Ranking Survivor's New Era Seasons
Survivor 47 is just three weeks away, marking the seventh season of the show's "New Era," which began in 2021 after Winners at War.
Creative season titles and 39 days were gone as 26 days and "harsher conditions" were in.
Here's a look at the ranking of each new era season:
6) Survivor 41
This season had a lot of hype going into it after being off the air for over a year and coming off "Winners at War," but the turnout didn't match the preseason hype.
While this season gave us strong characters in Shan and Ricard and likeable characters like Naseer and Xander, the game felt underwhelming and confusing at times.
The introduction of the "idol phrases" and the infamous smashing of the hourglass didn't have the payoff that the producers were likely hoping for.
With this season now three years old, it hasn't lived up in Survivor history with some of the greats.
5) Survivor 42
This season had a memorable winner in Maryanne, who pulled off one of the best final tribal council performances ever. But other than that, the season lacked that punch after punch.
While we had a fun premerge tribal council with Jenny's departure and some epic blindsides towards the end with Drea and Omar, the season doesn't stack up on the same level as some of the others.
It also felt very similar to Survivor 41, which didn't have that shock factor that fans want in a good season.
4) Survivor 45
This season stacks better in hindsight than it does in real time. When watching the season live, it felt like a predictable steamroll.
While there was always potential for a big move to be made, there was a sense that the Reba alliance was going to make it to the end regardless.
There were some exciting moments at tribal council: Sabiyah's burning idol, Kaleb's Shot in the Dark play, Kellie's blindside (which might be the best in the new era), and Jake's idol play on Katurah.
The introduction of 90-minute episodes also gave us the chance to learn more about some of the dynamic characters in the game, like financial analyst Emily Flippen, Katurah, Austin and Dee, all of whom were deep end-game characters.
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3) Survivor 43
This is another season that plays better when thinking about it in retrospect. While the premerge provided more dull moments than exciting ones, the postmerge made up for it.
Jesse's game rivals some of the best in the entire show's history and it was clear that the story revolved around him.
While Gabler's win may have been controversial given his under-the-radar edit in the post-merge, his 7-1-0 victory over Cassidy and Owen at the end was deserved.
There was also a general likability around a majority of the cast, especially with players like Cody, Noelle and Owen.
2) Survivor 44
One of Survivor's most entertaining casts stems from this season, especially the Tika 3, who have to be one of the best alliances in the show's history.
Carolyn, Carson and Yam Yam provided weekly entertainment and their underdog story made it very easy to root for them.
Add in the fact that it's the first season with a successful idol play in Episode 1 and arguably one of the best premerge cast of players, and it becomes one of the best seasons in the modern era of the show.
1) Survivor 46
This is either a love or hate kind of season, and I am on the love side of the coin.
While the gameplay in this past season was lacking as five players left the game with an idol in their pocket, this group found a way to keep fans on their toes week in and week out.
Q's antics and Liz's breakdown after not going to the Applebee's reward will be what's remembered the most about this season, but the entire cast left their mark one way or another, from Kenzie the winner to Jelinsky the first boot.
Add in a controversial ending that will have fans talking about this season years after the result make Survivor 46 the best season in the new era.
Will Survivor 47 be able to top it? They'll have a chance to start on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 8/7c on CBS.
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