4. Pearl Islands (Season 7)
Survivor: Pearl Islands or, as it’s alternatively referred to, the beginning of The Queen’s ascension to her throne. This was the first of two wins for Game Changers castaway Sandra Diaz-Twine, who will obviously be looking to go 3-for-3 in season 34. Of course, Sandra beginning her dominance over the game isn’t the only reason that Pearl Islands ranks as highly as it does.
Instead, Pearl Islands’ chief reason for being great is how expertly one of the most complex seasons in the show’s history was pulled off. Right from the jump when the players were thrust into the game with nothing but what they were wearing, it was evident that this was going to be a season unlike any other. That only further continued throughout.
Perhaps the most memorable of the twists came when the players who were voted out were brought back to compete in a challenge for the right to come back into the game—and won, thus allowing two players back in while the remaining tribes had to go to Tribal Council. Plus, who doesn’t love a good pirate them when you’re dealing with a reality game show set on an island? The answer is that everyone loves it and Pearl Islands is, simply put, awesome.