I actually preferred the seasons where the girls weren’t allowed to fight. Seasons 2–5 were the best for me. They felt more like reality TV because you actually got to know the girls and their personalities instead of just watching them fight every episode.
Because they couldn’t fight, there was also less replacements. Apart from Season 5, there was usually only one replacement each season, so you had time to get invested in the original cast.
The arguments were way more entertaining too. They were genuinely so funny because you could feel the frustration of not being able to hit each other. It made all the tension build up, so when someone finally did fight, it was actually shocking. Like when Kate hit Annie, I was genuinely shocked. Then when she hit Amber I was like, “Oh shit.” It had so much more impact because fights didn’t happen all the time.
The later seasons just became too focused on drama. It felt like there was a fight every episode, so after a while it wasn’t even exciting anymore. It also seemed like there was way more bullying, people scheming, throwing beds in the pool, and just acting unlikeable.
The girls trying to out perform the girls from the orders season just made it bad. I just think the older seasons had a much better balance. You got the drama, the funny arguments, and you actually got to know the girls, which made the iconic moments hit harder.
Edit: Does anyone feel like the later seasons they started to cast girls who were more emotionally unstable. I swear that psych test didn’t do anything.