Good Pre-Merge, Bad Post-Merge

Well, they started strong.
/ idoled_out
Music: Silent Partner - New Tires

[@ratedhavok9808]

What's his name❓ What was his birth 👶 name❓It wasn't Coach⚽️, it was Benjamin👨. And you know they're children 👦👧; 2️⃣6️⃣, 2️⃣2️⃣, they're over there listening 👂 to all of Benjamin’s👨... 🎃Halloween Jokes🎃, uh, 🐭Chuckie The Cheese Jokes🐭, they- 👅 eu-h, they want it 🙏. He goin off of loyalty ⭐️ got them fee- "😰Oh, Benjamin👨, you so loyalty😓" ... Come on now 😑... Everyday📆 he got a story 📚. I wasn't ❌ buying 💰 it. [scoff] 😤 [giggle] ☺️... Eh😒... No. 🙅 So... They tr- like yesterday ↩️ the tribal 🔥 was all kahoots 👌 Benjamin👨,"Let's give a hug 👪." ✋️PFF.✋️ Keep that hug. Boop!🔫 For me. Cuz it wasn't real❌

[@GleamingFinds]

Even though I’ve seen this comment before, it never gets old 😂

[@serbow]

Whoever was the mastermind that first created that deserves a sculpture of himself next to Sandra’s and Rob’s face

[@GleamingFinds]

@@serbow agreed the original creator is a mastermind, making a comment ahead of its time

[@cousinmose3193]

Rated Havok, you miss Haaland?

[@ratedhavok9808]

@@cousinmose3193 yes ):

[@andrewgentile2643]

I think what made 39’s merge horrendous afterwards as well was the treatment of Janet post-Kellee vote. Being brutally chastised and ostracized for sticking up for someone and then gaslit (not using that word lightly, as you didn’t as well because that’s literally what they did to Kellee) Janet into thinking SHE was in the wrong for stepping outside of the game by targeting Dan was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to watch in 43 seasons of the show. I was angry crying during the episode it was so vile.

[@israelizzyyarrashamiaak766]

That entire mess was a crap show survivor should be ashamed of… just glad they had to pay Kellee money for what she went through and for not being protected when he was protected

[@ericgrimes341]

I thought the way they handled that was horrendous. In tbe midst of Metoo as well. How does a reality show botch it so badly? Even with the power of editing? And being able to make up rules as they go.

[@VolkmasterBlood]

Ozzy didn't even have to lie. "My tribe voted me out because I told them to. I'm here to win the challenge and enter the merge with numbers. I'm that confident I'm gonna win." It would have been an insane power move. Instead we have the laughably horrendous lying that goes to show Ozzy had zero social game. Couldn't even pull off "anger". Was just utterly "passively annoyed" being voted out.

[@freddytang2128]

Well remember ozzy was trying to make Cochran be a mole, to find out who Upolu is playing an idol for. Ozzy didn’t expect Cochran to be a double agent

[@olivermensinger]

For Revenge, basically.

[@ClaireElizabethvlogs]

Are you saying his revenge wasn’t real?

[@DircyaT.Rubino]

An even better plan would have been to vote Cochran out, seeing as he’s likely a better actor. If Christine had won against Ozzy or Cochran, she would have flipped to Savaii anyway. Worst case scenario, the winner sides with Upolu (most likely Cochran in that case) and the Ozzy monologue never happens.

[@JRJuggernaut1]

I think the concept of the plan was fine but the execution was flawed and they needed to keep a better eye on Cochran and maybe consider if Christine was worth trying to bring over to their side as a double agent. Ultimately, I think Ozzy has good social game overall, but his ego and sense of entitlement can often be his undoing!

[@handsoaphandsoap]

Still salty about how Janet left in IoI, she deserved that win for being the only one going into the finale that was willing to stand up against the abuse. As much as I think Tommy played a good game, the fact he was actively willing to drag someone to the end that was such a fucking creep just cause he knew he'd win against him just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

[@NickWuebker]

The Idol Nullifier being the last advantage from the Island of the Idols was wrong. Had it been the Island reward at, or immediately after, the Merge, then Janet’s vote out would’ve been a bit more palatable.

[@JT-gi8rx]

I don’t blame Tommy, since most of the girls ended up saying they would put up with getting touched inappropriately just to have a better chance at winning. Which was disgusting of them. Kellee and Janet were the only two ladies with integrity, the others were disgusting.

[@handsoaphandsoap]

@@NickWuebker Would've been better for sure but still pretty bad, the idol nullifier is an inherently terrible advantage

[@Ori_Kohav]

@@JT-gi8rx was that the case with ALL the other girls? or just those who made the merge? Also, I think Missy denied the issue for a different reason. One of 2. Either she played too much with Kellee’s emotions, or she backed off from the issue out of bitterness about Kellee trying to vote her out. Either way, that conversation with Kellee is what triggered this whole issue to blow up in the first place, so she can’t deny the severity of it. Then again, Missy has too much of an ego to take responsibility, as we’ve seen in the episode that ended with her boot.

[@frida.7831]

@@handsoaphandsoap Yeah, I think season 42 had it and I hope they didn't show it because they learned their lesson and started to trust in the knowledge is power advantage more (I know it has some criticism but I much prefer it). Also, flipping a coin to obtained it? What was that?

[@kingofthorns203]

The biggest irony remains that after she stopped being an aspiring actress Jerri made her career as a gourmet chef

[@kylerano8613]

The only thing I found satisfying about the post merge in season 39 was Aaron, Missy, and Elizabeth getting eliminated back to back since they were the main three people to act like they did not give a care about the whole Dan situation and target Kellee right off the bat.

[@serenitea2435]

Right, be rid of them bitches.....but then it got worse the next round when Kirishma left.. Damn such a shame, honestly.

[@TheMurrmursonbottle]

not to mention aaron was nothing but an asshole the whole season. and saying that sexual harassment couldn’t actually happen because he didn’t know about it? he was so arrogant

[@olivermensinger]

That was the only good post-merge moment.

[@nixllamas9823]

Yeah I hope to never see those three in a returnee season ever again.

[@beaujarkko]

Yes, thanks for bringing up Aaron, too. His whole TC speech about how Janet was only trying to "make a game move" and that if there had been a REAL problem, he would have known about it, etc, was disgusting. I was literally screaming at my television. The IOI post-merge is absolutely unwatchable.

[@freddytang2128]

Feel like this is first time Ive seen a youtuber like Idoled out describe the Dan situation in detail. I can imagine how different it is, writing script for this without inserting any inappropriate humour (although there was still a joke or two in that segment)

[@dashieprodx]

I know that whole segment was really dark, but the second he said "foiled by f***ing Dean" I immediately died of laughter.

[@laurenherweyer2659]

nothing on survivor will ever be more apt and grim reflection of reality than the IoI merge episode. It's hard to even think about

[@avecashley6480]

Janet, Jamal, Lauren, Dean, Nora, and Karishma all deserve a redemption. I know Kelly does not wish to come back, and I understand why but she was my favorite to win early on. I loved her social and strategic game so much, and it broke my heart to see her experience poisoned by Dan. I really hope she is doing well.

[@yellercat500cat7]

All these are great picks except for Dean, whom not only voted for Kellee as well, but his game is overrated as hell. Tommy is a fine but boring winner who deserved it as his connections and decent to good strategical game got him to the end to take his biggest threat out in Lauren, he always would of won against Dean. The only blip against Tommy is that he was intent on keeping Dan around, which is a big one but so did a lot of people too, so it can't be against him all. Seriously though, do a background check on your castaways, if you did Dan possibly isn't on this season.

[@funkybanana4014]

Ummmmm... ELAINE???

[@yellercat500cat7]

@@funkybanana4014 She's likeable and plays a decent game and I would switch this pick out for Karishma too. My one gripe, and its not really to do with her specifically, is how most people exclude from the group that votes here off Kellee instead of Dan at the merge. It was a horrible vote and I find a bit appalling that Elaine isn't included in that group when plenty of others were for the same reason, numbers. I understand some were planning to take him to the end, which is unlikeable but strategic. Can't exclude someone partaking in a horrible event just because you like them. Technically this can also go for Dean, but also not.

[@cousinmose3193]

Elaine instead or Kurishma. Kurishma sucks

[@kingofthorns203]

Kellee is a VP at a major life sciences company now. She’s definitely thriving, and I hope she’s at peace

[@Yeaster]

I want to live in the world where Savii took control and Whitney was edited as the ferocious demon she was meant to be. And Sophie still won Australia really does come to a screeching halt when Jerri's voted out. It's incredible. Never have I seen a season live and die with a single character. Australia's finale is abysmal

[@tokyotourist]

Whitney's frustrations with Cochran were very relatable to me. People always see Cochran as this victim of bullying which didn't happen till after he flipped. They seem to forget that Cochran had zero social skills and just wasn't very likable to begin with

[@TheMurrmursonbottle]

@@tokyotourist Honestly though. Even Cochran said they weren’t that bad to him, he was just really socially awkward and knew survivor knew it would make a good story. they were just very honest with him in saying that he was always on the chopping block because he was bad at challenges.

[@swatson5699]

Cochran flipping isn’t brought up enough as one of the worst moves in survivor history. If they go to rocks there’s a 5/7 chance an Upolu goes home. From that point on Jim would be more than willing to make a Big Move, Cochran was close with Dawn, and Ozzy and the showmance of Keith + Whitney were both massive threats. Cochran with Jim and Dawn would have had a ton of power in who goes home in the next few votes.

[@Kantong5]

I'm still disturbed by Missy's behaviour, after her boot in season 39, when she whispered in Elizabeth's ear to kill Elaine slowly and methodically. Missy gave off sociopath vibes.

[@Imjstbeinmajor23]

like she was annoying and very emotional, like... Very emotional

[@musicguy713]

Island of The Idols, had literally ALL the tools to be an amazing season, or a proper sequel to DvG. An amazing and diverse cast, even Rob and Sandra were a nice addition. The Dan gate just did a massive 180 and was just so sickening. Janet or Lauren winning would’ve saved the season, but we saw the writings on the wall. We were lucky Winners at War was next to overshadow the disaster of S39.

[@mattveslino252]

I have to hard-agree with Island of the Idols. Before the merge episode, IOI had such a FUN stretch of pre-merge episodes, that I was excited for how the post-merge would turn out. I had Kellee going all the way, right after her move to get out Jack, like... she had the ammunition, and she was a very savvy player... only for, like you perfectly said, the season to absolutely lose every ounce of momentum it had, and turned mildly likable people in Aaron, Missy, Elizabeth, and even Tommy (for complacency) into near-deplorable human beings for being unable to so much as give Kellee the time of day when she needed it the most. God.

[@gerstein03]

I mean if you say that Tommy became deplorable by complacency then so did Dean, Lauren, and Elaine. They all voted for Kellee to get out too. We the audience may have gotten all the information and knew Kellee was telling the truth but these four did not. They only knew what they'd heard and there was a lot to hear. Aaron is an asshole for the way he acted and Missy and Elizabeth were downright deplorable for what they did, moreso because not only did they gaslight Kellee into thinking she was crazy but they gaslit Tommy, Dean, Lauren, and Elaine into thinking she was somehow crazy or dishonest

[@noahs5636]

Island of the Idols nose dived so hard that I got whiplash from the merge episode. Never before have I seen something so good get ruined so badly in the span of one hour. Janet getting eliminated by fucking Dean’s coin flip idol nullifier was just the icing on the shit cake that is this season. So frustrating at every turn!

[@kingofthorns203]

Your take was so right. The first 5 episodes were the actual game changers being voted out. The rest spare Cirie’s elimination was just blah. The real bummer is how Andrea is such a good player, but the seasons she is on are just not good LOL

[@Imjstbeinmajor23]

Yeah... she is a solid player buts she's not in good seasons besides I guess Cambodia since it got better post merge but the pre merge is so bad it brings the season down.

[@DJGaryOak]

"Shot not relevant" when Caleb showed up killed me lmao

[@CheeryCherry3987]

As someone who has 28-33 as my favorite stretch of Survivor, when Varner outted Zeke I was so sad and the season was so hard ruined

[@Lechgang]

Varner is an absolute bastard, and got off way way way too easy for what he did.

[@periwinkledoodles5167]

God that was an awful moment and I was absolutely livid when it happened

[@JMKramer44]

If Vanuatu isn't #1 on the reverse list you are doing next week I'll be shocked. It took me 3 attempts to watch it, but by the time I finished I was glad I did.

[@IdoledOut]

I don't wanna spoil it, but... it'll make an appearance.

[@WilsonReviews]

@@IdoledOut I hope Caramoan isn’t on there. That premerge is so much better than people give it credit for

[@uglyaniimals]

@@WilsonReviews what makes you say that ?

[@uglyaniimals]

problem with vanuatu is it starts to heat up post swap, even if it doesn't peak until the merge. should be enough for a placement on the list but the #1 should have a harsher contrast then that

[@zacharywiseman7276]

I like the Vanuatu premerge The first episode and the Lisa vote (and Rory going insane) are pretty fun for me

[@BanditSurvivorContent]

Game changers was highly dependant on a group of 7-8 people making it far... And almost all of them were picked off before the merge 😬

[@kellya850]

Just like in All Stars 😑

[@heykraizelburd]

“Seeing Lauren get demoted to juror...” LOL Ghost Island is so bad even 3rd place is hard to remember

[@ClaireElizabethvlogs]

Petition to acknowledge that Mckayla deserved more time in game changers for facial expression and reaction alone. The minute she was gone. Was farrrrr too soon

[@petermcgill3405]

In Game Changers Michaela was voted out the episode before the finale. But still too soon because she should have been final 3 with Cirie and Sarah

[@ClaireElizabethvlogs]

@@petermcgill3405 you know. I kind of forgot it was the finale episode. Yikes. My memory for game changers was so bad

[@ThorHC11]

​@@ClaireElizabethvlogsTo be fair, GC is only 12 episodes due to all the multi boots. So even though it was the penultimate episode it was only episode 11, so you're both kinda right here

[@lyderature]

i love the jerri love, much deserved

[@eclipse528]

South Pacific wasn't the only 2 tribe season were immunity changed hands at every immunity challenge, but on the other hand it was the last time so far, and the first time in nearly 10 years (the other 2 times this happened were Borneo and The Amazon, the latter is the most impressive considering the pattern stayed even after the tribe swap)

[@IdoledOut]

Correct, I somehow forgot that happened in Borneo too. My bad!

[@alexanderbolton]

@@IdoledOut then it pagonged afterwards.

[@jeremyhubbard2908]

5:00: The crying one and the frying one. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@duffal0]

Did you hear what Coach said on Twitter about your videos? Super cool to get recognition from an actual contestant!

[@cassieopea]

Island of the idols could have been SO GOOD. There was so many likeable people. Jamal (met him in real life, hes an angel!) Janet, Kellee, ex. But Dan ruined all of it. I felt so bad for Kellee, I've been in the same place, a guy everyone likes, groping you and sexually harrassing you, but no one believes you. She got voted out for speaking up, what does that teach younger kids watching the season? Don;t speak out about something that makes you uncomfy? Do better survivor

[@airtempest8945]

If you include international seasons, the disparity between the pre and post merge of Australian Survivor 2016 is like night and day. The pre-merge straight up feels like an entire season ('cause it's 12 episodes, why is Australian Survivor so long), and the second post-swap may be like the best string of Survivor episodes ever. From Rohan accidentally idoling himself out, to Andrew getting flipped on, to Craig getting idoled out and then finally Phoebe going home. It's literally just a perfect section. Then you go into what may be the most boring pagonging of all time until a brief entertainment spike at F7, then back to boring until a great finale.

[@kingofthorns203]

I really want Kellee to come back, and not be creeped on this time… I still hate Missy and Elizabeth for taking advantage of her the way they did.

[@duffal0]

Inwas literally looking for a video of this yesterday lol so lucky you posted this

[@km_studios]

Predictions for next episode (bad pre-merge, good post-merge) Vanuatu Palau Fiji Micronesia Caramoan

[@olivermensinger]

29 should be there.

[@km_studios]

@@olivermensinger Maybe. I actually thought San Juan Del Sur's pre-merge was a fun Gabon-like trainwreck

[@Ori_Kohav]

How about Philippines?

[@PintheDog]

​@Ori_Kohav I actually liked Philippines, both in the pre-merge and the post-merge.

[@totaldramatyler4484]

Island Of the Idols was amazing in the pre-merge. Top 10, maybe even top 5. But the merge is the worst episode in Survivor history by far, Dan should have been ejected in the merge episode, and Janet got so screwed. They put an idol nullifier in way too late in the game, they put it in at the Final 7, and the last time you can use it is at 5. And to add insult to injury, the way Dean got it was a coin flip. A FUCKING COIN FLIP! Now say the idol nullifier wasn't in the game, Janet makes Final 4, and regardless, probably wins fire, then from there, her win is a shoo in. No way Janet doesn't win against any of the F5. Which would have redeemed the season, but no, instead we had Janet get completely screwed out the game. I appreciate Tommy as a winner, because he had no idols, no immunity wins, and no advantages, just a clean solid social game, but goddammit, Janet should have won!

[@Ender0214]

For once I actually have a video idea i’d like to see if possible. What about best loved ones visits? I know you have done awkward loved ones visits, but I thought this would be fun. Was watching Marquesas and am sad that the first time they brought people out is so forgotten. Easily one of my favorite moments in the show

[@hunterborne2763]

Wow! Keep the street fighter references coming! Never thought I’d hear Chris Noble compared to Dan Hbiki but it just made my lunch break

[@thirteenth6843]

Going into IOI, I had already known that it was thought of by the community as a bad season. However, up until the merge, I was extremely confused about what was so bad about it. Kellee, Karishma,Jamal, Janet etc were all great characters that I was rooting for. But then the tragic merge boot happened, and the game took a turn into the ground. I feel like Kellee could have won. The remaining tribals ended up putting too much emphasis on real world events, and all talks about Dan came way too late. And to seal the coffin, Janet, the only remaining rootable person gets idol nullified by Dean. Words cannot express the frustration.

[@varisrevolver4061]

I agree, I've recently started watching the season, I'm on episode 7, and even though I know what Dan does, it's scary to think that he hid it for ages, or the producers decided not to show it

[@dennissanchez5171]

good stuff man, keep it coming

[@zachfunk167]

What do you mean Debbie Wanner wasn’t a game changer? jdhhdhshd in all seriousness her arc was one of the only ones i could appreciate 😁 “AND IM PISSED”

[@litofaneto2435]

Man Game Changers could of been such an amazing season

[@Pokemon73lp]

Man I gotta wait a week for epic content!? That’s going on my top 5 tbh

[@BladeBlur]

Dan Spilo ruined IotI post merge so badly that people do forget it actually had some high points. Mostly the Missy tribal.

[@katevittore8015]

Island of the Idols was by far the most painful season to finish

[@BrainstormerX37]

Ozzy’s acting is literally the acting KZbinrs do when they pretend to be edgy teenagers

[@stevester9148]

It's probably because of nostalgia and being a product of its time but I never got the hate for Australia's post-merge. The 5-5 vote was pretty tense at the time, Jerri's boot was nothing short of epic. Amber's boot totally caught me off guard and made me think Elisabeth and Rodger might have a chance. The camp flood was dramatic and so on. Yes, it was a bit long, but it also really fleshed out the characters. It did a really good job of showing us why Tina won even against what was the most likable character at the time, when in today's edit she probably would've been seen as a fluke or random winner.

[@evanprince3875]

I watched IOI a few months ago, got through the first five eps in twoish days. Then spent the rest of the month just slogging through episodes, I don't think I'll revisit it for a while unless I just watch the premerge

[@olivermensinger]

I'm with you.

[@ashandbone]

I think my big issue with the whole Dan thing and how Kellee was treated was that everyone just viewed it as a game. People were viewing the situation as something strategic rather than actual real harm. And when women don’t believe other women, and instead use someone else’s trauma to elevate and get themselves forward…. Disgusting. I was so disgusted with all of them. CBS should have stepped in a lot sooner, because now someone has to carry the trauma of being humiliated on national TV for the rest of their life.

[@zacharywiseman7276]

I’d like to mention that despite (deservedly) being considered one of the worst seasons, Redemption Island had, in my opinion, a top 10 premiere and the next two episodes were great. It only was when Russell was voted out of Zapetera that the season becomes bad

[@IdoledOut]

Agreed! I really like the RI premiere, Rob is shockingly underedited (one confessional!), Zapatera is fun, and Philip hasn't worn out his welcome yet.

[@pixelsyonder35]

@@IdoledOut Rob being underedited is actually perfect considering what he says in the voting booth. It's like he was a hawk hiding in a tree watching a bunch o little rats scurry aroun.

[@Chimcharlover13]

Agree with this. The season actually started off very well, and looked to be quite fun! But then...Zapetera just decided to throw in the towel and that Russell was some sort of demon in disguise and they wanted to throw away any chance they had to make the season fun.

[@nealsidhu2697]

Game Changers gets too much hate. The gameplay was exciting and the winner was satisfying.

[@charlieradant]

Game Changers was looking like a top 5 season but it may have died

[@nealsidhu2697]

Heroes vs Villains should be in this. It has one of the biggest pre-merge to post-merge drops ever. The pre-merge is arguably the best ever, but the post-merge is a boring pagonging after the first vote.

[@MariaJose-os8ll]

Yeah the post-merge is Bororing but is incredible JT blindisided by her own idol candece flip on and vote amanda out wen Sandra talk tô her who tô vote candece maybe not be the next bot Russel crazy betraying dannielle Sandra idol if Russel vote for her her survive but if Sandra dont have the idol she's gone Sandra iconic confessional and burn Russel hat the post-merge off that season dont Drop off u think it because is a merge pagong but this is the only off all seasons wen the merge pagong is a good thing for the season exept for season 9

[@bobojo6447]

Exactly. This is why HvV isn’t too high on my rankings

[@Chimcharlover13]

Pretty much agree with every single choice on this list.

[@edendorra7231]

Worlds Apart should be on this list!

[@thoringroth]

South Pacific is such an underrated season! Definitely one of my favorites.

[@IdoledOut]

I agree. Definitely the best of the 'dark era' seasons in my opinion

[@thoringroth]

@@IdoledOut Brandon's elimination episode is in contention for one of the best episodes of all time for me, it's incredibly dark and complex.

[@ethab1]

@@IdoledOut is s25 not considered the dark ages 🫣🫣

[@sssamui286]

@@ethab1 I don't think Philippines is considered part of the dark ages really. They put it as 21-24 and 26 I think, or sometimes not even including 26.

[@ethab1]

@@sssamui286 fair enough

[@SpanishFly120]

The crazy thing is I never saw the post-merge of Island of the Idols. I thought the pre-merge with the "Rob and Sandra Island" stuff, the weird punishments, and some cast bits was a bit boring, uninteresting, and the Island itself felt like the show jumped the shark. The last episode I saw was Jack's elimination, and after hearing what happened, I never opted to look back at the season again.

[@ProfessorClassyGamer]

What I would do to go back in time to change South Pacific and rig it to have a Jim, Sophie and Albert final tribal.

[@uglyaniimals]

honorable mention to survivor south africa 7, never have i seen a promising seeming slugfest devolve *that* quickly

[@JAMPD3]

I NEED a Kellee Kim return. IotI has easily one of my favorite pre-merges - to the point where I bought buffs for the very first time after the f14 episode...and then the merge happened. Kellee, Jamal, Janet, and Karishma deserved so much more than what they were dealt and the group of people they were playing with.

[@olivermensinger6022]

I love her, but she’s understandably never returning.

[@pkbogopane8003]

Correction :Before survivor south Pacific ..survivor borneo and Amazon were the only two seasons were immunity alternated between the teams...I read alot of survivor wiki pages when I was younger

[@Miriiiiiiiiii]

FIRST LIKE N COMMENT ON AN IDOLED OUT VIDEO MOMMA I MADE IT

[@IdoledOut]

Thank you for watching 🙌

[@giovanniorellana2200]

Isn't there an Animaniacs skit, called Good Idea, Bad Idea? I like that show!

[@rabin7479]

@idoled out Just off the top of my head, Borneo also had a premerge where immunity changed hands between tribes every episode

[@entertainer_ev2747]

"Good Pre-Merge, Bad Merge" Aka most 30s seasons

[@juniper665]

Borneo and The Amazon also had constant back and forth immunity shifting all the way to the merge

[@matthewstorrs7084]

Controversial take, but I'd have put Heroes vs Villains on this list (probably in slot 5; remove South Pacific and bump Ghost Island to 4). Fantastic pre-merge. Probably the best in the show's history. But the post-merge is largely a straight Pagonging, and another season of Russell dominating the screen right after the FIRST season where he did that is just not a fun watch. Even a nice ironic end can't save that. Also, really enjoyed the video, but I do feel the need to point out that South Pacific is not the ONLY time immunity changed tribes every episode. Both Borneo and Amazon did so as well, though at least in the latter case there was a tribe swap, so some PEOPLE went to Tribal twice in a row, even if the same buff color did not.

[@Imjstbeinmajor23]

To counter that heroes vs villains still have great moments. Sandras making Russell paranoid, Rupert getting Candice out, the double idol play, Colby's final hail mary for the win, jerry coming so close to a win, Sandras final tribal, it's still a great post merge due to the great personalities of the legends. It makes a pagoing actually entertaining because the people are actual interesting.

[@ci_blanch5407]

I would have had All-Stars or Redemption Island on the list instead of South Pacific. I think that South Pacific has an excellent post-merge and is a great season all-around. Yes, it is a pagonging, but the editors do a good job of speeding through the pagonging. We also get one of the best merge episodes ever, with Ozzy's terrible acting performance at RI and Cochran's flip. Upolu's whole religious cult dynamic is extremely interesting, and it gets even better once they have to turn on each other. The episode where Brandon gives up immunity and is voted out is one of the best episodes in the history of the show, in my opinion.

[@uglyaniimals]

agreed 100%

[@Ori_Kohav]

I absolutely agree about AS and RI. Both were predictable and boring post merge. Not to mention cringeworthy, especially in that infamous N-word episode.

[@janejones7638]

What makes me sick about the Dan situation is that he wasn't removed until he was inappropriate with a crew member. I think that Dan may have been inappropriate with the others but they needed Dan for their game. Then they don't want to look bad at the end so it's now he didn't mess with mee.

[@derekyoung5941]

Really enjoyed the video. But I had a question about your statistic. You said that South Pacific was the only season where Immunity changed hands each round between two tribes. But didn’t that also happen in Borneo?

[@queenzoroark]

Amazon too

[@IdoledOut]

Yeah I got that wrong. Whoops!

[@derekyoung5941]

@@IdoledOut No worries. After 43 seasons, it’s a lot to remember. I really do enjoy your videos and I look forward to seeing the next one.

[@AnthonyShevenock]

Missy was touched by Dan, Elizabeth wasn't.

[@dpfrk]

Survivor Borneo also had even tribes. Immunity went back and forth week to week from Pagong to Tagi.

[@mohs8118]

cody needs to be on a returning season

[@itwasagoal]

Honourable mentions: Palau Winners at war Heroes vs villains

[@jacksonhart5961]

For bad pre-merges and good postmerges, I’d say Vanuatu is #1. Premerge is *painful*. Fiji as well.

[@Ori_Kohav]

Honestly, those are my top 2 as far as bad pre merge and good post merge.

[@dpfrk]

Survivor: Borneo was also perfectly evenly matched as well. It went from Pagong->Tagi->Pagong->Tagi->Pagong-->Tagi

[@sethbryant5539]

I didn’t find the pre-merge of Australian Outback that good

[@ethangc081]

0:35 lets get lit what what!!!! 😬

[@averyseldin8485]

12:47 Yeah that is about the way to sum her up

[@dramaticwater]

Let’s just entirely flip the boot order of game changers and then swap Caleb and Varners with Cirie and Michaela’s placements

[@PintheDog]

I must admit to being one of the few who liked South Pacific's post-merge. The main reason was that I liked Upolu infinitely more than Savaii. Savaii had three of the five biggest screentime hogs of the season in Ozzy, Cochran, and Jim. And I did not like any of them. (So you can imagine how furious I was when Cochran won Caramoan, and how thrilled I was when Jim didn’t get voted onto Cambodia.) But I liked every single Upolu except for Brandon. Plus, that tribe contained my favorite, Sophie, who won the whole thing. I did have some Savaiis whom i liked (Dawn, Whitney, Semhar, Elyse, Keith, and Papa Bear), but not enough of them to want them to win in the end over Upolu.

[@hippieofthehill]

Flavor aid, it was flavor aid

[@flop9562]

39 truly could’ve been a GOAT season ☹️

[@burnout713]

Australia is right on the money. Great pre-merge, but when it falls it falls HARD. That last episode is one of the most boring stretches of television I've ever seen.

[@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong]

I think Thailand deserved a mention. I've always held that the pre-fake merge in Thailand is really good, as there are so many wacky and funny moments.

[@spilledsalt4862]

Janet is a real life hero

[@rushilshah8930]

Season 45 will probably be added to a later version of this at some point.

[@olivermensinger6022]

Nah

[@Jay-O_Carlow]

OMG I forgot Feel horny Dan said that at the merge - Let's Get Lit Wot Wot! Lmfao!

[@LegendOfJake360]

Good video, however Borneos tribes also changed immunity every round. Amazons did too though they were swapped.

[@user-ub9mm4vr5k]

4:28 it’s not the only season. It happened in the first season too.

[@twannifufu]

Island of the Idols gives me heartburn and upset stomach. It’s on par with the entirety of Big Brother 21.

[@olivermensinger]

Although BB21 is the opposite. Island of the Idols has an excellent pre-merge, and one of the worst post-merges ever. BB21 has the single worst pre-jury ever, but a good post-jury (outside of the finale).

[@twannifufu]

@@olivermensinger That's true. I was thinking in terms of the stains left on the seasons.

[@melonmanwill]

With the statistic of immunity changing every week, didn’t the same happen in Borneo?

[@elitettelbach4247]

I agree with most of these. Though Jerri does give us at least a few fun post-merge episodes in Australia before the season slows down after her boot. However, I would argue that South Pacific doesn’t quite fit this criteria. The premerge and post merge are pretty even in quality for me. Cochran’s flip is one of if not the most pivotal moment of the season. And the editors condensing the pagonging into a couple of episodes instead of dragging it out is a positive for me not a negative considering how much of a foregone conclusion it was. Exploring the Upolu dynamics post pagonging is also still pretty interesting and the finale is exciting. My Top 1 for weak premerge good post merge has to be SJDS.

[@superraul6449]

I also want to include both Australian Survivor 2016 and Australian Survivor All Stars in this list

[@joelharris3319]

Not sure if it's been pointed out yet...but in Borneo the tribes swapped immunity wins every round of the premerge too

[@TitaniusCornwood]

What about Borneo? Immunity changed hands from Pagong to Tagi in each episode.

[@pandumb7060]

I immediately thought of IOTI

[@zubinwadia7053]

Didn't Season 1 do the same thing as South Pacific (where immunity changed from Tagi to Pagong every round)?

[@thefoxoflaurels3437]

Borneo swapped immunities between tribes too!

[@helpmejanice8123]

We all knew ioi would be here

[@meredithwemhoff9270]

Janet needs her redemption!

[@aalllllllexx]

The island of the idols merge is so fucking depressing oh my god

[@drsguitar]

My only critique of this otherwise spot on video is that South Pacific is NOT the only season where the tribes anlternated immunity wins every round. The tribes traded off immunity wins in Borneo and Amazon as well.

[@IdoledOut]

Well I'll be darned! I meant original, non-swapped tribes only, but still, Borneo. Thank you for the correction!

[@drsguitar]

@@IdoledOut you’re usually on the money with your statistics and I greatly enjoy your videos. Happy to help! Keep up the great work!

[@KingsNerdCave]

Yeah Game Changers is rough when you lose all the actual game changers right off the bat. Also I'd put Heroes vs Villains on here. Great first 5-6 episodes with a stacked cast. But once Russel votes off Rob he just dominates the screen time with his paranoia like he the previous season with his alliance of mostly annoying villains while Sandra and Courtney sit at the bottom. The heroes team falls apart then gets mowed down. It's like Courtney says "Russel needs the game to go his way and everyone is just going along with it."

[@verybored1261]

Ogakor was carried by Jerri and the last few episodes without her really demonstrated that fact