Now that Survivor: Worlds Apart is over, where does it fall in the overall season rankings?

'Survivor' Fans Outraged After Surprising 'Second Chance' Snubs

Going into Worlds Apart, Jeff Probst and company were hyping up the season as having the best cast in the show's history. Probst even told Entertainment Weekly that "just based on my experience, this was one of my favorite seasons of all time."

While the pre-merge episodes were relatively strong with colorful characters like Vince Sly, Lindsey Cascaddan and Max Dawson and a fun conceptual twist, Worlds Apart was shaping up to be a strong entry in the long running reality series. But once the merge happened, many fans found themselves disappointed week in and week out.

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The show built up players like Joe Anglim, Shirin Oskooi and Jenn Brown only to have them eliminated one by one while players with near invisible edits like Sierra and Tyler and negative edits like Rodney, Dan and Will survived. Many viewers found it to be unsatisfying to see one big alliance of arguably unlikable people outlasting likable underdogs.

There was no big overthrow for four consecutive episodes starting with Hali Ford's elimination and culminating with fan favorite Shirin's boot. Once it got down to seven people left, there was a compelling story in seeing Mike Holloway fight to stay in the game, ultimately winning five individual Immunity Challenges.

Despite a predictable boot order and the survival of more unlikable people, the season was packed with many comedic moments. Rodney's antics sustained many episodes, particularly his multi-episode birthday arc. Jenn's no-care attitude, Hali's over-the-top patriotism and Shirin's enthusiasm were other highlights in the middle section of the season. Mike's win was also cast in a very positive light.

However, the season was ultimately weighed down by overwhelming negativity. Dan's numerous outrageous comments and Will's verbal takedown of Shirin overshadowed much of the season's gameplay and fun moments, resulting in a negative response from hardcore and casual fans alike.

With some distance, Worlds Apart might be remembered and appreciated as a raw and "real" season with loads of memorable moments or it may always have an unchanging negative reputation, like Redemption Island.

Survivor returns in the fall with the highly anticipated "Second Chance" season. It will return to its regular Wednesdays at 8 p.m. timeslot.

Tags: survivor Reality TV CBS