Survivor since 2000: Reliving the game’s greatest moments year by year

Survivor 2012: “This is my island!”

One World is such an odd season. It’s not that the tribes were divided by men and women; they’ve done that casting twist before. It’s not that the two tribes were situated on the same island beachfront; the odd moments of foraging negotiation added a unique element to the gameplay.

It was the fact that Kim Spradlin had one of the most dominant seasons in Survivor history, besting everyone else in supreme fashion. Her win was so televised, as everyone else who had a shot to win acted in either boyish villainy or made no compelling moves worthy of a winner.

The cast was one of the show’s worst, and Kim is no Sandra in terms of personality. It was the underdog story of Troyzan that redeemed any sense of entertainment value for the season, as he stood as Kim’s biggest threat of the season. As he won Immunity Challenges and played idols to save his neck, he got more and more frustrated.

Troyzan became a cocky son of a gun, often popping off by yelling “This is my island!” He really got on the nerves of the dominant female alliance, and his departure from the game was well telegraphed. Still, had he not played the way he did, it could have ranked as a Bottom 5 season.