5. Marquesas
I adore Marquesas bc it's probably the season that REALLY cemented my love for Survivor. The Episodes 7-9 run still holds up as a Survivor peak in my mind. The eighth vote-off of Marquesas truly was game-changing, and so bloody satisfying! So many loveable characters too... Neleh, Kathy, Zoe, Sean
And then great villains like Rob, Tammy and John
4. Palau
Gripping on a first watch, and the cast takes you in effortlessly. Nearly everyone brings something to the season.
3. Borneo
Held the top spot for a loooong time on my first watch. Borneo is incredible both on first watch and re-watch. It probably has one of the best stories - it's gripping watching the game turn from an innocent adventure, to a bitter end.
2. China
Quite possibly the best cast Survivor ever produced. And bc of this, it's sheer entertainment from start to finish. While the gameplay isn't overly thrilling, the cast is fantastic, and the best of the bunch make it to the end
1. Heroes vs Villains
There's just something bloody gorgeous about HvV! It is just the perfect final crescendo of the first era of Survivor. Fantastic all-star cast from top to bottom, brilliantly entertaining, and has some of the most hilarious and shocking gameplay of any season; the late premerge and early postmerge is one of the most gripping of any season. It's only right that HvV lands at the top.
Ranking
35. One World
34. Redemption Island
33. Thailand
32. All-Stars
31. South Pacific
30. Game Changers
29. Millennials vs Gen-X
28. Caramoan
27. Cook Islands
26. Fiji
25. Tocantins
24. Vanuatu
23. Samoa
22. Nicaragua
21. Cambodia - Second Chance
20. Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers
19. The Amazon
18. Philippines
17. The Australian Outback
16. Africa
15. San Juan Del Sur
14. Worlds Apart
13. Panama
12. Guatemala
11. Kaoh Rong
10. Gabon
9. Cagayan
8. Blood vs Water
7. Micronesia
6. Pearl Islands
5. Marquesas
4. Palau
3. Borneo
2. China
1. Heroes vs Villains
For the record, Ghost Island probably is my third least favourite season. Like at least Thailand and All-Stars had one or two people I could root for? And DvG could quite possibly be in my top 5, but I'd need to let the dust settle.