Survivor: Kaoh Rong featured the theme of Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty. Knowing where this season should fit in the game's pantheon is difficult. It had some pretty good gameplay, and it is the last season not filmed in Figi, but it feels a little short of great after rewatching it.
It was undoubtedly loaded with big personalities. Peter Baggenstos, Debbie Wanner, Cydney Gillan, Scot Pollard, Kyle Jason, Tai Trang, and others made indelible impressions.
This is the only season with a cast member I knew, even on a small scale, and that was a brief acquaintance many years ago. Still, if you’ve met someone who makes it on Survivor, you will pull for that person and want it to be a good season.
Two players, Debbie and Tai, dominated the game as far as personalities were concerned. Debbie was a quirky woman who listed off maybe a dozen careers. It appeared she might not last long at the beginning of the season, but she played the game hard, made alliances, and finished eighth.
Tai was an interesting person from the start. He was a gardener who loved all living things and sought to protect what he could. He drew the ire of this tribe because he was looking for the idol very early in the game, but his personality and hard work kept him in the game.
What didn’t work well in Survivor: Kaoh Rong
There was as much bullying in this season as there has ever been. Jason and Scot formed an immediate bond on the Brawn tribe but tended to throw their weight around. Their alliance continued into the merge, and they drew in Tai. It looked like a tight alliance, and Jason and Tai had idols that could be combined AFTER a tribal council vote to save someone who might otherwise have their torch snuffed.
Jason and Scot grew more confident as the game progressed and let it wash over the tribe. When they felt threatened, they hid the machete and hatchet. Scot doused a fire. Scot even mentioned in a confessional he never intended to go all Russell Hantz, but it happened anyway.
Other players seemed to like Scot individually, but their antics didn't come off well when he and Jason were together. Tai, who seemed uncomfortable with their behavior at times, was still influenced by them. One night, Tai doused the fire, though everyone suspected it was Scot or Jason.
Tai was a flipper, changing sides a few times throughout the game. His most significant move came when he refused to play his half of the super idol to save Scot. That move was orchestrated by Aubry Bracco, though. She was able to convince Tai to backstab his alliance and join her. Later, Aubry betrayed him.
This season was also a brutal one, physically. One challenge had three people go down to heat exhaustion with one needing to be evacuated. Two other players were also removed for medical reasons.
What was good about Survivor: Kaoh Raoh
Several players knew how to navigate the game. While Aubry probably deserved to win, Michelle Fitzgerald was still a worthy winner. Aubry overcame an early meltdown to become the best strategist in the game. She was also highly competitive in challenges. Her two closest allies were both removed from the game, but she was able to overcome those losses.
Michelle played from the bottom for most of the game and didn’t make a lot of enemies. She offered up a strong social game that helped her win. Winning the last two challenges also went a long way toward her victory.
Luckily, Tai didn’t win or even garner a single vote at the Final Tribal Council, proving once again that it is very difficult to win Survivor if you flip back and forth between alliances or do a lot of backstabbing. Tai did both.
Cydney also showed a good feel for the game, quickly dropping her Brawn alliance with Jason and Scot's antics became too much. She forged bonds that took her all the way to fourth place.
Five players got to play again, showing the cast's strength. It also featured one of the oldest players, Joe del Campo (71), and one of the youngest, Julia Sokolowski (18), to play at that time. Both impressively finished in the top seven.
Season 32 had the bad luck to be right after season 31, one of the best seasons ever. Voting blocks, which gained strategic ground in Second Chances, didn’t make their way into Kaoh Rong, though they became a bigger deal in subsequent seasons.
Many things have changed in the world since this season aired, and the hint of bullying didn’t play out well this time around. A few scenes were uncomfortable to watch and weren’t as awkward when this season aired. Those instances drag this season down just enough and hurt the overall quality of this season. Survivor: Kaoh Rong offered an entertaining cast with plenty of worthy contestants and may be slightly underrated as a season.