For as long as the reality series Survivor has been on the air, the topic of bitter juries has been a popular (and sometimes controversial one). Essentially a bitter jury is one composed of eliminated castaways who make the "wrong" decision when casting a vote for a winner. They might reward a contestant that played worse than a more villainous, cutthroat player.
Bitter juries are all in the eye of the beholder, and there's an argument for and against them. Most times, Survivor fans and Redditors agree that whoever wins the season is the most deserving, regardless of a bitter jury. Others, however, would love to rewrite history and avenge contestants who lost due to sore losers.
Gabon (Season 17)
Survivor: Gabon's jury has a reputation for being one of the funniest, consisting of hilarious characters like Corrine Kaplan, Randy Bailey, and Crystal Cox. However, despite their hilarity, a lot of their speeches went a little too far (namely Corrine's) and made them seem bitter and cruel toward their competitors.
Redditor orejet712 commented on a thread naming Gabon's jury as one of the angriest describing them as, "Just overall pretty bitter. Randy - bitter, Charlie - bitter, Marcus - slightly bitter but does a good job of hiding it." The jury eventually named Bob Crowley as the winner, but not before ripping into him and Sugar Kiper while ignoring Susie Smith.
Caramoan (Season 26)
The second iteration of Fans Vs Favorites was far less successful than the first, often being named as one of the more forgettable seasons of the show by fans. Caramoan's lackluster final three included clear winner Cochran and zero finalists Dawn Meehan and Sherri Biethman.
Reddit user TheDemonicEmperor named season 26 as having the most bitter jury in their opinion, "I'll go with Caramoan. That jury just didn't want to hear anything from the finalists and flayed them alive. Also... teethgate." The infamous "teethgate" was jury member Brenda Lowe's brutal and insistent demand that Dawn remove her false teeth from her mouth in front of everyone.
Fiji (Season 14)
Survivor: Fiji was the first to have a unanimous winner in Earl Cole. However, before he was crowned the Sole Survivor, season 14's jury laid into him, Dreamz Herd, and Cassandra Franklin pretty ruthlessly, which came as a shock to many viewers watching the finale.
Redditor attackedmoose criticized season 14's jury by saying, "In Fiji, for example, everyone knew Earl was winning. Many jury members used their time holding it over the losing finalists. As if to say 'I'm better than you, I want you to BEG for my vote.' Almost like a power trip. It didn't have to get nasty, but it did."
Edge Of Extinction (Season 38)
Season 38 of Survivor had a new and unusual number of jury members. Every eliminated contestant served (except for Wendy and Keith who chose to leave the Edge). Nearly every jury member lived on the Edge for some amount of time, and thus was able to form a special connection with eventual winner Chris Underwood, and further appreciate his battle once he returned to the game.
The controversial twist was met with criticism from audience members who didn't like the fact that Chris only played 12 days in the game and yet was given the win. Reddit user TonyFabs420 said, "Edge of Extinction: Jury couldn’t accept the insane unfair advantage Chris had in the game because doing so nullified their time on the Edge (such a bad twist)."
Marquesas (Season 4)
Season 4 of Survivor is often forgotten about in hindsight, with the most popular contestant to emerge from it being Boston Rob, who was pre-jury boot. One of the reasons the season is discarded and dismissed is because of its lackluster finale that left fans bored and unimpressed.
Despite having very little screen-time all season, Vecepia Towery was voted as the Sole Survivor over Neleh Dennis in the finale. Redditor gaviidae argued that Marquesas had a bitter jury by saying, "Marquesas has to be up there. Neleh lost because she saw she was bottom 2 on the ROTU alliance and switched. They voted Vecepia not because she was a better player but because they were outplayed by Neleh."
Guatemala (Season 11)
Stephenie LaGrossa went from being America's sweetheart to a huge villain within one season of Survivor. Her good girl image was shattered as she betrayed some of her closest allies and subsequently lost to Danni Boatwright in the final tribal council on Survivor: Guatemala.
Reddit user bdd3301 added Guatemala's jury to the list of those that were bitter due to how contestants treated Steph's gameplay, "I would say Guatemala had a pretty bitter jury too. Danni did deserve to win though and her social strategy of getting in close with Rafe and Steph to blend in was a huge reason she won. I think combined with the jury actually liking Danni’s strategy, the jury was really angry at Stephanie for backstabbing all the members of her alliance besides Rafe."
Kaoh Rong (Season 32)
Kaoh Rong's finale is one of the most divisive among fans when it comes to who deserved the win. Many argue that runner-up Aubry Bracco was robbed, while others believe that winner Michele Fitzgerald earned it and was rewarded accordingly.
The fans who continue to advocate for Aubry years later maintain that her loss was the result of a bitter jury. Redditor Suchem20 commented on a thread naming such juries, "Kaoh Rong. Jason, Scott, and Debbie seemed upset with Aubry for outlasting and outplaying them."
Heroes Vs Villains (Season 20)
Heroes Vs Villains featured a jury composed mostly of former Heroes tribe members, who were on the receiving end of a pagong-ing from the Villains alliance. Because they were so brutally taken out by the final three, it came as no surprise that they were bitter in the way they voted, choosing to overlook Parvati's expert gameplay and instead vote for Sandra, who hadn't angered anyone.
Though it is considered the best all-star season the show has ever seen, fans are still divided on who should've been crowned the first two-time Survivor winner. Reddit user JM43876 wrote, "It's understandable why the HvV jury didn't vote for Russell so I can't fault them for that, BUT I think Parv's loss was a result of a bitter jury."
Samoa (Season 19)
Notorious Survivor villain Russell Hantz changed the way the game was played in season 19. From finding idols without a clue, managing to avenge the Foa Foa tribe and backstabbing everyone in the process, he dominated the season only to end up in second place.
Russell's number one ally, Natalie White's win has been controversial for the last decade, and many believe it to be the direct result of a bitter jury. Redditor beecirce_a said, "As much as I want to give Nat props for forming close bonds with the other players, Russell carried her to the end. The jury didn’t even give Mick a single vote (who definitely wasn’t as polarizing as Russell was), so I’d say Russell lost due to pure jury bitterness, not necessarily because the jury valued Nat as a player."
All-Stars (Season 8)
The first all-star season of Survivor featured one of the most iconic storylines in the history of the show; the showmance turned real-life romance of Boston Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich. Together, they played the game by their rules and made lots of enemies in the process of falling in love.
At final tribal council, Rob and Amber were grilled for the way they played the game, blindsiding allies left and right while being loyal to each other. However, many of the contestants they competed against were their friends outside of the show, making their eliminations sting more and leaving them bitter and angry. Reddit user BigPoppaPuff wrote, "Angriest jury was All Stars, hands down. That was like a group that needed some family therapy."