Post by PG on Jan 19, 2017 16:55:33 GMT -5
I really love this season every time I watch it, but it does feel like it drops a little every time. There's only so many times watching Ulong get complete destroyed can be entertaining. The cast as a whole... yeah, it's alright. But there are way too many duds on the cast in order for me to say this season had a solid cast. Actually finished this like 3 weeks ago, but got distracted with so many different shows that I never got around to posting my write up.
Player of the Season: Tom
Hero of the Season: Stephanie
Villain of the Season: Coby
Rankings:
20. Wanda Shirk
Totally an unpopular opinion... but I don't like Wanda. I can appreciate her for what she is, only because she is a first boot. But had she lasted any longer than her 10 minutes I would have completely lost my sh*t. She would have gotten annoying real fast, and I am so happy she wasn't on Guatemala like she was rumoured to be.
19. Jonathan Libby
Has to be one of the most boring first boots ever. I've rewatched this season so many times, and still know nothing about this guy.
18. Ibrehem Rahman
Also boring. And a pretty big challenge screw up. Robbed Angie of making it farther with his stupid immunity.
17. Ashlee Ashby
A total nobody for me. Like... nothing rings a bell.
16. Willard Smith
Seemed like a grump which was kind of funny. But he did absolutely nothing up until his boot episode. And then his boot episode he just seemed even more of a grump. I appreciate him for the little that he brought, but he's pretty forgettable.
15. Tom Westman
I'm actually a little surprised by this. The first time I watched Palau I absolutely loved Tom. But as time went on he really has faded for me. And this time it was hard to watch. He seems so arrogant and cocky, and I don't know... but something about him was just super unlikeable for me. I do think it has a lot to do with him being in power pretty much the whole time and being the leader (which already drops him a bit for me). But yeah, I don't think he was as much of a hero as people like to think...
14. Gregg Carey
For someone that made it so far, and could be categorized as an Alpha Male, he was pretty much unmemorable. Had his plans of overthrowing Tom and Ian had worked then he would be a lot higher, but nothing ever came out of that storyline...
13. Kim Mullen
Kind of boring, but seemed like she could have been a good character if she lasted longer. I have a feeling she was a lot more outspoken than we saw from the edit. I also liked her boot episode where she was making comments about how she hated being stuck on the tribe that worked so much. For me I usually hate lazy people, but she made it funny in a way.
12. Jolanda Jones
Not the most interesting person ever, but she was alright. Went from being seen as the strongest, to getting voted off right away. Probably also would have gotten annoying if she lasted longer do to her leading style.
11. Ian Rosenberger
I feel like Ian would have been a lot more fun as an underdog, but the fact that he was in power a lot, and in an unbearable (to me) alliance with Tom, kind of didn't make him as likeable as he should have been. Still he's a good character, and I would love to see him come back and not be in power. Also the guilt storyline with Katie was interesting.
10. Jeff Wilson
I thought Jeff was ok. Yeah, a bit boring. But his relationship with Kim added to him a bit, and the fact that the strongest guy on the tribe got taken out because of a coconut also added.
9. James Miller
He had some funny moments. Mostly his one liners "You ain't lyin'" and things like that. He was loud and spoke his mind.
8. Jenn Lyon
She might have been super UTR, but she was super sweet. And she tried to stir sh*t up with Tom and Ian right before her boot which bumps her up as well.
7. Janu Tornell
I've always kind of liked Janu for what she brought to the show. Yeah, she quit so that doesn't put her in the best light... but everything leading up to that quit was golden. From watching her struggle with the weather, to the fight with Katie, then her hating the place, to her going onto Exile Island (which was supposed to make her miserable but made her happier), and then the tribal council where she saved Steph. I understand why all these can be pointed out as negatives for her... but I don't care, I liked her.
6. Coby Archa
I feel like Coby had a good storyline. He started off as the last one picked, then struggled to fit in, and then tried to put himself in a power position but got himself kicked off instead for being a threat. Sometimes it was a little too overdramatic with him, but overall he was a good watch.
5. Caryn Groedel
I like Caryn. She came off as such a b*tch, I loved it. And her crazy eyes were hilarious to watch. She fought with so many different people, and she seemed so annoying out there... but for me it made good TV.
4. Katie Gallagher
I don't think I ever liked Katie before while watching this, but on a rewatch she was actually a lot more interesting that I remember. She tried to make moves, and spoke her mind. She had an explosive personality in a way, and it was fun to watch how annoying she was to other people. I actually do think she was a really good character, and I feel like had we seen less of Tom and Ian she could have been really fun.
3. Angie Jakusz
She seemed like a really cool character. Just a huge out there personality, and she was different which is what I like about her. Really wish she had made it farther, because I feel like she did have a lot to offer. And I would have liked to see her get together with Coby at the merge and possibly shake things up a bit.
2. Bobby Jon Drinkard
I understand why some people don't really like him, but he is always fun to watch for me. He just seemed like this beast of a character, almost not human in a way, and I love his friendship/alliance with Stephanie.
1. Stephenie LaGrossa
One of my all time favorite characters. There's just something so compelling about watching her be the last one standing on her tribe, and then going into Koror as dead girl walking, and still managing to survive a little bit and shake things up. Just a very positive character, with a lot of struggles.
Who Should Come Back:
Katie would be my first choice I think. I feel like she has a lot more potential than we saw, and I think if she's not getting overshadowed by two males outshining her, she could be a good character. Also seeing Ian back, but in a less dominant role would be fun. Coby could also come back and be a good strategist I think.
Winner Rankings
1. Richard Hatch
2. Brian Heidik
3.Chris Daugherty
4. Tom Westman
A lot of people rank him higher I think, but I feel like Tom didn't have that many obstacles to get through. Yeah he had a few, which is why he's not ranked lower... but for the most part he was always the leader, and was always in a majority alliance. Yeah, there were talks to get him out, but he was never really at a huge risk of having that happen (due to the people he was playing with). I think Tom is a very strong winner for the fact that he was so dominant in being able to get people to do what he wants, but I also think he had an easy win.
5. Tina Wesson
6. Sandra Diaz-Twine (Pearl Islands)
7. Ethan Zohn
8. Vecepia Towery
9. Jenna Morasca
10. Amber Brkich
Season Rankings
1. Marquesas
2. Pearl Islands
3. Vanuatu
4. Palau
I'm a little surprised, I expected to rank this one a lot higher (actually, I expected to rank it first). But watching it, I just couldn't get into it as much as I did before. I will always consider this a very good season, there's no doubt about that. But I feel like watching the Ulong tribe get destroyed can only be entertaining so many times. The excitement there is kind of lost during a rewatch. And after the season ended, I realized the cast wasn't very strong. Like even a lot of the people that made the merge weren't memorable. So it's hard... it will always be a good season for the storyline, but it's not as good as I remember.
5. Amazon
6. Africa
7. Australian Outback
8. Borneo
9. Thailand
10. All Stars
Player of the Season: Tom
Hero of the Season: Stephanie
Villain of the Season: Coby
Rankings:
20. Wanda Shirk
Totally an unpopular opinion... but I don't like Wanda. I can appreciate her for what she is, only because she is a first boot. But had she lasted any longer than her 10 minutes I would have completely lost my sh*t. She would have gotten annoying real fast, and I am so happy she wasn't on Guatemala like she was rumoured to be.
19. Jonathan Libby
Has to be one of the most boring first boots ever. I've rewatched this season so many times, and still know nothing about this guy.
18. Ibrehem Rahman
Also boring. And a pretty big challenge screw up. Robbed Angie of making it farther with his stupid immunity.
17. Ashlee Ashby
A total nobody for me. Like... nothing rings a bell.
16. Willard Smith
Seemed like a grump which was kind of funny. But he did absolutely nothing up until his boot episode. And then his boot episode he just seemed even more of a grump. I appreciate him for the little that he brought, but he's pretty forgettable.
15. Tom Westman
I'm actually a little surprised by this. The first time I watched Palau I absolutely loved Tom. But as time went on he really has faded for me. And this time it was hard to watch. He seems so arrogant and cocky, and I don't know... but something about him was just super unlikeable for me. I do think it has a lot to do with him being in power pretty much the whole time and being the leader (which already drops him a bit for me). But yeah, I don't think he was as much of a hero as people like to think...
14. Gregg Carey
For someone that made it so far, and could be categorized as an Alpha Male, he was pretty much unmemorable. Had his plans of overthrowing Tom and Ian had worked then he would be a lot higher, but nothing ever came out of that storyline...
13. Kim Mullen
Kind of boring, but seemed like she could have been a good character if she lasted longer. I have a feeling she was a lot more outspoken than we saw from the edit. I also liked her boot episode where she was making comments about how she hated being stuck on the tribe that worked so much. For me I usually hate lazy people, but she made it funny in a way.
12. Jolanda Jones
Not the most interesting person ever, but she was alright. Went from being seen as the strongest, to getting voted off right away. Probably also would have gotten annoying if she lasted longer do to her leading style.
11. Ian Rosenberger
I feel like Ian would have been a lot more fun as an underdog, but the fact that he was in power a lot, and in an unbearable (to me) alliance with Tom, kind of didn't make him as likeable as he should have been. Still he's a good character, and I would love to see him come back and not be in power. Also the guilt storyline with Katie was interesting.
10. Jeff Wilson
I thought Jeff was ok. Yeah, a bit boring. But his relationship with Kim added to him a bit, and the fact that the strongest guy on the tribe got taken out because of a coconut also added.
9. James Miller
He had some funny moments. Mostly his one liners "You ain't lyin'" and things like that. He was loud and spoke his mind.
8. Jenn Lyon
She might have been super UTR, but she was super sweet. And she tried to stir sh*t up with Tom and Ian right before her boot which bumps her up as well.
7. Janu Tornell
I've always kind of liked Janu for what she brought to the show. Yeah, she quit so that doesn't put her in the best light... but everything leading up to that quit was golden. From watching her struggle with the weather, to the fight with Katie, then her hating the place, to her going onto Exile Island (which was supposed to make her miserable but made her happier), and then the tribal council where she saved Steph. I understand why all these can be pointed out as negatives for her... but I don't care, I liked her.
6. Coby Archa
I feel like Coby had a good storyline. He started off as the last one picked, then struggled to fit in, and then tried to put himself in a power position but got himself kicked off instead for being a threat. Sometimes it was a little too overdramatic with him, but overall he was a good watch.
5. Caryn Groedel
I like Caryn. She came off as such a b*tch, I loved it. And her crazy eyes were hilarious to watch. She fought with so many different people, and she seemed so annoying out there... but for me it made good TV.
4. Katie Gallagher
I don't think I ever liked Katie before while watching this, but on a rewatch she was actually a lot more interesting that I remember. She tried to make moves, and spoke her mind. She had an explosive personality in a way, and it was fun to watch how annoying she was to other people. I actually do think she was a really good character, and I feel like had we seen less of Tom and Ian she could have been really fun.
3. Angie Jakusz
She seemed like a really cool character. Just a huge out there personality, and she was different which is what I like about her. Really wish she had made it farther, because I feel like she did have a lot to offer. And I would have liked to see her get together with Coby at the merge and possibly shake things up a bit.
2. Bobby Jon Drinkard
I understand why some people don't really like him, but he is always fun to watch for me. He just seemed like this beast of a character, almost not human in a way, and I love his friendship/alliance with Stephanie.
1. Stephenie LaGrossa
One of my all time favorite characters. There's just something so compelling about watching her be the last one standing on her tribe, and then going into Koror as dead girl walking, and still managing to survive a little bit and shake things up. Just a very positive character, with a lot of struggles.
Who Should Come Back:
Katie would be my first choice I think. I feel like she has a lot more potential than we saw, and I think if she's not getting overshadowed by two males outshining her, she could be a good character. Also seeing Ian back, but in a less dominant role would be fun. Coby could also come back and be a good strategist I think.
Winner Rankings
1. Richard Hatch
He's iconic because he's the first winner, and to be fair he played a really, really good game considering it was the first season. He's strategic, and he was all around a really interesting character. I still rank him first because although he had some flaws, he did have a good mix of strategic and social game which the other winners either had a good social game (and terrible strategic game), or good strategic game (and terrible social game). Plus considering he had no other seasons to go off of I'd say it's a pretty impressive win.
2. Brian Heidik
Some people will disagree with him being under Richard, and cool... I get it. The reason I place him her is because although Brian has a near perfect strategic game, and was able to have everyone do whatever he wanted... I feel his social game wasn't as strong. He pissed quite a few people off, and it really showed in the end. Not to knock him down at all, he played a very good game, and I understand why people have him ranked first... but for me there were flaws in the social game. And honestly, he just seems like a terrible person and I think his cast mates started to realize that.
3.Chris Daugherty
I think he played a good game with what he had to work with, but I do feel like a lot of his game relied on luck. Not docking him on outlasting the women, but I feel like he was very lucky that the alliance already had cracks way before the merge even happened. I don't feel like he had much to do with the women's alliance falling apart at the Leann vote. It was more like he went along for the ride and lucked out. But I do give him credit, he had a lot of relationships that got him to the end, and eventually the win. For him to outlast the women is impressive no matter what.
4. Tom Westman
A lot of people rank him higher I think, but I feel like Tom didn't have that many obstacles to get through. Yeah he had a few, which is why he's not ranked lower... but for the most part he was always the leader, and was always in a majority alliance. Yeah, there were talks to get him out, but he was never really at a huge risk of having that happen (due to the people he was playing with). I think Tom is a very strong winner for the fact that he was so dominant in being able to get people to do what he wants, but I also think he had an easy win.
5. Tina Wesson
It's kind of nice to see the exact opposite from the first seasons winner. Richard was a strategic player, whereas Tina perfected the social aspect of the game. Sadly she wasn't as interesting, and honestly she wouldn't be as memorable as Richard.
6. Sandra Diaz-Twine (Pearl Islands)
Personally she would be my favorite winner because of personality. But in terms of playing the game I can't really rank her higher. I'm not docking her on her game, she played good for the strategy she wanted to play with. No one had won with the "As long as it isn't be" strategy, so I respect her for that a lot. And to be fair, she almost became the perfect winner to play a perfect game if it wasn't for Tijuana's vote. Also, to be as loud and outspoken as her and still be able to get to the final 2 without a single vote against you, you had to be doing something right. But yeah, can't rank her any higher due to her not really having much control on the game.
7. Ethan Zohn
He's a very disappointing winner I think. He didn't really play that strong of a game and just seemed to be in the right alliance at the right time. He never really had any struggles, and pretty much just sailed right to the end. Also not much personality which drops him big time.
8. Vecepia Towery
Always debate between her and Ethan. I feel like neither of them are very strong winners, but at least Ethan had a good alliance and in that sense he played a better game than Vecepia. Vecepia on the other hand lucked out a lot, and that's the only reason she made it to the end. There were so many moments where Vecepia was in trouble. One plus for Vecepia is she had personality. But yeah, the under the radar strategy just didn't do it for me.
9. Jenna Morasca
Like I said in my season ranking, Jenna is a pretty terrible winner in my eyes. I understand she started playing an alright game at the merge, but before the merge she seemed to be doing everything wrong. Only hanging out with her other 2 beautiful girls, purposely making people feel like outsiders (not talking to Christy), and overall just being lazy. There's no moment in Jenna's game that I can honestly look at as a winning moment. She was a bit of a b*tch as well. I don't know, she just doesn't seem like she should've been a winner.
10. Amber Brkich
I have no respect for her gameplay. To come into an All Star season and basically hide behind someone else the entire season and not really playing much of a strategic game. Like, ok... if you do that on a normal season than I might be a bit more forgiving. But come on, you're an "All Star". Not to mention she was literally the most boring person on the cast, and then ended up winning. Like, I can't think of any game move she did other than allying with Rob. Terrible winner.
Season Rankings
1. Marquesas
Like I've said before, I feel like this was the most exciting season of the early era in Survivor. So much going on constantly, whether it be strategy, overthrowing of the main alliance, or just the cast having fun. There were tons of power shifts and it was (at points) unpredictable. For some reason it holds up highly for me, and I always remember it as a good season. Seasons before this just had a boring tone to it... and I don't know what it was, but Marquesas had a more fun tone to it that made it enjoyable to watch. Plus some good game players... which were hard to come by on early seasons.
2. Pearl Islands
Kind of controversial to not have this ranked first, and don't get me wrong I totally love this season. I feel like the cast was slightly weaker than Marquesas, and this season was very reliant on a controversial twist (outcasts), whereas if that twist never happened I feel like this season would not have been nearly as good as it was. I feel like this season always left a good memory for me, but I just feel like Marquesas outshines it for some reason. Still, this season had a great cast and I feel like the little twists it had (like the treasure chest, looting, and kidnapping) brought it up so well and I definitely understand why people say this is the absolute best season of Survivor...
3. Vanuatu
It's a fun season to watch, and I enjoy it every time. But I feel like the season just never ends up holding up well for me. After doing my rankings, more than half the cast I struggled to say anything about. But the editing, and relationships this season sort of do make up for a weaker cast. But yeah, like I said I don't have this as high as others because it's not going to hold up well for me. I feel like a lot of the stuff that happened will be forgotten by the time I'm at Micronesia.
4. Palau
I'm a little surprised, I expected to rank this one a lot higher (actually, I expected to rank it first). But watching it, I just couldn't get into it as much as I did before. I will always consider this a very good season, there's no doubt about that. But I feel like watching the Ulong tribe get destroyed can only be entertaining so many times. The excitement there is kind of lost during a rewatch. And after the season ended, I realized the cast wasn't very strong. Like even a lot of the people that made the merge weren't memorable. So it's hard... it will always be a good season for the storyline, but it's not as good as I remember.
5. Amazon
Wasn't expecting to rank it this high before I started the season, but after it was very solid. I think the cast might be the strongest of the early seasons, and it had an extremely good and exciting merge (which can't really be said for any of the other early seasons). One of the most strategic seasons in the early stages for sure. Pre Merge was a little lackluster, but as said, the merge more than makes up for that. Terrible winner though... but that's still not enough to ruin the season.
6. Africa
I really enjoyed this while rewatching it. I feel like everything was picked up a notch, and everyone was there to play the game. It felt a lot more real, and the danger of the survival element just seemed so much more threatening. The cast I also feel was a lot stronger than the first two seasons, and we get the first real twist in Survivor history which effected the game.
7. Australian Outback
I'm a little surprised by this, considering last round of rewatches I did, I definitely liked Borneo better. But this time, Borneo just felt really unbearable, and I actually got a little bit of enjoyment out of this season. Also a lot more memorable events happened in this season, and the survival element felt a lot more real. The strategic game I felt also really picked up this time around.
8. Borneo
Yeah, the cast was stronger in this season... but the editing, and the lack of strategy made it extremely difficult to watch. It had it's moments, but I feel like if I were to rank this one higher it would simply be due to it being the iconic first season. But yeah, I would much rather watch Australia than this one. The editing style also brings it down a bit.
9. Thailand
During the rewatch I noticed that the season does have a few good moments, but that doesn't take away from how boring the season is as a whole. There were no outstanding moments in the season, no episode that really sticks out as "wow, this is good", and top it off with the most unlikeable cast in Survivor history.
10. All Stars
I really wasn't expecting it to be lower than Thailand, but I couldn't help it. This season was so difficult to rewatch. The cast was better than Thailand, but everything that happened really proved to me that it's a terrible season. At least Thailand had a good winner to support the crappy season. All Stars was a crappy season, with a terrible winner. And this season had so many negative moments in it, and very very few positive moments. I honestly don't think I'll ever be rewatching this one again.