Revisiting the Original Survivor: All Stars
When Boston Rob and Amber found true love and outlasted Richard, Colby, Rupert, Rudy, and a star-studded All-Star cast…
SURVIVOR JUST WRAPPED ITS 40TH SEASON AND IT WAS A SEASON TO REMEMBER, Survivor: Winners at War, an all-winners season that lived up to its billing. It was a star-studded cast — how can it not be, with 20 returning winners? — but it wasn’t the most anticipated All-Star season. That honor goes to the original Survivor: All Stars, way back in Season 8.
No Survivor castaway had ever returned for a second appearance when these 18 legendary competitors returned along with host Jeff Probst. The season premiered on CBS immediately following Super Bowl XXXVIII in front of a ginormous audience of 33 million viewers. Everyone wanted to get another glimpse of Richard Hatch, Colby Donaldson, and Rudy Boesch.
But Richard, Colby, and Rudy were out early, and as anticipated as All Stars was, it’s always been viewed as a disappointment in the Survivor canon. So why was All Stars so disappointing, and what can we learn looking back 32 seasons later? Spoilers abound…
