Let me start off by saying that the new season was pretty good but not great. I loved all of the new cinematic shots and angles they used this time around. It made things feel more dramatic and exciting, even if a lot of the eliminations were kind of predictable. The new locations and backgrounds were pretty nice too. I'll be honest though, I didn't really like the boot order. Like at all. I felt like they focused way too much on the wrong characters. Priya, Millie, Chase, and Emma all got a lot of screen time for being not that interesting. Priya and Millie's friendship was cute, but did not need to be the focal point of the season. Emma and Chase's relationship was an interesting and sometimes funny dynamic, but it way overstayed its welcome. Chase in particular was just awful.

I think this season beats ROTI for the most robbed premerge cast because Caleb, Axel, Nichelle, Scary Girl, Damien, and MK were ALL great characters that I want to see more of! Wayne and Raj going out next at the very early merge sucked, and it ended up being 8 episodes before I was actually happy to see someone go home (Ripper). Once Zee left, there was pretty much no one to root for besides Bowie and Julia, and they were the villains! Now, let's talk more about the cast.

Chris & Chef: Ok, it definitely took me a few episodes to get used to Chris's new voice, but I like it! Terry McGurrin does a great job and I feel like he kind of channeled a bit of Don's personality into the new Chris which was much appreciated since old Chris's insane sadistic nature was getting on my nerves. I like that he was still an asshole, but much more toned down from how he was in ROTI and Pahkitew. I also loved Chef's new personality of actually caring about the relative safety and well-being of the contestants! It was a nice balance to Chris's madness and it gave Chef more to do since he was getting shafted in the previous few seasons.

Caleb: Honestly, Caleb did not deserve to be first boot! I thought he would end up being an egotistical narcissist to warrant being the first one voted off (which was obvious considering he was absent from every promo), but he was actually pretty nice and seemed like a cool dude. It did help build Bowie's credibility as a villain though so I'm not too upset about it. I only wish we would've gotten slightly more buildup to it, but I guess they really wanted to try and shock us with this one. Hopefully Caleb gets more screentime in the second season, because I felt like we didn't get enough of him, even for a first boot.

Axel: I was kind of expecting her to be more competent, but instead she ended up acting like Eva 2.0, which was fine, just not what I was hoping for. I did really enjoyed her character though ,and found her super fun. I kind of wish she wasn't another zombie apocalypse prepper like Shawn, but it was more of minor detail about her so whatever. Her rivalry with Ripper was pretty great, and even though it cost her the game, I'm glad she kicked his ass off the boat! Axel is another character I'm hoping goes deep in the second season, because I feel like there's a lot of potential with her. If she learns from her mistakes and plays smarter, she could make an entertaining finalist!

Nichelle: I'm so sad that Nichelle went early! The writing was kind of on the wall with the promos, but I was holding out hope. Nonetheless, I loved watching her for the 3 episodes she was in! All of her movies were so ridiculous that they were funny! I saw the twist that she doesn't do any of her own stunts coming from a mile away, but I was fine with it. It was cool to see everyone so obsessed with her since she's famous. Nichelle is another one that I hope gets more development in the second season because I just love her character and design!

Scary Girl: Ok, I was wavering back and forth on how I felt about her, but by the end I think I like her! Sometimes she felt super "quirky, not-like-other-girls", but other times she was super hilarious! I love all the neck turning and glitchy shit going on with her character and everyone's reactions to her are just so funny, especially Damien! I don't quite know if I like her voice just yet, but it's not a deal breaker. Also, I guess her real name is Lauren lol. She's not someone I need to see go far in the second season, but she's certainly entertaining so I wouldn't mind if she sticks around for a few episodes again.

Damien: I LOVE Damien! I didn't really have any opinions on him pre-season but his whole shtick of being the only one who hasn't watched the show was so funny. He seems like a really nice guy and I love that they subverted our expectations by making him really smart and not some sound cloud rapper like everyone was expecting. He definitely took a page out of DJ's playbook though by trying to get himself kicked off and then, when he actually wanted to stay, he gets kicked off. That was pretty disappointing ngl. It was predictable and I would've rather seen him want to get voted off and instead make the finale, but oh well. Maybe he'll bring his A-game in the second season and make the finale then!

MK: I really wasn't expecting MK to be evil like so many people were theorizing but they were right! I actually really enjoyed her craftiness and sarcasm. She was a lot of fun to watch and while I'm pretty content with her placement and exit, I do hope she does well in the second season because I like her character and design.

Wayne & Raj: Ok, I'm not gonna lie, I really wasn't as high on these two as everyone else was pre-season, but after finishing the season, I adore them! They're just so much fun and are honestly really funny. Wayne in particular is just the best! I love his thick Canadian accent and he's just the human equivalent of a golden retriever! I love the way he supported Raj and eagerly waited for him to come out to him. Not only was it a funny little subplot, but it was just very heartwarming. Also, it was super awesome of the writers to include Wayne saying that Raj could be gay OR Bi. It's a tiny detail, but as a Bi male, it really was nice for him to not immediately jump to the conclusion that Raj could ONLY be gay. Biphobia and Bi-erasure is a real thing and I'm just really happy they took that into account, even if Raj ends up being gay and not Bi. As for Raj, his relationship with Bowie was unexpected but nice! I'll talk about it more in depth later, but it was good. I'm glad his sexuality wasn't his only personality trait and he felt like a real character with great interactions and an awesome dynamic with Wayne. Overall, I love these two and their elimination was super lame. They went out way too early and their absence DEFINITELY had an impact on the second half of the season. I hope both of them go deep in the second season.

Ripper: Oh boy. His voice actor was not kidding when he said he was literally the worst! This guy sucked so bad. I think I could have tolerated him in a smaller dose, but they really wanted to keep him around to fart some more. He should've been gone so many times but this dude really had plot armor for no reason (especially at the Damien boot). I knew he was going to be the fart character just based on his name, but I didn't think he would be that bad. His character was so saturated with farting that I think he might actually give Owen a run for his money and he was only in half a season! Still, he did have a few funny moments here and there, particularly towards the end of his run and in the finale. I really hope he's an early boot in the second season because I'm already tired of him.

Zee: Ok, I think Zee might be one of my favorite characters now. EVERY scene he was in was hysterical! He reminds me so much of Jude from 6teen in the best way possible. I love how his prosthetic leg wasn't his main character trait but merely the cherry on top to an already great character. There were so many fun gags with the leg, and I especially loved how he would always tell some crazy story about how he lost it when he was actually just born without it. His elimination was honestly pretty dumb but it felt on-brand for him so I can't be too mad. I'm mostly just sad I had to watch the rest of the season without him in it. I hope this guy is in it for the long haul next season because I ADORE him!

Chase & Emma: If Ripper wasn't such a fart monster, I think Chase would be my least favorite character. I'm actually SHOCKED how awful he is. He's like if Devin's worst qualities got turned up to an 11 and then never got any sense knocked into him. Emma was a bit better, especially her friendship with Bowie, but her hate boner for Chase started to get annoying after a while. I did like their relationship dynamic though and it reminded me a lot of Kelly and Ryan from the Office. They're absolutely awful for each other and that's the joke. I think Emma forgiving him felt a bit rushed, especially the second time when she misunderstood him. Overall, I think they both lasted a bit too long and I just didn't really care that much about either of them or their relationship. I could do without either of them making it very far in the second season.

Julia: I always liked Julia but she started off just alright to me. However, once she yelled at that velociraptor and started being herself, she became the best character hands down. Someone said they hoped she would serve cunt and SHE ABSOLUTELY DID! She's delightfully awful and so fucking funny. She was a surprise challenge beast and I never felt like it was out of nowhere either. She and Bowie honestly saved the season for me. After losing all of my favorites early on, I was losing interest, but every time she or Bowie appeared, it was fantastic. I would've rather seen her vs Bowie as the final 2 tbh. Still, 4th place ain't bad and I hope she gets to be just as awful for just as long in the second season. LOVE her!

Millie: I'm still not quite sure how I feel about Millie, but I'm leaning towards disliking her a bit. Her whole thing of "my generation is stupid" was annoying, but I think she grew out of that by the end which was some nice growth. Still, I felt like she and Priya ate up WAY too much screen time. I honestly just did not care about either of them all that much and they were in like, every other scene. Had she gone home earlier, I think I'd like her a bit more but she really just overstayed her welcome. I guess the growth was nice, but I hope this means she's an early boot in the second season because I feel like we don't need to see anything more from her.

Bowie: Bowie is another character that I wasn't really that interested in until I watched the season and now I really like him! Him being the villain was just perfect and really made his character fun. The way he caused conflict with Priya and Millie in the final 3 was great! I love how he was both a bit of a stereotypical gay person but also was much more than that! Bowie never felt like the token gay guy to me and his character had lots of depth. He was also just funny af. The gag of him going to the confessional just to correct someone about something was great and as I mentioned before, I adore his rivalry with Julia! His relationship with Raj was nice as well, though I can't help but feel like it was super rushed. I can only recall like, two meaningful interactions before they shared their first kiss, and then we only got a handful more after that before Raj got whisked away with Wayne. I think Raj definitely went home too early and that's why their relationship ended up feeling rushed. Overall though, I think it was done fairly well and I hope it gets expanded upon further in the second season.

Priya: Like Millie, I feel that Priya got way too much screen time. I know she's a finalist but it seriously felt overboard. I did like Priya more than I was expecting to though. She's the typical Zoey type, but they actually gave her a reason for her skills and it was an interesting take on the "superfan" trope we've seen. This time, its her parents that were the superfans and they trained her to be great at the game! I appreciated that despite this training, she did still fail several times and wasn't just always perfect. However, it did make her win incredibly predictable. I actually predicted she would be a finalist from the very first cast reveal just based on her design. I'm not too upset about it though since I guess it made for a somewhat satisfying conclusion, but I am interested to see what Bowie's ending will be like. Her friendship with Millie was cute but again, it did not need to be the main focus of the season. I did like how the conflict was created and resolved though. Overall, I'm fairly positive on Priya, but she's another one that I don't think needs to go far in the second season.

Overall, I think the season was solid and things can only get better from here with the second season! I liked most of the cast, even if a lot of my favorites went out early. The challenges weren't really anything to write home about aside from episode 5 which was by far the worst episode of the entire franchise. I did like the pole challenge which was taken directly from Survivor so that was neat to see. The selfie challenge was pretty fun too and was a great upgrade from the one in RR. I'm really looking forward to the second season, whenever that is, and I hope they get the premergers the justice they deserve!

My character ranking:

1. JULIA
2. Zee
3. Damien
4. Bowie
5. Wayne
6. Nichelle
7. Raj
8. Axel
9. MK
10. Scary Girl
11. Emma
12. Priya
13. Caleb
14. Millie
15. Chase
16. Ripper

What are your thoughts on the new season?