After this last season of Survivor ended, and with all the excitement surrounding the returnees being voted into next season, I was going through withdrawals. This hasn't happened since the first couple of years!

So I decided to re-watch old seasons that I've taped and have saved over the years, and chose Cook Islands, as it's the earliest one that I have.

It's fun because it's the first time we see Ozzy, Candice, Parvati, Jonathan. When you know the outcome, it's interesting to see how it came to be, especially when it looks like it's never going to happen that way. But then one decision by one person can change the entire game.

Also, the hidden immunity rules were different back then. It could still be used after the votes were read. Candice was sent to Exile Island a hundred times and the idol was already gone. She and Adam had a romantic relationship. I wonder how weird that would be for her husband John if they decided to go back and watch that season. They probably wouldn't. lol

My favourites were Penner, Adam, Parv and Candice (I'm not racist, I promise lol), so I enjoyed the first half of the game more than the last half. Although I also loved the tight bond that developed between Yul and company. Actually my opinions on certain people changed a few times throughout the season based on the editing, but I've never really been a fan of the winner. I feel like Penner, Ozzy, Parvati and Candice are a few of the better known players in Survivor history, but this is like one of the forgotten seasons.

KC @ 2/6/2015 21:59

Mainly because it's considered a tainted season due to the bottle twist and the overpowered idol.

When the New Raro tribe lost the challenge, went to TC, and opened the bottle that said they had to vote out a second person?

How did Jonathan not find the idol on his first time out there but Yul did? He found where it would have been after Yul had been there. I'm glad they changed the idol's powers to the one they have now. But Jonathan flipping on his old original tribemates to vote out Nate was where the game completely turned around. He felt like he was forced to vote with them to save his own hide, but once he knew they'd be voting Nate, he could have voted for Yul. Nate would still have left, but Yul would have had to have used his idol to stay in the game. He'd have been in no worse position really, but I guess by that point Jonathan had had enough of those kids being lazy, etc.

It's funny...I'd been watching it every night when I'd go to bed, sometimes even two episodes in a row. But since Candice was voting out in the last one, I skipped a night. Cause I know it's all downhill for those peeps from here. lol