>Yes, Shallow is her last name.
> Amanda is superficial
>and Parvati is Shallow.

goodness, I thought Amanda's last name was hot-and-superficial!

Seasons:
1. Micronesia (Fans vs. Faves)
2. Borneo
3. Australia
4. Guatemala
5. China
6. Fiji
7. Pearl Islands
8. Amazon
9. Cook Islands
10. All-Stars
11. Vanuatu
12. Palau
13. Marquesas
14. Panama
15. Africa
16. Thailand

Winners:
1. Palau--Tom Westman
2. Borneo: Richard Hatch
3. China--Todd Herzog
4. Micronesia (Fans vs. Faves)--Parvati Shallow
5. All-Stars--Amber Brkich
6. Vanuatu--Chris Daugherty
7. Guatemala--Danielle Boatwright
8. Thailand--Brian Heidik
9. Cook Islands--Yul Kwon
10. Fiji--Earl Cole
11. Africa--Ethan Zohn
12. Amazon--Jenna Morasca
13. Panama--Aras Baskauskas
14. Pearl Islands--Sandra Diaz-Twine
15. Marquesas--Vecepia Towery Robinson
16. Australia--Tina Wesson

LAST EDITED ON 05-12-08 AT 05:16 PM (EST)

Just for the absolute heck of it, I'm throwing the three most recent winners of RTVW's fictional seasons into the rankings. Putting the timelines together gives me a selection pool of, in season 'order':

Initial winners & seasons list, revised:

1. Borneo -- Richard Hatch
2. Australia -- Tina Wesson
3. Africa -- Ethan Zohn
4. Marquesas -- Vecepia Towery Robinson
5. Thailand -- Brian Heidik
6. Amazon -- Jenna Morasca
7. Pearl Islands -- Sandra Diaz-Twine
8. All-Stars -- Amber Brkich
9. Vanuatu -- Chris Daugherty
10. Palau -- Tom Westman
11. Guatemala -- Danielle Boatwright
12. Panama -- Aras Baskauskas
13. Society Islands -- Alex Cole
14. Cook Islands--Yul Kwon
15. Japan -- Maria Savovic
16. Fiji -- Earl Cole
17. China -- Todd Herzog
18. All-Stars II -- Ozzy Lusth
19. Micronesia (Fans vs. Faves) -- Parvati Shallow

And now, in ranking order, based on overall game, who and what they were competing against, obstacles overcome, etc:

All of the following is my opinion only and probably silly on top of it. (Feel free to ignore the silliness. You might be better off that way.)

Winners:

1. Chris Daughertry (Everything and everyone arranged against him? No problem: worked his way in, got rid of the opposition, and then convinced them he'd done the right thing. Gets the #1 spot today just for being at the 'so it's me and -- me' stage.)

2. Tom Westman (Not the game's ideal combination of physical power, mental adeptness, and social skill, but about as close as anyone's come -- especially since he was able to keep people from going anti-Darwin on him because he was that good.)

3. Alex Cole (The self-projected first boot who sent the game through a blitzkrieg by playing the thing against itself as much as the other contestants -- which ultimately ensured she'd be taken to F2 as the perfect partner after apparently offending everyone -- including crew and host.)

4. Richard Hatch (First person to figure out the game-as-we-know-it, and still one of the best manipulators -- but could he win today? Not a chance. It makes you wonder what we'd be watching if he'd figured out something else...)

5. Brian Heidik (Gains points for essentially having multiple F2 alliances, keeping everyone thinking theirs was the real deal, and not having the whole thing blow up in his face once the jury struck. Loses a few because he's still a jerk and was sitting next to Clay.)

6. Todd Herzog (Arguably the game's single best student, but doesn't get Top #5 simply because he generally had to be kept from beating himself: no winner here was as good at second-guessing their own decisions, and no one came closer to paying for it.)

7. Sandra Diaz-Twine (The best of the twist-in-the-wind players, but benefited too much from being in one of the weakest possible final groups we've ever seen -- which wasn't entirely by her design. Can you think of someone she wouldn't beat in the finals from the last selection? Let everyone else do all the work -- and while it's a strategy, it's also a problem.)

8. Yul Kwon (Two idol-influenced entries in a row here. Lots of game, physical and mental, but never really had to worry about the social aspect because the idol was ready to cover for him, and no one had beaten it yet: arguably gone immediately post-merge without it. Bonus for being the first to use the thing as a blackmail tool.)

9. Aras Baskauskas (Never would have survived that far if everyone hadn't been throwing Terry fits every week, but you can't pick your opposition and knew how to work the rivalry to perfection. Loses something because his game was a shadow aspect of someone else's play, and he never came out until the last minute.)

10. Danielle Boatwright (Potentially the greatest opportunist after Chris, but also had a long streak of sonar-sneaking. Gains points for a decent jury performance.)

11. Ozzy Lusth (Had to survive as a known challenge threat, find a new way of playing in order to stay intact, and then get through enough insanity to stock half a season of Big Brother.)

12. Ethan Zohn (Looks worse as the seasons go by. Still one of the nicest guys to ever play the game, but questions about exactly what his idea of 'play' was really started showing up around All-Stars and haven't quieted down since. Had to make very few moves: you could argue for the game's second most successful coast. And because he did so little, he had few concerns at the end.)

13. Maria Savovic (Played as a quirky non-threat, transitioned into a player -- but then nearly undercut herself to the point where it wasn't a question of how she'd go out, but how badly. Managed a last-minute save, but was arguably one of those people who survived by ducking while everyone else was shooting each other.)

14. Tina Wesson (Won on someone else's mistake -- namely, taking her along in the first place. Picked exactly the right alliance and made it work, but still basically won the crown on another person's world-class mental blunder. Any time you think of a season's highlights and don't think of the winner in connection with it during the first minute, that person is going down in the rankings.)

15. Earl Cole (Lands this low because you have to ask yourself who he was playing against. Was in a season with potentially one other contender -- who he allied with. May have had a strong game, but when you're sitting next to Cassanda and Dreamz at F3, it's not as if we're ever going to get a chance to find out. For strength and intelligence, is arguably higher, but for gameplay, he was up against idiots -- and thus never had to prove himself.)

16. Parvati Shallow (Had two tactics: flirt -- 'If they think I'll sleep with them, they'll let me stay!' -- and Grand Vizier -- 'Here's an idea for backstabbing the king: who can I get to carry it out for me?' Never had to worry about her game because anything she might do, Cirie would do for her and better -- then got to take all the credit for those actions when Cirie went out. Loses points for personality and being in a cast that was at least half-idiot -- plus at the end, just about all she had to do was show up.)

17. Jenna Morasca (Can you think of a memorable move? How long did it take before you did? Got to sit next to a perceived ax-murderer-in-waiting at F2: gee, you're really going to need to work your skills before you can win that vote... At the time, a lot of people hated her for turning the game into a personal beauty pageant, and not all of it has worn off. She's gained maturity since -- but the seasons are snapshots, and the picture of her at that time isn't a pretty one.)

18. Amber Brkich (The human shield tactic. Put someone else out front and let them do all the thinking while taking all the hits, then got to look good by comparison because she'd been sweet and innocent and totally hidden behind the blast marks. It worked, but a lot of us will be very happy if it never happens again.)

19. Vecepia Towery-Robinson (Faced an extremely vindictive jury -- that hated the person next to her. Had very few worries, had even less actions, and really just had to show up at the end and claim her check. Between her ultimate sonar play and the purple rock serving as meteorite, is arguably the one person who should be asked to give the million back...)

Seasons (Playing this one straight, as winners can be fairly compared with relative ease. Seasons can be contrasted, too -- but it takes a lot more in the way of parenthetical commentary to make people understand what's going on. Readers can try to fit them in if they like: on the list below, I'll decline.)

1. Africa (Looks more and more unique as the years go by: we haven't had a season that felt anything like it since. Arguably one of the best casting jobs, and the first time a twist tore someone's feet out from under them. It was funny once.)

2. Australia (Felt like we were really going somewhere new, and even if we didn't like where we wound up, the journey still meant something.)

3. Palau (Seems a lot stronger in retrospect: yes, total domination by one tribe doesn't seem to make for much in the way of hotly-contested gameplay -- until you bring out the magnifying glass. And oh, isn't there a lot scurrying around in that drop of water...)

4. Marquesas (Was a great game with a ton of play and some fairly unique moves right until you got to the end -- and the end is why it's in fourth place instead of first.)

5. Pearl Islands (May have gained more from its twists than any other season: the thievery was inspired, kidnapping had real potential, and -- I hate saying this -- the Outcasts might have been a card that you tore up after playing, but it had to be played once.)

6. Guatemala (There is a certain amount of pleasure to be gained from watching a player do absolutely everything wrong and not realize how much it was hurting her until the absolute last minute...)

7. Borneo (We didn't know what was happening and neither did they. Not always the worst of fates -- as long as it's a first-time one.)

8. Vanuatu (Excellent gameplay here and there does not a great season make: this one had flaws, and lots of them. The challenges were never entirely on track, some of the players were so far off-center as to establish a new radius point somewhere over the horizon, and the 'dump the theme and start over' disease got another kick into a higher gear here.)

9. China (Stunt casting that didn't work, idols that did nothing, players who didn't come to play, and a mastermind who was only sure what he was doing as long as he didn't stop to think about it. A season of missed opportunities where no one seemed to know what they'd forgotten to do until well after it was too late.)

10. Amazon (Had what might have been the dream setting for the series (unless they somehow get into the Galapagos) -- and it felt like they wasted it. Some shining stars in the cast help here along with the moves they managed to set in motion, but at the end, it felt like just another season that could have taken place anywhere -- probably in the girls' locker room of the local junior high.)

11. Panama (Just about set the precedent for idol non-play, which is enough to stick it in the bottom half all by itself. A lot of what came after can be laid at the feet of this season, and migawd, it's got to pay for our pain.)

12. Micronesia (Loses a lot based on horrible casting and repeated player mistakes. It's funny at the time, but I get sick of looking at morons.)

13. Cook Islands (No one asked for the season's theme, no one wanted it, and then you could have kept most of the people who showed up. Pass.)

14. All-Stars (Too many egos, too much romance -- and far too much of people repeating the same stupid mistakes they made the first time around. Few people changed, just about no one learned, and the result was a multi-month mess with a high viewership and completely predictable end.)

15. Thailand (Generally gets stuck in last place for having some of the most annoying-yet-unmemorable characters, The Incident (Version 1.0), too much insanity on open display, that whole home video problem, and a hideous host of other mistakes. But this time around, it's been supplanted by

16. Fiji (The theme that should not be. Whatever they were playing, it wasn't the game we're supposed to be hating...)

This is how I feel today. Tomorrow would be another order entirely.

Who is Alex Cole and what are the details on these three "extra" seasons? I've never heard of Survivor Japan.

LAST EDITED ON 05-12-08 AT 06:03 PM (EST)

RTVW has hosted four member-created fictional seasons, detailing the events of a full Survivor run in different settings, sometimes with very different people. They are, in order:

Blowsvivor Not included in the winners' list because the player pool was comprised of board members: lots of people 'applied', several were chosen, and then a season was written around those people. (Ranking the winner might qualify as a direct attack if they wound up in the bottom half.) Multiple writers and mixed styles, lots of craziness, and actually started a few medium-sized wars at the time: the use of board members led to problems. The whole thing can be found in its own forum at http://community.realitytvworld.com/boards/cgi-bin/dcboard.cgi?az=list&forum=DCForumID18&conf=DCConfID5

Society Islands The next piece of show fanfic to appear on the board, using original characters and a new setting. It has one main distinction for series writing in that it seems to be the only season ever constructed in first-person, generally working from the viewpoint of a single contestant in that season -- with an unseen group of Internet posters occasionally filling in hidden details or confusing issues at need. Unlike the first RTVW season, was firmly plugged into the existing show history in terms of past events: would have been Season #13 on its timeline, postponing Cook Islands by several months.

Japan Also featured original characters and a new-to-the-show setting, but went with a completely different style: the episodes are written as near-screenplay transcripts of what happened in each episode, with occasional news articles to bring in details of what had happened between the last days of the show and the reunion. As with the season immediately above, gave itself a place on the timeline and would have been Season #15, replacing China.

All-Stars II Mixed existing Survivors with four returning members of the Japan cast to create a second A.S.S. run. Created by Japan's author, so used the style of that season while adding extra features (contestant biographies, television news updates, Internet blogs, and more). Would have been Season #16 on its timeline.

All three of those seasons are in the Story Competition Forum, at
http://community.realitytvworld.com/boards/cgi-bin/dcboard.cgi?az=list&forum=DCForumID31&conf=DCConfID4

The site has no inherent objections to anyone building their own seasons for whatever show they like as long as the creations are kept in the Story Competition Forum -- notifications of the season's existence in the show's normal board are okay: active discussion of those seasons goes in the SCF -- and the writing stays within the established guidelines for use of profanity et. all. So if anyone thinks they can write a better season than what they just saw -- you probably can... (Two new fictional seasons are currently under construction in that area: one TAR, one Mole -- but there's always room for a few more.)

It's become a minor running joke that someone on the crew may be reading the fictional seasons and teasing the authors: we've had weird coincidences of buff colors -- among other things.

Thanks. It seems liek the fictional seasons always throw people for a loop.

Anywho, let's see what I got.

1. Tom Westman, Palau - a given. He dominated. He was pretty unbeatable. And the times he wasn't, he used his Jedi mind tricks to stay in the game.
2. Yul Kwon, Cook Islands - I am a bit partial because I picked him from the beginning of Cook Islands to win just based on a hunch, but the fact that he went through the entire game with immunity and no one noticed was to his credit.
3. Danni Boatwright, Guatemala - she won with an impossible situation. She beat the unbeatable - soundly, though the unbeatable dug her own grave.
4. Alex Cole, Society Islands (fictional) - as partial as I am to my own characters, Alex won with a virtually impossible situation. I don't know how she would have done in other seasons, but she played the game she was presented and did well with it. Bonus points to slaying Gardener, who would be second only to Cook Islands Ozzy as the best player not to win.
5. Ozzy Lusth, All-Stars II (fictional) - he came in with a huge target on his back and won by making himself virtually indispensable. He was a leader, a provider, a challenge threat, and went toe-to-toe with a man who had more Survivor skill in his missing fingers than most do in their entire bodies. Bonus points for slaying his biggest threats with no blood on his hands.
6. Earl Cole, Fiji - lots of credit for being well-spoken, organizing the main alliance, aligning with the smartest person, and making sure to do what he had to in order to get to the end; coming from Ravu beach to do it doesn't hurt, either.
7. Chris Daugherty - he did well by winning in a virtually impossible situation, but his F2 opponent was the catalyst in that, so he wins as an opportunist, not as a catalyst.
8. Richard Hatch, Borneo - this high because he invented a way to win. This low because he was largely playing against idiots.
9. Todd Herzog, China - this high because he masterminded the ousters of J-R and James. This low because Amanda choked at the final TC.
10. Parvati Shallow, Fans vs. Favorites - this high because she masterminded the blindsides of Ozzy, Jason, and Erik, and won by sheer insanity. This low because she was also playing against idiots and benefitted from another Amanda-grade choke.
11. Brian Heidik, Thailand - played the same game as Richard against the same grade of idiots, but these idiots should have known better and didn't. Also, he almost lost to Clay.
12. Vecepia Towery, Marquesas - at one point, I considered her the best player ever, but everything she did has been done better and with more flare. Aside from that, she was going against Neleh and was a beneficiary of the purple rock and a key immunity win.
13. Ethan Zohn, Africa - the assistant coach strategy is pretty smart, but if Lex wins that final immunity, he's toast. He won because of someone else's ailment as well as his connection to Kim.
14. Maria Savovic, Japan (fictional) - she won because she made friends and convinced people she wasn't a threat. A Sandra win all the way, except she sexed it up quite a bit more.
15. Jenna Morasca, Amazon - a clever player who seemed to be overshadowed by a more clever player who just wasn't as good in challenges. She's a complete package, but so many dug their own graves around her.
16. Tina Wesson, Australia - the original mother and shrewd social player. Her win was a direct result of reading people and knowing who to throw away and who to keep. No glitz, no special effects, and nothing too bold. But it worked.
17. Sandra Diaz-Twine, Pearl Islands - the epitome of winning with a 2-7 offsuit. Well, maybe a 2-7 same suit, since she did so well in the market. Beyond that? She had nothing, and she pulled it off.
18. Aras Baskauskus, Exile Island - a case of someone who had a strong hand but seemed to have a very loose-lipped approach. He messed up several times and won almost based on good fortune.
19. Amber Brkich-Mariano, All-Stars - sorry, but she used Rob as a human shield the whole way. She let him do the dirty work. There's no honor in that.

GO RED WINGS!

Bonus points to slaying Gardener, who would be second only to Cook Islands Ozzy as the best player not to win.

He'd be complimented. And annoyed. Mostly annoyed.

Listen closely and you can hear the grumble: "Fine, whatever: the 'not to win' part is the main damn point..."

LAST EDITED ON 05-12-08 AT 05:46 PM (EST)

Seasons:
1. Australia - Amber, Elizabeth, and Colby
2. All-Stars - Amber
3. Micronesia - more hilarious moments than ever before
4. Vanuatu - Julie
5. Pearl Islands - Darrah
6. Borneo - Colleen

Winners:

1. Amber - hot
2. Danni - hot
3. Jenna - hot
4. Parvarti - hot

"according to whatever criteria you want to use"

LAST EDITED ON 05-12-08 AT 09:10 PM (EST)

Tina, Vecepia and Sandra are insulted. You might consider doing something to redeem yourself.

LAST EDITED ON 05-14-08 AT 06:57 AM (EST)

LAST EDITED ON 05-13-08 AT 12:46 PM (EST)

Seasons:

1) Cook Islands - mutiny made for best melodrama of any season, Cao Boi's Plan Voodoo, Ozzy's immunity performances, the neverending fire starting tiebreaker
2) Outback - great cast, fall in the fire flips season, flood, the evil queen
3) Micronesia - four straight fun TCs, more James (and father) commentary, Tracy's plotting, the Joel and Chet show
4) Exile Island - most hilarious tribe ever, Shane's nicotine withdrawal, Courtney the fire dancer?, Terry's immunity run

Players:

1) Yul - Twistiest season ever yet somehow only seemed in danger once and turned that around by blackmailing Jonathan.
2) Tom - Did everything well.
3) Parvati - Best ever at creating and exploiting multiple alliances.
4) Brian - Played everyone on tribe.
5) Richard - Invented alliance making.
6) Tina - Think deserves more credit than she gets for playing den mother to sometimes moody Colby

LAST EDITED ON 05-13-08 AT 03:31 AM (EST)

NAILBONE!! Hahahaha!!! Awesome list! But I am confused. Is that Colby on your list?

>

What can I say? Man crush.

I'll just rank the real seasons and winners, and then explain where the fictional ones would fit in.

1) Australia - Burnett has to hate that the best season he's ever going to get out of this show was season number two. During the run of the show, there was the first medevac, a natural disaster that was multiplied by the players stupidity, and a slight level of unpredictability. During the initial run, I liked Elisabeth( I can't stand her now), Colby, Tina, Rodger, Amber, and Alicia. I really hated Jerri, Keith and Mitchell.

2) Borneo - The only season that had a feeling of freshness and originality. It loses something when you consider that the winner used the show an excuse for tax evasion. The pagonging was unfortunate.

3) Marquesas - If anyone in the final four except Vecepia would have won, Marquesas would be number one. Even with the early domination by Rotu, the pre-switch game was still interesting. From Hunter's exit to Maraamu's underdog wins to the sheer idiocy of the Rotu 4, Marquesas had it all. Unfortunately, the most useless winner in history came from Marquesas.

4) Micronesia - Blindsides galore. It is a shame that Cirie wasn't rewarded for her gameplay, and it was stupid of the producers to have an even-numbered jury. The fact that two people had to be medevac'd out, and there were three quitters drags down the quality of the season. Also, I love the irony of Ami always wanting an all female final four, and then her not being there to enjoy it.

5) Pearl Islands - Only good beacause of the twists. Also, it was the only season where every castaway did something memorable.

6) China - Bad stunt casting, and only two or three true players, but it gave us James, Peih-Gee, and Todd.

7) Cook Islands - The recruiting worked for CI, but failed miserably for Fiji. Cook Islands gave us arguably the strongest final two ever, but also two of the most pathetic third and fourth place finishers. The mutiny worked very well for this season.

8) Vanuatu - I actually liked Vanuatu until the final four. Twila gave us what is still one of my favorite lines. 'If these girls wanted to be pampered, they should have stayed at the Holiday Inn'.

9) Africa - Kind of a meh season. The switch worked well in Kenya, but it didn't work as well in future seasons.

10) Guatemala - Stephenie completely destroyed her image. Danni was the most oppurtunistic winner ever.

11) Palau - I didn't like Palau at all. Easily the most predictable season in history.

12) Amazon - Second worst cast in the history of Survivor. The self-proclaimed 'pretty girls' were vile.

13) All-Stars - Just bad. It was just bad. Really, really bad.

14) Exile Island - Cirie was the only cast member even halfway likable. Terry was a pain in the #####.

15) Fiji - The fact that this one isn't last says alot about how bad Thailand was.

16) Thailand - Least likable winner. Worst cast. Jan and Helen were in the final four. Fake merge. Pagonging. The only redeeming quality to this season is that no one quit. If I didn't stop watching after Thailand, I probably never will.

I would put Society Islands between Australia and Borneo, All Stars 2 between Marquesas and Micronesia, and Japan between Guatemala and Palau.

Winners:

1) Todd Herzog - First superfan to win the game
2) Yul Kwon - A very good player and a likable guy
3) Richard Hatch - He shaped the game into what it is today
4) Sandra Diaz-Twine - Able to play under the radar without being quiet
5) Danni Boatwright - Lucky player, but still likable. One of the few people to not anger anyone else.
6) Earl Cole - unanimous jury vote, but at the same time, he had no competition.
7) Tina Wesson - controlled her season very quietly
8) Tom Westman - I was never a fan of Tom's but I can acknowledge his dominance
9) Ethan Zohn - Nice guy, but not much of a player.
10) Aras Baskauskas - See above
11) Chris Daugherty - The most arrogant player ever
12) Brian Heidik - Puppy-shooting asshole
13) Parvati Shallow - I hate Parvati
14) Jenna Morasca - I hate Jenna
15) Amber Brkich - I hate Amber
16) Vecepia Towery - I hate the useless sack of crap.

I would put Alex Cole on top, Ozzy Lusth between Todd and Yul, and I would put Maria between Ethan and Aras.

I would put Society Islands between Australia and Borneo, All Stars 2 between Marquesas and Micronesia, and Japan between Guatemala and Palau.

Having read one of those seasons and written the other two, I couldn't agree more.

I would put Alex Cole on top, Ozzy Lusth between Todd and Yul, and I would put Maria between Ethan and Aras.

Ozzy is one of the few RL players who could take on Alex Cole, at least in my opinion. Also, I wrote Japan, and I'm still not sure how Maria won.

GO RED WINGS!

I'll be as brief as possible... for me.

1. Cook Islands - I doubt Survivor could ever have a better story: betrayed by the mutiny, the Aitu4 come back to be the F4. They showed loyalty can win at this game. Yul and Ozzy were the best top 2 ever. Sundra was beautiful, and Ozzy saying "the mutineers die first" while disdainfully spitting is still maybe my favorite Survivor moment, ever.
2. All Stars - Great entertainment to me. Rob M is the still the most entertaining Survivor ever. If you take tribal and individual challenge performances, providing for his tribe, building the shelter, working around camp, strategic dominance, being the most powerful player in the game, ever, ( only player to ever influence a vote on the OTHER tribe), and getting his lovely wife, NO ONE has ever dominated a season like Rob M in the original All Stars. The game was more alliance/loyalty based back then, when stabbing people in the back actually LOST you votes, instead of somehow gaining you admiration.
3. Australia - Most likable tribe ever in Kucha. Great story line. Michael into the fire. Colby's betrayal of Jerri still a classic Survivor moment... just all around great cast.
4. Palau - The season of many firsts. Most dominant tribe ever in Koror. Stephanie ending up alone on her tribe. And Tom Westman somehow showing that the biggest threat CAN still win.
5. Africa - Very unique season, I agree. I am hoping this next season will return the game to some of its roots and strike a chord like the original Africa season.
6. Exile Island - Not a great idea from the start, but things picked up immediately after the initial tribes were merged. The birth of the EI and the first time the HII had a big impact. Terry is an all time great Survivor. Danielle and Sally were hot. Shane's craziness. Cirie's growth towards Survivor legend. And Aras does enough well to pull it off after perhaps the least fair final IC ever dooms Terry.
7. Amazon - The funniest season ever. It wanted the story line that we actually got in Micronesia, but didn't get there thanks to Rob C being the devious deal-breaker that the women lacked. It did get a female winner though and one of the most surprising ones at that.
8. Thailand - Has there ever been two more different tribes opposing each other? Erin Collins, yummy. For her and Brian's brilliance alone I would watch it again.
9. Micronesia - Would be MUCH higher with a win by Amanda. Ultimately became the "women get their revenge on men" that the Amazon and Vanuatu failed to be. Is voting out the biggest threat with the HII a blindside? Only for them, apparently, not for the rest of us. Socially women are more cut throat than men, and that could have been the title of this season. I liked the idea and the casting of the Faves except for Fairplay who should have never been there, and quickly proved that. The Fans however were a complete disaster. Yes, some all time great TCs, but the show is more than the TC. The story ended up being a cautionary tale where the loser wins, in my book. And basically 3 medevacs (if you include Chet) and 2 quits (if you include JFP)? Supercedes Guatemala for the hottest F2 however. And even in losing, Amanda takes her place as the only player to make 2 Finals, and in consecutive seasons? Wow. Cirie takes her place as one of the greatest strategical players ever. And Natalie takes her place next to Deanna and Roger. When Natalie votes for you, that pretty much clearly states what side of the force you are on.
10. Guatemala - Another memorable season won by a sexy female. However this one stayed true to her alliances and didn't use her considerable looks to build friendships. Instead, she used the highly inventive method of being nice.
11. China - Had James and PG and Amanda and Todd. Good, though not exactly memorable season with a deserving winner. Had one of the most unfair twists ever in the switch-a-tribemate, otherwise known as boot-a-strong-player.
12. Marquesas - Had to be better than those below it, just because of Rob M and Sarah Jones and the demise of the overconfident Rotu4. Terrible finish though.
13. Pearl Islands - Absolutely disastrous finish that has always led me to place it at or near the bottom. I move it up a little due to being one of the best pre-merge seasons of all time.
14. Vanuatu - Nearly unwatchable, start to finish. Had some attractive women, though most were gone early just like the fitter men, and it had Ami fall victim to her own hubris.
15. Borneo - Ugly, dirty, no one cared anything about each other. Very unlikable final 6. No one knew how to even play the game except for a select few. Some weren't even there TO play the game. Just a crap season forever overrated because it was the first.
16. Fiji - Horrendous cast. Keep Earl and Yau Man and just throw the rest out. Thanks.

Winners -

1. Brian - Sociopath without conscience who also is capable of surviving and winning challenges. The perfect Survivor in many ways. And I hate dogs.
2. Yul - Has every element of the game as well, and probably the smartest of all the winners. Beat the toughest Finals opponent ever.
3. Tom - Also has every quality for a great Survivor: social play, strategical, and challenge prowess. I can see a case for him being the ultimate Survivor, but he had Ian.
4. Hatch - Not as strong as the above 3 in challenges, but he can survive and strategize with the best.
5. Danni - Strongest female winner. Athletic enough to be capable at challenges. A decent strategist, and one of the best at the social game.
6. Aras - Good, not great, at everything. Capable all around player with no real weakness.
7. Parvati - The latest evolution of the cut throat, alliance maker and breaker strategist that was first introduced by Rob C. Her ability to be two-faced and work her way into the trust of men and women makes her a top player. She won only 1 IC that was basically handed to her, but she is capable at challenges.
8. Earl - Led from the get go and was never threatened. Great social game and patience. He managed to fly UTR, ride coattails, and lead all in the same season. I don't think anyone else ever did that. He led a ship of fools with only 1 other strong player though who fell victim to being TOO likable.
9. Todd - Another great social player who gains trust easily. Also strong strategy wise. Has some weaknesses including paranoia and being weak in challenges.
10. Amber - Never gets enough credit for her challenge ability. Worked her own strategy to perfection, even if it was a simple one. Social wise, she didn't need to do much other than follow her alliance.
11. Ethan - Male coat tail rider. Strong socially and decent at challenges.
12. Tina - Original coat tail rider. Very strong socially, but the challenges are a weakness.
13. Chris - Socially not the best, and challenge wise deficient. But a consummate strategical player who is also cut throat.
14. Jenna - Decent socially but virtually no strategy. She proved herself capable of winning challenges somehow and pulled it off.
15. Sandra - Socially inept. Challenge wise more inept. Another decent strategical player though who at least had rare determination.
16. Vecepia - Socially decent. Otherwise, not good at much else. Used a combination of UTR and coat tail riding to make it to the Finals.

>

LAST EDITED ON 05-13-08 AT 10:17 AM (EST)

1. Australia
-Extremely memorable cast with some extremely memorable scenes. The post-merge strategy was a bit boring with the Pagonging, but the camp flooding and stuff really kept this one going.

2. Pearl Island
-Like Australia, it had a great cast of characters, starring Rupert and Jonny Fairplay. The Outcast Twist was controversial, but it really shook things up. It had one of the more chaotic post-merges also.

3. Micronesia
-Jeff Probst was right. This season was amazing, if only for the amount of strategy and craziness that happened.

4. Borneo
-Still a great season, but only for the people involved. Just an amazing group of people. Even though Richard won, the season always seemed like it was about Kelly to me. Man, was that one conflicted person.

5. Marquesas
-Fun group of people, featuring the very first major power shift. The only thing that hurts this one was the outcome. Vecepia over Neleh wasn't a great conclusion to watch.

6. Palau
-Great because of circumstances. Ulong just kept losing and losing and losing...

7. Amazon
-Pretty average season overall. There was some unlikeable qualities about it, but it was still a fun season. People just hanging out and doing silly stuff. Not a season to take too seriously.

8. Africa
-Kinda like Australia, it had a cool group of people, with a fairly predictable outcome. But it did everything a bit worse than Australia.

9. China
-Good season but nothing particularly memorable, except James' blindside.

10. Vanuatu
-Meh.

11. Cook Islands
-Meh.

12. Guatemala
-Meh.

13. Fiji
-Pretty meh. There was a lot of mean-spiritedness during this season, but it did provide for several memorable moments (mostly Yau Man's). And Earl was a pretty good winner. But that was about it.

14. All-Stars
-Really hated this season. It "ruined" several of the old favorites for people, and the outcome was pretty lame. Thanks for voting out all the great people first, guys. It's not like we'd want to see people like Colby or Ethan still fighting it out.

15. Panama
-Didn't care for most of the people. I thought Aras and Danielle was extremely annoying, and thought Terry was pretty lame. The only high point was Cirie from this season.

16. Thailand
-Just a mean-spirited season. Nothing too positive happened.

Next time, I'll list the players. Don't have enough time right now.

I'll do it two ways, based on how much I like them versus how strong I felt their strategy was.

Here's how I'd rank them, based solely on how much I like their personality. Or, at least the personality we saw on TV.

1. Tina Wesson
2. Ethan Zohn
3. Sandra Diaz-Twine
4. Earl Cole
5. Yul Kwon
6. Richard Hatch
7. Amber Brkich
8. Danni Boatwright
9. Chris Daughtery
10. Jenna Morasca
11. Tom Westman
12. Aras Baskauskas
13. Todd Herzog
14. Vecepia Towry
15. Parvati Shallow
16. Brian Heidik

Here's how I'd rank them in terms of gameplay on the season they won. Based on how much they controlled the outcome of the game.

1. Brian Heidik - As much as I can't stand him, he just completely destroyed everyone in Thailand. His Final 5 work is the textbook on how to peel away members of an alliance. Every single person in that group thought they were in with Brian, and each one got the rug pulled from under them. The only thing you take away from his victory was that he still could barely beat his goat, Clay, with the jury...

2. Richard Hatch - Was in the driver's seat throughout the whole game. The only time he ran into trouble was the first vote, and he sailed through after that. He had some number problems, and you could argue that a few other winners (like Parvati) got in trouble less often... But he established so much stuff, that he gets a pass in this regard. The only thing that notches him down a notch below Brian is that his win was just a little flukey. Stoopid Greg and his "Pick a Number" shtick.

3. Parvati Shallow - Surprised? Shouldn't be. She's up here, because she cruised through this season, never really getting in too much danger. Her alliance with Natalie and Alexis gave her a couple extra votes to use, which translated into later jury votes. She was behind the scenes of every single vote, including both the Ozzy and Alexis blindsides. Her victory reminds me a little of Tina and Ethan, in that she needed a little extra help from the F3 winner...

4. Tina Wesson - A little underrated, in my opinion. People look at Colby's dumb decision, and forget the fact that she cruised her way through the rest of the season. And a part of playing Survivor is choosing allies with the right character, and she found it in Colby. She gets knocked down a notch below Parvati, however, because voting out Amber early was an unnecessary risk.

5. Tom Westman - His pre-merge alliance pretty much guaranteed he could whittle things down to the Final 6 or 7 pretty easily. His core alliance with Katie and Ian was extremely successful, and his ability to pull in Caryn at the right moment was important in booting Gregg. He falls below Tina, because he was forced to go on a mini-Immunity-run down the stretch to win. Ian and Katie weren't quite as loyal to him as Colby and Keith were to Tina.

6. Ethan Zohn - Another solid victory. Like Tina and Parvati, he was in the driver's seat almost the whole time, and got a little help in the F3 by Kim. I think his alliance (and therefore Ethan) made a tactical error by booting Kelly G., though. I still can't believe Samburu went after Brandon after that.

7. Todd Herzog - He definitely built a strong and loyal alliance around him, but got himself in a little too much trouble sometimes. Played a little impulsively sometimes, wanting to shake things up too much. His biggest credit was picking a great alliance partner, Amanda, who roped him in sometimes and was miserable in front of a jury.

8. Yul Kwon - He had a nice strong alliance, but I attribute a lot of his victory due to sitting on the hidden immunity idol. It kept him safe, but it wasn't all that impressive, gameplay-wise.

9. Amber Brkich - She sailed all the way through All-Stars, which is pretty impressive. Only two problems. One, that I feel that Boston Rob was the ruling spirit in the whole thing. Two, that it was Rob who saved her in that Scary Switch. Still pretty solid, though.

10. Aras Baskauskas - Played pretty solidly. Had a lot of trouble removing Terry from the game, but that wasn't completely his fault. He never seemed like a major decider in most votes, and kinda sneaked into the finale to snatch it away against the unlikeable Danielle.

11. Earl Cole - Not sure what to say. I'd like to say he was smart to align with Yau Man, because he ended up finding the idol, was loyal, AND was a target. But it put him in a minority vote when Yau had to actually use the idol, and Yau got really close to winning the game. So it was pretty risky overall. I could see an argument either way concerning how Earl played.

12. Sandra Diaz-Twine - Was lucky enough to be the last person picked off from her alliance with Rupert and Christa. Jonny Fairplay's constant alliance-jumping made Sandra's win similar to Jenna's... But Sandra's makeshift "girls alliance" that booted Burton put her in a great strategic position for the Final 4.

13. Danni Boatright - Got in the minority alliance post-merge, which is a strategic No-No. It was smart to bid on the Immunity Clue, however, which ultimately bought her another week... It allowed her, like Sandra, to have a makeshift alliance that put her in a good Endgame position.

14. Chris Daughtery - Yet another "lucky to not be picked off" winner. Could've gone home several times, instead of Chad or Sarge or someone. Turning the tides on Leann and Ami was a good move, but I tend to credit Twila for seizing that opportunity.

15. Jenna Morasca - She played a good social game, but you have to admit her victory was due to being the last person left in her alliance. It could've been Jenna several times who went home, due to Rob C.'s constant switching. An immunity run at the end was the only thing that saved her.

16. Vecepia Towry - Was in the majority alliance pre-merge, but was in danger of the Rotu 4 afterwards. The power shift happened, of course, but Sean was really the one who instigated that. She couldn't protect her main ally, Sean, in the Final 5, either. She didn't even get the F3 decision. Neleh just dragged her along. Lame.

Seasons:
1. Borneo
2. Africa - interesting, diverse cast in a terrible location
3. Marquesas - great cast, best player ever that I actually liked - Kathy O'Brien
4. Australia
5. Micronesia
6. Vanuatu
7. Cook Islands
8. Pearl Islands
9. Panama
10. Palau
11. Guatemala
12. Figi
13. China
14. Amazon - another terrible location
15. All Stars
16. Thailand

Winners:

1. Richard Hatch - scum but immediately understood the game; he was shooting fish in a barrel
2. Ethan Zohn - decent player, not the best, but has actually used the notariety to make a difference
3. Tina Wesson - finished writing the manual started by Richard Hatch on how to win
4. Tom Westman - would have won every season except possibly Borneo
5. Parvati Shallow
6. Sandra Diaz-Twine - weakest physical player ever to win
7. Chris Daugherty
8. Vecepia Towery Robinson - stellar performance at final tribal council
9. Yul Kwon
10. Earl Cole
11. Todd Herzog
12. Jenna Morasca
13. Aras Baskausas
made the right alliance
14. Amber Brkich - the puppet won instead of the puppet master
15. Danielle Boatwright - flat out should not have won considering the odds Stephanie had to overcome to make the final
16. Brian Heidik - probably deserves to be higher for the snow-job on his castmates but is just so distasteful

15. Danielle Boatwright - flat out should not have won considering the odds Stephanie had to overcome to make the final

Huh? Please explain. If anything it was the opposite. Steph went into the merge with a bunch of people either in love or starstruck with her, mostly from her tribe. Danni overcame the numbers by winning immunities multiple times and hanging on by a thread the councils when she did not have it. Steph just threw it away by needlessly double-crossing people out of paranoia.

I agree that Stephanie should have won. Think about it in today's Survivor. Stephanie would have gotten credit for making all those bold moves and Danni would have been seen as a coat tail rider or UTR player who sneaked thru. With today's juries, I think Stephanie probably wins. Unfortunately for her, the juries back then tended to vote against you if you stabbed them in the back. Such isn't the case now.

>

Yeah...I know I'm late. Pursuing my second MBA and last course was a killer so better late than never. I'm ranking the seasons first and then will follow with the winners on another post.

1) AFRICA - Yeah the scenery was ugly. The conditions were harse...hey wait a minute; what's the name of this show? That's right...Survivor! Great cast. Never was a simpleton so enjoyable to watch than Big Tom. Lex played a masterful game,and we had a likable winner. Best quote of all-time from Lex, "It doesn't matter how long you boil the water, it still tastes like it was tapped from a monkey's butt." First seasn with the tribal switch, a concept that would change the game forever.

2) AUSTRALIA - Probably the best cast ever. Most starvation than any other season. Let me check again...yep, the show's name is still Survivor! Had it not been for Colby's biggest $900,000 blunder, this could be #1. I remember reading EPMB swearing to fire anyone who helped Mike when he fell into the fire. Now they provide a shovel to help a player dig up a HII. Sakes Alive!!!

3) PALAU - Gotta put any season with Tom Westman in the top three. I always hear this nonsense about "too many leaders" never work. Korer was stockpiled with leaders and the cream still rose to the top. We saw the most competitive female in Stephanie. Only thing keeping this season from the top spot are the quitters you had this season.

4) BONERO - The season that started it all. "Alliance" forever became a buzz word in Reality TV. Good cast. When Gervase received word his girlfriend gave birth to his child, everyone was all kissy-huggy and Rudy grumbles, "That's what's wrong with scoiety today...all these kids born out of wedlock." CLASSIC! A winner who really knew how to play the game without a prior blueprint.

5) GUATEMALA - The best premier ever. Like the setting in that season. Judd was a character you loved to hate. For seasons it was asked can a woman win without flirting, riding coattails, flying under the radar, and/or advancing because of being a non-threat in challenges? By season's end the question was answered...Danni Boatwright.

6) PANAMA - With all the talk about gender, ethics, etc. historically the greatest divide in this game has always been age. So I was thrilled with the concept of dividing tribes by age until it became apparent that the older woman (fresh off an Anti-Darwin Syndrome play against Tina) wouldn't stand a chance, so sadly the concept was short-lived. OK, I'll cut to the chase...I have sentimental ties to this season because I competed against Terry Deitz in high school. Nuff said.

7) COOK ISLAND - Great Finals involving Yul vs. Ozzy with the more complete player winning. Above average cast. Mutiny was an interesting twist that changed the game. Season marred by two F4 "Survivors?" needing an hour an a half to start a fire. YIKES!

8) CHINA - Cast had more characters than actual players but it did make for some entertaining TV. James could quite possibly be the most popular Survivor ever. It's still hard to imagine a 21-year old taking the title, but he deserved it.

9) VANUATU - Never thrilled about the battle of the sexes concept. But Leanne's blindside ranks as my favorite TC ever (even including the ones this year). Chris defying incredible odds to emerge victorious was interesting to watch.

10) AMAZON - Another battle of the sexes. Meh. Rob C. stole this otherwise lackluster season. The chauvinist pig vs. the feminazi made early post merge fun to watch. Very boring finale and final TC.

11) FIJI - Take away Yauman and this season sinks even further down the list. I'll cut the production some slack on this having to scramble when a prima donna model bailed out two days before filming. Watching a tribe completely shut-out (0-8) was pathetic.

12) MARQUESAS - Two words why this season will not be ranked higher..."Purple Rock". Arguably the worst travesty in Survivor history. Kathy O'Brien is one of my favorites but still a subpar cast. Vecepia seemed to be a likable person but one of the most unworthy winners ever.

13) SKANK-IVOR: MICRONESA - Appropriately nicknamed. Throw in three quitters and two medi-vacs and its a recipe for disaster. The final few episodes saved this from the cellar, but the F2 lived up to my nickname. The jury lived up to the idiocy of this cast and gave the million to the most undeserving.

14) THAILAD - With the exception of Brian, and maybe Shii Ann, it was the worst cast ever assembled. I knew the season was in trouble when the setting was on a beach and some moron brings a skateboard as his luxury item. It went downhill from there.

15) PEARL ISLANDS - It doesn't seem right that this season tht introduced us to Ruppert should be ranked this low. But worst F4, worst F3, worst F2 and worst "winner" ever. Where else could I rank it???

N/A) "All-Stars"??? - Sorry but not a real season in my books. Anything but all-stars...previous season winners were picked off early by jealous spite leaving a bunch of 7th -10th place losers in their respective seasons vying for another chance to win. And the sore-losing only intensified at Final TC. An "All-Star" joke.

And now for my winners...

1) TOM - Duh...who else for #1. Most complete player ever to win Survivor. And did so without initiating any lies, deception, and backstabbing tactics. When popular opinion felt you can't win unless you lie, ride coattils, and/or fy UTR, Tom proved that theory wrong.

2) YUL - Another man of integrity to be crowned ultimate Survivor. Yes the HII was his "get out of jail free" several times that season, but he had a much tougher player to beat in the Finals than any of the other winners (Ozzy). A well-balanced player.

3) DANNI - Can a female win WITHOUT riding coattails, flying UTR, or acting like a Ho? Yes...I give you Danni. A force in the team challenges and her mind was always in the game. Inviting BOTH tribes to celebrate her B-Day was a great strategic move.

4) RICH - Being light years ahead of the other players and being the first ultimate Survivor ranks him high. Not a good challenge competitor, but this is offset by being a great provider for the tribe. Made all the right decisions and deserved the win.

5) BRIAN - Could make a case for being higher, but cannot overlook his weak competition for that season. Another well-balanced player but does not come close to Tom, Yul, or Danni in the integrity department. Another reason I did not place him higher is his disregard for acknowledging the opposing tribe, who were systematically picked-off, almost costing him the win.

6) TODD - Much like Brian, participated in a season with an absence of game "players". It took Skankivor: Micronesia to witness the effect of naivete to truly appreciate this 21-year-old's command of the game. Hit a homerun at Final TC to earn his win.

7) ETHAN - It's refreshing to see a nice person win. Yes he rode coattails (Lex being the real player this season) but more than made his mark in the team challenges. Didn't have any glaring weaknesses and always put himself in a good position.

8) CHRIS - I don't think any winner will stage a bigger comeback than Chris. Sure Scout and Twila approached him and unfortunately he had to lie, deceive and backstab his way back into the game. But his immunity run and decision to take a perfect goat with him to the Finals secured his comeback victory.

9) TINA - The second time I watched Outback I rethought my accusation of Tina being an UTR player; but she still was a coattail rider. Totally useless in challenges, yet she gets props for a good social game. Fact of the matter, she was handed the million by arguably the biggest bonehead move (financially the most costly one) in Survivor history.

10) EARL - The "leader" by default of statistically the worst tribe in Survivor history (0-8) and he still wins? Chalk it up to a lot of luck, a partner who deserved the win (Yauman), and an early racially motivated alliance. A nice guy who, much like his leadership role, won out of default.

11) JENNA - Hard to rank her high when she cried that she wanted to quit and made the most horrendous statement ever..."Christy (the deaf girl) doesn't have a handicap, me and Heidi do because we're so beautiful." Her immunity run at the end was tainted for many reasons previously mentioned on these boards and she benefited tremendously from the battle of the sexes format. Gets credit for knowing to bring a goat with her to the Finals.

12) ARAS - Winning by Losing. This challenge loser (as well as the rest of the castaways) gets the snot beat out of him by a man twice his age contributing greatly to his advancement. Yoga boy couldn't even balance himself on a lilypad long enough to win the final IC, but still backs into a million dollars.

13) VECEPIA - I liked her a lot as a person, but as a "survivor" was inept and useless. You could cast her in a hundred seasons and she wins one--Marquesas was the one season she had any chance to win and was able to back into a Survivor title.

14) PARVATI - SKANK-ivor: Micronesia says it all. She could give the casting crew a big sloppy kiss for her win...then again, this Ho would give just about anyone a big sloppy kiss. If she was casted for Exile Island or Fiji, she sits in the top row on Reunion Night (just ask Misty and Liliana) but Skankivor: Micronesia was taylor-made for her.

15) SANDRA Inept survivor and pathetic human being. Let's throw away food from starving individuals and destroy the camp if she felt at risk??? She merges from the worst F4, worst F3, and worst F2...and becomes the "winner" compliments of a dim-witted scout mother's boneheaded decision.

N/A) AMB"A" - If this was a "real" season I would have ranked her 10th or 11th. Clearly benefited from Rob, but she gets kudos for playing her future husband like a finely-tuned instrument. Emerged victorious from a group of 7th -10th place losers the first time around who made the most of their second opportunities