Survivor: Second Chance is still one of the iconic show's best seasons. As a recent rewatch revealed, its appeal hasn’t faded with time.
The second chance premise was a good one. Fans were allowed to vote for the cast from a pool the show put forward—twenty players who had only played once and had not won. The fans did a great job voting in an interesting mix of contestants, including plenty of recent favorites and a fair number of early Survivor players.
The old-school players quickly realized the game had changed since they played. It moved a lot faster, and they needed to adjust quickly if they wanted to compete. For the most part, they did so.
The season featured terrific gameplay, several historical items, and one of the most likable winners ever.
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The cast was entertaining, but it started shakily. Human-wrecking ball Abi-Marie Gomes controlled her tribe as it lost early challenges when it was clear she was the one who needed to be voted out. The cast featured several recent stars, including Spencer Bledsoe, Keith Nale, Jeremy Collins, Joe Anglim, Woo Hwang, Kelley Wentworth, and Tasha Fox. Older players included season one runner-up Kelly Wiglesworth, Andrew Savage, Terry Deitz, Kimmi Kappenberg, and Jeff Varner. The result was a cast that played hard and smart.
The season featured four immunity idols that were all kept secret and all played effectively. Jeremy and Wentworth found two. Other highlights included Joe winning four straight immunity challenges and a tribal council where no votes cast were counted due to played idols.
It was also the first season where the idea of fluid voting blocks started to replace set alliances. The idea was that players could align from vote to vote to eliminate threats from the game. It worked for several votes after the merge. Ironically, it was the three-person alliance between Jeremy, Tasha, and Spencer that made it to the final three.
The season also included one contestant, Terry Deitz, being pulled from the game in the middle of the night due to a family emergency, one of the strongest players, Joe, passing out in exhaustion at the end of a challenge, and another, Tasha, needing to be pulled out of the water after a grueling challenge.
Ultimately, however, the season will be fondly remembered because of the winner, Jeremy. He grabbed the hearts of fans during his first appearance on Blood vs. Water when he had to face his wife in a head-to-head challenge right off the bat, with the loser being sent to Exile Island. His angst over having to do that at the beginning of the season was obviously emotional for him and solidified a place for him in the game. He played well in that season, but no one wanted to go to the finals with him, and he was voted out after the merge.
This time, he was clearly still playing for his wife and two daughters. During a confession, he admitted his wife, Val, was pregnant, and he wasn’t going to tell anyone. He kept that to himself until the final tribal council, which helped solidify a unanimous 10-0 win. He was respected for the game he played and the relationships he built, which led to his decisive and deserving win.
Several players enjoyed degrees of self-redemption and growth through Second Chance. Spencer was an awkward social disaster the first time he played, and he worked hard to improve in this area. Kelley Wentworth felt she didn’t play as strongly as she could have the first, tied to her father, who was also in the game, and on her own, she had a terrific game the second time around.
Of course, Jeremy was able to set aside his emotions, at least publicly, that held him back during his first appearance in the game, and he completed his goal to be named the Sole Survivor.
Survivor: Second Chance is worthy of a second (or third) watch. It’s a fun season with a fantastic cast, incredible strategic gameplay, and several memorable moments.