• I generally tend to favor seasons where players innovate great ideas.
• I never penalize seasons for how many times a player has returned. If a player is entertaining, they can return every season as far as I'm concerned.
• I hate it when random chance determines the outcome of a vote, e.g., rock tiebreakers, unlucky tribal swaps, luck of the draw advantages, the hourglass swap, and "do or die" boxes.

Highlights that got completely marginalized by the fun-killing scandal:

• Mentors/carnies Boston Rob and Sandra unintentionally hurting their mentees when Vince got voted out with the idol he won and Noura got hilariously sidelined from an immunity challenge trying to complete her Island of the Idols mission.
• Kellee hiding a temporary immunity idol in her hair then sneaking it to Dean to avoid scrutiny. Too bad Dean didn't return the favor and Kellee got voted out with two idols. Incidentally, I also noticed that despite winning the immunity necklace and no longer needing the immunity idol from the Island of the Idols shelter, Dean still reneged on his deal with Tommy.
• Tommy winning the game straight-up without a single advantage (Rob and Sandra sure doled those out like candy), hidden immunity idol, immunity necklace, or fire challenge.

Highlights: Can't remember any.

Highlights:

• NaOnka lasting long despite shoving a girl with a prosthetic leg and stealing socks and food.
• Marty playing decently but then inexplicably giving away his hidden immunity idol.
• Chase lasting long despite constant indecision and broken promises.

Highlights:

• The gender-divided tribes feuding over axe, chicken, fire, and immunity snafus.
• Colton remaining selfish to the bitter end, clutching his immunity idol as he exited.
• The best strategic player, Kim, actually winning (even though for this season that didn't strike me as much of an accomplishment).

Highlight: Rooting for Terry in individual immunity challenges.

Highlights: Can't remember any.

Highlights:

• Jaime finding both hidden immunity idols in James' bag; then inexplicably mistaking a plaque for a hidden immunity idol.
• James getting voted out holding both hidden immunity idols.

Highlights:

• Shan leaving her extra vote advantage with Ricard when her inactive three-way immunity idol kept her vote suppressed, then getting mad when he kept stalling on giving it back. (Incidentally, I was confused that the rules allowed Shan to activate the three-way immunity idol even though Genie was the one who found it.)
• Xander lying about his plan to play an immunity idol on Evvie to bait Liana into wasting her "steal an idol" advantage on him; then Sydney unintentionally eliminating herself by giving up her tiebreaking vote on a failed "shot in the dark" immunity attempt.
• The back-and-forth firemaking challenge between Deshawn and Heather coming down to a dramatic photofinish for that last spot in the final three.

Highlights:

• The pivotal power shift.
• The infamous "purple rock" tiebreaker.

Highlights:

• The majority alliance planting a mole, "Secret Spy Ben", into the minority alliance by having him cast a fake vote. Though after I saw how mad Chrissy got, the tactic didn't seem so smart.
• Ben playing along with Chrissy's ploy to flaunt a dead hidden immunity idol so he'd stop searching for the real one.
• Ben dramatically losing that riveting final immunity challenge because of a single upside-down letter block. Too bad this powerful turn of events got ruined by a contrived lifeline that unfairly blocked the other three players from voting him out!

Highlights:

• Russell Hantz's contradiction of a nephew, whom I once deemed the worst Survivor player of all time thanks to his unsolicited self-sacrifice when we won individual immunity.
• The exciting (but disappointing) Trojan Horse plan and Cochran playing double agent.
• Ozzy's distinctive "Redemption Island" strategy which made him the only player to get voted out thrice in the same season.

Highlights:

• Domenick making a comment on day one about Chris’s forfeiture of the opening challenge, starting a feud that lasted all the way to the merge (and could've lasted longer had Chris not inexplicably held onto his limited immunity idol).
• Players now having to screen the disinformation about hidden immunity idols, with the show even providing a fake one for Domenick to grandstand with.
• The final vote suspiciously ending in a tiebreaker for the first time in Survivor history, forcing the final two to place their fates in the hands of their closest ally. Too bad I had already deduced what would happen when Jeff Probst first started reading the jury votes. Had he not spoiled what breaks a jury tie (during a reunion show a couple of seasons back), I would've been in complete suspense.

Highlights:

• Returnees Kelley Wentworth and David becoming frenemies on a tribe that lost almost every immunity challenge (and even wound up back with them during the random swap).
• Two deadlocked four-player tribes avoiding rocks at a joint tribal council by fittingly voting out the trolly castaway who used her highly coveted Survivor spot to sabotage camp rather than play the game. (I also liked that despite saving the chickens, she got snubbed for the $100,000 Sia award.)
• Rick Devens triggering pandemonium at tribal council when Julie jumped at his public offer, playing hide-and-seek with rival idol searchers after he already found one, and managing to trick two separate players with fake idols.
• Chris gambling all-or-nothing by giving up his final four immunity and volunteering himself for the final fire-making challenge against the player most likely to win the game.

Highlights:

• The show using flashbacks to expose disinformation to the viewing audience, e.g., Swati's double-dealing and Romeo's lie that he didn't vote for Hai.
• The tribal council where Drea was a really good sport about wasting her "steal an idol" advantage and extra vote on Mike. Because not gonna lie...I cringed at that earlier tribal council where she and Maryanne symbolically played their immunity idols because the new juror was African American, without knowing the full story that he had secretly been trying to start a men's alliance against them. On a side note, I do think that diversifying the tribes like they did in one of my favorite seasons, "Survivor: Cook Islands", would definitely freshen up the show.
• Maryanne, Mike, and Jonathan risking a split-vote to eliminate Omar despite the likelihood that an immune Lindsay would play her expiring amulet immunity idol on him. Also, Maryanne selling the perfect narrative as to why she should receive jury votes for withholding her secret immunity idol at final five. Overall, I liked her energy.

Highlights:

• The Lulu tribe losing every immunity challenge (and flint) to the point where Sabiyah couldn't even melt the wax off of her hidden immunity idol (and get her vote back) until the tribal council where she got voted out with it.
• Kaleb negating all 11 unanimous votes against him with a longshot Shot in the Dark "lottery win", which I had mixed feelings about.
• Emily tricking Bruce into not playing his immunity idol so the tribe could vote him out.
• Deserving winner Dee expertly walking the tightrope between her two most trusted allies Austin and Julie.

Highlights:

• Rooting for Andrew Savage's team in immunity challenges.
• Rupert Boneham's victory scream.
• Jonny Fairplay lying about his grandmother's death...except I didn't see how that helped him in the game.

Highlights:

• The interesting matriarchal alliance.
• The two most deserving players making the final two. :)

Highlights:

• The contrast between one tribe's younger and older players.
• The first ever tribe swap that fractured the young folk alliance.

Highlights:

• The contrast and socialization between the male and female tribes.
• Rob Cesternino's levity and shrewd moves.
• Multiple blindsides.

Highlights:

• Jeanine getting the empty immunity idol bracelet for her Beware Advantage and having to swindle Gabler into giving her a special bead he was saving for his daughter.
• Noelle refusing to give up a balance beam challenge made hard by her prosthetic leg, and winning it.
• Karla faking tears to convince Cassidy she hadn't turned on her and to convince Cody and Owen of not having an immunity idol; then wasting her idol during Jesse's successful tribal council gambit to take both her's and Cody's idols out of play.
• Gabler donating his million dollars to a veterans charity, and not even using the move to get jury votes.

Highlights:

• Alliances implementing "Plan Voodoo" a couple of times; one of them backfiring on a tribe because the runner-up defected.
• The tribe deciding to toss one of the immunity idols into the ocean.
• Kenny and Crystal overcoming the majority three times in a row (twice by unexpectedly swinging Sugar and Susie).
• Bob and Sugar swerving voters with their idols.

Highlights:

• A "first impressions" poll that led the two stigmatized castaways to choose between high and low roads.
• A curiously well-liked player that various castaways wanted in their alliance.
• A crossroads where a three-person alliance had to choose between a "Warrior" alliance and an unprecedented "Exile Island" alliance.
• One case of poetic justice where a desperate outcast outlasted a cocky nemesis.
• An interesting exploration into whether a million dollars should outweigh a close month-long friendship.

Highlights:

• The sad contrast between the "jocks" and the "nerd". blog
• The pivotal tribal council where the minority alliance plotted to use their hidden immunity idol.
• The suspense over the tribal council where Yau-Man used the hidden immunity idol.
• The suspense and outrage over Yau-Man's deal with Dreamz.

Highlights:

• Colluding tribes, i.e., the reward challenge bargain and the interesting merge wherein rival tribes conspired in a Plan Voodoo against Jonathan (first time I ever saw that work).
• Michael Skupin defecting during a crucial tribal council.
• The winner becoming the first and only player to attend (and survive) every tribal council of the season.

Highlights:

• David using his immunity idol to save Jessica when she trusted the wrong alliance despite Ken's forewarning.
• Adam and Taylor blackmailing each other over Taylor's stolen food and Adam's advantage to steal a reward.
• Zeke and David turning on each other, which I liked even though it led to a rock tiebreaker and two wasted immunity idols.
• High schooler Will suddenly taking control of the game and forcing everyone to openly campaign for his vote.
• David pulling off the best fake immunity plant I've ever seen, tricking Jay into abandoning his search for the real immunity idol. I also felt a lot of suspense when it occurred to me that David might have faked and planted the idol that Adam found too.

Highlights:

• Watching players suffer Natalie Napalm, particularly when she pressured minority allies to relinquish their jackets to her.
• Tribal warfare with hidden immunity idols.
• The season's narrative actually working out when the underdog Davids, outnumbered in both the tribal shuffle and merge, stole a vote and slingshotted an Idol Nullifier straight through the Goliath majority's head. Too bad the David victory didn't last long.
• Nick faking that he found an immunity idol in front of witnesses to deter everyone else from looking for one. (Not a highlight: Angelina trying to stage a big immunity idol swerve for her personal Survivor résumé.)

Highlights:

• John Rocker getting vilified after falling confusingly short on an Exile Island deal to protect Jeremy's wife Val.
• Drew Christy managing to get eliminated early when he threw his tribe's immunity challenge without securing a single vote first. Smooth move.
• Sweethearts Jon & Jaclyn weighing who to be "couples' friends" with during a Hunger Games-type rivalry (where one daughter had to inherit her father's "beef" against players whom she could have aligned with); then becoming the swing votes again for a for a post-tribal merge power struggle between Josh and Jeremy (leading Joclyn to flip on both of them). blog
• Keith throwing a tribal council into chaos when he accidentally leaked Reed's Plan Voodoo ploy.
• The show hilariously pointing out that "5 hours later", Jaclyn was still giving her boo Jon the #SILENTTREATMENT (which apparently put everyone else's game on pause too).
• The deserving winner Natalie making some big moves, including long-awaited revenge on Jon. Interesting side note: I learned afterward that Jon was no longer allowed to give his immunity idol to Jaclyn (and that it was even confiscated from his bag).

Highlights:

• A clean sweep of immunity challenges that reduced one tribe down to one member, Stephenie.
• Ian forfeiting the final immunity challenge for Tom.
• The most deserving player winning. :)

Highlights:

• Rob betraying Lex, Kathy, Alicia, and Tom. The emotional backlash brought up an intriguing controversy about whether real-life friendships factor into the game.
• A bizarre coincidence where the tribal swap only affected one player.
• Rob courting and then proposing to Amber in the live finale.
• Rupert Boneham winning the million dollars as the show's favorite contestant.

Highlights:

• Jerri convincing players to vote out Kel based on suspicion rather than proof.
• The aftermath of Michael Skupin's accident. I remember re-watching that scene over and over. :)
• A pivotal tribal council where the rival tribes tied their votes.
• A memorably heartwarming scene where castaways cyber-chatted with loved ones.

Highlights:

• An intense medical evacuation episode where overheated reward challenge competitors began dropping like flies.
• An early merge wherein the Brains, Brawn, and Beauty cliques had to decide whom to join forces with.
• Tai "breaking bad" by secretly sabotaging the campfire for his allies' "psychological warfare", then royally screwing them by withholding his half of a Super Idol from them. Ice cold. blog
• Jeff Probst punking the final three into thinking that the final challenge was for immunity, when really it was a reward challenge for a paper that could vote out a juror! Good twist and I completely agreed with Michele's decision to vote out the juror most likely to rally the others against her. Though when I think about all the past jurors who orated those long rallying speeches, they were usually people I didn't expect.

Highlights:

• Francesca Hogi clinching "worst Survivor player ever" by getting voted out first twice! blog
• Brandon Hantz melting down and forcing me to reconsider him as "worst Survivor player ever". blog
• Corinne forging a secret counteralliance during an entertaining tribal merge.
• Malcolm dominating the hidden immunity idols from playing Reynold's own idol to playing two idols in one tribal council (until Andrea finally foiled his streak by hovering over him).
• Cochran, the ultimate underdog story, going from South Pacific outcast to heavyweight champion.

Highlights:

• The tribal shuffle causing amusing predicaments, e.g., Mike coaching loudmouth Dan on how to apologize to a female swing voter he offended, and a multi-Collar tribe debating which of two zealous players is more annoying.
• Mike course-correcting himself into a tailspin. His best gambits: framing Joe with finding the hidden immunity idol and then using it to make Tribal Council voters blink in a "Survivor Russian Roulette" bluff. His most dubious gambit: comically throwing a tribal immunity challenge to save his ally on the other tribe. His most disasterous gambits: trying to renege on an auction pact to gain an advantage and then publically outing Rodney's secret four-person sub-alliance.
• Carolyn parrying Dan's extra vote with her hidden immunity idol (fortunately it did not occur to Dan to force a Plan Voodoo with that extra vote). Side note: I liked the "extra vote" idea but wasn't happy that they had to draw rocks for it--I would've rather they just had given an extra vote to all three bidders.
• Rooting for Mike in quite possibly the best, most emotional Survivor finale ever--from the immunity challenges (one in which Mike's mother felt like she failed him) to a jury presentation that looked dire for him until Jenn, Shirin, and even Dan spoke in his favor.

Highlights:

• Interesting twists such as the padlocked birdcage containing an immunity idol and fake idol, the "Inheritance" advantage, and the "Bank Your Vote" advantage--even though all of these fake idols and advantages went to waste.
• Josh getting caught lying about his surgeon background and a fake "bootleg" immunity idol--made out of treemail beads--that fell apart in Yam Yam's hands (and reused the same Journey Island instructions that Carolyn had read already).
• Carolyn fulfilling her promise to play her hidden immunity idol on Carson, and Yam Yam coaching his possible firemaking competitor Carson on how to best use the flint.

Highlights:

• Tony repeatedly thinking outside of the box. Even though most of his ploys seemed to fizzle, e.g., engineering "spy shacks" to eavesdrop on fellow tribesmates (like the schemer in one of those Shakespearean comedies), misrepresenting an immunity clue, and masqueraiding a real immunity idol as a fake one, he did innovate one idea that I considered a home run: bluffing that he could use the super idol in the final four.
• Spencer and Tasha somehow making Tony, the most immune player in the history of the game, paranoid enough to turn on his own alliance.
• Spencer fighting tooth and nail against elimination pretty much the entire game.
• Kass' "anti-Survivor" strategy of making enemies and voting against allies. I still can't reconcile why this worked as well as it did.

Highlights:

• Harebrained Tony Vlachos sprinting for idols, digging a "spy bunker", and waging an entertaining war with "Queen" Sandra.
• An amusingly chaotic joint tribal council where two tribes clashed head-to-head in a mad scramble to vote out one player.
• A WTF tribal council where Jeff Varner inexplicably outed Zeke as transgender.
• Sarah snatching Michaela's steal-a-vote advantage from under her nose (then voting her out with it); Sarah tricking Cirie into believing she could steal a vote from her; and finally, Sarah saving herself with a Legacy Advantage she conned out of Sierra! Plus Sarah shook up alliances and delivered one heckuva jury presentation. They should just rename this season to "Survivor: Game Changer" (singular).
• Jeff Probst finally explaining how the show would break a juror tie for a final three.

Highlights:

• The satisfaction of watching a player whom I felt bad for, Sol, survive the merge vote over his long-time tormentor Rome--who had hounded Sol to keep him from idol hunting, threatened to use a steal-a-vote against him (to take his Shot in the Dark if he didn't voluntarily surrender it to him), and shed "crocodile tears" to try to manipulate the merging tribes against him.
• Andy's "Operation Italy" to convince the "underdog alliance" to Plan Voodoo so he could flip on them; then afterward, Sam struggling to get people to believe the truth that Genevieve's "Operation Italy" idol was actually fake.
• Rachel's power struggle with Genevieve, and a satisfying penultimate finale episode where Rachel and Teeny finally voted out the fake allies who had kept playing them the entire season, Andy and Genevieve respectively.
• Rachel impressively clutching out a pivotal "Block A Vote" advantage on a journey as well as four important immunity challenges--including one of the best challenges I've ever seen where it felt like her whole life came down to one excruciatingly tense moment wherein she had to stack the final ball on a tower without toppling it. I was also riveted by the final back-and-forth immunity challenge that came down to one backward puzzle piece.
• Sam's dramatic comeback in the firemaking challenge and a jury presentation where he went down swinging.

Highlights:

• Unique player Bhanu struggling to cope with his sealed fate after volunteering so many tribe secrets that Q had to coach him on how to dodge questions from Jeff Probst. Admittedly, I'd rather watch diverse personalities like this than the same old cookie cutter players--but having said that, any competitor who stoops to begging and prayer to get ahead in a game doesn't win a heart from me.
• Yanu losing every immunity challenge until the final one, avoiding a record-breaking losing streak.
• An interesting merge episode with six players discussing a novel "plus one" alliance, the swing three-person Yanu tribe favoring the tribe with more cracks (the five-person Nami tribe) over the guarded five-person Siga tribe, and the Nami and Siga tribes each volunteering a name as if they were sacrificing tributes to the Hunger Games.
• Q finally getting ostracized (by everyone but Maria) after his unpredictable whims on which people to target in his tribe--himself included--such as Jelinsky for quitting the "Sweat" challenge they were unlikely to win (instead of playing for pride?), Tim then Tiffany for floating votes against a member of "The Six" (ultimately a joke of an alliance), Hunter and Ben for winning Hide 'N Seek, and Q himself for leaking the Tevin blindside to Hunter. The close-up on Q's eyes in the recap was a nice touch.
• Starving, food-allergic Liz flipping out when Q denied her a sentimental Applebee's food reward in possibly the hangriest meltdown I've ever seen on Survivor (complete with Venus reversing course in the middle of it, and the castaways on the reward not even eating the Bourbon Street Mushroom Swiss Burger that was so special to her).
• Kenzie almost choking the final firemaking challenge, and basically edging out the jury votes with the perfect jury answer about spending the million dollars on herself instead of her salon employees. Admittedly, I rooted for her in the end because I liked her overall story more than the narrative Charlie pushed of being a fence-sitter--and I was relieved it didn't go to a tiebreaker, as I didn't trust Ben to determine the outcome of the game after that tribal council where he wrote the wrong name down.

Highlights:

• Rudy Boesch's curmudgeonly remarks.
• Sean Kenniff's alphabet strategy.
• The riveting final episode.
• The most deserving player winning. Too bad that he neglected to pay his taxes. :)

Highlights:

• Rob playing the best strategic game I've ever seen, including keeping kooky "Former Federal Agent?" Phillip to the end, making up the "Royal Treatment" game so he could scramble for the hidden immunity idol (then hilariously sabotaging the clues), segregating the tribes, inventing the ingenius buddy system, and even preventing his starving tribe from eating the enemies' fish.
• Russell's tribe throwing a challenge (and dooming themselves) just to get rid of him. blog, blog
• Matt returning to the game after winning six out of six duels on Redemption Island; then getting voted out again at the very next tribal council! Das cold. blog
• Rob pulling out an emotional, clutch victory in that final nail-biting immunity challenge.
• Rob, arguably the best player never to win the game, finally winning the game. blog

Highlights:

• Boston Rob's real-life "poker" friends and Sandra turning on his wife Amber in a heartbeat, during a premiere episode where panic and paralysis reigned.
• Boston Rob checking for a hidden immunity idol by convincing everyone at tribal council to empty their bags; then after the tribal swap, hilariously reinstituting the "buddy system" at camp (basically like a father grounding his kids).
• Inspirational cancer survivor Ethan gutting through an inhumane Edge of Extinction challenge where the four of them had to hike up and down a mountain 20 times before sundown, all for one fire token.
• Adam mistaking the emblem on Jeff Probst's tribal council podium for a hidden immunity idol, and trying to jiggle it loose in front of everyone.
• The show unexpectedly letting all of the castaways spend time with their families (including the eliminated players on Edge of Extinction) after Jeff Probst pretended that the kids would have to dig in the loved one challenge to stay with their parents.
• Sarah playing chicken with Jeremy on who will play their pre-vote advantage first, then stealing a vote from Denise to successfully bait Kim into wasting her hidden immunity idol on Denise. Then two episodes later in an even crazier tribal council, Sarah refusing Tony's immunity idol play for her and Jeremy screaming from the tension of not playing Michele's 50/50 immunity coin.
• Tony relapsing into his cartoonish hijinks like scaring everyone with his shoddy homemade ladder, scrambling for fire tokens to pay off his Extortion Advantage, and inventing new redundant spycraft, e.g., the "spy nest". Hijinks aside, Tony might be the most death-defying winner I've ever seen in the annals of Survivor.
• Tony and Sarah competing in a heartbreaking fire challenge to decide the presumptive winner of the two million dollars. I pretty much checked out during the jury presentation, but found the split-screen "award show" format of the virtual final vote reading interesting (and possibly even better than their traditional onstage format).

Highlights:

• The show letting the fans vote on which ex-players to cast into the season, and actually having a great selection too. It's like the show read my mind on who to nominate. blog
• Kelley Wentworth making the first tribal challenge excruciatingly suspenseful when she bided (and bided) her time on the hidden immunity idol. (Also by trying to grab another one underneath the shelter before any of her tribesmates came back.) blog
• Outsiders Tasha and Andrew Savage managing to control the vote of the six-person tribe they got swapped into.
• Spencer somehow staying one step ahead of multiple eliminations, including one where his sworn enemy Chaos Kass inexplicably saved him!
• Kelley invalidating a landslide nine votes against her with an immunity idol, a Survivor record and quite possibly the most cosmic gaffe I've ever seen a majority alliance make. blog
• Stephen Fishbach obsessing the entire game about voting Joe out and still failing even after using a "steal-a-vote" advantage to turn Joe's vote on himself. Also Joe obsessing so hard about winning immunity challenges that his body finally gave out!
• Jeremy and Kelley both playing immunity idols, leading to an unprecedented tribal council where every single vote got invalidated. Maybe I'm just a stickler for formalities, but I wanted Jeff Probst to actually go through all the motions, i.e., hold the revote, dramatically reveal the result, hold the second revote, dramatically reveal the result, and then if need be end with the irony of giving Keith (who wanted to draw rocks in the first place) a bag with only one rock in it.
• The final four actually coming down to the best four players.

Highlights:

• "Public enemy number one" Brad Culpepper intentionally using the other tribe's loved ones against them, smartly telling wife Monica to burn an immunity clue given to her by a rival married couple, and then ending up exiled with that very couple after Caleb improvised a coup! blog
• Castaways burning immunity clues instead of using them.
• The merge presenting a wide variety ways to "slice the pie", e.g., by tribe, by couples, by gender, or by original alliances.
• Ciera voting out her own mother to get further in the game--which isn't as bad as it sounds because they pre-discussed it. On second thought, it IS as bad as it sounds. blog
• Tina eliminating her own daughter Katie at the Redemption Duel, which also made me uncomfortable.

Highlights:

• Russell finding two hidden immunity idols with zero clues, and finding a third one with only one clue.
• A torrent of rainstorms that depressed the castaways and kept them from strategizing.
• One particularly suspenseful tribal council where Russell saved himself with a hidden immunity idol, followed by another suspenseful tribal council where the tide turned. Say what you will about the "purple rock", it deters deadlock most effectively. :)
• Most thrilling final immunity challenge ever that came down to Russell vs. "bump on the log" Brett. Man, a victory by Brett would've ruined the season for me. :)

Highlights:

• Cao Boi campaigning "Plan Voodoo" to flush out the immune player. Amusingly, Cao Boi was the one voted out. blog
• The unprecedented mutiny of Candice and Jonathan.
• The intellectual "business deal" between Yul and Jonathan.
• A nail-biting final vote. I felt that the most deserving player won even though some would dissent that the most athletic player should've won. :)

Highlights:

• The ridiculously false immunity idol...that got played!
• Multiple blindsides...most of them orchestrated by that conniving female alliance.
• The ridiculously bold plot to vote out an immune player...that worked!
• A sappy but entertaining public declaration of love from Ozzy.

Highlights:

• Boston Rob rebounding from his physical collapse, and pretty much carrying the Villains tribe on his shoulders.
• "Plan Voodoo" backfiring on Cirie when she went up against another top player, Tom, whom I viewed as a total antithesis of her.
• Russell feuding with Boston Rob, including such highlights as Russell unapologetically looking for the hidden immunity idol despite the taboo against it, Russell thwarting Rob's "Plan Voodoo" by tricking his top ally Tyson into eliminating himself, Russell casually suggesting to Rob that they vote out the two people sitting with them, and a final showdown wherein Russell successfully corrupted Jerri and Coach against Rob. Rob's parting words to Coach: "You're a little man." Wow. blog
• Sanda standing up to Russell and plotting against him; poisoning him against Coach and trying to stage a coup (then eventually resorting to burning Russell's hat; haha, the irony).
• J.T. tragically smuggling a hidden immunity idol (packaged in a written letter) to the last person he should ever entrust an idol to, Russell, based on the Heroes' misconception of an all-female Villains alliance!
• Parvati headlining the greatest episode in Survivor history (the one where the Heroes and Villains merged). blog
• Amanda and Danielle wrestling for possession of a game-changing clue to the next hidden immunity idol (unprecedented and reminded me of Barry Bonds' 73rd home run baseball). blog
• Rupert faking a hidden immunity idol by hiding a rock in his pants. Brilliant way to save himself, and I'm surprised that no one ever thought of that before.
• Russell spearheading the unexpected self-destruction of the Villains alliance. blog
• The final immunity challenge (a maze) coming down to a climactic photofinish.
• The final three actually coming down to the best three players. blog