The New Era of Survivor has finally come to a close. Most fans define this era by it's shortcomings: 26 days, twists, journeys, camp counsellor casting, etc. But when I look back at the 40's, there's so many moments and characters that make me smile. Survivor has been fun recently. What more can we ask for? And in this tapestry I think Survivor 49 falls somewhere in the middle. Maybe forgettable is the best word for it, but it's definitely not offensively bad. This was a season I had a lot of fun with.

The big promise Jeff Probst made for Survivor 49 was to expect an unpredictable endgame. A boring premerge into an epic postmerge. In hindsight, I can see why that was the narrative they pushed. Rizo, Savannah and Sophi really did beat all the odds to get to the end. Clutch immunities, impressive idol holds, and savvy social games actually turned an unwinnable scenario into gold. This was a great underdog story. If I wasn't spoiled for Season 50 it probably would have been amazing.

Bear with me, but I think the season can be best explained through gaming terms. "Smurfing in Low Elo" is when a really good player matches against a much worse player. The result is the embarassing shellacking of the worse player. Obviously the big question about this seasons gameplay is whether the winners player a good game or the losers played a bad game. Of course, two things can be true. Compared to their competition, Savannah, Rizo and Sophi were smurfing.

I'm here to give "Tres Leches" their flowers. Rizo quite frankly reinvented how idols should be played. In an era where people waste idols all the time, he maybe displayed the best use of an idol in Survivor history. Savannah clawed her way to the victory. People who discount players because they required immunities are people that don't understand physicallity is part of Survivor. Tres Leches was also so good at convincing the weaker players to go with their plans. RizGod was mindcontrolling them on a few votes.

All of that being said, this season had atrocious gameplay. It was hard to watch these people apathetically throw their own games away. MC threw away her idol and then blew up her spot randomly. Sophi fumbled her Knowledge is Power and stopped herself from entering the history books. Sage and Jawan were in a endless competition to make their games look erratic and emotional. Kristina forgot she was on Survivor. There was too many people on this season without gumption. And all the players with gumption banded together.

However, the only real knock I have against this season is the lack of characters. There was nobody really for me that I was dying to see win. I liked Steven, I liked Jawan, I liked Sophi. But the cast was suprisingly lowkey. Savannah and Rizo ended up being my favorites, but for their gameplay much more than their personalities. I really do love Savannah actually. Her being cutthroat is refreshing.

Survivor 49 is a pretty milquetoast, but very well executed, season. I would definitely not recommend it as a first watch for any new viewer, but I would never tell someone to skip it either. It's good Survivor! And I can't wait for Season 50.

Here's my new era season rankings:

1. 46
2. 47
3. 45
4. 42
5. 49
6. 43
7. 48
8. 44
9. 41