Jeff Probst often turns heads with proclamations of his Survivor tastes. From the twists he falls in love with, like Redemption Island and Edge of Extinction, to overwhelming amounts of advantages that players do not need, to favorite players and archetypes he is drawn to, Jeff seems at constant odds with the fan base.
Once again, this dichotomy has been highlighted in an interview Jeff gave with Parade, where he gave an exclusive insight into his Top 25 Survivor seasons. While some seasons are fairly universal, he also appears to have several choices that are a bit more head-scratching. Of his 25 favorite seasons, almost a third of them do not belong there. Sure, taste is different for everyone, and every season has its supporters, but there are a few glaring omissions taken up by questionable choices.
Jeff is entitled to an opinion, and we are entitled to tell him he's wrong
In a recent exclusive interview with Parade Magazine's Mike Bloom, Jeff shared the 25 seasons that he feels are the best of the franchise, and it gets a little dicey. For example, there is way too much recency bias on the last, with nearly every new era season showing up. Conversely, entire eras are almost entirely ignored, especially when it comes to newbie seasons.
What stands out the most? Let's start with the Survivor seasons that really should not have made the list, based on general fan reception. Again, this is no knock on players for the season or fans who like them. Survivor 48 and its snoozefest of a merge should not be in the top 25. Seasons 42 and 44 are also arguably underserving of the spot, although either could be on the cusp.
Going back a bit further, Survivor: Ghost Island was a great concept with horrible execution and gameplay that left a lot to be desired. The tie vote final was interesting, but it still should be among the worst seasons. Survivor: Game Changers was similarly uninspiring, oversaturated with advantages, and the Varner situation leaves a bad taste in any viewer's mouth.
Finally, going back to the older school eras, two seasons stand out here as not quite deserving of their spots on most top 25 lists. One of these is Survivor: Samoa, which was essentially just the Russell Hantz show. Sure, his strategy was certainly bold, but it was the only narrative. Survivor: Amazon is also hit or miss, depending on how you view the edit, which is pretty disturbing on rewatch. Finally, Survivor: Palau and its ranking entirely depend on how gripping you find watching a team get decimated to be, and if an obvious winner matters to you.
If some seasons should be dropped, then which are missing?
Of the group of seasons listed above, about 3 to 4 stand out as obvious removals, so if we build upon that number, there have to be 3 to 4 replacements. The first of these that stands out the most to me is Survivor: San Juan Del Sur. At first watch, the season was not that well received, but upon rewatch, the season is much better than remembered, and highlights a fantastic winner's arc and some interesting gameplay.
A pair of old school seasons that deserve a look are Survivor: Marquesas and Survivor: Vanuatu. Both seasons featured some iconic personalities that were balanced with some impressive and, at the time, novel gameplay from the respective winners. Both are often overlooked, but really should not be.
Finally, Survivor: Philippines and Survivor: Kaoh Rong deserve some consideration for higher placement. Philippines offered shifts in power and rootable players, and Kaoh Rong had an incredible amount of unpredictability, albeit with a less lovable cast that lacked fanbase passion one way or another.
It is clear that there are several very enjoyable seasons that have been overlooked by Jeff, while others have somehow found their way onto his Top 25 list. Are there any seasons we missed? Any that you agree with Jeff's placement on? Let us know!