#18: Seychelles (Season 10, September - October 2013)
Winner: Sam S./superman11 (4-2-1)
Wiki page: http://bit.ly/1wOfeen
Now we move out of the realm of the seasons we wish never happened, and into the realm of the season that you never knew existed because nothing of any relevance happens. The season that makes you go - OH YEAH that season where Weber was an incoherent pseudo-villain.
It started when I thought it would be a good idea to have my first ever 20-person season as an all newbie season....... yeah no not one of my brightest ideas. Then we divided a cast full of people you won't be able to name (no seriously, besides Weber try and name someone from that season off the top of your head) intro four tribes. Because that of course helps activity levels. We then added in a Looting twist which was irrelevant and started it in ernest despite the fact the biggest names on the cast were Carraid73 and coolnarwhal88. Ouch.
Then we did the first challenge with our four tribes, and it was so inactive NOBODY won. So I just sent all four tribes to Tribal, and so Logan, Sharon, Dan and Rex left. No seriously. They were actual applicants. They existed. They lasted one day, but they existed. Then I did another two days with four tribes which led to the elimination of Brendan who was actually slightly relevant (screw you Weber), and then the tribe swap came. Another inactive departed in Jay (again, who?), and then followed the THREE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE IN THE GAME. Chris and Ali both left by the hand of Weber (screw you again), followed by Will, whose personality only came out at the reunion when he was mad for some reason (still better than half this cast).
Still Chris and Ali's early departures were just bleh. The pre-merge in general was a mix of inactive boots and disappointing exits of good characters. But don't worry! The merge is what stops this season from being dead last..... ish. It starts off again with an equal 5-5 situation on post-swap Boileau and Lazare (three equal merges as the bottom three seasons LMAO). The vote itself is interesting as it leads to the blindside of Bennett... BUT he happens to be one of the only few decent root-able people still in the game. Double edged sword much? But don't worry, that is quickly fixed by the subsequent UNANIMOUS blindside of WEBER! (PRAISE THE LORD!) HE was the person who flipped on Bennett and everyone ratted him out. So they got hid of him just like THAT. However there was still a problem since post-swap Lazare now had a 5-3 advantage over post-swap Boileau.
BUT, unlike Mongolia and Great Britain where they continue to pagong, the head honchos of Lazare - Klaus and Sam - decide to blindside their own tribunate Raphael (aka Smiley20 one of the MOST root-able players like EVER... possibly because most of the other choices were shit). They're worried because Raphael is tight with his two remaining tribemates from the original Cascade tribe of five (before the swap dismantled it). The two Cascade members happen to be post-swap Boileau minorities, and Klaus doesn't want Raphael using them to take them out later on. But Raphael is clever. He plays an IDOL on himself, voiding those votes against him. However so does Sam who he and the Cascade's are voting. Other Boileau outsider Julian joins the Lazare's in this vote as he is happy to do anything to stay alive. This WOULD have caused a tie, however one of the Cascades, Oliver, ruins Raphael's idol ploy by not voting and receiving a self-vote, and since all other votes are voided, he gets taken out by HIS OWN SINGLE SELF-VOTE. Ofc this puts the nail in the coffin for Raphael since his idol has been played and it is out there that his Lazare allies want him gone, so after he loses the next challenge he is booted from the game, and the Viewers moan in depression.
The last of the Cascade Three, Max, followed them, and they were later joined by Julian, who the Lazares lest 'till last as a thank you for teaming with them. So after a decent first few votes, it decends into the Lazare Four taking out the rest of their enemies. THEN, only three of the foursome can be sitting at the end so one has to go. After Sam wins Immunity, he tams up with his original Ombre tribe member Cameron to take out Klaus, while Klaus teams up with his original Lazare member Ryan to vote Cameron and the vote TIES. Cameron and Klaus pull rocks and it is Cameron who pulls the purple one, missing out on a spot in the Final Three.
So the Final Three is at least SOMEWHAT interesting. Klaus is an appealing, if basic, villain, while Sam is the UTR strategic player, and "Chicago" Ryan is the likeable social butterfly. They each have their own plusses and they aren't GOD AWEFUL floaters or unbearable villains. At the same time, they aren't really the people the viewers want there. Raphael was the guy they wanted to win. He was a likeable underdog who got screwed. And Chris and Ali would have been much better than the likes of Oliver, Max or Cameron (screw you Weber). In the end, as the villain do, Klaus got third with one Jury vote because his social game was RIPPED to shreds. Which a few people put Ryan down to win, it was Sam's UTR social and strategic combo, along with two individual immunities, that bagged him a respectable win. Despite this, he is probably the LEAST memorable winner, as Ty and Kiko from the bottom two seasons are all high-profile for the way their seasons went down (also they returned for MvM so yeah).
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LEVEL OF STRATEGY: 2 out of 5.
This season had an few good strategists like Sam, Raphael, Klaus (if you call making social bonds with Weber and Raphael and breaking them good), and dare I say it, Weber, who at least made moves. The problem is it was riddled with people like Oliver, Max and Cameron who did nothing but follow these strategists. They couldn't think on their own two feet.
ENTERTAINING/LIKEABLE PLAYERS: 2 out of 5
This season had a good few root-able characters. Raphael is the stand out one, and is still to this day known for being a stand out player, and is one of few three-time players so far in this Gen. Chris and Ali were also great characters, but Weber screwed them pre-merge (WEBBBBERRR) Ryan, Sam and Bennett were also likeable.
BLINDSIDES/DRAMA/SHOCKS: 2 out of 5
The early merge stage with the departures of Bennett, Weber and Oliver were the height of this season. It didn't go straight into a pagonging as the tension with Weber and issues with idols put a more unpredictable spin on things. However that does not counteract for a dull pre-merge and a predictable end with Lazare making up the final four.
SATISFYING CONCLUSION: 2 out of 5
For the first time in the rankings we have a conclusion that is at least somewhat pleasing. Sam was a decent winner, but not a memorable one, however that may be more down to the fact this was just a mellow season. It was an OK Final Three, but it must be said that "Chicago" Ryan was more popular than him and that a villain winner in Klaus may have been more welcome and more memorable. EVERYONE was disappointed with that fact that Raphael wasn't going to be there.
VIEWER RECEPTION: 2 out of 5
This season garnered a better reception from the viewers than GB and Mongolia. Whereas those seasons were outright disliked, this just got a meh reaction. They didn't care too much for it, but it wasn't a season they wanted to throw in the trash. It was just... there really. That pretty much sums up this season.
TOTAL SCORE: 10 out of 25 (Grade: Screw You Weber!)
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SEASON HIGHLIGHT:
Raphael and Sam both playing idols, voiding every vote but Oliver's own self-vote, resulting in him causing his own elimination.
STANDOUT PLAYER:
RAPHAEL RAPHAEL RAPHAEL. Anyone who denies how root-able he was during Seychelles is a liar. He was in the majority for a large portion of time, and a dominant pre-merge player, who became an underdog after falling into the minority, saving himself an extra day with a hidden idol. It's a pity he didn't make it past 7th, he would have been a great winner.
SUM-UP:
So know you all know about the forgettable season which wasn't a heap of shit but wasn't anywhere near as exciting as future seasons. OH and a 20-person all newbs cast is BAD. Too many duds. I was considering having a few returnees this season and I probably should have done that. This season is where I started to see that having lots of all newbs seasons was becoming illogical, and since then only Vietnam and Cursed Hand have been all newb seasons (and they're both MUCH better seasons because of it). So wait, who was Julian?
HINT FOR NEXT POSITION:
The next season is what you'd class as a "fun romp".
#StillInTheRunning
Saint Lucia
Brazil
Jordan
All-Stars
Venezuela
Caicos Islands
East Timor
Brunei
Friends vs. Favourites
Vietnam
Occultus Island
Moral vs. Merciless
Cursed Hand
Reclamation
Second Chances
Jan Mayen
Bingo vs. Suitman
Allies vs. Adversaries
This season is the most forgetabble TBQH. Mongolia is the start of an era and Greatbore Train is like the mark you have to pass for fear of death... This season is just so blehh
My first season was called Seychelles and it was amazing. I don't think I'll ever top it, and no other group game or IRL survivor season has bested it.
#18: Seychelles (Season 10, September - October 2013)