3. Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites (Season 16 - 2008)
It's highly regarded as one of the best Survivor seasons ever, and it has a theme that, at its core, is very appealing. Season 16, Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites, pitted ten, so-called, super fans against ten, so-called, favorite castaways from previous seasons.
This is a great theme because there are millions of individuals who watch Survivor, dreaming that one day they will find themselves marooned in the middle of nowhere for 39 days. Not only does the season allow ten super fans to live out their dreams of playing the game, but the viewers get to watch others who are just like them compete, maybe even inspiring them to submit an audition video.
In addition, Fans vs. Favorites presents a classic battle between top dog and underdog. The top dogs are the Favorites because they already have a season under their belt. They know what they need to do to survive on the island, between building shelter and catching food, and they also have experience strategizing with others and building game relationships. The underdogs are the Fans because this is their inaugural season, and with a bunch of veterans playing the game with them, the Fans have to learn and adapt quickly to try and beat the Favorites.
Speaking of the Favorites, this is the first time a single season featured a full tribe of returning players and a full tribe of new castaways. However, while the Favorites are all memorable castaways, there were some questionable picks as to whether all were considered Favorites based on the first time they played. With some of the castaways chosen, it seems as if they were picked based on who wanted to play again rather than if they were truly a full-fledged viewer favorite.
Despite the Favorites analysis, what became of the season proved that Survivor had a winning theme on their hands. Even though the theme was washed away with a tribe swap during the fifth episode so that Fans and Favorites would be represented on both tribes, there was still an on-going battle between the two sides, which was thrilling to watch.
Not to mention, this season featured every single quality you could ask for in a Survivor season. There were torrential downpours, historic tribal councils, a showmance, dumb moves, great moves, exciting challenges, hidden immunity idols, fake hidden immunity idols, Exile Island, great one-liners and more. There were also a quitter and two medical evacuations, which don't make for the greatest Survivor moments, but they do prove how hard the game really is, physically and mentally.
Fans vs. Favorites is also the first Survivor theme to be used for a second time, as it was the driving force five years later for season 26, Survivor: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites. Unfortunately, the second time around wasn't as successful as the first, but nonetheless, the theme was still a strong one.
For years, the theme of Fans vs. Favorites was the number two Survivor theme in the show's history. However, that was until the current number two theme came along.
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