An underrated favorite

With 86% of the vote, Medusa was eliminated this week after making it to the “final four” of Six Flags Survivor. Matched up head-to-head with its sister, Nitro, the purple and yellow monster stood no chance to advance to the championship round. But this got me thinking about how underrated this ride really is.

Tucked away in the back corner of often-ignored Frontier Adventures, this prototype coaster has been steady and reliable since day one. The ride has never had an extended period of downtime and save for its first season and certain exceptionally crowded days…there rarely is a wait beyond fifteen minutes. To put it simply, Medusa gives you the most bang for your buck (well, that is if you had to pay on a per-ride basis).

I know many of you share my sentiment, but many more tend to look past this ride to understandably more thrilling coasters in the park; Kingda Ka still holds two world records, El Toro is the park’s current shining star and Nitro is in a class by itself. But Medusa packs seven inversions into a long and enjoyable layout and basically launched a hugely popular new coaster style. The ride bolstered a long-neglected and far-from-thrilling part of the park and though its themeing is suspect, Medusa certainly is nothing to sneeze at.

Though we may never see Medusa in the championship round of Survivor, it will always have at least a few fans who quietly view it as the park’s best…or at least their sentimental favorite.