Survivor season rankings: All Survivor seasons, ranked

41. Nicaragua (Season 21)

There are numerous reasons why Survivor: Nicaragua comes in as the lowest-ranked installment in the show’s 17-year history. For one, NaOnka Mixon and Kelly Shinn both straight-up quit on Day 28 of the game. While other players have up and quit, having two castaways do so at the same time that far into the game is quite absurd.

Some will also point out that tribal divisions by age were a problem in Nicaragua. However, the latest season (Millennials vs. Gen X) largely proved that to be a misnomer about the twist for the season. It wasn’t the twist that was the problem, but rather the fact that the twist was done with poor players.

One area that is often criticized is the winner, then-21-year-old Jud “Fabio” Birza, and him being unimpressive as a Sole Survivor. That can be brought up for debate, however, as Fabio was likely savvier than he let on with his carefree and friendly attitude throughout his time on the show that led to him winning $1 million.

If we’re being honest, though, the unforgivable sin of Nicaragua is clearly the Medallion of Power. Sometimes the show introduces a new twist or wrinkle and, even if it falls flat, the intention is understandable. With the Medallion of Power, that’s not so much the case. The producers even realized as much, ditching it after only a few episodes when tribes switched.