Survivor: The 10 Best Finale Reunion Episodes, According To Reddit
One of the greatest things about the social experiment reality television show Survivor is getting to see contestants go from being total strangers to having long-lasting relationships well after the game is over. The best way to get an update on how the players feel about one another and if any hard feelings remain is through the reunion show that typically airs live after each season’s finale.
In the early years, the reunion show was a great way to catch up with fan-favorite players and hear how each castaway was affected by the elements of the game. In recent seasons, however, it’s been condensed into a 30-minute talk show that is focused more on primarily interviewing the recently announced winner and promoting upcoming CBS series.
10 Vanuatu (Season 9)
Survivor: Vanuatu had a lot to live up to coming off of the first-ever all-star season of Survivor, and it didn’t disappoint. Borrowing the men versus women theme from The Amazon, Vanuatu was a season that proved that viewers should never discount the underdog — they might just win the whole thing.
Reddit user babyofakangaroo praised the reunion show for Vanuatu because of its hilarity among the characters fans had enjoyed all season, “China had a great reunion. My favorite though is Vanuatu. Jeff is just not having the Chris win or the Twila hate and it’s so funny to watch. Lots of Ami and Leanne being queens and just overall entertaining.”
9 Philippines (Season 25)
Survivor: Philippines featured three returning players who were previously medically evacuated to serve as captains of their tribes. The season had everything a fan could ask for; a cursed Survivor tribe taken out one by one in the first four tribal councils, a former child actress, and the underdogs taking control of the game.
Redditor nickman7896 talked about how much they enjoyed the reunion show, “I was really impressed with the Philippines reunion because Jeff actually asked every contestant a question, even if for some people it was like, ‘Why were you so boring?'” In recent years, a lot of pre-merge contestants get the short end of the stick and aren’t interviewed at the live show, but Philippines broke that pattern and included everyone, something fans were happy to see.
8 Millennials Vs. Gen X (Season 33)
The 33rd season of Survivor was a hit for a number of reasons. Despite its lackluster theme (separating two generations), the season had a great fresh set of castaways with bright personalities that lit up on-screen.
Just when fans thought the season couldn’t get much better, they got a great live reunion show in which Adam Klein took home the grand prize. Viewers got to hear Adam retell his last interaction with his mother, and witness the awkward reunion between failed showmance Taylor and Figgy. Redditor misshawk said, “I liked the Mil v GenX reunion – thought it was satisfying after the season that was played. Plus you get some fun baby mama drama.”
7 Micronesia (Season 16)
Most Survivor fans can agree that Micronesia, aka Fans Vs Favorites, is a perfect season of the reality series. From epic blindsides to the evolution of the black widow brigade, season 16 is one that viewers love to rewatch in its entirety, including the live reunion show.
Reddit user Jsusalla12 wrote on a thread asking fans which reunions are worth watching, “I like Micronesia’s a lot. It seems that back then Jeff focused a lot more on hearing from everyone (or almost everyone), even someone as forgettable as Mary. I liked this because I think it shows the varying perspectives from the contestants, whether they were pre-jury, a jury member, a finalist, or the winner.”
6 Blood Vs. Water (Season 27)
At the live reunion show for Caramoan, the season prior to Blood Vs Water, the castaways eliminated prior to the merge were forced to sit in the audience instead of being on-stage with the rest of the cast. That, coupled with the fact that only the finalists were interviewed, made it a reunion show fans disliked greatly.
The Blood Vs Water twist and live show was a nice change of pace, with each player sitting with the loved one they accompanied on the season and being interviewed equally. Redditor yubbss echoed the sentiment that season 27’s reunion was a return to normalcy that viewers loved, “BvW was a nice change after the Caramoan reunion, especially with the loved ones sitting with each other.”
5 Palau (Season 10)
Survivor: Palau is among one of the best seasons of the show. It featured Ulong’s unprecedented losing streak and eventual demise, a fresh batch of players who became fan-favorites, and a satisfying end result in Tom Westman’s win.
Reddit user lachie07 wrote on a thread that asked which reunion show was their favorite writing, “Palau. Tom is a really classy winner, who congratulates Katie before celebrating. (For me this was cool, probs not that important.) Jeff asks everyone questions. Some of the players roast each other. We get an end to the narrative between Tom and Ian, two of the most popular players ever.”
4 China (Season 15)
The fifteenth season of Survivor was praised for its strong characters and change in location, with two of the season’s players being featured on the following one, Fans Vs Favorites, before China had even finished airing.
While the reunion show had its awkward moments with Jeff asking questions pertaining to Erik’s virginity and Courtney’s eating habits, it did have its nice interviews that gave more insight into who each player was in their everyday lives. Redditor telekinetic wrote, “I felt like good conversations that were had during the China reunion added the most to the season, particularly of Todd, Courtney, and James.”
3 All-Stars (Season 8)
Survivor: All-Stars is a divisive season among fans, as some have praised the showmance between ‘Boston’ Rob and Amber while others have deemed it as boring and not fun to watch two people run the entire game for 39 days.
Regardless, the season was entertaining due to it being the first time that previous players returned to play again. The reunion show was no exception, with lots of drama after an already dramatic season. Redditor embenjamin14 commented on the entertainment factor of the live reunion by writing, “All Stars was by far the best reunion show. So much tension and animosity, plus Jerri getting boo-ed off the stage. I actually think that the reunion for All Stars was better than the actual season.”
2 Borneo (Season 1)
The first season of Survivor set the tone and the precedent for the rest of the series, including the introduction of a reunion show airing after the season wrapped up. The only difference being that this reunion took place a while after the original ending aired, and was not hosted by Jeff Probst.
The reunion also gave all of the players airtime and allowed them to speak their minds on their reality television experience. Reddit user barn_yard praised the first-ever reunion, “I remember watching the Borneo reunion thinking ‘This is such a good idea! All of my favourite cast aways are here together talking about the experience!’ I remember at the end of the reunion I was a bit heart broken because the season was truly over. Man, I really love Survivor.”
1 Heroes Vs. Villains (Season 20)
Survivor: Heroes Vs Villains is a fan-favorite among viewers because of the big names and even bigger moves they made. The reunion show was just another great episode of the season, including a bitter loser in Russell Hantz and updates from every hero and villain.
Reddit user dreining101 shared all of their favorite moments from the reunion show, “Having just rewatched the HvV finale, I’ve gotta vote for its reunion. The atmosphere is pretty genial and fun (despite Russell being Russell the whole time), Sandra wears a tiara the entire time and declares herself queen of Survivor, JT wins ‘some tiki thing with his name on it’ and nearly throws the idol love letter (nicely laminated) into the fire, Stephenie gets her #promo in, and storylines are set up for both Redemption Island and Blood vs Water.”
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