The season has received mixed reviews from fans and critics with many criticizing the boot order of the cast as many of the memorable players were voted out before the jury phase of the game. The
Sue Hawk and
Richard Hatch incident also soured fans of the show with many calling it "uncomfortable." Michael Favaro of
Surviving Tribal called this season underwhelming and the "most painful to watch out of the (then) four all returnee seasons." Dalton Ross of
Entertainment Weekly ranked this season 26th out of 40 calling it "a bit of a letdown." In 2015, a poll by
Rob Has a Podcast ranked this season 16th out of 30 with
Rob Cesternino ranking this season 17th. This was updated in 2021 during Cesternino's podcast,
Survivor All-Time Top 40 Rankings, ranking 24th out of 40. In 2020,
Survivor fan site "Purple Rock Podcast" ranked this season 25th out of 40 saying that the season "features one of the most uncomfortable incidents in the show’s history, and it is not handled well. But despite that, there is some decent gameplay here- just be prepared for a very angry final tribal council." Later that same year,
Inside Survivor ranked this season 29th out of 40 calling it "an uncomfortable season to sit through, but it does have an epic feel, especially across the first three or four episodes." In 2021, Kristen Kranz of
Collider ranked
All-Stars as the 9th best season of the series and praised the unexpected romance between Brkich and Mariano which, "sort of set the stage for cementing flirting as a game strategy, one that countless other players will utilize in all seasons to come." In 2022,
Entertainment Weekly ranked Brkich and Mariano's romance 49th in its list of
The 100 Best TV Romances of All Time. In 2024, Nick Caruso of
TVLine ranked this season 35th out of 47. ==References==