Board Thread:Virtual Tribal Council/@comment-2049739-20160104053550/@comment-27933088-20171207163015

While I haven't been into Survivor for as long as some people here, I've seen enough seasons now that I feel like I can rank those that I've watched.

1. Cagayan: The sheer number of twists and shifts and the fluid, ever-changing gameplay, combined with funny moments and compelling characters that were in equal measures lovable and loatheable makes this stand head and shoulders above the rest. There were so many legitimately strong players that, despite the victor's excellent (and almost cartoonishly devious) gameplay, this season genuinely felt up for grabs until right near the very end.

2. Cook Islands: While the season's race gimmick was a bit iffy, the diverse cast was great, with likeable heroes, hateable villains, and enjoyable eccentrics. In general, people came to play, there were some memorable moments, and a strong and likeable winner who never quite seemed to be a shoe-in until the final votes were read.

3. China: Headlined by an interesting and likeable (or at least amusing) cast, set in a cool location that was very well used, and featuring a lot of exciting and unpredictable gameplay, with some great moves and some terrible ones, this was a strong season, and it featured the single greatest FTC speech that I've ever seen.

4. Palau: The cast was likeable, with some notable heroes, the challenges were interesting, the location was great, and there was just enough gameplay to keep a viewer invested. Even the unprecedented pre-merge situation was compelling in its own right. If things got a bit stale following the merge, it was due to the dominance of the eventual winner.

5. Blood vs. Water: The end was a bit of a slog, especially with the number of missed opportunities, and parts were uncomfortable, but the season started strong, there were some great story arcs, and there was enough unpredictability and a likeable enough winner to make this a solid watch.

6. Redemption Island: It seems as if a lot of people pan this season due to the dominance of the winner, which did make the latter stages fairly dull and predictable and the outcome all but a foregone conclusion. However, there were nonetheless some memorable characters and story arcs, and the tour de force performance by the winner made this average season more enjoyable than it had a right to be.

7. Worlds Apart: The cast seemed strong at first, there were some decent shifts in the dynamics, and the way that the winner pulled it off through sheer force of will after a flip threw all plans out the window was compelling. However, there was just such negativity and so many genuinely unlikable players that it was hard to really enjoy the season.

8. Micronesia: While the pre-merge and immediate post-merge portions were good, it became predictable (with one notable exception) thereafter, the victor being painfully obvious and emerging not as a result of consistent strategic brilliance so much as a Pagonging and the incredible gullibility of other players. It effectively became Redemption Island, just with the heroes or at least memorable/interesting characters removed. Most of the cast were either boring, obnoxious, or just plain unlikable.