber go to the final.

17. Survivor China
Actual Season #15
Quality Contestants: Todd, Amanda, James
Why 17? China had some good contestants. It was entertaining and I guess good television, but other than James being a beast and Todd controlling the game, I don't remember a thing about the season.
Turning Point:???

16. Survivor South Pacific
Actual Season # 23
Quality Contestants: Coach, Jim, Brandon (purely as entertainment)
Why 16? South Pacific was the second of the two Redemption seasons. Ozzy and Coach were the returning players, a much less significant draw than Russel and Boston Rob. Not a great season, but some great big moves by Cochran and Ozzy. The moves, though actually did very little.
Turning Point: Cochran betraying his tribe when the merged 6-6.

15. Survivor Amazon
Actual Season #6
Quality Contestants: Butch, Rob C
Why 15? This was the first gender divided season. Kind of a weird one. Lots of sexual talk. Lots of the women playing the men. No hugely likable characters, but entertaining. Probably the first season based primarily on strategy instead of alliances. That might for lots of backstabbing and betrayal.
Turning Point: Quite a few but mostly the women conning the men, expect for Rob, who was usually in with the women.

14. Survivor Tocantins
Actual Season #18
Quality Contestants: Coach, Taj, JT
Why 14? Another season not very memorable. No real big moves, but some good contestants. A satisfying season as the underdog tribe going into the merge watches the larger tribe self destruct and the underdogs come out victorious. This is running theme in Survivor.
Turning Point:

13. Survivor Guatemala
Actual Season # 11
Quality Contestants: Rafe, Gary, Bobby Jon, Stephenie
Why 13? Again, not a hugely memorable season. A pretty good cast, and a tough, tough locale - starting the game with the 12 mile jungle trek. Love Bobby Jon!
Turning Point: Probably the early alliance formation after the tribe switch - really cast the die for the entire season.

12. Survivor Samoa
Actual Season # 19
Quality Contestants: Russell, Shambo
Why 12? The ranking of this season depends on how you feel about Russell. I like Russell as a villain, but not really as a player. It's great to have someone to root against, and I totally see why he did not win. This season again saw the underdog tribe at the merge stay together as the larger tribe totally self destructed. This time, though, not really many likable people on the underdog tribe - kinda dull in fact, excluding Russell.
Turning Point: At the merge the leading tribe was up over Russell's tribe 8-4 (7-5 if you count Shambo) and they voted off Erik, one of their own for no real reason. Then things went downhill from their with Russell using his idol and players being concerned about pulling a rock. Also, black Russell's having to leave due to injury should not be downplayed. I think his tribe would've stayed together if he were still there.


11. Survivor Panama
Actual Season #12
Quality Contestants: Bruce, Sally, Aras, Cirie
Why 11? Lots of unlikable characters - Shane, Danielle, Terry, Courtney and a season where the underdogs do not make a comeback like in Samoa and Tocantins. Still a good season though, due to good challenges, and the immunity dominance of Terry.
Turning Point: Actually Terry winning every challenge kept Aras in the game. If Terry would have lost along the way, he would have used the idol and that would have sent out Aras, the eventual winner.

10. Survivor Marquesas
Actual Season #4
Quality Contestants: Paschal, John, Kathy, Young Boston Rob
Why 10? Interesting season, not really a lot of likable people, but some good players. This season saw another tribe switch (only the second time) and the first ever big alliance break (see below). It also had the purple rock, a young Boston Rob - much funnier, but not a smart player -, "I need somebody to pee on my hand", and some awesome scenery.
Turning Point: Biggest switch ever, and a precedent setter for Survivor going forward - one tribe has numbers domination at the merge and the people at the bottom of this alliance sense that they are at the bottom and jump to the side with the numbers disadvantage, thus switching everything up.

9. Survivor Gabon
Actual Season # 17
Quality Contestants: Bob, Matty, Corinne (good villain)
Why 9? A more interesting Africa than Season 3. Not the best cast, but a quality, likable winner and some good villains put this season in at number 9 on the list. Interesting idea of ranking the tribe members based on importance, then letting the tribe members pick new tribes based off that.
Turning Point: The early tribe switch along with the method for choosing new tribes mentioned above made for some strong alliances. Then the tribes switched again. The dominant alliance had the numbers in both tribes, but then Susie switched and voted off Marcus, thus changing the numbers. The role of Matty, though must be noted here. He won immunity for his tribe in this challenge. If he had not, he would have been voted out by Corinne, Charlie,and Randy. Whew, a long explanation, but an important one.

8. Survivor Pearl Islands
Actual Season # 7
Quality Contestants: Rupert, Darrah, Johnny Fairplay (great villain)
Why 8? This is the one that changed the most since my original rankings. Wow, this was a wild season. Pretty much every episode was a new betrayal, alliance, backstab, and blindside. Some of the best Survivor characters ever in the form of Rupert and Johnny Fairplay and nice eye-candy in Darrah. The Outcast thing, though, really lowers the rank of this season, especially with the unworthy uber-annoying Lil making it to the final.
Turning Point: When the outcasts came back tribes were even. Burton was integrated back into his original tribe whereas Lil rejected her original tribe, going with the other tribe and handing them the telling advantage.

7. Survivor Micronesia - Fans vs Favorites
Actual Season # 16
Quality Contestants: Favorites
Why 7? Wow, some of the best blindsides ever! Really, the women PLAYED the men amazingly a few times this season. Only comes in at 7 though, due to injuries to Jonathan and James, and the overall weak play of the fans - some pretty poor contestants among them.
Turning Point: I guess you are judging which blindside is the best here - I'll go with the one against Ozzy. Also, Cirie choosing early in the game to align herself with Amanda and Parvati proved an important move.

6. Survivor Vanuatu
Actual Season # 9
Quality Contestants: Julie (hot), Ami, Sarge
Why 6? Lots of people don't like this season at all, but I love the self-destruction of the women coupled with the subtle manipulation Chris uses on them. His comeback was epic. He should have been voted off after not being able to cross the balance beam on the first episode! Also, the attractiveness of many of the women and the amazing locations and challenges helps move this season up the rankings.
Turning Point: 6 women left and Chris, Chris finally gets the women to break their alliances as he gets the weaker women - Twila, Scout, and Eliza to form an alliance with him.
5. Survivor Palau
Actual Season # 10
Quality Contestants: Bobby Jon, Stephenie, James, Tom
Why 5? Lots of great Survivors and the biggest domination of one tribe over another in the history of the game. How could you not be engrossed by the total decimation of this tribe? Would they ever win? What would happen if they didn't? Would there be a merge? How would a tribe continue to dominate when they couldn't vote off their weakest players? All these questions were answered in Survivor Palau. Unfortunately, this was the odd season where the first half was much better than the second, because there were a number of weak players on the winning tribe that stuck around too long because there was never a need for tribal council.
Turning Point: No real turning point, just a slow, inevitable rise to the top.

4. Survivor Borneo
Actual Season # 1
Quality Contestants: Rudy, Richard, Greg, Colleen
Why 4? The first season ever brought us many great things. Sure it was pretty simple compared to later seasons - smaller challenges, less big moves, less strategic play, but the newness was awesome. To see it so quickly transform into a game of survival to a social game was pretty amazing. Also, some great characters in the first season, almost everybody that made it to the jury. Props to Richard Hatch for making the show what it is today.
Also, the final immunity challenge and tribal council are still unrivaled - Richard bowing out immediately telling both people (correctly) they have to take him to the final, Rudy's loss of concentration giving immunity to Kelly, Sue's speech, Greg's "pick a number" - love it!
Turning Point: Tied going into the merge - one tribe realizes they have to talk about who they are voting off. The other doesn't. Survivor history.


3. Survivor Australian Outback
Actual Season # 2
Quality Contestants: Colby, Mike, Rodger, Elisabeth
Why 3? Survivor at the height of it's popularity. You had increasingly better challenges, the start of a real strategy based game, yet the focus was still on surviving - floods, lost food, starving, killing pigs. Mike falling in the fire!!!! You had truly likable characters and the first Survivor villains. Unfortunately, Colby's not winning does drop the season down a notch.
Turning Point: Once again tied at the merge, this time the team's see the need to stay together. Keith wins immunity, so the votes are tied between Colby and Jeff. Jeff has previous votes against him and is gone. Colby and Tina's tribe moves on to victory.

2. Survivor Heroes vs. Villains
Actual Season # 20
Quality Contestants: Everyone but Sugar and Randy
Why 2? 3 and 4 were a close call and the same goes for 1 and 2. Heroes vs. Villains was a great season. It only comes up short due to the fact that none of the final players were likable. There was no one to root for in the end. The final 5 were a shadow of the former Colby, Jerri, Russell, Parvati, and Sandra. Another negative is your favorite players diminishing their legacies. Tom who was beyond awesome in Palau was pretty pedestrian here. Stephenie was voted off second. James got hurt again. JT orchestrated one of the dumbest moves in Survivor history. Boston Rob passed out.
That being said, still so close to being #1 on the list. Great contestants who knew how to play the game. The Heroes vs. Villains format worked much better than Fans vs. Favorites. You had Boston Rob vs. Russell, Tyson pulling a dumb move which got him voted off, Tom, Stephenie and Cirie not pulling the strings for a change, Amanda again blowing it, and Candice flopping over to t he Villain's side. (Why was she a Hero anyways?)
Turning Point: Lots of big moves as seen above. JT giving his idol to Russell was amazing, but the biggest move of all, and the BEST MOVE IN THE HISTORY OF SURVIVOR was Parvati giving her secret idol and the idol Russell gave to her to Jerri and Sandra. It was just the perfect example of playing the odds, reading the other players, and looking forward in the game. It was 5-5 at the Merge. Parvati knew they Heroes would not vote for her or Russell, so used both idols to keep her tribe ahead in the game.

1. Survivor Cook Islands
Actual Season # 13
Quality Contestants: Yul, Ozzy, Parvati, Jonathan, Cao-Boi
Why 1? Cook Islands just doesn't have the negative aspects that H vs V did. This was the "race season" and that has nothing to do with my ranking, but I do think the diverse cast did help the season. Anyways, lots of great characters - both likable and unlikable. Great challenges, maybe the best ever and a good number of twists and turns. The biggest reason this is #1 was due to the "Mutiny" twist. After a tribe switch and the knocking out of the weaker players, the teams were integrated and tied 6-6. Contestants were given the choice of switching tribes. Candice and Jonathan did so, totally switching the game, giving one tribe a 8-4 advantage. This gave the audience a clear underdog team - Yul, Ozzy, Becky, and Sundra - to root for and a clear villain team to root against. The underdog team went on a winning streak and ended up being the final 4.
Turning Point: After the Mutiny, the underdog tribe won a bunch of challenges in the row to almost even out the game, but their work was not done yet. When the merge took place, they were still outnumbered 5-4. Yul used his idol to get Johnathan to switch back over to his tribe, getting the numbers in his favor and then voted off Johnathan 2 votes later. Epitome of the Survivor Puppet Master, -carefully calculating every possible move and how certain players would respond to it. Rivaled only by Parvati's move in H vs V. Love it.

Survivor South Pacific So Far

I'm glad to say that Survivor South Pacific is a good season. Not a great season, but maybe pretty good. This is much more than you can say about the previous two seasons. That is for sure. We'll see how it ends.

Big Moves - This has definitely been a season of big moves. First it was Jim, Cochran, and Dawn getting rid of Elyse to weaken Ozzy. Then it was Ozzy letting himself be voted off and sent to exile. Then Cochran flipping to join Coach's tribe. Then it was Albert and Sophie joining Cochran and Dawn to change the game. Oh wait, that one didn't happen.
The episode with Ozzy at Redemption and then the possible 6-6 tie was one of the best episodes in the show's history. The last one I can remember that compelling was the 5-5 tie on Heroes vs. Villains. Unfortunately, things haven't been as interesting since.

Redemption Island - I'm against the idea of Redemption Island. It makes getting voted off, and especially blind sides less important, less soul shattering. If you get voted off, you should be done! But both last season and this season, it has actually helped out entertainment wise. Last season would have been EXCRUCIATINGLY boring without Redemption Island. Even though it didn't really do too much, at least it held out the possibility of changing the game. This season it is similar, plus you have the Ozzy wild card. He is still in the game and can conceivably make it all the way to the end. Bring him back in the final 4 or 5 needing only to win one or two immunity challenges, wow. That definitely keeps things interesting.

Cochran - Cochran is definitely the star of this season. He made the big move. I'm usually one to root for the underdog, but I think Ozzy got this one right. You call a spade a spade. You call a wiener a wiener. Cochran is a wiener. I think Jim and Dawn have the biggest reason to be pissed at him. They saved his butt multiple times. Cochran has obviously never played team sports. Didn't 80's movies teach him anything? You get back at the bullies and popular kids by beating them at their own game (usually sports) not stabbing them in the back!

Little Hantz - I think the rest of the season will turn into the Brandon show. Most of the season has centered on Ozzy's tribe and they have been the obviously more compelling people. But remember how crazy Brandon is? He's taken a back seat with all this other stuff going on, but you know he's holding it all in. When things get shaky, it's all gonna come out. Things are gonna get weird!

Coach - Coach is playing a good game. He's put a nice little team together. It just goes to show you how important those first few days of team building are. Pretty quickly Coach changed from the guy who was on Survivor twice before to a valued, necessary member of a team and an alliance. Can he win it all? I don't see why not. If it's him and Brandon, Edna, Cochran, or Rick, he definitely should win.

Cowboy and Edna - Pretty lame, pretty boring. This is the problem with a very strong alliance. People stick around that really have no business being there, that have contributed nothing to the show. See Palau for the prime example of this.

Sophie and Albert - At least these two are playing the game. They see a road without Coach and have at least flirted with the possibility of sowing it. They actually make a good team. Albert is a bit gung-ho at times, but Sophie is there to reign him in. Did they miss their chance? I think so, but at least they'll go down guns blazing. I'll be rooting for Ozzy and these two, but I'm guessing Albert will be voted off next with the ultimate cop-out from Coach, saying they need someone that can beat Ozzy. Cop-out yes, but also the right strategy.
Hoping for more big moves!

Survivor 23

Just like the changing of the leaves, the beginning of the NFL season, and high school soccer, the beginning of fall brings us a new season of Survivor. From what I remember, none of the fall seasons were All-Stars, so fall is always a fresh beginning. I'm not gonna lie, the last two seasons of Survivor were pretty weak. They do need some freshening up. And how will they do that? By bringing back Ozzy and Coach of course. I am on board with this. As I said last season, having a couple new people allows you to jump into the season right away. There is less of a feeling out period, but there is still the cool newness of all the other contestants. Neither Coach or Ozzy are my favorite players and they don't have a history together, but I like the choices. Coach is very entertaining and Ozzy a good physical player trying to become a good strategist as well.
Let's take an initial look at the cast.

Coach - 3rd time playing, definitely will give us lots of great sayings and stories and talks about honor and dignity. I like him.

Brandon - Russell's nephew. Coach really hit it on the head - "He's got demons". This guy is weird. He's only 19. I get the whole redeem the family name thing, but the whole not lusting after women is crazy. Did he not expect women in bikinis on Survivor? Is he going to rape someone? I don't get it. I cannot read this guy at all.

Mikayla - The object of Brandon's desire or anti-desire. I don't get it man. I mean she has a nice body, but isn't anything too ridiculous. Cover of Playboy? Lingerie football? Big ears.

Albert - The (token) black guy. He seems smart and looks strong, but might talk too much at tribal. I see him making the merge then going out as a threat, but redemption island may change that.

Christine - Hope she goes home soon. She really brings nothing positive to the table.

Edna - Coach's only friend for a while. She was quickly replaced when Coach settled in with some stronger players. Even with Coach's backing, I don't see her staying around too long.

Rick - The Cowboy. He played it really close to the vest by not saying a single word last episode. Nice one. I hope he sticks around for a while.

Sophie - Could play an interesting roll as the lone female in Upolu alliance. I see her being a strong player. She seems to have already read Brandon correctly, seems smart. We'll see how she fairs in challenges. Not attractive enough to create lust in Brandon.

Stacey - "Boom." She already has a catch phrase, so she has that going for her, but she is on the outside of her tribe and won't people around for long.
Ozzy - Dude is a beast out there in the challenges and actual surviving in the wild, but can his social game match?

Keith - I think I saw this guy last season when he was called Grant. Really, he will be Ozzy's best bud and then get back-stabbed. Bet.

Dawn - A bit emotional. I don't think she'll be around long.

Eylse - Hottest contestant this year? Maybe. I'm hoping to see more of her. I could see her playing the flirt card pretty good. I see a devious look in her eye too. I'm intrigued.

Jim - It's a shame players get the stigma of "playing too hard". See Jonathan Penner and Marty from two seasons ago. That shouldn't be a bad thing, but is. Looking at his team, I feel he'll be on the right side of the numbers and should stick around til the jury.

John (Cochrane) - Aah, a self given nickname, that is never a good start. He's funny, but will soon be seen as a liability and won't bond with Ozzy, Keith, and Jim.

Mark - See above about self imposed nicknames. Papa bear? C'mon man!

Semhar - Big tits. Horrible at basketball. And I never really liked spoken word. I think Christine will beat her tomorrow.

Whitney - The hot, silent type. I'm not sure if I've heard her utter a word. I wouldn't be surprised if she's actually a mermaid who made a deal with an evil sorceress octopus to gain legs. I will have to wait until a water challenge to confirm this. She's hot, and I could really see her coattail riding with the alpha male Savaii alliance.


There you go, I like to judge people. Mostly I'll be wrong, but with Coach, Ozzy, the weird Hantz kid, two self-given nicknames, and Boom, I see this being a good season.

Survivor Redemption Island Review

Time for a quick review of Survivor 22: Redemption Island, The Good, The Bad, and the Redemption Island.

Good
Boston Rob- I was a fan from the start concerning the inclusion of Boston Rob and Russell in this season of Survivor. Like I said before, they would start the ball rolling episode one and allow you to enter right into the season to avoid the normal first few episodes where you don't really know anyone. And, man, Boston Rob is running this season. This has got to be the most controlling performance ever. He is making all the right moves and not even allowing the other tribe, and more importantly his tribe to make a move against him. They are not even thinking about it. Plus his actions concerning the idol he is in possession of are great too.

Don't eat the fish!

Phillip- Phillip symbolizes the reason why we still watch Survivor. People are weird. People are varied. People are entertaining. And Phillip is very entertaining. Survivor and Jeff Probst are totally pimping him out in all their promotional materials. It's a good thing he's around otherwise this season would all be Rob. Phillip is crazy, but every time you think he is totally crazy and helpless, he says something really smart about the game and you wonder if this guy is playing everyone and can actually win this thing. Then he wears a feather and you remember the faded red underwear and again think he is crazy.

Andrea- Andrea is definitely cute. She has that going for her. She is much more likable than other other remaining girls. I think she is a good player. I think she knows what Rob is up to. I think it was smart to stick with Rob and vote off Matt the second time. I do wonder what would happen if she would have went with Matt over to Zapatera. Well, she'll have to make some moves to really be a good player.

Underdog Tribe- Some of the best seasons of Survivor have the underdog tribe overcoming the odds and winning in the end. The best example of this is Cook Islands, but it can also be seen in Samoa and Tocantins where it was the result of the winning team's implosion. It gives you someone to get behind and be happy with then the tides turn.
This year is ripe for the same scenario, but alas, Rob is too strong to see this happen. At least we have players to root for.

Bad

Domination - Yes, this is the reverse of the underdog tribe. Rob and Ometepi are dominating. He has everyone his wing, in his back pocket, under this control. It was entertaining when Matt came back, but since them it's been a bore. Rob's voting of Matt and Ralph simultaneously using the idol was beyond ideal for Rob. That's what set up this potential bore fest for the next few weeks.

Rob's Girls - I hate players that don't do anything yet stay in the game, and not only that, but act like they are the shit and treat everyone else poorly like it's their God given place to be where they are. Ashley and Natalie fall under the don't do anything category, but aren't as bad as Candice and Danielle from Heroes vs. Villains, Crystal from Gabon, Alexis from Fans, and Courtney from China. They just don't deserve to be there and add nothing to the game.

Russell's Exit - The voting off of Russell was cool, but somehow the Redemption Island part made it anti - climatic. First, there was no finalization with the vote, and second, the Redemption Island challenges are weird. There just isn't the same intensity as immunity challenges. Something about the setup and the placement in the show. The voting off of Russell should have been a monumental moment, but in the end it was just him crying into his stupid hat.

Good and Bad
Grant - I like Grant, but it is sad to see him so used by Rob. Case in point when they found the idol clues. Grant is jumping up and down and literally shaking from excitement, but little does he know Rob already has the idol. You can see this again when he won immunity. He's excited because he won it for the team, but he really just won it for Rob. Rob knows he will have to vote him off at some point.

Redemption Island - The Redemption Island portion of the show has been disappointing thus far. It makes Tribal Council less important. The challenges themselves haven't been too great. And Matt has won them all.

This week has the potential of changing that. 3 people. What will happen? It would be an awesome F You to Rob if all three came back. It would be cool if two came back, but then we'd be in the same predicament as last week. But, for the first time, I am excited for Redemption Island. Should be fun.

Survivor 22

I first off must admit that last season's Survivor was the first season I did not complete. I got a little over half way through and stopped watching. There has been seasons before that I have not watched in their entirety, but last season was the first time I totally bailed. I had to look up online to see how won.

A couple early thoughts on Season 22.
I used to not be a fan of All-Star seasons, but the one last year was great. I wasn't excited for Russell and Boston Rob again, but having the 2 veterans really allows you to jump right into the season. There is no feeling around episodes. Those two are running thangs right away. It makes for good viewing.
This "redemption" format sounds a whole heck of a lot like Real World/Road Rules Challenges, not that I'm complaining. Those things are pretty entertaining. I'm not sure it will add to Survivor, though. We'll see. It is definitely a safeguard to keep Boston Rob and Russell in the game. The previous "redemption" ploy off the Pearl Islands, was kind of lame, bringing back Burton and Lil, not really offering much to the season.
Will there be real water challenges this season?

Alright, let's take an early look at this year's cast.

Boston Rob - I like him, glad he's back, much better without Amber.

Andrea - I like her. She is cute and hot. There's something about her very alluring, must be that Wisconsin up-bringing. I think she could make it far under the right circumstances.

Kristina - Fake boobs, loner, won't be around for long.

Grant - So this guy was an NFL football player. I see him making the jury and then going out as the "threat". On a side note, someone once asked who I would choose to look like if I could look like anyone in the world, ok maybe I poised this question just so I could answer it, but anyways, my answer was James from Survivor, but now Grant is a close second. No homo.

Philip - Yes! This guy is great. Vastly entertaining. I don't think he'll make it far, so take it in while you can.

Natalie - Apparently this chick is 19. I think that is too young. she might go far under someone's wing, but will not be a major player.

Ashley - I like her. She's hot, but not too hot that that's her only asset. I predict she will go far.

Russell - Too cocky, but that was the case last season too, but he still made it to the final. Definitely brings the entertainment value.

Steve - The new Tom - Older, grey, strong. Apparently another ex-nfl player. He should go far, maybe taking over as team leader once Russell is gone.

Julie - she could definitely kick my ass.

Sarita - hasn't really said too much yet.

Stephanie - power hunger young girl on Russel's teet. She's the type of girl that would scan the bar at bar time looking for a drunk guy she couldn't otherwise get, a muskrat or 'skrat, as we called them back in the day.

Krista - Kind of weird, also on the Russel train.

Ralph - Yes, the hairy redneck. I can't wait til this guy pulls one over on Russell

Mike and David - Two younger white guys, don't know much about them. One was in Iraq, one is kinda dorky, but they'll take down Russell and be best buds.

I see the season building to a Russell/Boston Rob Redemption Island showdown in about week 7 or 8 and then falling off after that.

Stay tuned kids!

Where No Survivor Has Gone Before

Another late winter, another season of Survivor. Those post's title does not refer to the stupid elimination battle which we are yet to see or the "Survivor 2nd Chance/Survivor What If...?" promos. That might be the worst thing ever. Before I delve, into this season, I thought I'd take a look at places Survivor has never been, but should go. I once heard a rumor it was going to be in Jordan, but had to back out before they started due to fear of Middle East Violence. Interesting.
Let's take a quick recap of where Survivor has been.

1. Borneo - cool
2. Australia - cool, but not as cool
3. Africa - eh, sounded cool, but pretty much just desert.
4. Marquesas - super cool, Waterfalls
5. Thailand - don't remember much
6. Amazon - Sounded cool again, but kind of boring. Piranhas.
7. Pearl Islands - Panama, pretty cool. Rupert.
8. Pearls again
9.Vanuatu - Maybe the best scenery
10. Palau - Awesome
11. Nicaragua - I think the toughest conditions ever
12. Panama, again, some real good challenges, though
13. Cook Islands, tied with Vanuatu for best scenery, and better challenges
14. Fiji
15. China - better than expected

16. Micronesia - not bad
17. Gabon - a much better Africa
18.Tocantins - Brazil again
19. Samoa
20. Samoa again
21. Nicaragua
22. Nicaragua again

A few notes: First, landlocked places are bad. It is clear all the best seasons took place on the water. I'd say 80% of the best challenges were water based. 2nd, WHAT THE FUCK happened to the water challenges?!!!! Seriously, I understand there being only fabricated water in Nicaragua, but Samoa, it's an island. Why no water challenges? To tell you the truth, I don't remember an true water challenges - with boats, and swimming, and diving since Micronesia.
Bring back the water. My only guess is that someone died or seriously got hurt in a practice challenge. The truth is out there.

Also, I've often heard people pitch ideas of a cold location, but that would not work. No one would do anything. It would be super boring, and there would be no eye candy.
Ok, since the produces have gotten seriously lazy, I will provide them with the answers of where to take Survivor next.

1.Madagascar - Yes, this would be the best season yet. You got the ocean, mountains, animals that exist nowhere else in the world. This is the season I will be on.
2. Maldives or Seychelles - I hear these are among the most beautiful places in the world. Tons of small private islands would make a perfect location for an upcoming Survivor Season.
3. Okinawa - "Japan here. China here. Okinawa here."
4. Tuvalu - We've had Palua and Vanuatu, let's get another South Pacific, ending in "u" island. It could be the atoll season.
5. Pitcairn - Yes. Following in the footsteps of real life survivors, though the descendants of Fletcher Christian have not fared too well as of late.
6. Easter Island - see Survivor commercialize more ancient ruins

7. Suriname - I don't know why, but I just imagine Suriname as having both loads of rainforests, swamps, and Caribbean Sea beaches.

Let's make it happen Jeff Probst.

Survivor Update: Worst Season Ever?

So, by the third episode of this season's Survivor I knew it would be a contender for "Worst Survivor Season Ever". In many episodes little to nothing happens. There have been no big twists or changes in the game. There are no super likeable people. There really is no one to root for. Watch out Survivor Fiji, Survivor Nicaragua may be coming for your title of "Worst Survivor Season Ever".

To be fair, it is hard to follow up the great All-Star season and the Russell season, but still, something interesting has to happen. I was pulling for "One-leg Kelly". I liked Alina (Ginger, attractive, played the game, cowboy boots, good at challenges) and Marty was defintely entertaining and one of the people that made the show watchable.

A few other supporting factors. How is Dan still there? When will Kelly Purple contribute something of substance to the show or the tribe? She is cute, but man, lifeless. The Challenges have been good for the most part, but never close.

I guess for the rest of the show I'll be rooting for Jud/Fabio, dude is the only entertaining/likeable one left. But after Marty's attempt to make a bold move, I really don't see the game going any other way. The Sash/Brenda/Naonka/Chase alliance with lackies Jane and Holly and Kelly will just be too strong for Fabio and Benry. It will really take something drastic to make this and exciting, likeable season. Maybe this is what they get for doing Young vs. Old and having Jimmy Johnson on the show, but I'll watch anyways.

Survivor 21

Well, surprisingly unemployment has caused me to blog much less. I've actually been pretty devoid of ideas lately, as I'm sure you've seen from my lack of post lately.

In need of an idea? Why not blog about Survivor. It's usually hard to tell who you like, who is a good character, who will get far after a few episodes, but I think I've got a few funny things to say about most people. I was even considering putting something on facebook about how wild these people are. Where did they find them? Are they real? Do they know they're on TV? But then I remembered no one really watches Survivor anymore. Well, let's take a look at this season's castaways anyways.

Young Team:

Shannon - Yes, Shannon is a man. The one who got voted off last week. What was wrong with this guy? He seemed incredibly normal until tribal council. He called out his friends, enemies, randoms and called out a dude for being gay. It's no surprise he's gone.

Alina - Pretty much back in the shadows. Hasn't done too much yet.

Kelly B - One leg. I hope she gets far so we can see what happens to that prosthetic leg. I thought she would be afraid of getting it dirty. I guess not. I'm hoping it rusts or gets so full of sand and dirt that it doesn't work properly. I like her, though. Hottest one legged contestant in Survivor history.

Kelly S - She's known on the show as "Kelly Purple". Um, ok. way to make a name for yourself. Hot, but hasn't done much yet.

Chase - Hoes before bros. But the tribal council behavior by Shannon definitely shows he made the right choice.

Brenda - pretty cute and knows how to work it. Men love her, girls don't trust her, the makings of a very good Survivor character. Makes me think of the "I want to hold your hand" girl in

Across the Universe.

Benry - First off, props to this guy for the first name/last name combo. Love it. Second, has this guy said a word yet? I don't think so. When confronted at tribal council by Jeff and Shannon, he just kind of had this dumb look on his face and shook his head. Nice one.

NaOnka - Diva. Is this girl for real? Where did this entitlement come from? This is Survivor. I did like the extreme neck movement when Jeff asked if she was difficult or complicated or something. Good work. I don't see her going to far.

Sash - Jamaican? "If I wasn't from Jamaica then why would I be wearing this hat?" Good thing he is on Survivor so he can live "Right near da beach. Boy-eeee!"

Jud - I like him. You need a surfer on Survivor. I hope he makes it far.

Old Team

Jimmy Johnson - Dude, why are you on Survivor? Go back to the NFL pre-game.

Yve - I think she is pissed she's categorized with the Old People. Thus she has not talked the entire season.

Jimmy T. - I'd like to see more of this guy, but don't see him staying too long. Reminds me of Mickey Rouke

Dan - Gator shoes. I imagine this guy wears track suits most of the time. Too bad he didn't bring them to Survivor.

Holly - Ok, this lady is crazy. Putting sand in Dan's shoes then sinking them in the water, that is just deviant. I guess maybe she's trying to be like Russell or something, but did she think no one will notice. I think she'll be out tonight.

Tyrone - Don't know much about him, but I could see this guy going far.

Marty - Looking good. He seems to know how to play the game. He'll work JJ until he needs to get rid of him. And he has the idol

Jill - Helped Marty get the idol, so that puts her in a good position for a while.

Jane - Started fire, but kina old

There you go. I hoped you enjoyed my observations. Proper responses to this post will be:

Does anyone care about Survivor anyone?

What is this, 2001?

Lame post Big Dunc. Give it up.

Thank You

Big Dunc's Ultimate Survivor All-Stars

Yesterday I gave you the Big Dunc Survivor All-Star teaser, giving the criteria for being an All-Star and the players just missing out on the All-Star Teams.

Ultimate Survivor All-Stars

These are the best of the best, the most entertaining and the most intriguing. I'm going with two teams of 9 here. The teams are divided somewhat evenly, both teams having a few players that have played together before, both teams with 6 males and 3 females, both teams having 15 seasons of Survivor playing experience. One team with 3 winners, the other with 4.
Our teams will be led by arguably the best team leaders in Survivor history, Yul – leading his tribe of 4 all to the final four after the infamous Cook Islands mutiny and Tom leading his tribe to the total defeat of the other tribe in Palau. We'll go Yul as team green and Tom as team blue.
Here we go.
Team Blue

Tom – Winner Palau , 16th Heroes vs. Villains - Before the Heroes vs. Villains season one would not be out of bounds to call Tom the single best player in Survivor history. He was the team leader of his Koror tribe in Palau which was undefeated in immunity challenges, totally eliminating the other tribe. He then smartly sent out all his possible roadblocks while at the same time dominating in individual immunity challenges as well. In the final immunity challenge he somehow got his opponent to give up on the condition that he takes not him, but the third, weaker player to the final. Tom did and won 6-1. Tom's legacy was hurt a bit in H vs. V, but I think he is a worthy All-Star team leader.

Bob – Winner Gabon – Bob definitely did it all during his one season of Survivor – winning immunity challenges, coming from behind, creating great fake immunity idols, and winning the fire making tie breaker challenge. Some of the shows best moments come from Bob tricking others with his fake idols and coming through in the clutch during times he needed to win immunity. Bob is also won one for the old guys, being the oldest Survivor winner to date.

Russell – 2nd Samoa, 3rd Heroes vs. Villains – There is no way you could have an All-Star team and exclude Russell. He is definitely one of the most entertaining players ever. He burns socks, lies, straight up calls out people who are against him, and basically makes the show fun to watch. I don't think he would last too long in another season, but who knows?

Brian – Winner Thailand – Brian is another one that could rightfully own the title of best Survivor player ever. He cruised (skated) through his Thailand season. He pretty much played error free, strategically leading his team and then winning final immunity challenges when he needed. I would love to see how Brian would fair against more crafty, smart players.

Sandra – Winner Pearl Islands, Winner Winner Heroes vs. Villains – Ok, after winning twice and never losing, you have to call Sandra the best player ever. For her, it's about strategy and the social game. She is definitely not a physical threat, but found a way to win twice anyways. Third time? I doubt it, but she will get a Big Dunc All-Star chance.

Julie – 5th Vanuatu – Mostly here for the eye candy factor, Julie was a decent player, using her goods well. Her attractiveness combined with her high finish is enough to make her a Big Dunc All-star. Survivor tidbit: Bob was a teacher of Julie in high school.

Yau-Man – 4th Fiji, 18 Micronesia – You need him on the team just due to his great name. Yau-Man is an All-Star despite being 55 years old, "5 foot nothin', 100 and nothin', and having barely a speck of athletic ability. " He is on the list for his intuition, strategy, and overall likability. I think in a game like this, with so many strong threats, he could make it pretty far.

Rupert – 8th Pearl Islands, 4th All-Stars, 6th Heroes vs. Villains – Rupert is another on you write into your lineup immediately. Everything else is formed around him. Rupert is a beast in team challenges, but not great in individual ones. He's an All-Star because of his great beard, tie-dyed shirt, attitude, and the great bellowing noises he makes when winning a challenge. He keeps it real and calls it how it is. You need that on Survivor.

Kelly – 11th Samoa – Kelly definitely has the weakest resume of any of the All-Stars, but she is smoking hot, so she makes the list. She was the victim of a Russell idol and really didn't deserve to go, but those are the Survivor breaks. She would add something to this season.


Blue team dynamic – Lots of these players have played together before. They definitely bring different strategies and ways of playing the game. I don't know how Russell could get past the first vote. Naturally Bob and Tom would team up, as would Sandra and Russell so I think the interesting wild cards would be Brian and Yau-Man. How would they team up with? How would they play differently than before? Could they create a unified team?

Green Team

Yul- Winner Cook Islands – Another one who could rightly wear the crown of best Survivor ever. Yul is the team captain because he led his underdog team to glory. In the Cook Islands season after a few tribe switches, teams were 6-6 and players were given the choice to change tribes. Candice and Jonathan left Yul's team to join the other and all of a sudden it was 8-4. Don't trust those white people. Yul led his underdog team to multiple challenge victory and then got Jonathan back on his side to get numbers in his favor and then one by one voted off all the whities and the remaining black guy, scoring a huge victory of non-white supremacists everywhere. Yul then won the million dollars in a close 4-3 vote of challenge dominator Ozzy. It would be great to see him lead a team again.

Michael – 11th Australia – This man is no joke. He killed a pig, led his underdog tribe to victories and then got burned in the fire. This was one of the coolest/scariest Survivor moments and also one of its biggest "what ifs". Things would have been drastically different if Michael did not fall in the fire. It's hard to be an All-Star after only 6 episodes, but let's give Michael another chance.

Bobby Jon – 10th Palau, 9th – If Bobby Jon is not my favorite Survivor player ever, he is definitely in my top 3. He just brings amazing intensity to the game. Second to last player on his team in Palau and played so hard in Guatemala he had his eyes rolling to the back of his head. He is great in challenges despite losing so many. He is also pretty funny with his witty southern sayings. I think he's strong strategically too, but just never really got to show it. Entertaining for sure!

Terry – 3rd Panama – Terry has to be the best individual immunity challenge player ever, winning 5 straight! And all of those 5 times he was on the chopping block if he did not win. He did endurance, puzzles, swimming, the whole gamut, but he did not win the last immunity challenge when it counted most. Ouch. I'm guessing producers tried to get him to come play on another season. They had to. Either way, he is a worthy All-Star and someone I would be interested in seeing play again.

Parvati – 6th Cook Islands, Winner Micronesia, 2nd Heroes vs. Villains – I don't think there is much I need to say about Parvati. One of the best players ever – challenges, strategy, manipulation, overall game play, attractiveness. Definite All-Star. Has it all.

Amanda – 3rd China, 2nd Micronesia, 9th Heroes vs. Villains – Another of the best players ever. Amanda is skilled in challenges and the social game and attractive, but never used those skills to bring a victory. She is deserving of the All-Star title, but can't bring a victory.

Richard – Winner Borneo, 14th All-Stars – Richard Hatch, the first Survivor winner and the first to understand the game. The first to realize that alliances and controlling your alliances was necessary to make it to the end. Hatch was great in All-Star too and would have been on Heroes vs. Villains if not for his house arrest. It would have been very interesting to see him play with this new era of Survivor players. I think he would have been in the same boat as Boston Rob, but ultimately found a way to oust Russell.

Darrah – 4th Pearl Islands – Darrah makes the list not only because her attractiveness, but because of her Survivor play as well. She won 3 individual immunity challenges and was the last member of her original tribe. Couple that with her great southern accent, her job as a mortician, and her hotness, she gets a spot on the All-Star list. I think she could go far with a second go around.

Paschal- 4th – Purple Rock.
Paschal is the only player to ever be eliminated by the infamous purple rock method. Basically, there was a 2-2 after a revote and to decide the winner, rocks were drawn be all remaining players and Pappy drew the short straw even though he was not one of the original players voted for. Such a lame way to get rid of someone. To this day, contestants still fear the arbitrary purple rock even though the same thing happened again in the Panama Season and the Cook Island season and there was a fire building challenge instead. Either way, Pappy was tight, a fun player to watch and one worthy of getting another chance and the title of All-Star.

Green Team Dynamic: This may be a case of too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Lots of these players will want to be the driving force behind their tribe. I'm thinking Richard won't be afraid to stay in the shadows at the beginning, and I think it bodes well for players like Bobby Jon and Darrah. Amanda and Parvati obviously have a history together and I think others would want to break them up immediately. I'm thinking after a few eliminations, this could be a very strong, unified tribe.


There you go, the Big Dunc Survivor All-Stars. This is the compilation of the best Survivor players ever. I think the teams are pretty even. The Big Dunc All-Star season would be epic, unpredictable and entertaining as ever. These are the 18 that made the cut.
Let me know who you think I missed or who from my list definitely would not make yours.