Broken Base: A lot of the fanbase is torn on Mist sending bottle messages outlining some of Tilly's more devious deeds from the Playa to Stranded Island where the game is being played. Some say that Mist was outright cheating and that it makes Tilly Unintentionally Sympathetic, while others feel that Tilly deservesitanyway and that Mist doesn't need to feel bad for what she did.
Xadrian has had to live a life of poverty with his father, his mother dying (hinted to be from childbirth) being forced to kill animals and eat them to survive, and that's before the show started! Early on, he's the subject of Betilla's bullying and is ostracized for his less-than-ideal habits. And just when it seems like things could finally go up for him, a little accident causes him to get seriously injured and voted off due to sympathy. And yet, he never complains about hit, and just keeps moving along with his life.
Otis is revealed to have been one all along in the finale. The boy lost his family in a train wreck when he was four, has full memory of what happened and yet is able to keep going and stay smiling despite it all.
Kelly is one of the major antagonists, and has done some rather devious things. But, she feels rather guilty for what she's doing.
Tilly of all people seems to be getting this treatment near the end of the game. She reveals that she has neglectful parents who only pay attention to her brothers, she discovers that she has been diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder, and she becomes reviled by everyone else in the game when some of her more underhanded schemes are revealed by someone she had eliminated, all within the span of one episode. And that's not to mention Operation Chocolate Covered Sundae. Even after all she's done, it's hard to not feel at least a little sorry for her.
Kelly for being a waste of a potentially interesting villain (a Mean Character, Nice Actor who has a very good reason for playing a devious game) instead turning into a boring, Wangsty Villain Sue. She's also disliked for being the "good" villain in-universe only because of her being not as bad as Tilly and Ub.
Most people who don't find Flynn annoying, selfish, or mean-spirited tend to forget he exists at all. He may be the only character in the whole fic to not have any fans, which, considering the characters listed above him, is saying something.
Shocking Elimination: Every elimination has at least some suspense, but the eliminations of Mist and Ned take the cake.
Donald is routinely subjected to some rather mean punishment. Thankfully, he has Yoko and Otis.
Quadesh makes her first ever real friend in episode 5, then said friend is voted off less than a chapter later. Not to mention that she had been up for elimination every time in the first few rounds and wasn't well-liked by the others. She also takes it pretty hard when Otis, whom she loves very much, rejected her, causing her to blame herself and her Asperger Syndrome. Hard not to want to give her a hug.
Charles loses his best friend and girlfriend, blames himself for everything that goes wrong, and got voted off over a big misunderstanding.
