The Worst Episodes in Survivor History (According to IMDB)

[@qu4ry529]

How the hell did 0 episodes from Tailand and seasons from the dark era make this list, you're telling me the varner situation didn't make this list how

[@Yeetusdeletus897]

Apparently discussions on race and gender are way worse or whatever

[@SirChristopher365]

What's considered the "dark era", exactly?

[@kingjayded4752]

@@SirChristopher365 seasons 22-26 i think

[@TheMurrmursonbottle]

@@kingjayded475221-26. i enjoy nicaragua but a lot of people don’t, and the double quit episode + following after hvv makes it dark era certified

[@Hohhot]

@@SirChristopher36521-24, 26

[@harrdeeharr]

The amount of recency bias on both lists is staggering

[@jeremydelay9990]

Nah, New Era just sucks.

[@Yeetusdeletus897]

@@jeremydelay9990I’m not a huge survivor 41 guy but it’s stupid how not a single episode from Gabon, thailand, or one world are here.

[@AlexandreFilho1705]

well... yes but also comprehensible. Did people rate episodes on imdb when older seasons were airing? do enough people care to do it now retroactively?

[@lastdayonearthmysteryman4849]

@@jeremydelay9990 Yes!

[@lastdayonearthmysteryman4849]

@@Yeetusdeletus897 Possibly all the people voting i’ve only seen the new era?

[@GamingFanactic911]

I will never forgive Dan, let alone production, for Kellee going that episode. If they just got rid of Dan, I think Island of the Idols would have been one of the best seasons.

[@kobekitchen8965]

So real. Kellee was robbed! And I honestly think IOTI has one of the better casts if you just remove Dan. Elaine, Tommy, Lauren, Dean, Nora, Kellee, Jamal, Janet, etc. Dan Spilo should’ve never been casted 😔

[@petermcgill3405]

@@kobekitchen8965 If only the Lairo -> Vokais cut Dan in episode 6 instead of Jason.

[@yellercat500cat7]

That's why I often state my thoughts on IOTI in 2 categories. One with Dan Spilo and one without him. I fully understand the dislike for this season as it fails to take charge of a very serious topic, but outside of Dan this season is decent.

[@cyberneticflower4823]

I’ve never been as upset with an episode of reality TV as I was watching that episode.

[@wattrus6077]

Kellee is one of my favorite survivors

[@cassieopea]

it is just so odd to me that people think talking about race is just as bad, if not worse, than sexual assault and outing.

[@Mendejito]

Says a lot about the fan base, glad he called out the profile pictures majority being white men in trucks 🤣

[@Eggiehi-hc1gc]

Yeah I don't get it either as why talking about race is way worse then sexual assault, ousting and bullying

[@ashen_roses]

They've always thought that way and the community has been sure to let me know

[@thomascolabella5757]

"We Made The Merge!" Is the one time in the history of the show I considered tapping out. I've watched the show since the very first episode and nothing has made me that angry. I hated every single person on that cast from that moment forward except for the very few who actually spoke out against Dan. Considering Survivor had a similar situation all the way back in Thailand and learned nothing in the long stretch between was absolutely vile. Dan should have been kicked off, no questions asked, that night. Production can burn for that one.

[@nathandanczak7822]

I don't think dan even touched abybody when the show ejected him.

[@thomascolabella5757]

@nathandanczak7822 If I remember correctly it was because he got a little too handsy with someone from production. Which made me even angrier because it felt like they were excusing his behavior for the sake of drama until it personally affected them.

[@ajl9772]

@@thomascolabella5757I think it's more like it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Rumor is that Janet witnessed the incident and believed he legitimately lost his balance and touched a female crew member's leg. If it had been anyone else, no one would have thought twice about it.There's various cast and crew members who have shared their thoughts about what went down with Dan and it's interesting. People act as though Dan was the worst person who did the worst thing ever because of how big of a deal the show made out of it, but I don't even think it cracks the top 5. Survivor was terrified to be canceled by the metoo movement.

[@thomascolabella5757]

@ajl9772 he is definitely not the worst person on the show, Skupin comes to mind for that, but that doesn't make his behavior any less abhorrent.

[@rt66vintage16]

I always thought Sugar harassing Colby was pretty egregious. Idr what season they were together on. Colby was fed-up with her.

[@e_eyster]

Says a whole lot when the "equality is good" episodes are in the same hated conversation as "s*xual assault happened"

[@nathandanczak7822]

The equality part is hollow, it doesn't mean anything. Deshawn, liana and danny weren't in that position of cop victim during their spiel and drea was in a different reality when she feigned a reaction to rocksroy, she made it out about black people specically being eliminated like they're more sacred(only cagayan had 3 black people voted in a row) plus we had a string of marya jenny and swati getting voted out and it wasn't made such a big deal. Jonathan did a normal thing and pushed back saying i'm by racist and drea yelled at him saying why do white people always say that when black people make it about themselves" like what jon gave was a wild response which is false further taking control of the conflict and maryanne. Jonathan sorta went silent and drea still had that chanelle and rocksroy's skin color was a factor which is bullshit. She voted out chanelle due to being distant from the tribe and rocksroy had a below-average social game and wasn't eliminated or received votes from white people. She also said Omar protected Jonathan and lindsay solely cause they're white and not cause he was close allies to the two of them, which was removed from nearly everywhere cause it exposed her fakeness.

[@iLLBiLLsRoastBeats]

Ya they only care about one kind of diversity; the racial kind. Never mind the fact they get a bunch of players who all think and act the same way and are super boring

[@umbreon713]

@@nathandanczak7822no for real drea sux and tori was hella robbed by them blatantly bending the rules to satisfy her whining

[@rileywhite8003]

Tell me you are politically biased with no ability to critically think or be self aware of one’s own stand point without telling me you are politically biased with no ability to critically think or be self aware of one’s own stand point.

[@MythicalPhoebe]

except it's not "equality is good" when black people are being blatantly racist by specifically choosing to vote out white people. Imagine if the white contestants chose to not vote out white people because they didn't want to see too many white people voted out back to back?

[@PingPongMan3377]

Coldest take ever, but my least favorite episode is the IOTI merge, it was the closest I have ever came to just outright quitting Survivor and the fact that it’s only #3 is, not shocking if you know about the history of internet review sites, but utterly asinine

[@slfteach89]

I get 41 isn't a fan favorite season but the amount of episodes from it on this list is staggering. The Varner episode should absolutely be on this list, as well as a good chunk of Thailand. And the fact that the Caramoan reunion didn't make this either is wild. Or the double quit from Nicaragua. Or the Brandon Hantz freakout. So many worse episodes than anything from 41

[@uglyaniimals]

it might have been jarring and upsetting to watch in the moment but i actually think the nicaragua double quit is a pretty interesting episode from both a historical and chaos loving pov, especially if you disregard how screwed purple kelly was by production

[@slfteach89]

@@uglyaniimals oh Purple Kelly definitely got the short end of the stick for that season, and I definitely understand why she quit. I just know how negatively that episode is seen by the community at large.

[@belpop]

I think 41 was great. Mainly for the cast. The real complaints I have for it were the incessant twists (esp the hourglass even tho I love Erika and think she’s a great winner). But we got sooo many good cast members. Ricard, Erika, Shan, Evvie, Liana, Tiffany, Danny, Naseer, Deshawn, JD, Xander, Heather, Genie, Brad. Some seasons I can’t even name a third of the cast bc they’re not memorable at all but 41 had a good one.

[@Sketch_Study]

Well with the ratings I feel like people are spiteful doing them when mad at the show itself. Where as with Varner that was his dumbass being an asshole outing someone. The people who would be upset at that probably liked how the show and other players handled it. if anything they’d rate it higher for the positive representation and all that

[@TheTastyTounge]

The new social economic discussions feel way more forced imo. I like how the older seasons handled it because most of them just focus on the contestants and doesn't involve Jeff trying to mediate it. It feels way more natural because of that. When they talk about race, gender, etc. now it's usually always in confessional or at tribal and it doesn't feel as genuine as a group talking about it. It's more of a conversation instead of a spectacle.

[@MMOGrind]

Exactly it used to be meaningful. At least they’ve scaled it back and 90 min episodes have helped a ton.

[@ajl9772]

Yea I think that's what a lot of people are missing. These discussions happened in the past, but the came up organically. Jeff didn't need to be part of all these discussions. Jamal and Jack with the whole durag joke back in season 39 is perfect example. Old days, we get the nice moment of Jamal educating Jack about why his joke was offensive to him and that's that. But nope, we had to get Jeff rehash the whole thing and talk about race, rather than what's going in the game. Jeff making a big deal over the use of the word "guys" is another perfect example of him trying to force a moment. I think it's also worth mentioning we hear these same discussions everywhere nowadays when it was much less common to hear them back when the older seasons were airing.

[@theninjagamer1]

The social economic discussions in the new era are strategy instead of it being a real discussion

[@andrewgentile2643]

If the episode we lost Sandra and Parvati in the same night isn't here, then there isn't a god

[@Ally880]

Which one is that?

[@j3ssijee]

​@@Ally880Season 40, episode 6.

[@JesseHOH]

There is a God and his name is Jesus ✝️

[@j3ssijee]

@@JesseHOH I'm pretty sure Jesus was the son. Never read the Bible tho, just some spoilers.

[@ariellee2329]

@@j3ssijeeI asked this question and apparently it has to do with the holy trinity.

[@messymop9772]

Good shit but I feel like reunions shouldn’t have counted

[@IdoledOut]

Reasonable. I thought about not including the reunions, but if I didn't it would just be three more episodes of 41, so I left them in to retain my own sanity

[@valetboy21]

@@IdoledOutYou could have done worst rated episode, only one episode per season, and then touched on the other lowly rated episodes that during season's segment, and doing an honorable mention for the lowly rated reunions. Regardless, good videos, love your content.

[@matthewstorrs7084]

I'll come to the slight defense of the "Back from the Outback" and "Back from Africa" specials. Aside from the aforementioned "clips that haven't aged well", I think they're a fun look into these people's real lives outside of a show they were on for a month and a half, at most. It's fun to look at how similar or different they are outside of those situations. I still have some stark memories: The crazy inside of Diane Ogden's house, Lex's collection of baboon teeth and anti-parasite drugs, Maralyn's tanning bed and didgeridoo. There's a lot of fun stuff in there. It's part of why I'm not as down on the flashbacks/backstories in the new era as some are. Scratches a similar itch with the photos.

[@beaujarkko]

This list just reminds me why I don't take IMDb ratings seriously lol. And I'm not criticizing the methodology for this video; I thought it was entertaining even if it told me exactly what I expected. And thanks for mentioning how bad the Caramoan reunion is! Definitely deserves to be on this list. - Signed "Caramoan is my 43rd favorite season"

[@jacobadelsheimer9645]

Island of the Idols’ merge episode deserves to be #1

[@stevester9148]

As an old school fan, I totally understand the hate for the Marquesas reunion. It felt like your buddies dragging you to ChuckECheese for your bachelor party.

[@handsoaphandsoap]

But it’s so camp tho, it’s a “so bad it’s good” episode. The meme content is off the charts.

[@HolyAlondite]

A) Wow, this is, like, the defintion of 50% batting average AT BEST. B) John Carrol in the reunion looks like JT with a less round face and I can't unsee that now

[@jml6263]

I'm glad you took the chance with this list to point out how utterly ridiculous a lot of the 'reasoning' for half of these episodes are. I'm glad some truly horrible episodes like We Made The Merge crept in there in between all the raging about "muh survivor gettin too pc!" 0/10s from people who want Russel Hantz back on every season ever. Everyone is of course entitled to their opinions but we're entitled to call them stupid as well.

[@jaco7826]

and yet you are here raging about a non existent issue making up what people think just so you can feel satisfaction in your hatred of something. How pathetic and sad.

[@jml6263]

@@jaco7826 Oh you got me bruh, you got me so good. I literally made up the concept of bigotry for my own satisfaction and ya caught me. Damn.

[@XanderMatthews-nv9zf]

Yeah there’s a lot of people that echo that sentiment, this is not some made up group of people-they exist

[@jaco7826]

@jml6263 its a bad episode, so people dont like it. Now you assume its some bigotry. That's literally a non-existent issue you make up just so you can feel justified in your silly hatred of people you want to villianise. Its still sad and pathetic that you have to do that just to feel good about yourself

[@jaco7826]

@XanderMatthews-nv9zf there is also a lot of idiots that make up things and people to be mad about. Like the "they must have been bigots for disliking an episode of a show"

[@blackwidowbrigade5042]

Interesting how 40 had several of the top 10 best episodes and 41 had several of the worst as back to back seasons

[@matta6395]

Not interesting at all. Survivor 40 was a great season. 41 was horrific

[@slimbish605]

@@matta639541 was not nearly as bad as other seasons of survivor

[@iLoveTheEighties80]

How is that interesting?

[@MickTesso]

Not really interesting. 41 was a combination of production/editing mess and also the Facebook "woke cryers" spread like crazy ever since the premiere. If I can add anything - personaly I really dislike the backstoriee

[@rt66vintage16]

​@@MickTessoespecially when their sad stories involve crying. That's an immediate fast forward for me.

[@miamira1856]

Rice Wars and the Varner boot in game changers not making the cut but a bunch of 41 episodes making it makes me feel like the average imdb user skews very conservative

[@bugdomrulez]

I've read a lot of different reviews on imdb and you're 100% right. at least half the reviews ive read complained about 'woke' or 'pc' bullshit, it's exhausting

[@tymonster183]

Idk if it's the user base as much as a hard rule that in a voluntary survey individuals seek out, the people with a negative viewpoint are far more likely to self select than those who are positive.

[@sensarmy]

Ikr

[@BussinandDiscussin]

Is Rice Wars when that one black lady dropped the rice? I need to google it

[@kobekitchen8965]

@@BussinandDiscussinpretty sure rice wars was on redemption island where Phillip said Steve was racist for calling him crazy

[@poonking3628]

Hey man just wanted to say I’ve been really sick these past few days, and have been binging your videos. Definitely have been something that’s put a smile on my face while I’m stuck in bed. I’m glad I found your channel, you got a big fan in me :)

[@IdoledOut]

Comments like this are always so nice and humbling to hear. Trust me, it's my pleasure to talk Survivor with all of you! Get well soon, and thank you so much for the wonderful comment @poonking3628

[@georgetanner9953]

Tonight’s episode currently has the highest IMDB score ever given to a Survivor episode with a 9.5!! Operation Italy was one of the most brilliantly crafted blindsides ever, I legitimately feel blessed to be able to have watched that live

[@addi543]

Just checked and last night’s episode is now the lowest rated on IMDB with a 4.5

[@shxrpx9711]

Funnily enough last nights episode is now rated the worst episode of all time

[@kayleeg25]

now i want to see your personal top/bottom 10 episodes just because of how skewed these imdb ratings could get (not sure that the users of imdb are the most diverse/encompassing pool to use lol)

[@TransparentEclipse]

If people hate 41 this much for the difficult conversations, I can only imagine how they would feel about big brother 23

[@Julian-lz5pd]

I've seen SOOOOO MUCH HATE for BB23. "It's the most racist season of BB" is a very common opinion, sadly.

[@justsomeoneelse5942]

@@Julian-lz5pdyeah, like do they know of BB15 or…?

[@BussinandDiscussin]

admittedly I mentioned that too in my critique lol

[@fukhyu3330]

I don’t Watch BB whats the deal with it?

[@TransparentEclipse]

@@fukhyu3330 context: There had never been a black winner of BB before, and there had been multiple seasons where minorities, specifically black people, were treated unfairly within the game. This season happened right around the time of George Floyd and blm protests, and it was the first season to have the diversity mandate. The 6 black contestants on the season created a hidden alliance basically day 1 called the cookout, and proceeded to steamroll the entire game undetected until they were the final 6. Many people found the season controversial because it felt like there was nothing the non black players could do. Even if they knew the 6 black players were aligned, they would’ve likely been cancelled for even saying it on the show, and it wasn’t even in most of the black players best interest to continue the cookout, but they did just to ensure the first black winner in BB history. Ironically, the following season, with no all black alliance, there was another all black final 2, so they didn’t even really have to do so in retrospect because bb 24 naturally had a black winner and runner up anyways. It was a huge mess and many ppl were accusing the black contestants on the show of reverse racism, when from their perspective they were just playing the cards that were dealt to them. I don’t think anyone is right in that scenario and it sucks all the way around, but it was way more controversial racially than anything survivor has ever done, including Thailand.

[@lerdog]

I don't know if it's a "deep cut" because I've seen it being brought up when talking about bad episodes, but I hate Australia's finale. Love Tina, love her win, like the FTC, but the episode is so damn sloooow. Nothing happens for like 80% of the runtime.

[@IdoledOut]

Putting aside episodes where real life bad things happen, this is easily one of my least favorite. Totally agree - most boring episode of all time!

[@handsoaphandsoap]

for real, half the episode is just the final 3 talking about how miserable they are

[@BussinandDiscussin]

Honestly it probably is a deep cut this late in our lives... really great call out.

[@Yeaster]

Let me tell it, all of Australia is bad after Jerri is voted out, but yeesh, that finale draaaaaags

[@mehgend3914]

Apparently some people can look past a harasser getting their victim voted off but can’t handle Jeff cutting the word guys from his lexicon

[@lerdog]

"I can excuse sexual harassment, but I draw the line at dropping a word from a phrase"

[@nebulous798]

What is your reason to believe that the same people dislike 41 and 42 and excuse Dan? Thats right, you pulled it out of your anal canal.

[@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong]

Who looked past that? I don't think anyone defends Dan lmao. Meanwhile Jeff dropping guys was objectively stupid and a half assed virtue signal

[@Yeetusdeletus897]

@@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wongby “look past” they mean rate higher. IOTI’s merge is objectively awful and to say that any episode is worse is strange especially when they are fine/normal episodes that have like a small little political discussion that you won’t even remember the next day if people didn’t make a fuss about it. There are literally dozens of episodes worse than 41 episode 2 but because of that one little bit It’s worse than the episode where production lets the creep win.

[@jacksonhart5961]

@@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wongpeople like you voted an episode where a literal 10 second talk about gender inclusivity happens as being worse than one where sexual harassment and gaslighting happens on camera. That is overlooking and it’s equal parts pathetic and humorous

[@fukayusugma2074]

41 was bad. People need to stop defending it. That gives agency to them bringing that garbage back. It "course corrected" for a reason. Let's push the show in the right direction.

[@Ne0Nights]

41 is the definition of mid. Not bad but not great. It has a fantastic cast bogged down by horrible production and horrible twists

[@XanderMatthews-nv9zf]

There’s a lot worse seasons that I feel don’t get a fraction of the hate 41 got, really outside of like episode 3 and the hourglass part 1

[@aaronrothwell6504]

​​@Ne0Nights The twists are actually garbage. If you show someone the season with no context, they won't understand why etika won. It comes out of nowhere in the last 3 episodes.

[@Quetzal00358]

Idk how this would work but the idea of "Top 5 Luckiest Moments for Survivor Winners" came to me and I thought I'd throw it out. I believe luck is part of every winner's game so seeing the luckiest moments would be interesting. Some ideas: Fabio was lucky the two quitters were allowed on the jury and they voted for him Michele was lucky that Aubry's two allies were medevac'd and one had an idol Ben and the surprise Final 4 Fire making challenge Tyson was lucky he didn't draw the white rock at the rock draw Tony was lucky that he drew the correct rock at the auction

[@km_studios]

The Meranian Review actually has a video on the luckiest moment for every Survivor winner

[@Dylanjrvs]

I think highlighting the come on in guys is why people hated it. Had they just dropped it without telling or showing it, people wouldn't of even noticed. That being said, season 41 was pretty bad overall though not just the cast but the twists and the format ruined the season for me. I didn't finish after the hourglass fiasco.

[@Gandenkris]

Thank you for sticking up for the Marquesas reunion !! I had heard the negative hype but, honestly... bring Rosie back lol there's some weird energy there that really puts a great cap on the season

[@lofet1106]

THANK YOU for the comment at 5:40 i hate when someone complains about "survivor should be about survivor not social issues" as if its not always been like this

[@Yeetusdeletus897]

“Can’t believe they just made survivor woke” as if the show hasn’t been progressive since it’s beginning. Jeff has always called out homophobic players (and they’ve always been dunked on in editing) and they’ve always have had way more representation than most other reality shows,especially in the 2000s. It’s always a show that will take the time to discuss an issue like race or sexuality (even if the way they handle it isn’t great). I genuinely can’t with some people man

[@bradypowell2671]

Yeah but it never interfered with the game like that to the point where they didn't want to vote somebody out bc their race

[@katal003]

my biggest issue with the guys thing is that it was clear that the show wanted to change it, but instead of just doing it, they had jeff ask the contestants what they thought of it, which to me at least was the show, knowing they had people like ricard and evvie on the cast, pretty transparently having a contestant be a scapegoat for that type of fan to be upset at instead of at production like idk i think if you truly want to be inclusive you should just buck up and do it instead of asking the contestants what they think and putting them in a position to get dogpiled by fans. i don't think the episode or even the season is bad, i just really hated how the show handled it

[@aperson22222]

I strongly suspect that Ricard really didn't give a shit, but some producer twisted his arm into it. Jeff tried to roll this change out to great fanfare on the barge and everyone just shrugged, so he made them do it over till he got the big dramatic scene he wanted. If he'd dropped it quietly I wonder how many people would have noticed. And I'm also guessing the reason he didn't do that is that this was intended as absolution for letting a pervert grope his way into the endgame without consequence till it was way too late. If so it was certainly clumsy and misdirected, but it's tediously telling that the delicate sensibilities of a bunch of hateful right wing nuts are more offended by the course correction than they are by the sin.

[@nathandanczak7822]

@aperson22222 The thing is that "hateful right wing nuts" don't have much voice and the change of guys was worshipped by manic leftists. Dropping it is one of the downfalls of humanity.

[@MickTesso]

Jeff did say that he regrets that they made it a moment, instead of just removing it. However, I am baffled how much the Facebook "woke cryers" care or pretend to care about this situation to this day

[@FLRNFLUFF]

It warms my heart to see Luke call out *those* group of Survivor fans, so warranted. ❤

[@AlphaRomeoOneFive]

Can we just all agree to vote out Bhanu already?!

[@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong]

While real world conversations are important on Survivor, I think a lot of people are justified in being annoyed with the excesses of 42 and especially 41. It just dominated everything and in many cases just came off as ridiculous, especially Drea's whole thing after Rocksroy was voted out.

[@AsraliaX2]

Not to mention she voted out Chanelle the literal night before!

[@freddytang2128]

I was travelling when island of idols merge episode aired. I bought the episode on iTunes and was excited when I saw it’s 2 hours long, im like wooo must be an exciting merge vote. I needed a shower and a beer after watching

[@mustangthings]

Thailand is borderline unwatchable. It’s the only season I have not finished. The galaxy brains at IMDB must have missed that season.

[@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong]

I will always be befuddled by the Thailand hate. It's always been a mid tier season to me. I think most of it is just bandwagon hate. The last few episodes are definitely a drag, but pre-fake merge Thailand is actually a really good season.

[@mustangthings]

@@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong I did not care for any of the players, which is about the only thing that holds together early survivor seasons for me.

[@sanjumitra1]

So ummm how is last night's episode the WORST OF ALL TIME WTH?!?! It is literally one of my favorite episodes of the show are we even watching the same show?!?!?!

[@ImAKAJenks]

Honestly it does seem very silly for them to get Jeff to stop calling them guys. As if that hasn't been a gender neutral term to describe a group of people for years

[@Jred657]

Is it weird I’m curious what the 10 “mid” episodes are?

[@kylebeardsley6200]

Probably just 10 episodes that are early in their seasons with predictable vote outs and nothing else of note happening. Just 5 people going "yeah, it was ok, 5/10"

[@lastdayonearthmysteryman4849]

Number 10 I didn’t even know that episode existed until I saw this video! I guess even after almost ten years of watching Survivor I still found something new!

[@alexhill2495]

Actually unacceptable that Game Changers the Zeke/Varner episode wasn't on this list.

[@petermcgill3405]

I think the reason it isn't there is because the correct outcome of that tribal council happened. Everyone immediately got upset with Varner and voted him out that night.

[@ajl9772]

Why do people think that was a bad episode? Did you want Zeke to go home? Did you want Varner to stay? It was a bad situation, but it turned into a good moment at the end. A bad episode is when we get a terrible ending or nothing happens.

[@petermcgill3405]

@@ajl9772 People think the episode was bad because the situation happened at all.

[@ajl9772]

@@petermcgill3405 I know, my point was that's terrible logic 😆

[@petermarshall7352]

Well, it was actually a great episode of Survivor. Sure, Varner si a douche for stoping to that level, but seeing how Zeke handled it made it great.

[@meredithwhite5790]

I'm shocked the Island of the Idols merge wasn't #1. I understood the hourglass episode being on here because I just think that was a really bad twist, but I didn't think the other new era episodes were that bad. I think the episodes that involved discussions about social justice got review bombed.

[@ElStinko-ve6mb]

The fact that this list used to be topped by Thailand Episode 8 (Fake Merge II: Electric Boogaloo.) Only one challenge, a shitty immunity challenge that Chuay Gahn won, sealing Sook Jai’s fate once and for all. The second half of the episode felt like they were taking the season out behind the shed and shooting it.

[@thestatmosphere7850]

I think the reason so little political topics go over well on 41 and 42 compared to previous seasons is because we hardly ever get both sides of an issue. As you mentioned for the 42 entry, everyone is mostly in agreement and Jonathan’s minor pushback is quickly shot down. So people who have a critique for the situation (reasonable or otherwise) didn’t really have a voice represented. Older seasons seem to have people of different mindsets weigh in and I think that’s why they go over better. Both sides got their perspective shown.

[@aperson22222]

If you’re talking about the tribals in “Do or Die” and to a lesser extent the 42 episode whose title escapes me, it was mostly people discussing their own lived experiences. How do you offer a counterpoint to that?

[@thestatmosphere7850]

@@aperson22222 Looking back at those tribal councils there is some lived experience discussed but it is largely people stating their perspectives on where we are as a nation. Some people would disagree with those conclusions.

[@aperson22222]

@@thestatmosphere7850 My memory is that, in 41 at least, they talked at length about their lives, and when all three had hit on the same experiences they extrapolated and generalized a bit. It really would not be appropriate to dispute those conclusions based on an outsider’s perspective. Watching from home I was very grateful to have what I recognized as a learning experience, because at about that time I was really starting to despair of ever understanding race in America as a white man. For a white player to say “Actually, no, you haven’t experienced systemic racism” would have been atrocious at that point. I’m much less inclined to defend the S42 tribal. The fact that Drea had been in on the Chanelle vote, and hadn’t wrung her hands over it as Danny and DeShawn had with Shan, leant the whole thing an air of insincerity, one that was reinforced when Maryanne voted out Drea a short while later. But Jonathan’s defensiveness was a bad look. When the first mention in the abstract of a distasteful behavior like racism leads to a forceful insistence of innocence by someone who hasn’t been accused of it, that does tend to cast the person in a certain light. And to extrapolate from his professed innocence to deny the problem more broadly is just grotesque. He should have sat and listened. Maybe he would have learned something, maybe not; maybe there was nothing to be learned. But speaking from ignorance to satisfy an overly broad application of the equal time rule was clearly not what the situation called for.

[@ampersand08]

There aren't two valid sides to these issues. Why should "both sides" get air time?

[@kylebeardsley6200]

I think one of the reasons 41 had such a negative fan reaction (at least on IMDB) is because it was so starkly different from what the fans were used to. 26 day game instead of 39, heavier focus on game advantages/twists that weren't always thought-out, shots of Jeff talking to camera when no castaways were around that made it feel like he was the center of the show rather than the host, heavily dramatized slow-mo shots during challenges, and the controversial decision to stop saying "come on in, guys". Jeff and production made it very clear that this new era of survivor was drastically different from what the fans were used to, and that the priorities had changed. Now, these changes aren't necessarily bad things; the problem is the shock of it. When you flip a switch and say "things are different now, deal with it", you're guaranteed to alienate the people who are used to it being the old way and didn't think it needed to change, but it may take a few seasons to bring in new fans who do appreciate those things. If these changes had been implemented over the course of a few seasons, then it would have given the fans the time to get used to it, and it probably wouldn't have been such a big deal.

[@kellenc_]

Survivor 41-42 will forever leave a bad taste in my mouth

[@peytonbond4886]

It's worth noting that it wasn't a 1/3 chance of being randomly eliminated with the Do-Or-Die, it's a 1/3 chance of surviving

[@IdoledOut]

Oops - my mistake. Appreciate the correction!

[@XanderMatthews-nv9zf]

Technically 1/2 since Jeff unveiled one anyways for some reason

[@queenkatara7861]

The fact that people are more upset about Jeff no longer saying “guys” than women getting inappropriately touched tells you everything that’s wrong with the survivor community.

[@DircyaT.Rubino]

9:40 This is not a bottom ten episode for me, but the conversation at tribal doesn’t make much sense to me. The recent diversity in casting is one of the best aspects of the New Era, but the players should account for the fact that the more black people are cast on a season, the more likely it is that two black people will be voted off in a row. If Romeo had gone home instead of Rocksroy, three LGBTQ+ people would have been voted out in a row. (Plagiarized from The Bitter Juror)

[@lerdog]

That's the first valid criticism I've read about the whole thing, thanks for the perspective. It's indeed inevitable that we'll eventually get those patterns when the casts are much more diverse.

[@DircyaT.Rubino]

@@lerdog Thank you! Truth be told, I plagiarized the Bitter Juror.

[@elgringolocoMaldonado]

Yeah i agree season 41 did suck. Bottom 10 season at least me.

[@trippclayton]

I was perfectly fine with them dropping “guys” from come on in, guys… it was just done in a shitty way. It was total virtue signaling. Just drop the guys and don’t make a thing about it

[@petermcgill3405]

Poor Ricard had to be the one to get harassed by all the people in trucks wearing sunglasses.

[@Frames12521]

I'm personally not outraged by the fact they dropped "guys", but the act that Jeff made it a moment about him was absolutely ridiculous (he himself admits this).

[@nathandanczak7822]

Come on in, GUYS!

[@lars5381]

Just read the reviews on Imdb for the "worst episode" and wow, it's actually even worse then what you are talking about. People are even saying that Ricard was a planted actor because he had some uncredited roles in b movies. Insane that there are people who can be this pissed because of a sentence changing.

[@ajl9772]

2:30 Kelly Goldsmith was actually very close to being on All Stars. She stated she was ready to go if CBS and Shiiann couldn't come to terms with her contract. Too bad she never got to play again.

[@valkyrjavalhalla]

Editing in all the examples of Survivor having discussions about complex social issues at the end of covering Do Or Die was FANTASTIC

[@Bryce946]

Honestly, it’s like you can’t have a person of color or someone of LGBT or a woman going home anymore without some incel like memeview calling it racist homophobic or sexist

[@HotRoute7]

It’s so pathetic, and anyone who is on that side is precisely what’s wrong with the world and is spearheading the decline of civilization

[@Gametoon05]

You do realize his channel is satire, right?

[@Bryce946]

@@Gametoon05 keep telling yourself that bud

[@ampersand08]

@Bryce946 Oh, honey.

[@ingodube4519]

I don't have problems with this top 10 and I can ser the arguments for that. It's kinda funny to see the premiere of S41 being the worst episode, because It's the start of the New era, and the point of Survivor US being more of the same. And there are recency bias of course.

[@brandongarner643]

41 was one of my least favorite seasons ever and especially following Winners at War and COVID.

[@Gametoon05]

The race discussions in 41 were probably most poorly received due to Shan and Liana's Twitter behavior, not what was actually being said in the episode.

[@moviemaniac14]

So basically it's an anti-season 41 list. This is why I don't believe in IMDB ratings considering the type of crowd that votes on that site.

[@nathandanczak7822]

The new era excrement sucks, that's why.

[@petersimone3759]

That Varner episode wasn’t on this!?

[@kat6249]

I’m honestly not very surprised, you can check my reply on a similar comment for my explanation.

[@ajl9772]

It was actually the 3rd highest rated episode of that season. It had a fairly happy ending despite a terrible situation.

[@Lsaldana92]

Before the episode.... If isn't the JV out Zeke idk what can be worst.

[@IdoledOut]

Bafflingly, this is not in the top ten somehow

[@harrdeeharr]

@@IdoledOutThe fact that people are more upset about “guys” than that says a lot

[@Lsaldana92]

@@IdoledOutthe removal of guys fr

[@andrewgentile2643]

After realizing that the people rating the episodes at IMDb are largely angry middle aged people who probably want to fuck Xander, this isn't surprising @@IdoledOut

[@TheLoserface45]

I think bad events don’t always make bad episodes. That situation came out largely positive with everyone back up Zeke and his “Zeke the Survivor Player” speech. If only the IOTI cast had more tact and unanimously voted Dan out, the season might’ve been saved

[@StickTrickDominoDude]

One thing I’ll throw out about the Tory boot is that in hindsight once you know the stuff that happened with Omar, it starts to feel much sincere

[@StickTrickDominoDude]

Much less sincere

[@bigtimetimmyjim6486]

Bryant Gumbel as a Survivor reunion host reminds me of how he was as an NFL broadcaster: he just went through the motions in order to collect a paycheck. Most overrated commentator/host in American TV history.

[@aleczavala5010]

I saw Back from Africa on Hulu. My only problem with it is that it replaced the actual reunion. Does anybody know where else I can watch it?

[@samuelskillman6169]

The survivor 41 cast is an all time great. If there were a few different production decisions and a whole lot of editing changes this cast could have produced an all time season

[@miguelquintero1070]

A racist with a victim mindset won that season... I hate that season almost as much as ioti

[@hughmungus7425]

Worst cast ever. Who was there to root for? Xander is the closest thing to a likable player, but he's just too young and boring to be considered good.

[@silentassasin-q8l]

Ok Luke, to quote Emily “I’m gonna push back” on some of these arguments, and for the record I agree that the IOTI merge episode should be #1 1. While social issues have been talked about before on Survivor, they were only thrown in every once in a while, they usually don’t affect the way somebody plays like 41 and the 42 tribal, would people have the same reaction if an all white alliance formed with the notion of “hey let’s form a white alliance and get rid of the pocs”? 2. Drea had a hand in voting Chanelle out so if she feels uncomfortable seeing two black people on the jury back to back, well she partly to blame for that, plus let’s not forget what happened between her and Omar at ponderosa 3. I think production maybe behind getting rid of guys, but if not, one persons opinion should not outweigh the majority 4. Whether you agree with getting rid of guys or not(I don’t), I think most can agree that the way Jeff went at it was cringe worthy, if he was gonna stop using it anyway then he should’ve just stopped saying it without mentioning it

[@XanderMatthews-nv9zf]

For point 3, Production was absolutely axing “guys”, I personally couldn’t care less about it but to each his own. The entire situation reeks of scapegoating and it was very much a ploy to save production of it didn’t go well.

[@silentassasin-q8l]

@XanderMatthews-nv9zf yeah, while I may not agree with getting rid of guys considering it’s a gender neutral term, I don’t actually care either, it was just cringy to watch

[@aperson22222]

I'm absolutely certain that it was a production decision to stop saying "guys," and that they made that decision thinking it would earn them absolution for letting a pervert grope his way into the S39 endgame without consequence until it was much too late. And further, that it was for this reason Jeff couldn't just quietly change up his phrasing. So he floated the idea to the cast on the barge expecting them to applaud, but they were indifferent. Production needed its big rollout of this meaningless change in order to signal their course correction, so they twisted Ricard's arm into giving them a second chance. It's awkward and ill-advised and not a little patronizing. But anything that offends the delicate sensibilities of a bunch of hateful right wing nuts starts looking attractive once they bellow their tedious outrage.

[@ampersand08]

An all-white alliance would not be the same thing as an all-Black alliance in any way, shape, or form.

[@Littledaffodilgirl]

Today I was thinking if I met Boston rob i would Probally hug him until his brains squished out and tell him he’s the best survivor player that has ever existed

[@thorpizzle]

I agree that Kelly's exit was the worst episode of all time. That whole season is one that I don't think I would ever watch again. As for other worst episodes, I don't have worst episode, but I do have worst moments. Brandon Hantz's outburst at camp, Jeff Varner's outing of Zeke at tribal council, and Richard Hatch's encounter with Sue Hawk in All-Stars stick out as some of the darkest moments in the game for me.

[@micahlarimer155]

I should note that first episode, the Africa one, I literally just attempted to watch last week on amazing prime and could not for the life of me figure out why the heck that is called the "reunion" episode. I guess I need to find the real reunion episode outside of amazing.

[@jonwind3383]

So basically everyone hates season 41

[@lastdayonearthmysteryman4849]

Come On In Guys!

[@corksauls9403]

When excluding controversial moments the worst episode has to be the final 9 of Thailand. After losing Sook Jai cries more than Bhanu and it sets in that the less likable Chuay Gahn tribe is going to steamroll the rest of the season

[@handsoaphandsoap]

I’d say the episode prior is worse; terrible twist that screws over the only likeable contestant in Shii Ann. The Ghandia boot episode is also infuriating.

[@corksauls9403]

@@handsoaphandsoap the merge episode was at least interesting and Shii Ann wouldn’t have placed higher than 6th anyway. The Gandhia episode is what I would list under the controversial moments

[@juanmora9190]

I cannot believe out of all episodes of 41 epusode 3 wasnt on there. They wasted 15 to 20 minutes of on a journey that amounted to literal NOTHING! Brad who got the advantage goes out, Sydney gets voted out at the mergatory, and Tiffany is the 1st member of the jury after Sydney. They couldve used that time to show us Luvu since we saw them the least.

[@aperson22222]

Didn’t 41 take enough abuse as it is?

[@loganswhite6645]

Racist old school survivor elitists when a sociopolitical experiment game has sociopolitical topics or moments that have been happening literally since Season 1: 🤯🤯🤯

[@nicholasjessup6788]

I’m surprised no episodes from All Stars are on here. I would think some of the first few episodes would due to big names being eliminated, or the way the All Stars treated Jenna M and Sue. Also the Varner boot episode of GC had me enraged when I watched it. I’ve learned second hand how difficult it is for those in the trans community to come out to their family and friends, and it is truly disgusting what Varner did to Zeke.

[@savageguineapig5857]

The Varner and Dan episodes are so unwatchably bad idk how they aren’t on here

[@freckleface8402]

My problem with Survivor 41 is that the whole thing seemed very forced. I think pretty much everyone wanted an escape from the real world but all this stuff was brought into the show that a lot of people used as a distraction. It also probably didn't help that the storytelling was lacking and the advantages were half-baked. I can see why people don't like this season compared to the others.

[@JJackson.13]

The Season 41 hate is hard to justify to this level for sure. IOTI merge and the Varner episode are by far the worst in my books, worse than anything on S41. At the same time, 41 was felt like such a jarring shift for Survivor, the editing and gameplay changes being so hard to get on board with. I’m very glad production has improved on these decisions since.

[@StevyWondr1]

I looked up what the 10 worst episodes were after your video last week, and I was surprised at how often 41 was brought up. Other than the hourglass episode, I don't agree. I would have put Thailand, One World and Redemption Island in there.

[@salioumbodji8516]

Ughhh the hour glass twist is one of the worst twists in Survivor history

[@noahstein6990]

Honourable mention to Survivor 46 Episode 3

[@lastdayonearthmysteryman4849]

The Hourglass Sucks! My mom said it best if she was there she was smashed the hourglass but watching it play out it sucks!

[@Ramboost007]

Only an idiot wouldn't smash it. "Immunity and reward or no immunity and no reward? Hmmm?"

[@matthewhecht9257]

Ready to Play like a Lion (number 7 on this list) is why I quit this show's new episodes. That Twist was just lying to the contestants.

[@brendanfechter4889]

Hey Island of the idols has a really good pre merge. Molly boot good. Vince booted with idol hilarious. Chelsea voted out with idol insane. Jason boot heated scenario. Kellee Dean idol booting Jack was so epic. It was just once post merge hit it plummeted

[@emilyminchew6131]

So say, "Come on in, Survivors! "

[@XanderMatthews-nv9zf]

That’s just a mouthful tbh

[@CSManiac33]

Why were the HHH and Ghost Island so short?

[@nicholasjessup6788]

I have a hunch they didn’t really want to spend too much time highlighting the seasons given the unsatisfactory winners (mostly HHH, I think Ghost Island was an okay winner).

[@coalhouse1981]

I mean I think survivor 41 was a pretty weak season but not for the reasons the MAGA crowd does

[@justsomeoneelse5942]

7:30 THE WAY I CACKLED

[@Bendrix27]

I would agree with the split tribal from 42 being one of the worst Survivor episodes, but not because of the race talk, it's purely because the split tribal twist is one of the worst ideas in Survivor history. You shouldn't be able to get swap screwed POST-MERGE! It's absolutely absurd that this dumb twist wasn't immediately scrapped after S41 along with the hourglass twist.

[@maxeisenman3006]

3:47 Brian was a terrrrrrribe host for the reunions. I watched the seasons in order, and when I was watching the first couple of seasons I never understood why people liked the reunions. Came to find out that after season 4 Jeff started hosting the reunions, which is wayyyyyyyy more entertaining!

[@TheMeanderingduck6]

How on Earth did What Happened on Exile, Stays on Exile not make this list...?

[@unoficialo8572]

They had to leave Dan in the game, so his son could be the 'youngest person ever on survivor!" ...🤬

[@torinklutterman3743]

Ok so I have a bad thing where I choose a person each season to be my guy and I chose Xander I loved how he carried the tribe Gavin he was nerdy and athletic Christian he’s Christian

[@taylorshank1638]

Tori handled what was going on very gracefully.

[@PeterT-bs4nm]

The double quit episode of Naonka and Purple Kelly was my least favorite, felt like a complete waste of an hour.

[@jaredkirts543]

"Come on in, guys" sure I don't think saying guys when referring to a group of people is anything worth getting mad at, but that alone doesn't make an episode bad. Personally, I think guys is gender neutral. Some people think that it has to refer to a male group because it did in the past; however, it was also used to refer to possibly Guy Fawkes and the lowest and most depraved form of a male in society, so obviously language can change over time.

[@kennethcampbell7263]

The first season didn't even need the Back fro Borneo episode which was just an hour episode of following rich around. Yawn so who knows it might be further up in the top ten worst episodes. What no Dead grandmother episode!

[@hankkern3043]

The Back from Africa episode is actually available on the DVD