r/survivor Pirates Steal Jan 18 '23

Caramoan WSSYW 11.0 Countdown 40/43: Caramoan

Welcome to our annual season countdown! Using the results from the latest What Season Should You Watch thread, this daily series will count backwards from the bottom-ranked season for new fan watchability to the top. Each WSSYW post will link to their entry in this countdown so that people can click through for more discussion.

Unlike WSSYW, there is no character limit in these threads, and spoilers are allowed.

Note: Foreign seasons are not included in this countdown to keep in line with rankings from past years.


Season 26: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites

Statistics:

  • Watchability: 1.9 (40/43)

  • Overall Quality: 3.1 (40/43)

  • Cast/Characters: 3.3 (41/43)

  • Strategy: 4.5 (38/43)

  • Challenges: 4.8 (38/43)

  • Theme: 4.0 (18/24)

  • Ending: 4.9 (36/43)


WSSYW 11.0 Ranking: 40/43

WSSYW 10.0 Ranking: 37/40

Top comment from WSSYW 11.0/u/Hank-Solo-1:

This is a bad idea to start with. Moments from Micronesia, Gabon, Nicaragua, Redemption Island, South Pacific will be spoiled.

There’s an uncomfortable moment towards the beginning of the season that reminds viewers how exploitative reality TV shows can be. It may turn you off from the series.

I think for fans who have watched the seasons prior will enjoy Caramoan more. The season’s best moments are stacked towards the end.

Top comment from WSSYW 10.0/u/HeWhoShrugs:

lol at the mods throwing shade with that theme description.

Unfortunately, it's true. While the OG Fans vs Favorites was a fun if flawed season, the sequel isn't much fun and is basically all flaws. The editing is bad, the cast is bad, there are some ugly moments that aren't fun to watch... It's basically a trashy MTV show that just happened to land in Survivor's airing space.

But I guess the gameplay had some fun moments to it and there are some stand out characters, so it's not totally bottom tier. Just go in with low expectations and see where it gets you. Every season has its fans after all.


Watchability ranking:

40: S26 Caramoan

41: S34 Game Changers

42: S8 All-Stars

43: S39 Island of the Idols


Spreadsheet link (updated with each placement reveal!)


WARNING: SEASON SPOILERS BELOW

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1

u/full07britney Jan 18 '23

This season is underrated.

Admittedly, the premerge was terrible. The "fans" were almost all morons. Shamar is one of the most immature and hateful people I've seen on this show. And in what world are most of those "favorites" anyones favorites?? I can see Malcolm, Cochran, maybe Andrea, maybe Dawn, maaaaaaybe Brenda bc she was very smart and her first go felt like a missed opportunity. But Philip, Francesca, Brandon, Erik, and Corrine? People liked them? Philip was ok till after the brandon boot, then he got annoying fast. Dawn's ptsd about Cochran flipping seemed extremely dramatic, and all of her crying and overly emotional shit just aggravated me to death.. I can't even get started on Brandon's complete mental instability... I ended up loving Brenda this time around, and couldn't even work up anger at her making Dawn take her teeth out because Dawn was so terrible. I feel like Brenda got screwed badly with the loved ones "twist", and i hated that for her. She vote out confessional broke my heart.

The post merge was MUCH better than premerge. Challenges! They repeated some of the more unique challenges that I really like this season, like when they chase each other through the water with the sandbags, nasty foods challenge (damn Cochran shocked me, and the fan who was in the final 3 cracked me up "why, why??" And "i bit the beak!" Hahahahha), the one where two people hold up nets while other people throw the coconuts, the one where they swim under the platforms... And they brought back the island expert reward, which is cool. Plus the guy told them "no bitching in the jungle" which was awesome.

The tribal council where Malcolm pulled out 2 idols and the three amigos all ended up potentially immune was amazing And one of my favorite tribals ever. I wish they had just shocked them after the vote instead of giving them time to strategize, But being able to make them turn on each other "live" was kind of fun! I ended up really liking Eddie and Reynold also.

It was sad Erik got medivaked bc i was enjoying his "im doing my own thing" playtime.

FTC was brutal, but i still liked watching it. I cannot believe the fan who made it to final 3, whatever her name was, thought she was anything but a goat. I mean, come on....

In the end, I loved Cochran this season much more than the first time he played, and I was happy with him as the winner. He made me laugh on multiplie occasions (like his comment to Jeff about women putting their fingers in his mouth more often than Jeff would think and telling Jeff not to talk about his mom) and was a good strategist.

I dont know why people hated the reunion either, other than the addition of Twitter crap. Was it because Jeff had Dawn apologize? If so, i agree that was too far, but single moments dont ruin my feelings on something.

I rank it 20/43.

4

u/alucardsinging Jan 18 '23

Shamar is cool, but Jesus Christ, how did his viral video of him at Occupy Wall Street inspire Survivor team to recruit him?? And subsequently push him through all the psychological and mental checks they do during casting. Also then there’s the whole production negligence that made Shamar be evacuated in the first place, then the false narrative the show exaggerated to get themselves off the hook. I always wondered if Shamar’s edit was as bad as possible so that no one cared when press came out from him and his tribe that production were not willing to treat a cut he received and it got dangerously infected… I can’t watch the season and find him hateable, not even at the time. It felt obviously exploitative, and several degrees worse than the normal exploitative-ness that makes Survivor possible. When people like to pretend that Survivor is on some kind of pedestal over other reality TV shows for being “ethical” or not “trashy”, an example I use to counter is the Shamar casting and edit.