Am I betting with my heart instead of my head on this one?
That excerpt was from my recap titled"This is now a Maryanne stan account."
My heart thought it could happen.
Maryanne Oketch on ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
Now, 11 episodes later, my head has caught up.
I started to sense it last week (andwrote as much in my recap).
The only thing she was missing was a big game move.
The cast of ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
“You did it?”
Omar asked right before the final vote was read.
“I did,” confirmed Maryanne right in front of the jury.
The cast of ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
And hell yes, she did.
She got disparate factions on the same page even as she cagily made one of them the fallback option.
Last time, it was because she was just so likable.
Cast members of ‘Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites’.CBS
This time, it’s because she’s earned it.
Combine that with the irresistible underdog story and how do you NOT give her the money?
My seemingly far-fetched dream scenario may actually come to fruition.
The cast of ‘Survivor: David vs. Goliath’.CBS
And I didn’t even need an hourglass to make it happen.
But that all comes later.
Let’s touch on a few other things from episode 12.
The cast of ‘Survivor: Winners at War’.Robert Voets/CBS
That person has to go."
For instance, I loveSurvivorbecause it is the gold standard of reality TV.
And I loveBig Brotherbecause it is… well, the opposite.
The cast of ‘Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X’.Monty Brinton/CBS/Getty Images
It’s trashy, cheesy, absurd, and ridiculous.
Which is what makes it fantastic.
They also have a recurring competition that isliterallywho can strip out of their clothes the fastest.
The cast of ‘Survivor: Cook Islands’.ABC
So, you know, not exactly the gold standard.
Seems like an odd prize.
Doesn’t the kid at least get any chocolate cake?!?!?
The cast of ‘Survivor 41’.Robert Voets/CBS
Leave Your Stations
Yes!
Anyway, Lindsay took this round, also giving herself a solid resume heading into the finale.
I will say this for Lindsay.
The cast of ‘Survivor: Game Changers’.Timothy Kuratek/CBS/Getty Images
But I also get the line of thinking.
The bigger question I have about Lindsay is not why she didn’t play the idol for Omar.
It’s why did she even want to keep Omar safe in the first place?!?
The cast of ‘Survivor: Worlds Apart’.CBS/Getty Images
If Omar is being seen as the mastermind, why would you take that guy to the end?
That seems crazy to me.
Do people really fear Jonathan winning at this point?
Sandra Diaz-Twine and Boston Rob Mariano on ‘Survivor: Island of the Idols’.Robert Voets/CBS
Also, juries traditionally do not care at all about challenge wins.
Go askChrissy HofbeckorBrad Culpepper.
Not sure what Lindsay was thinking by siding with Omar here.
Speaking of Omar…
In the end, his biggest move is the one that did him in.
It was beautiful to watch.
Omar was playing the likable villain.
Stealing the idol may have crashed that.
All I know is that Omar was an absolute delight this season.
And it was a joy watching him.
Which brings us to the finale.
Is Maryanne now the frontrunner?
Romeo seems destined for the final three and destined to not win.
But we’ll find out next week.
And it’s time to find out right now where season 42 lands in our updated season rankings.
Ain’t nothin' to it but to do it!
Survivor Season-by-Season Rankings from best to worst
1.
AfterMicronesiaaired, I named it the bestSurvivorseason ever.
So then I returned that to the number one spot.
If I wanted to watch one season again, it would beMicronesia.
If you ask me which is the mostimportantseason, well, obviously it’sBorneo.
3.Survivor: Heroes vs. VillainsThe Russell vs. Boston Rob feud made for the best pre-merge run of episodes ever.
And the greatness just kept on coming.
Filled with huge memorable moments like Tyson voting himself off, J.T.
giving Russell his immunity idol, and Parvati handing outtwoimmunity idols at one Tribal Council.
I know many people would consider this No.
1, but it’s all returnees.
For me, the fresh blood ofMicronesiakeeps that season higher.
(Maybe not well at all times, but at least they were playing.)
moment to a truly exhilarating season.
That’s what it all comes down to.
And it’s not just Christian, who was one of the most universally loved contestants of all-time.
That is an amazing 9 out of 20 that I would easily welcome back on another season.
Often, that’s all a season needs.
And that really is first and foremost the reason Davidvs.
Goliathbecame an all-time great.
But there were other trophies to hand out as well.
The editing job done by producers was perhaps the show’s best ever.
They experimented with new techniques that served to freshen up the franchise in its 37th season.
They added comedic flourishes that were totally unnecessary yet improved the episodes nonetheless.
They cut back and forth between players and stories in ways they never had before.
A top 5 finish.
6.Survivor: Cambodia Second ChanceThe first thing to note aboutCambodiais how well all the production twists turned out.
Letting fans vote in the cast?
Hiding idols at challenges?
I think you all know how I feel about that.
Tempting people to quit an immunity challenge for a mystery vote steal advantage?
All the tribe switcheroos?
They played out to perfection.
TheSurvivorproducers always throw a bunch of twists out there.
Usually, some work and some don’t.
This season, they all paid dividends.
I also appreciated how hard the bulk of the cast was playing.
Usually, you get a small handful of big-time gamers.
Another plus: The votes were completely unpredictable from week to week, leading to some truly crazy Tribals.
Sure, the challenges were a bit blah, but still, a rousing and triumphant success.
(MaybePirate Masteris to blame for that?)
Obviously, there was a stellar cast with big personalities.
Fairplay not only pulling off the dead grandma lie but also getting drunk at Tribal Council.
Osten becoming the first person to lay down his torch.
Savage willing his tribe to win.
And Sandra getting in faces.
It was all delicious.
Some people, like Ben and Michele, had something to prove.
His return alone was one of the best reality TV stories ever.
Go back and watch it.
It’s amazing on both a technical and an emotional level.
And Tony Vlachos cemented his reputation as the most entertaining and dominant player of all time.
I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to have a great winner on such an important season.
And itdidfeel special, even with its flaws.
I wish the show would shake things up like that more at the outset to keep contestants off-balance.
One of the best creative decisionsSurvivorever made was not panicking and reshuffling the tribes once Koror started dominating.
Also, I’d bring back Jolanda, Coby, Katie, and Ian back in a heartbeat.
Every single person added something.
That’s how you win a million dollars.
Possibly the least scenic camps inSurvivorhistory.
It just looked absolutely miserable.
And I still jump when Chicken gets voted out.
WhenMillennials vs. Gen Xstarted, most of us were like, “Yeah, it’s fine.
Not amazing, but not terrible either.”
But then things kept happening.
And everyone kept flipping on one another.
And everyone kept getting blindsided.
And everyone kept futilely using their idols for other people.
It was madness and chaos in the best way possible.
And what was so fascinating was that (with the exception of Michaela) nobody took their ouster personally.
This was a season remarkably free of any sort of fighting whatsoever.
None of the ugliness ofWorlds ApartorKaoh Rongpermeated the proceedings, even amongst all the lying and backstabbing.
Even Hannah was entertaining with her neurosis.
Even Ken was entertaining with his late-game cluelessness.
Bret gave us a touching moment where he came out as gay to Zeke.
Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.
(However, I still can’t figure out why they went with three-person duels a.k.a.
truels and they definitely should have stopped RI at the merge.)
So why is it so high?
Because the casting and storylines that developed gave us people to root for and against something every greatSurvivorseason needs.
And that’s not all.
Seriously, that guy was straight gold in every episode.
BRING HIM BACK!!!!
There were some other problems early on as well, but what a difference a mutiny makes.
Then we had clearly defined people to root for and against.
There are other things to love as well.
Plus, just look at all the great first-time contestants (Parvati, Penner, Ozzy, Yul).
I love you, Billy.
But hear me out first before you Russell any feathers.
It was flat-out grating.
But everything post-merge was spectacular.
There were moves and countermoves galore down the homestretch.
Also, don’t overlook how great the bevy of water challenges was.
Should I push it down in the rankings due to the lackluster Reunion show that followed?
He was denied in the end, though, in the most controversial jury decision ever.
19.Survivor: TocantinsOkay, you may roll your eyes at Coach 1.0.
But imagine for a second this season without him.
His unintentional comedy single-handedly lifts this into middle of the pack territory for me.
However, the unlikely alliance between bookish northerner Fishbach and country boy J.T.
certainly made for a compelling thread throughout the season.
Shane Powers should have been brought back forHeroes vs. Villains.
And theSecond Chanceseason, for that matter.
Seriously, what the hell?!?
Get that guy back on TV.
But I still can’t figure out how/why Bob Dawg didn’t get a bigger and better edit.
That guy is an absolute gas, whether in or outside of Casa de Charmin.
21.Survivor 42Here we go.
Smack dab in the middle.
I went back and forth on whether to rank this above or belowSurvivor 41.
The argument for ranking it lower would be the pure repetition factor.
Anytime you have a perpetual been there, done that feeling… that’s bad.
Especially when most of those twists and challenges were not great to begin with.
However, producers did a better job of editing and presenting that content.
So when all is said and done, why does 42 just barely edge out 41.
One word: Maryanne.
22.Survivor 41This may be the hardestSurvivorseason ever to rank.
Let’s get to the bad before the good.
That’s not good.
Which was a shame because when allowed to, this cast delivered in a huge way.
Early boots like Brad and J.D.
That’s a hell of a lineup right there.
Not that I thought all the changes were bad.
23.Survivor: Ghost IslandThis was another hard season to rank.
This idea was used a few years later onSurvivor South Africa: Immunity Island.)
And then there is the ending, which also has plusses and minuses.
So again, both good and bad.
Like I said, a hard season to rank.
But the ending was fantastic, and I was engaged throughout, even with the noted weaknesses.
I liked watching Kellyn act like a super-spaz.
I was fascinated with the Laurel and Donathan strategic push-and-pull.
Throw that all together and you end up in the middle of the pack.
24.Survivor: Game ChangersWhat a weird season this was.
We were treated to two titans of the game (Tony and Sandra) going toe to toe.
But something was missing.
Said events were all exciting, but they failed to form a cohesive unit.
all gone before the merge.
And despite the gameplay and unpredictability down the stretch, that is kind of what happened.
And then there is what happened to Cirie in the finale.
(The fact that it happened to a true legend in Cirie made it even harder to swallow.)
But there is one thing I reallydiddig about this season, and that is the cast.
26.Survivor: The Australian OutbackAn overrated season in my book.
Pretty predictable boot order as well.
Dude didburn his hands off, though.
And, outside of one mind-bogglingly boring loved ones reward contest, the challenges were strong.
But now comes the bad news.
Like the majority ofSurvivornation, I was not a fan of the new final four fire-making twist.
That was a bummer.
28.Survivor: Kaoh RongNot one of the best seasons ever; not one of the worst.
That’s always exciting.
Working against this season is the fact that there simply were not enough transcendent players in the cast.
That’s a problem.
That said, man, were there some hate-fueled fireworks at those final few Tribal Councils.
The fact that so many unworthy players went so far is simply too damning.
32.Survivor: Redemption IslandThe first three episodes were dynamite, but then the fuse blew out.
33.Survivor: AfricaSome great challenges.
Not that much else was great.
34.Survivor: Edge of ExtinctionFlat.
That’s the best word I can think of to describe the season.
At least give them a place where they can go in the water!
Rafe was good for a few laughs, though.
Especially on rope obstacles.
36.Survivor: VanuatuI don’t blame producers: The battle of the sexes seemed like a fine enough concept.
This season just never took off.
That counts for something.
38.Survivor: One WorldLook, I have total respect for Kim’s game.
Like Tom inPalauand Rob inRedemption Island, she excelled strategically, socially, and physically.
Unfortunately, that is really the only good thing I can say about this season.
And that’s too bad because I do think the “One World” concept was a solid one.
But, man, what a thoroughly uninspiring cast.
Speaking of awful creative decisions…
41.Survivor: NicaraguaIt’s way down here for a few reasons.
- Splitting the tribes up by age and theMedallion of Powerwere both enormous flops.
)Nicaraguahad just too many unlikable players.
Two people quitting with only 11 days left.
No big memorable moments.
Unfortunately, it was people quitting, and that was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
42.Survivor: Island of the IdolsI’m a guy who tends to be pretty analytical.
But even I recognize that when it comes to rankingSurvivorseasons, it ultimately comes down to a feeling.
But nothing seemed fun in light of the far more serious issue that clearly outweighed the final game result.
Quite simply: It made the rest of the season impossible to enjoy.
And so here it sits.
And you have towatch our exclusive deleted scenefrom the episode.
I’ll see you all next week with a super-sized scoop of finale crispy!
