‘Survivor: Cagayan’: Where the season, Tony Vlachos as winner stack up
Why are we dipping back into the “Survivor: Cagayan” well now? The reason is because we use to post our updated season and winner rankings a week or so after the season ended, but we quickly realized either one of two things: We would be making too much of a knee-jerk reaction, or we would end up burying it with all the interviews and other coverage that we tend to do around that time.
So we’ve had some time to stop and reflect after putting away our spy shacks, and we’ve still come up with conclusions that make us look like we’re knee-jerking after a great season … but we’re not. Not only is this one of the best five seasons of all time, but the same goes for its winner Tony Vlachos compared to other past champs.
You can read our full explanations why on our updated rankings page, but here is a quick summary for all those curious in a quick-hit of information.
Why Tony is ranked #4 all-time – He found idols, had a great strategic mind, and even managed to convince a guy to take him to final two who had no business doing so. Even taking away Tony’s wonderful entertainment value and he is still a top-five winner.
Why this season is ranked #2 all-time – We can’t be afraid of this placement just because there are so many other great seasons, and the simplest way to put it is this: There was never a week where we were absolutely confident about the outcome. We were sitting so close to the edge of our seat during the finale that we nearly fell off.
There have been some times since the beginning of the series where our interest has started to dwindle a little bit: “Survivor: Thailand” was so bad that we didn’t catch “The Amazon” until down the road, and it even took us time to get into “Pearl Islands.” But after a run of seasons that went from “Nicaragua” to “One World” that caused us to start getting a little weary, “Cagayan” and “Blood vs. Water” have us just as excited as this game as we were watching it for the first time over a decade ago. The show is firing on all cylinders again, and we cannot wait to see it back again this fall.
For those who do want some more intel on what is coming on “Survivor: San Juan del Sur,” head over to the link here. You can also sign up today to get some other updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: CBS