Australian Survivor: Australia vs The World Discussion Thread

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It’s an impressive win for Parvati, but in no way can this win be an equal to Tony’s (and Sandra’s) two wins. A 16 day season, Parv and Cirie having an automatic ride or die, and unequal starting tribes (4 women to 3 men). Again, a very impressive win, but not equal to an American season of Survivor.

While I'm not discounting your points, I have heard/thought of some other arguments that make the case for Parvati's win.

To the point of Parv having Cirie there with her, Tony had Sarah as a ride or die on his starting tribe in WaW. Yes, they became enemies in Cagayan, but they clearly had a strong bond outside the game that wasn't going to break.

To the point of the women having the advantage, that is true. However, you could also look at it through the lens of the International players having the numbers advantage over the Americans that Parvati overcame.

I also heard the argument that Survivor should be focused on "votes survived" rather than "days played". Parvati this season actually survived more votes than Michele in her winning season. Tom and Erika went to the same number as Parv. Yul, Bob, Earl, Maryanne, Natalie, Amber, and Brian only attended one more Tribal Council than Parvati. Parvati in Micronesia only attended one more Tribal council than in AU v World. When you look strictly at percentages (which may not be a great argument if you're making this case, but I'll share anyway), the only winners of US Survivor who attended a larger percent of Tribal Councils than her were JT, Vecepia, Nick, Natalie, and Denise.

Then, of course, you look at the level of competition. While a smaller cast, they clearly were better competition than many of the US winner had to face. And compared to the early seasons that had 16 players, this cast only had two less, which isn't that drastic of a difference.

Again, I'm not discounting your points, I just heard more arguments while listening to podcasts. I'm still not sure how I factor this season into overall rankings. I think my biggest thing is, if I take this game into account, I should be looking at all Australian Survivor players. It blurs the lines between the two franchises. If I do factor this in, I think Parvati is the best of all time, even if we don't weigh this season as heavily as others. If we don't factor it in, I think there's a conversation between Parvati and Tony (and some would throw Sandra in, too).

 

[artvandelay]

While I'm not discounting your points, I have heard/thought of some other arguments that make the case for Parvati's win.

To the point of Parv having Cirie there with her, Tony had Sarah as a ride or die on his starting tribe in WaW. Yes, they became enemies in Cagayan, but they clearly had a strong bond outside the game that wasn't going to break.

To the point of the women having the advantage, that is true. However, you could also look at it through the lens of the International players having the numbers advantage over the Americans that Parvati overcame.

I also heard the argument that Survivor should be focused on "votes survived" rather than "days played". Parvati this season actually survived more votes than Michele in her winning season. Tom and Erika went to the same number as Parv. Yul, Bob, Earl, Maryanne, Natalie, Amber, and Brian only attended one more Tribal Council than Parvati. Parvati in Micronesia only attended one more Tribal council than in AU v World. When you look strictly at percentages (which may not be a great argument if you're making this case, but I'll share anyway), the only winners of US Survivor who attended a larger percent of Tribal Councils than her were JT, Vecepia, Nick, Natalie, and Denise.

Then, of course, you look at the level of competition. While a smaller cast, they clearly were better competition than many of the US winner had to face. And compared to the early seasons that had 16 players, this cast only had two less, which isn't that drastic of a difference.

Again, I'm not discounting your points, I just heard more arguments while listening to podcasts. I'm still not sure how I factor this season into overall rankings. I think my biggest thing is, if I take this game into account, I should be looking at all Australian Survivor players. It blurs the lines between the two franchises. If I do factor this in, I think Parvati is the best of all time, even if we don't weigh this season as heavily as others. If we don't factor it in, I think there's a conversation between Parvati and Tony (and some would throw Sandra in, too).

That’s some good points I didn’t think about. Another point about Tony. After being voted out early in Game Changers, he realized he had to play an entirely different game in WaW. He switched up from the chaotic player to the loyal player. That is difficult to do.

I think Cirie is the best to never win, unless she can win 50.

Where does Boston Rob fit into this discussion? A bitter jury denied him the win in All Stars. But, if he wins that season, does he keep coming back for multiple seasons?

Did you notice that Australian Survivor barely had puzzles? The only one I can remember is the large stacking blocks.

 

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That’s some good points I didn’t think about. Another point about Tony. After being voted out early in Game Changers, he realized he had to play an entirely different game in WaW. He switched up from the chaotic player to the loyal player. That is difficult to do.

I think Cirie is the best to never win, unless she can win 50.

Where does Boston Rob fit into this discussion? A bitter jury denied him the win in All Stars. But, if he wins that season, does he keep coming back for multiple seasons?

Did you notice that Australian Survivor barely had puzzles? The only one I can remember is the large stacking blocks.

I do think Rob is a good player, but I'd put him below Parv, Tony, and Sandra. Maybe even Cirie. He plays a "dictator" style of game that doesn't always work well. And the season he did win had a low level of competition. I think he's a good player, don't get me wrong, but I see some flaws in his game that the others don't have. He's not super flexible.

 

[artvandelay]

I do think Rob is a good player, but I'd put him below Parv, Tony, and Sandra. Maybe even Cirie. He plays a "dictator" style of game that doesn't always work well. And the season he did win had a low level of competition. I think he's a good player, don't get me wrong, but I see some flaws in his game that the others don't have. He's not super flexible.

Rob’s flaws definitely were shown in WaW. He tried to put them on “the Boston Rob Lockdown “ and they looked at him like he was crazy.

 

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Rob’s flaws definitely were shown in WaW. He tried to put them on “the Boston Rob Lockdown “ and they looked at him like he was crazy.

Without including AU vs The World, here's what I had as my top 10. Nothing has changed with it since season 45, when Dee entered the conversation. However, some of these could move around pretty easily. But there are tiers. For example 1-2 could change within their tier, but they are definitely my top 2. 3-6 is another tier grouping that could flex around. 7-8 is another. And 9-10 is another.

1. Parvati
2. Tony
3. Cirie
4. Kim
5. Sandra
6. Rob
7. Sarah
8. Jeremy
9. Yul
10. Dee

 

[artvandelay]

Without including AU vs The World, here's what I had as my top 10. Nothing has changed with it since season 45, when Dee entered the conversation. However, some of these could move around pretty easily. But there are tiers. For example 1-2 could change within their tier, but they are definitely my top 2. 3-6 is another tier grouping that could flex around. 7-8 is another. And 9-10 is another.

1. Parvati
2. Tony
3. Cirie
4. Kim
5. Sandra
6. Rob
7. Sarah
8. Jeremy
9. Yul
10. Dee

Solid list. I’d put Tom Westman in there at 10

 

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Solid list. I’d put Tom Westman in there at 10

I think the reason I put others ahead of Tom is because his tribe avoided Tribal for the entire first half of the season (outside of when they both had to, and Willard was the easy vote).