4. Fans vs. Favorites
The first season of Fans vs. Favorites was a fresh twist on the returning player season as 10 former castaways were pitted against 10 superfans of the show. Micronesia featured some of the game’s most exciting and, shocker, fan-favorite castaways, including Cirie, James and Yau Man.
However, the Fans tribe was also stocked full of personality with memorable contestants like Natalie Bolton, Jason Siska and Erik Reichenbach proving it wouldn’t be a runaway for the Favorites. The season was full crazy moments with Erik giving his immunity to Natalie and Jason and Eliza thinking a stick was a hidden immunity idol (both of which are expected to be seen again on Ghost Island). The season ended with Parvati claiming the million-dollar prize as the mastermind behind the infamous Black Widow Brigade.
Despite Micronesia‘s success, it is the second version of FvF, Caramoan, that prevents it from being higher on the list. Caramoan suffered from a largely unexciting cast of players, both returning and newbies. The bulk of the entertainment from the season came from Brandon Hantz’s outbursts and Malcolm, Eddie and Reynold’s efforts to survive. (Who can forget the tribal council with two hidden immunity idols?!) Besides those moments, the game was average with Cochran taking home the win at a reunion criticized for not including the entire cast.
While Caramoan may have left a bad taste in fans’ mouths, there is hope that season 38 might be a return to the format, giving it a shot at redemption. (Check out our predictions for a FvF 3 season.)