Most underrated Survivor seasons of all-time
Most Underrated Seasons in Survivor History: No. 7 – Island of the Idols
Island of the Idols is another season that is largely disliked, but the big reason why season 39 ranks near the bottom for most people is because of the ugly situation involving Dan Spillo. I totally get why people wouldn’t enjoy this season because of what transpired with Dan. He’s not a good person.
Prior to Kellee’s boot, however, Island of the Idols was a very enjoyable season. While the twist that shared the name of the season was a bit lame, it did bring about some new elements to the show like sneaking into the other team’s camp. It also provided us the entertaining moment when Noura tried convincing her tribe to let her be the caller in the challenge so she could get an advantage and instead, they chose to sit her out altogether.
The reason why Island of the Idols is such an underrated season in my eyes is because of the cast, particularly when it came to the women. When looking at the key members from season 39, the majority are women (Elaine, Elizabeth, Janet, Karishma, Kellee, Lauren, Missy, Noura) while also giving us eventual winner Tommy, runner-up Dean, and Jamal as well. The casting, excluding Dan, was on point.
Most of the votes were suspensful and had the viewers on the edge of their seats, especially with the different twists and turns this season threw at the contestants. Prior to the Dan situation, Island of the Idols had the potential to be a very good season because of the cast and the fact that they were playing hard, and it showed.
After Dan’s situation really came about, however, it was mostly downhill from there. Kellee getting voted out, Janet being bullied by the other contestants despite sticking her neck out for them, Elizabeth and Missy using Kellee’s situation as a way to better themselves in the game, and how Janet was voted out (stupid idol nullifier) led to Island of the Idols ending on a very dark note. These are also reasons why many people don’t care for the show’s 39th season.
It’s understandable why people are sour on Island of the Idols and why it could end up being one of the most disliked seasons of all-time, but from a gameplay perspective, it was actually pretty entertaining.