Since 2001, Survivor has captured the hearts of adventure-lovers across the globe, producing 45 seasons over the years (with some being significantly better than others).
Running for 22 years, fans of the beloved competition series have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Naturally, for an outsider, it is hard to differentiate which seasons are must-sees and which seasons are skips (there are just soooo many to choose from), but If you want to get invested in the hit competition show the right way, we got you covered…
Based on an oh-so intriguing Reddit thread, keep scrolling to see the best episodes of Survivor that will make anyone a superfan in no time.
@jev989 kicked off the conversation by posing the question we have all been wondering: “A friend has finally agreed to give Survivor a shot. You have one episode to show them the best of what the show can offer. Which episode are you showing?”
“If I had to make criteria for it, it would be an episode that is somewhat easy to follow (a complete newbie), has a memorable character moment, involves great stategy, has an inspiring challenge performance, and has a satisfying tribal. Obviously showing a premiere episode is at the top of the list, because we’re assuming they will get hooked, but is there a better episode? A merge episode somewhere perhaps? Interested to hear your ideas,” the user explained.
Amassing 37 responses, with several Survivor superfans suggesting episodes from Survivor: David vs Goliath, Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, Survivor: Second Chance and more, three premiere episodes kept resurfacing within the thread.
To our surprise, several Survivor superfans had a great deal to say about the premiere of Survivor: Pearl Islands, garnering the most upvotes out of all of the responses.
“The episode that made me hooked as a new watcher was the premiere of Pearl Islands, and it would be the episode I would show to newbies. It has a great pace, the buying supplies for the locals bit is fun, and it has a lot of strategy for a lot of players. Plus the cast is good and interesting,” one Reddit user wrote.
“Absolutely the first episode of Pearl Islands. It’s the best first episode ever, and if it can’t pull someone in then nothing will,” another shared.
“It’s gotta be the premiere of Pearl Islands. You get a marooning, the whole ‘they think they’re going to a photoshoot’ followed by ‘oh s**t’ and suddenly they’re all jumping ship. The whole pirate theme and the soundtrack is outstanding. You get the whole village sequence and see the types of decisions they make… Rupert, I mean by All Stars he is already overplayed, but his first showing and first episode is absolutely gold TV. You got people in dresses, suits, and boy scout uniforms at the beach, an interesting challenge, which was both tough and competitive, plus the guys deciding for some reason to get naked,” a third user added.
With “old school” Survivor in mind, @sam_thesoundguy suggested the premiere of Survivor: Tocantins, rather than the premiere of Survivor: Pearl Islands, which a great deal of respondents agreed with.
The Reddit user explained, “The first episode of Tocantins sets up the whole season and Survivor as a concept, and has an amazing setting with some memorable characters on their first time out. It’s a season that has a lot of the elements of modern Survivor, with idols and twists, while also now being in the first half of Survivor‘s legacy and having a ‘classic’ feel to it. It’s honestly the perfect modern classic that you’re after. Not too complicated, but also polished enough that represents exactly what Survivor is and what it can be.”
“It also has the benefit of being the perfect ‘chapter one’ in a way. If your mate goes on to watch more Survivor, they’ll be seeing much more of all of these characters for seasons to come, which anchors the legacy of the season in the series as a whole,” they concluded, likely referencing iconic castaways like James “JT” Thomas, Benjamin “Coach” Wade, Stephen Fischbach, and Tyson Apostol.
Differing from Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Tocantins, those who enjoy more modern Survivor gameplay suggested the premiere of Survivor: Cagayan, where the legendary Tony Vlachos got his start.
@skelo said it best, garnering a dozen upvotes: “For me it’s Cagayan. Pearl Islands is great, but my hesitancy to watch Survivor is that I think a lot of reality show contestants are trying to get famous or that the whole show is kinda fake. Cagayan‘s cast has a ton of really real and successful people that felt like they really wanted to be on the show for the show, and eliminating David first solidified that it isn’t fake (why would David sign up for the show just to be first boot if it’s fake?)”
After receiving seemingly countless responses, @jev989 edited their original post to reflect the likes of the majority as well: “Thanks for your responses all. It seems like the most popular suggestions are: Pearl Islands premiere, Tocantins premiere, Cagayan premiere. That’s a great selection, and I think it depends on the person. You could choose between one of those 3 depending on their personality.”
There you have it folks! While the Reddit thread was filled with great suggestions, if you want your friend to become a fellow Survivor superfan (or if you would like to become one yourself), tuning into the inaugural episode of either season 7, season 18, or season 28 is your best bet.
If you want to get the ball rolling, You can stream every single season of Survivor, as well as Survivor 45 (which is airing as we speak), on Paramount Plus at your leisure. With 45 seasons in the books, binge-watching Survivor is sure to keep you occupied until further notice…