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30. Episode 1012…We'll Make You Pay

May 5, 2005

At the reward challenge, Ian and Tom realized that they had lost Katie's loyalty. While she, Gregg, and Jenn were off on a yacht, enjoying their reward, Caryn, Ian, and Tom hatched a plan to oust Gregg. To make sure Gregg didn't get suspicious, Caryn acted as though she was going to go. Minutes before Tribal Council, Ian revealed the plan to Katie, and she joined Caryn, Ian, and Tom in voting off Gregg.

Quote: "No, we'll pay you back." - Tom Westman to Gregg after he and Ian weren't picked to go on the reward

Why it made the top 30: This is one that just blew me away the night it aired. Even though I'm a Palau fan, I've always agreed with a lot of the criticisms people have with it, one of them being that it was possibly the most predictable season ever (at least until Fiji). This episode kind of took a break from the obvious boot order though, and Caryn actually had a personality for the first time. You've got to love Jenn reacting to Gregg's boot in silent disgust and Gregg looking like somebody just kicked him in the stomach. One scene that always makes me laugh for some reason (if you haven't already noticed, I'm easily amused) is Tom and Ian making an ultra-dramatic agreement to pull rocks if it comes down to a tie. They make it seem as though they're playing Russian Roulette, but they want to get a sniper to off Gregg before they have to play. Caryn actually does a surprisingly awesome job acting to convince Gregg that she knows she's going, but even though it worked, in hindsight it's such an idiotic plan because wouldn't someone who knows they're getting voted out try to plot and save themselves? But I love the episodes that don't really hide the boot and just showcase the complete strategy from start to finish. I call them "Anatomy of a Blindside" episodes and this is definitely not the last one that makes this list.

Like I Said, I'm Easily Amused: …But I know I'm not the only one who laughs at this every time I see the episode. What is Gregg's best friend's name?

29. Episode 401…Back to the Beach

February 28, 2002

For the first time on Survivor, the 16 castaways are stranded without any water or food. When Maraamu was paddling to the beach, Sarah relaxed as the others worked. Sean claimed that it was "almost like Cleopatra." At Rotu, Kathy began to order the tribe around, and at Maraamu, Hunter seemed to showcase leadership qualities. But one member of the tribe, Rob, was more interested in Sarah's body than anything else. Peter began talking about strategy too early in the game, and when Maraamu lost the first challenge, he became the first boot.

Quote: "Sarah has a very cute body-she paid a lot for it." - Vecepia Towery

Why it made the top 30: I think that this is easily the best "regular" premiere of them all, and it's definitely the funniest. Vecepia of all people delivers one of the best lines of the entire season with a totally uncharacteristic knock at Sarah; we get introduced to one of the biggest characters in reality TV history, Boston Rob, via…him chasing a rooster around; Kathy starting the game off on a terrible foot (that fortunately didn't last too long); and the most entertaining first boot ever. Peter talking about holes and the tribe's facial expressions are priceless and Boston Rob, king of unnecessarily rude comments actually calls Peter…a "fruit loop." Oh man, I can't believe he went there!

Buff Enough: Marquesas is the final season in which what word is printed on the Survivors' buffs?

28. Episode 607…Girls Gone Wilder

March 26, 2003

The two tribes merged, and the women hoped to vote off the sexist Roger, who was bashed throughout the episode by both sexes. The immunity challenge was the classic "Perch" challenge from the second season. Jenna and Heidi offered to strip if they could get chocolate and peanut butter. They got their food, and stayed true to their promise. Deena won the challenge, and the women got their wish when Roger was ousted.

Quote: "The only way Roger is gonna win immunity is if it's a contest of 'Name That Perry Como Song.' Or perhaps 'What Type of Prune is This?'" - Rob Cesternino

Why it made the top 30: You know, when this first aired, until Tribal Council started, I was convinced that all the Roger boot discussion was a red herring, because there was no way they would make the boot so obvious. They literally showed almost everyone talking about how priceless this blindside is going to be, how Roger is totally clueless that he's going to be voted out…I thought for sure there would be some last-minute decision where the guys got together for the vote, but it never happened. Oh yeah, and Jenna and Heidi stripped for chocolate and peanut butter, but it was censored and neither of them were looking all that superb at the moment, so I've never understood why people made such a big deal out of it. I guess they got a Playboy cover for it, so more power to 'em. But yeah, the reason it makes the top 30 is because they not only don't hide the boot at all, but they really go out of their way to make Roger come off as a complete asshole. It's easily the most one-sided episode ever.

Fun with Reruns: The ending of this first post-merge challenge exactly duplicated the events of a previous one. What happened?

27. Episode 303…The Gods Are Angry

October 25, 2001

At Boran, two lions came very close to the camp when most of the tribe was sleeping. Samburu was dealing with a problem of their own: the younger members of the tribe lazed around, while the older members did all the work. The younger members even ate without the rest of the tribe, and Lindsey made bead necklaces for her alliance. Boran won clean water at Jeff Probst's favorite challenge ever, Rock 'n' Roll. Boran also won the S.O.S. immunity challenge, sending Samburu to their first Tribal Council. A deadlocked tie resulted in Carl and Lindsey facing off in a trivia competition. Lindsey won, and Carl's torch was snuffed.

Quote: "They're immature, they're trying to get under our skin, and it's working." - Carl Bilancione, on the younger members of Samburu

Why it made the top 30: This is an episode that is impossible to appreciate without knowing how the rest of the season goes. Because when you're watching it for the first time and don't know that the game will change in a major way in just two episodes, the end result just makes you lose all hope. The age split at Samburu really made the entire tribe come across poorly, save for Teresa and maybe Kim. But there's no question that the elders are the more bearable bunch so it's incredibly depressing when Lindsey wins the tiebreaker. That said, the build-up to the tie is what earns it a spot on the countdown. You really can't predict the boot here, because it's not like there's even a swing vote or a dilemma here; it's flat-out going to be a tie. There really is a lot of suspense in this episode, and I have to say the intro scene with Boran getting scared by a few lions is possibly the most 'real' thing ever on the show as far as showing, hey, these people aren't on a Club Med vacation here.

Well, in That Case…: With Carl's departure, it became clear that the young members of Samburu would be picking off the older members if they had to go to Tribal Council again. But because of the tiebreaker rules using previous votes, in the next episode, the younger members wanted Frank, Linda, and Teresa to do them a favor and pile their votes onto Lindsey rather than put another member at future risk. When Linda asked what was in it for the older trio, what did Brandon tell her?

26. Episode 210…Honeymoon or Not?

March 29, 2001

When the Barramundi tribe receives Tree Mail, it says that they need to divide into four pairs of one man and one woman. Jerri immediately declares that she wants to be with Colby. The rest of the tribe feels that's unfair, and the women pull names out of a hat to determine the partnerships. Jerri ends up picking Colby anyway, and they win a helicopter trip to the Great Barrier Reef. With Nick next on the pecking order, he desperately needed immunity. He won the challenge, and Ogakor decided that Elisabeth would be the next target. However, when the votes were read, only Jerri and Amber had voted for Elisabeth. Everyone else decided it was time to get rid of Jerri's bad attitude.

Quote: "When did this game start being fair?" - Jerri Manthey

Why it made the top 30: Who wasn't ecstatic when this episode aired? The entire country, even people who didn't watch Survivor, knew and hated Jerri Manthey. The thing is, I think we all begrudgingly admitted that she was entertaining and if she got voted out, the show would lose a great character, but she was so annoying and unlikable that every Friday morning, the first thing people said at school or the office was "Can you believe that Jerri's still around? I can't stand her!" As far as villains go, she's probably one of the tamest ever featured on the show, yet she's easily the greatest, just because people got so wrapped up in Jerri hatred. The best part of the episode isn't her boot itself but the reward she shares with Colby, and how behind her back, they have completely polarizing views on the whole thing, and it's probably the highlight of the season's best story arc of Jerri's unrequited lust for Colby. And the immunity challenge is excellent-not only does Nick pull off a much-needed win, but the challenge itself is pretty cool and should be brought back. Jerri's boot ultimately does hurt the season, but I don't know if I'd want to have her stick around at the expense of this excellent episode.

Match Game: Match the women to their reward challenge partners. You need to have all of them right to get credit.