Well, EOS did fail since its block producers have frozen accounts on the blockchain before. This shows us how extremely centralized it is, compared to other smart contract platforms in the crypto/Blockchain space. If EOS stays this way, it'll never be able to compete with Ethereum directly. I think that Cardano is Ethereum's biggest contender as it focuses on decentralization above all else. Better yet, the team is taking an academic approach to ensure the stability and reliability of the underlying blockchain network for the foreseeable future. Cardano's innovative PoS consensus algorithm, might compete head-to-head against Ethereum because of its level of decentralization. Other blockchains like TRON, EOS, and Tezos, are based on the DPoS consensus algorithm which is prone to extreme centralization.

Of course, Cardano's development has been rather slow ever since it came into inception back in 2016. But I believe this approach is better, in order to provide a blockchain network that's stable enough for mainstream use. Someday, Cardano will be able to reach the level of adoption of Ethereum as it become a tried-and-tested smart contract platform that could handle anything within its path. While other projects might become successful in the long run, they'll never become as comparable as Ethereum due to its first-mover advantage on the market. Just my thoughts