Is this the worst Survivor ever?

I've been a loyal (or maybe more accurately, helplessly addicted) Survivor fan since its second season and it's been a love/hate relationship from the very start.

I've been tempted to call each new installment the series' very worst but I've learned it's always premature to make that call before the final episode (and frankly it's hard to imagine anything ever coming close to the abomination that was Survivor: All Stars). However, I don't think it's too soon to call this season the most miserable in Survivor history.

In its current incarnation as Survivor: Palau this has been a season like no other. So far it's been the story of two tribes: a mighty Koror tribe and a pitiful Ulong.

When the tribes were initially selected I was firmly on the side of Koror, which not only had a broader age range but also seemed to have a more likeable and interesting mix of people.

But then Koror won every single immunity challenge. For eight weeks in a row. And unlike any season ever before the two tribes have not merged.

It's made for a highly unusual season that has become more frustrating every week. Ulong has long ago emerged as the lovable underdogs while Koror looks increasingly like the spoiled fat cats. Each immunity challenge has held an extra bit of suspense (will this finally be Ulong's week?) but with each loss the tribal councils have become increasingly irrelevant.

Eight weeks in and the season essentially hasn't even started. The show doesn't even have an outright villain yet (and when has that ever happened on Survivor?).

We're just getting to the time when everyone who leaves becomes a part of the final jury. And after last night, the Ulong tribe is down to one member.

Yes, one.

At least it's a spectacular one. Even before she became the first person in Survivor history to be on a tribe of one, Stephenie had more than proven herself as the show's strongest female contestant to date. I'm not sure what the future holds for her but if she hasn't competed in a way that's worthy of $1 million than I'm not sure who ever has.

Over at Koror, things have yet to really begin. They were literally forced to vote someone out one week, but otherwise they've only had to imagine what they might do at tribal council. It's given them plenty of time to strategize but also much more time than normal to really bond. It could be nasty once they're finally forced to turn on each other but it might also be a bunch of teary farewells. And now they're all on the jury which is going to make voting out "friends" more complicated than usual.

But after all of these weeks does it even matter?

Despite having eight weeks of screen time, few of the Koror members have emerged as interesting people. Since they've only had to bask in their victories their relationships, alliances and strategies have been limited to the theoretical. And sure these victories have been team efforts but it's clear this tribe never really would've achieved its resounding success without the efforts of one man.

Tom, whose mere presence in a challenge guarantees a victory, is the only member of Koror who actually deserves to be the sole survivor. But his physical and mental strength will likely work against him since this is a game that is sadistically designed to both reward and punish the strongest players. While he's been carrying the tribe on his back the other players have had plenty of time to figure out the best place to stick the knife.

Hmm, maybe this is the worst Survivor ever.