User blog comment:Thebiggesttdifan/A Survey/@comment-1874924-20120205232406

NOTE: I haven't seen any of Season 4 yet, except for part of the first episode.

1. When and how did you first find out about Total Drama?
 * Wifey and I saw some of the prelaunch promos, either on CN or on one of its affiliated channels. We're both longtime animation fans, and we found the premise interesting.

2. What was the best season of Total Drama?
 * TDI, despite a number of annoying continuity lapses (its main failing, for my money).

3. What was the worst season of Total Drama?
 * TDA, for its wholesale character derailment. Gwen got nerfed, Duncan (whom I never liked much in the first place) went from "jerk with a heart of gold" to little more than a bully, and Courtney was pretty much unrecognizable. Giving credit where it's due, though, TDA's internal continuity was better than TDI's.

'''4. Has the show "jumped the shark"? (suddenly decline sharply in quality and stay that way) When did it?'''
 * TD jumped the shark when it reused the TDI contestants in TDA and promptly derailed half of them to fit the new storylines. An all-new or mostly-new slate of contestants would have eliminated most of TDA's problems.

5. Which seasons did you watch in full?
 * I've watched every episode that has aired in the U.S. and also recorded them to DVD.

6. Who's your least favorite character?
 * Duncan, Season 2 Courtney, Season 1-2 Owen and "Villain Stu" Alejandro. Alejandro was an especial disappointment, because I liked him reasonably well at first when I thought he was going to be a human being. I don't even consider Season 2 Courtney and Season 1/3 Courtney to be the same character.

7. Who do you think is the most poorly-written, flimsiest character?
 * Season 1: Trent. Defined almost entirely by his relationship with Gwen, he was the most forgettable of the lot.
 * Season 2: Courtney and Harold. Not so much characters as plot devices.
 * Season 3: Ezekiel and Alejandro. Gollum-Zeke had the potential to be much more than the collection of sight gags he wound up becoming--he could have made a decent "secret" antagonist--and Alejandro seemed more like a plot device than a character.

8. What was the worst, most poorly executed moment or subplot of each season?
 * Season 1: Gwen's characterization in "Camp Castaways". For most of the episode, the normally deadpan and level-headed Gwen was overwrought to the point of being badly out of character. Also, Harold's incomprehensible decision to eliminate Courtney instead of Duncan.
 * Season 2: Courtney's character derailment and the "how many ways can we almost get rid of Duncan" kick, which led to most of the season's contrived eliminations.
 * Season 3: The large number of contrived eliminations/reprieves, setting the stage for a deeply unsatisfying Final Two. (I've pretty much accepted at this point that TD will never have a Final Two that I actually like.)

9. How long do you think Total Drama will last as a series?
 * Probably only to Season 5, if that. I suspect that the reason TDROTI has such a short schedule (13 episodes instead of the usual 26) is that the studio is hedging its bets in case the new cast bombs. In any case, five seasons is a healthy run for a kid-oriented cartoon show.

'''10. How have your views and opinions of Total Drama changed over time? What was your initial opinion?'''
 * I initially thought very highly of it. Despite its rough edges (most notably the continuity gaps), I found it smart and funny. More recently, though, I've become all too keenly aware of its uneven, "depending on the writer" character. I'm not sure I'd still be watching it if my work on TDI-G&S and my subsequent involvement with this wiki hadn't kept my interest up.

'''11. Lastly, do you consider yourself a fan of the Total Drama series? Answer "Yes" or "No" only.'''
 * In spite of everything I've said, definitely "Yes". Although its flaws have become more prominent, there's still a lot of good in it.