So I actually loved this season? Haven't done a ranking in a long time because there's really been no point. Since I have time thanks to a long break, I figured I'd give y'all a journal entry after about two years of not writing anything. lol Oops.
I need to preface this by saying that I didn't
hate anyone from this cast, but I didn't
love them all either. I think the story was a bit obvious because I know production would've had a very hard time producing a narrative in which a Goliath won, BUT it was still compelling to watch thanks to the excellent cast. Besides the top 6, these rankings can be interchangeable.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.
Jeremy - Not sure why he had to go after Natalie the way he did. He was a messy player who I was happy to see leave when he did. I feel like had he lasted longer, he would've gotten annoying, but we'll always remember that his skin is gorgeous, darling.
19.
Jessica - I remember liking her and wanting her to make it far, especially after she cried over Pat's medical evacuation, but then I completely forgot about her. I think the only reason she sort of stuck in my brain later on was because I was randomly like, "Wasn't there another blonde?" at some point after the merge. She was Carl's biggest story, and she left episode two.
18.
Bi - I thought it was cute how she preached about pushing through and coming out on top just like in the biblical story, and then she quit. Albeit, I think her quit was warranted because her career could've potentially been ruined had she injured her leg further, but it was an interesting way to edit her. She was mostly absent, but I don't think she looked terrible for a quitter.
17.
Kara - She was sweet, but besides her relationship with Dan, I don't remember her doing anything exciting. I know she has a pretty big fan base, so I know this is an unpopular opinion. I didn't totally get the hype. She did help me remember that Jessica existed though.
16.
John - He was always just there for me. His blindside was pretty great, but I don't think he was big enough of a character to have been blindsided the way he was -- though I know it was a shot at Dan, which I get. He was a nice guy, though. I was excited when he said he wanted to work with Natalie, but um...that went nowhere. Disappointing.
15.
Carl - He was just someone who lasted deep into the game that I knew very little about. He had a nice opening with some personal content. After that, his advantage and "godfather" plot wasn't that interesting. For someone who was tied so closely to the winner, he was left out. I loved his father/son relationship with Davie in Ponderosa, but I can't count that.
14.
Alec - I was never totally on the Alec train. He pulled some exciting moves, and the endurance battle against Christian was great. I just wasn't a solid supporter of his. I preferred Natalia, but I guess I do appreciate Alec for keeping two of my favorite Davids safe?
13.
Nick - When I watched the finale, I wanted Nick to win (only because I
knew Angelina wouldn't). Looking back, I think I've changed my mind. He pulled off some amazing plays, but I'm just not a fan of immunity run winners. However, I didn't mind his "sob story", though I know people give him and everyone else who've done it a hard time. It's why he played, and it's the jury who ultimately rewarded him the million.
12.
Mike - I wish drunk Mike was around all season because that was the funniest dose of sass I'd seen. He did have some great one-liners, but an actor would. I don't know. I guess after looking back, I think he should've won over Nick, but he's already rich, and he didn't really break out until Christian's boot. I don't know.
11.
Lyrsa - She was okay. She was kind of fiery. I remember wanting Mike to go over her
or Angelina, but the longer the season went on, the less I remembered her. However, while I'm being forced to think about her, I remember her being pretty fun with an "oh, no they didn't" attitude.
10.
Natalia - I actually didn't know who she was until episode 2. Whoops. She picked up steam quickly, though, and her boot is one of the more memorable for calling out Alec's smug ass. I didn't miss her as the season went on, though, and I think that says more about the cast as a whole than just her.
09.
Pat - I felt so bad for him. I don't know what others thought of him, but I hated to see him go out the way he did. If he and Kourtney Moon returned for another season so that they can actually experience Survivor, I would be so down for it. I think he was a large personality and had a very dramatic single-episode arc. I remembered him throughout the season, and someone who makes that big of an impact after being a first one to go needs to be ranked high.
08.
Alison - I didn't think much of her early on, but as the season progressed, I found myself rooting for her? She survived so many votes, and I liked her hand signals to Alec on the jury. The only thing that was frustrating was that she was always talking about making big moves, but never really followed through -- much like Laurel before her. I didn't like that. It's not her fault for considering her options, but that edit of her got a bit stale.
07.
Christian - I think there are a handful in the running for production's pet, but I think Christian is the leading man. I'm SO glad he didn't win because that would've been more dissatisfying than anything. I can appreciate Christian more because he didn't win. I don't think he led much of anything and was left in the dark for a lot of the decisions. His relationship with Gabby was endearing, and it was interesting to watch when they ultimately turned on each other. He wasn't my favorite, but he also wasn't forced like Spencer. I think Christian's true personality was conveyed on-screen, and I can't fault him for being himself.
06.
Elizabeth - I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I loved Elizabeth? I thought she was one of the most unique characters on the show. She was a bit unstable, but endearingly so. I don't recall anyone, especially in modern seasons, quite like her. Even though Angelina was amazing (we'll get to her later), I still appreciated Elizabeth for calling her out and stirring up such a mess at the tribal council where she was booted. I don't know. I thought she was a pleasant surprise because I thought nothing of her before the season started.
05.
Dan - This is a weird one. I loved to hate Dan. I like watching players like this because I know they won't win, and Dan was never the primary reason why my faves were eliminated. He created some chaos, and he was called out every single time. His cockiness that caused his team to lose that one reward was hilarious. Him running off to fuss at people for mentioning his name was hilarious. His idol being nullified was HILARIOUS! What a mess! I thoroughly enjoyed rooting against him.
04.
Gabby - As a fellow technical writer, of course I was rooting for Gabby from episode 1 and felt she had a great shot at winning. Her relationship with Christian was sweet, but what puts her miles above Christian is because she went after him first. It was funny how they kind of portrayed Christian and Gabby sort of as a couple even though Christian had a girlfriend, and I think it's funny that what pushed Gabby to take Christian out was SEEING his girlfriend. I think she had a crush on him and was over it once she saw Emily.
03.
Davie - What a sweetheart. I was rooting for him so hard even though the edit ignored him for a number of episodes. I think it speaks volumes about you as a person when you can go into a cutthroat situation and play it out with a positive attitude from beginning to end. You can really tell that he enjoyed his experience and soaked in every opportunity he could. Just like his mama said, he was VERY lovable and was one of my favorites, both with his compelling personality and his compelling gameplay (and his compelling drunkenness).
02.
Natalie - I hate that she hated how she was portrayed because I thought she was amazing. I think she pulled the negativity out of her edit and how others perceived her, but she didn't pull out the fact that she was a powerful person who just happened to let everyone know it. Her own elimination and the one she drove (Jeremy's) were two of the most memorable this season. She had a big personality, GREAT for television. I'd love to see her return, but I don't think production likes that she said she didn't like her edit.
Amazing pre-merge boot. Wish she would've lasted longer, but since she didn't... Natalie, can I have your jacket? Natalie...? Natalie........?
01.
Angelina - This was the season of Angelina. For someone to have received as much screentime as she did and not get boring is an amazing feat. From jacketgate to telling Elizabeth that she was going home to the rice negotiation to climbing "50 ft" for a HII, Angelina was pure gold. She
has to return. She doesn't really need anymore explanation as to why she's number one, but I'm sure she'd happily tell you herself why she's so amazing anyway.