Survivor 20 debuts; heroes and villains ranked

Survivor Heroes vs Villains »
by Andy Dehnart / February 11, 2010, 9:55 AM

Tonight, Survivor Heroes vs. Villains debuts with a two-hour episode at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. What’s perhaps most amazing about the debut of the 20th season for me is that I’ve kept watching for 19 seasons. My short attention span and I lose interest in other shows, especially as they age and start to suck for various reasons. But while Survivor has had some so-so seasons, and occasionally starts off slowly, it’s never not been appointment TV for me.

Here are some other thoughts about the anniversary: In The Daily Beast, I consider why the series has survived and what it did for television. In Metro, I give a quick summary of each season and highlight what stands out to me. (That was surprisingly difficult for a few seasons.) And on msnbc.com, I make the case for why all-star seasons usually aren’t my favorite.

Having concluded my series of interviews with the cast, it’s now time to rank them. I’ve never liked predictions, because especially with a game like this, there are too many variables. And with this group especially, it seems more difficult than usual to predict how they’ll do, and how much I like or dislike them is clouded by more than just a half hour with them. (Some of my favorites are in the center of the pack below.)

So, this list is how much they surprised me, ranked from the most surprising—generally, a combination of their honesty, candor, strategy, and attitude—to the least surprising and thus most predictable in their responses: