Every Era of Survivor, Ranked

This era of “Survivor” would probably win based on Season 16 alone, but the second era of “Survivor” is even pretty extraordinary. without the Black Widow Brigade (although they obviously help rise to the top of the list this season). The golden age of “Survivor” began with the ninth season, “Vanuatu,” where we first met future superstars like Eliza Orlins and Ami Cusack, and in season 10, “Palau,” Stephenie LaGrossa and Tom Westman became favorites amid some truly excellent gameplay. Season 11, “Survivor: Guatemala,” was a bit forgettable, but Season 12, “Survivor: Panama,” was not, introducing one of the show’s all-time best players: Cirie Fields.

Things really took off in season 13, “Survivor: Cook Islands,” although the season’s conceit was questionable at best. With players divided by ethnicity – which was a terrible idea no matter how you put it – the “Cook Islands” had a strange vibe until the merge when great players like Parvati Shallow, Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth and Jonathan Penner got to show what they were made of. Notably, the 14th season of “Survivor,” subtitled “Fiji,” was the first season to take place there before production moved there permanently in season 33. Then, in season 15, we got “Survivor: China,” one of the most chaotic entries in the entire franchise. Between Courtney Yates who outlasted most of her enemies, James Clement was voted out with not one, but two idols in her pocket, and Amanda Kimmel choosing her own downfall in the end, “China” was a great season, but that pales in comparison to what followed.

“Survivor: Micronesia,” the 16th season and the first “Fans vs. Favorites,” has its own paragraph. In the first episodefamously devious Jonny Fairplay begged his tribesmen to take him out first because he missed his family, and things didn’t stop from there. While Jonathan Penner, Ozzy Lusth, Eliza Orlins, Cirie Fields and Parvati Shallow competed among the favorites, some fans, like Natalie Bolton and Alexis Jones, forged their own paths. After the merge, the all-female alliance Black Widow Brigade formed and picked off the men one by one, culminating at Tribal Council where Erik Reichenbach gave his hard-earned immunity necklace to Bolton and sealed his own fate as, according to Shallow, “the stupidest survivor in the history of ‘Survivor.'” After that brawl, Shallow, a generational talent on “Survivor,” won his first title.

Season 17, “Survivor: Gabon,” featured a group of misfits, and season 18, “Survivor: Tocantins,” brought together Tyson Apostol, Stephen Fishbach and JT Thomas. “Survivor: Samoa” was a little unbearable thanks to the very bad Russell Hantz, but the aforementioned 20th season, “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains,” was easily the best of the series. You really can’t go wrong in the golden age of “Survivor.”

The entirety of “Survivor” is available to stream on Paramount+.