27. Survivor 43
Well, Survivor 43 could have been ranked a lot higher but the finale was a mess and ultimately led me to rank it much lower than I originally would have. The cast was pretty good and we should have some locks to return for future seasons but I just can’t get past how messy the finale was.
To summarize, Cassidy — the eventual runner-up — was deemed a threat throughout the entire game yet when she got to the end against Gabler — the eventual winner — and Owen, all of a sudden no one wanted to vote for her. She lost 7-1-0 to Gabler in a finale that had us all scratching our heads.
Cassidy’s loss isn’t surprising though considering women were picked off at a rapid pace this season. She was penalized for not giving up immunity to go against Jesse — the fallen angel of the season — and that’s why the dumb fire-making twist needs to go. The winner of final immunity should not be punished.
I wasn’t even a huge Cassidy fan and she wasn’t a major character during the season but she did what she needed to win the season and a bitter jury left us with what an unsatisfying result.