Source
r/survivor•
Epsilonae

What are the best seasons to watch for exciting strategy/modern game-play?

Quite a new survivor watcher here, have watched the seasons:

  • Cagayan
  • Worlds Apart
  • Pearl Islands
  • China
  • Cambodia (watching)

I tried watching some of the much earlier seasons (have tried to watch season 1 three times now) but I just find it a bit boring, with the lack of strategy/twists. (Sorry if that is some blasphemous statement on this sub.)

So which seasons would I be likelier to enjoy?

And yes, I have tried googling and researching the seasons to see which I might like, but the problem is whatever site I go to, it seems to always have the winner stated in the very first paragraph, which kind of ruins it for me. So I hope that maybe I can get some more spoiler-free suggestions here.

Posted Dec 7, 2015, 11:50 AM UTC

1644
EasternZoneWentworth•

San Juan Del Sur shows you a lot of potential power players before giving you a winner. Tocatins and Phillipines are also good watches.

38
HotHeadHopCiera•

Do yourself a favor and watch Philippines. Great season with dynamic strategy, a good editing and compelling players. Damn, there is a tribal council I still wonder to this day what the hell happened exactly.

25
LandoFreemanChoosy moms choose Jeff•

Philippines is the type of season you get when over-40's are running shit <3

5
huaberryWentworth•

Which episode is that? Would love to rewatch.

2
alaskak94•

The episode with the 2nd jury member booted (to avoid spoilers I won't name who it is!)

3
HotHeadHopCiera•

That was the one I was thinking about, yes.

2
lurfdurfMike•

If you like modern strategy, try out Amazon (S6) and Pearl Islands (S7), the first two seasons in the franchise that set the tone for the kind of bonkers boot orders you've learnt to expect. Pearl Islands especially is often considered the best Survivor season ever.

17
rickiracoonI've Got Ball Savviness•

Op said they watched PI already

3
KonkkoI've Got Ball Savviness•

Micronesia has some good strategy, So does HvV(Both have some really bad too and that makes it fun). Amazon, Samoa, Tocantins, BvW and Philippines have some nice plays in them. RI an OW are good examples how the strategic game should be played but have some really bad players.

15
as1992Monica•

I wish people would stop recommending micronesia and HvV without warning op first that they are all-star seasons! (sorry it's just I've seen it a lot lately on this sub) You won't enjoy these two seasons anywhere near as much if you haven't watched the previous ones.

11
mrmotrinPeih-Gee•

They're still really enjoyable if you don't know the players. I only knew 4 or 5 from HvV when I watched it and thought it was awesome.

11
JankinatorFishbach•

Completely agree. Post-merge Micronesia was my first exposure to Survivor and I followed it up with HvV. They got me hooked on Survivor, and I don't think I would have been nearly as hooked on a non all-stars season (at the time, before Philippines or Cagayan).

Also, I have to say that jumping back into some of the older seasons with only having watched some of the newer seasons can be really boring. I enjoy them now, but when I tried before I had watched too many seasons, I couldn't get through older seasons.

3
as1992Monica•

Yeah, but it's obviously gonna be so much better watching it when you know all the players. And most of said seasons are great, so why not just watch them before HvV?

2†
diagasPeih-Gee•

Personally I watched Micronesia/HVV first, which acted as breadcrumbs to watch returning players seasons to learn more of their story. Everyone has a different M.O.

8
mrmotrinPeih-Gee•

I see what you mean and I agree, I just think that if you don't have the time to watch the other seasons leading up to it, these seasons are still very enjoyable regardless.

1
insanity-insightWentworth•

If OP enjoys modern Survivor more, I'm not sure he/she would enjoy slogging through Australia/Marquesas/Palau/Vanuatu/Cook Islands/Fiji for the sole purpose of setting up HvV and Micro.

OP has already seen Pearl Islands and China, which are probably the two best seasons setting up both HvV and Micro. Plus, half the narrative setup for HvV is Micro itself. I think recommending the two returner seasons at this point is perfectly acceptable.

0
rickiracoonI've Got Ball Savviness•

Micronesia was the second season I watched and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

2
as1992Monica•

Yes but I'm sure you would have enjoyed it a whole lot more if you'd watched the other seasons previously. That's how I felt because I watched Micronesia early on too.

2
BrianHeidiksPuppyI've Got Ball Savviness•

I think all stars is really a big step above most old school seasons in terms of gameplay. Taking out threats regardless of what they bring to the tribe. Plus without any spoilers you can watch a legend self destruct very slowly at first and then explosively for an episode and then it is resumed in a FTC speach that is one of the most emotional ones I can think of all while sealing the fate of all the other greats.

1
wwxxwwxxPeih-Gee•

Survivor back then was more like a documentary; tracking each person, showing what they're like and their journey. Now it's more like a sport; much bigger focus on strategy and what's changing rather than the players. It's really a different show.

10
Smocke55Varner•

Tocantins and The Amazon fits your description perfectly

9
redditATworkBC•

Try the first season with Russell Hantz

He gets the hate hammer around here, but IMO the 2 seasons with him are probably the most entertaining.

Plus......Delicious Parvati :)

8
TreehousebananaSpencer•

Samoa would be fun for you i think. While people here slam caramoan(26), it has some really good, and really bad strategy, and the boot order isnt predictable at all.

4
SethowarSavage•

Marquesas is pretty good for that stuff, I was really impressed with a few of the plays across the board and found it strategically engaging. Plus, Boston Rob 1.0 made even the survival stuff damn funny to watch so you don't have to worry about being bored on that front!

3
TheDarkShepardCiera•

Gabon and Nicaragua both have lots of wackiness and strategy. It may not be good strategy, but plenty of strategy.

3
insanity-insightWentworth•

I love Gabon and Nicaragua! They're like the perfect mix of entertaining, colorful characters who aren't that good at Survivor but play really really hard anyways.

Like watching a NASCAR race with an entire field of 16-year-old novice drivers who just want to floor it. There are plenty of plenty of spinouts, but the dynamic of the race is constantly changing.

2
razorbracesKelley•

It you want strategy, watch Tocantins. It's also the second one filmed in HD so you don't have to deal with watching old crappy definition TV.

Fiji is generally really hated because there are very few actually likeable people, but the post-merge strategy is pretty good.

2
DaDeltaDrumTerry•

If you want the birth of modern strategies than watch Borneo. In all honesty, if you really pay attention then there are many similarities between Borneo and Cambodia

2
warm_slurmKimmi•

You know, season one of Survivor is very different even in comparison to the next season. I would actually say maybe give Australian Outback a go and see if you can get into that. There's still a lot of strategy in that season, it's just not as in your face as modern Survivor goes.

1
as1992Monica•

Don't watch Australia if you found Borneo boring. There's barely any strategy and it's quite a boring season in the post-merge. By the sounds of it OP wants modern strategy.

12
warm_slurmKimmi•

You recommended Cook Islands to someone, you have no room to talk about a season being boring.

-10
as1992Monica•

Cook Islands isn't boring though if you're a new viewer watching it the first time around. It has the very exciting storyline of the Aitu 4.

9
warm_slurmKimmi•

Yeah, love Becky and Yul. Such riveting personalities. Sundra and Ozzy aren't much better.

Cook Islands also graces us with amazing characters like Cecilia, Cristine, Rebecca, Brad, Jenny, Stephannie, Sekou, Adam, Parvati and JP. Nick from Australia might actually be 10x more interesting than all them put together.

-9
veallygoodStephen•

Not sure if I agree there - Australia's post merge strategy is non-existent. Borneo is a much more interesting season from a strategy POV, I'd argue.

Also, from a character POV.

...And an entertainment POV...

1
MrUnderdawg•

What season should I watch? ^haha

1
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1
veallygoodStephen•

Most of all - Philippines is amazing and I love it and you must watch it. Beware of the Abi.

The Amazon is a must - it's probably the most interesting early season in terms of strategy. If you liked Pearl Islands, you should like this one.

Micronesia has a lot of unpredictable tribals and wacky shenanigans. A lot of people rank it as a favourite.

Tocantins is a bit calmer than Micronesia, but the strategy is very much at the forefront and it has one of the best casts in Survivor history.

Sounds like Palau could go either way for you, but it is definitely unique in terms of strategy. Might not be what you're looking for, but a lot of people love it (myself included).

Samoa's got a real strategy focus, but personally I don't care for it. The season definitely divides people, though, so it may be for you.

And after you've watched as many of the first 19 seasons as you can, watch Heroes V Villains, which definitely has the acrobatic strategy you're looking for, and it is also regarding by many as the best season of aaalllllll ttttiiiiimmmeee.

1
ariareflection•

Survivor is a drug... and once you get hooked, you're gonna end up watching every season eventually. So i suggest you to be patient and watch them chronologically.

I guess you'll find seasons 1-5 boring... but then it's starting to get insteresting!

1