Survivor has aired 48 seasons thus far, with CBS having renewed the popular reality show through at least Survivor 52. Over that span, we have watched some fantastic seasons and players. There have been some epic, exciting casts and dynamic, shocking gameplay. Conversely, we have seen seasons fall flat on their face, thanks to mediocre casts, predictable gameplay, or negative and unenjoyable situations.
A season is most disappointing, though, when there is so much hype, potential, and build-up, only for the final product to be an uninspiring letdown. These seasons are not necessarily the worst that Survivor has produced, but they are more disappointing because of what could have been. The theme, potential, or opportunity was there, but it was not delivered.
These three seasons fall most into this category, thanks to potential and the buildup leading into the seasons. Did your most disappointing season make the list?
1. Survivor: Worlds Apart (Season 30)
While the theme itself was not anything overly special (white collar versus blue collar versus no collar), the season number was. A milestone 30th season was upon us, and typically, those round numbers get some sort of extra special hyped acknowledgment. This season was, unfortunately, not the epic celebration of the show we needed. The cast was some of the most negative, mean-spirited ever, and ugliness and bullying ran rampant. Add in a winner that many felt ranked among the worst, and the whole season felt like a giant letdown.
2. Survivor: Game Changers (Season 34)
In truth, this season probably came way too soon after the airing of another all-returnee season, Cambodia (Second Chances), which was an absolute success. The theme of the season had so much potential. But fans felt as though a lot of the casting really did not fit the bill of "game changer" at all, which started the disappointment. Boot order further added to fans' poor reception, the ugliness of Varner outing Zeke was impossible to feel good about, and the saturation of advantages that led to Cirie's boot is still cited as the worst production decision ever. So much potential, so little delivery.
3. Survivor: Island of the Idols (Season 39)
This season makes the cut not necessarily because of the theme or even the season number, but because of the hype the cast tried to bring to it. Winners at War was coming up, and fans were skipping over talk of 39 thanks to the hype. The Island of the Idols cast wanted to drum up attention and flooded social media with "don't sleep on 39". Unfortunately, we wish we had. The cast had some potential, but the Dan Spilo sexual harassment and ensuing decision-making left a horrible, dark cloud and stain on the season and the series, and just caused the entire season to be a massive, horrible disappointment.
Stay tuned for more Survivor rankings from Surviving Tribal!