Australian Survivor is back, and the theme of the season is redemption, which is fitting given the show itself has some redeeming to do. Fans were left with a bad taste after the ousting of longtime host Jonathan LaPaglia, who was unceremoniously dumped and replaced by All-Stars winner, David Genat. Now, as we enter this new season, Australian Survivor and David both have an uphill battle to win viewers back around.
Let’s start with David, who, fresh off winning the biggest prize in American game show history on Deal or No Deal: Island, returned to his old stomping grounds. First, he took part in the Australia vs. The World edition, then took the reins as host. The Golden God is a known showman, so his ability to host a show like this was never in question. The issue was the combination of circumstances and what felt like an unnecessary change. Losing JLP, such a core part of Australian Survivor’s fabric, would take some getting used to.
So, how does David handle the transition? The answer is: fine. His performance in the premiere is what it needs to be. He gives us the dramatic introductions, has a bit of banter with the contestants, and asks the right questions at tribal council. It’s basically cut-price JLP, which begs the question, why switch out the hosts in the first place? Time will tell if David puts his own stamp on the show as the season moves along, but for now, he’s inoffensive at worst.
The premiere itself is a solid showing, even if the redemption theme is comically forced. It’s a theme that seems intended for a cast of past players, rather than just four returnees and 20 people with awkwardly crowbarred in redemption stories. A bored lorry driver? A punk rock chef? An artist who loves hot dads? But, you know what, after the samey-samey numbered US seasons, I’m here for a silly Survivor theme that doesn’t quite make sense.
What I’m not here for is the return of the “Haves vs. Have Nots,” the much-maligned twist from Survivor: Fiji. In the first challenge, the 24 players are divided into two teams and made to fight it out to earn their tribe designation. The winners become the Bounty tribe, meaning a camp equipped with a fully-built shelter, firepit, flint, supplies, plus fruit and veg. Meanwhile, the losers become the Barren tribe, meaning they start the game with nothing.
I’m always against stacking the game in one tribe’s favor, especially as tribe divisions can be flawed in general. As we saw in Fiji back in 2007, it’s a huge advantage for a tribe to be eating and sleeping well while the other suffers. Now, thankfully, the Barren tribe pulls out an immunity challenge win later in this episode, which is hopefully a sign that things won’t be so lopsided. But we’ll see how it goes after a few days of starving and no sleep starts to take its toll.
Awkward theme and flawed twist aside, the premiere succeeds where Australian Survivor tends to succeed, in its chaotic players. I feel like in the US, gameplay has become relatively safe and, well, boring. Whether this is due to casting or to the number of advantages and stolen votes leading to more cautious strategy, I’m not sure. But you can always rely on the Aussies to come out swinging, which isn’t often the smartest gameplay, but it makes for entertaining television.
The show also encourages risky, bold behaviour. Just take the clue hidden at the first challenge as an example. Model and part-time poker player Lyndl (aka Swyndle) finds the note while running back to fetch the torch. Not only does this note give her a clue to an idol buried under her tribe’s flag, but the idol actually has to be given to a member of the Barren tribe. It’s not a new twist, but it’s one that encourages crosstribal relationships, which have been a significant part of Australian Survivor history.
Lyndl ends up sharing the information with returnee Brooke during the immunity challenge, giving her a heads-up about where the idol is buried and arranging a future swapsie. Having experience with idols and covert missions, Brooke is a good choice to share this with. I’m sure she’ll be able to find it and pull off the exchange, which could be the start of a lethal crosstribal alliance.
As for the other returnees, it’s a steady start for Harry and Simon, who find themselves lucky enough to be part of the Bounty tribe. Simon spends most of the episode tending to the fire, while Harry plays down his “Dirty Harry” moniker and works to build relationships with his new tribemates. The pair also stops for a quick strat-chat, where Harry invents a secret code so they can let each other know if they’re in danger, which involves asking about the status of the rice.
Mark, who has an incredible challenge performance, is the busiest of the four returnees. Haunted by the ghosts of his fallen former allies, he sets about righting those wrongs. His first bit of business is finding a strong woman to hitch his wagon to, and he picks Faith, drawn to her Rancid tattoo (as in the punk band, not an unpleasant tattoo). Sneaking away from camp at night, the pair commit to working together, and even coin an alliance name. The Ruby Soho Alliance—the name of a popular Rancid song, and also an AEW professional wrestler, who uses the song as her entrance theme.
Speaking of wrestling, pro wrestler Jackson is a name on people’s lips at the Bounty tribe, who find themselves heading to the first tribal. He’s a big guy and a challenge asset, but MMA fighter Cameron is ready to continue the long-held feud between pro-wrestlers and pro-fighters. Cameron wants to make a big move from the word go, taking down a big dog at the first vote. And he has people willing to come aboard, including NDIS support worker Aisha and stay-at-home mum Loz.
But others on the tribe are circling an easier vote: CEO Richard, whose ability to quote Shakespeare isn’t winning over allies. Harry plants Richard’s name earlier in the day in a conversation with Lyndl, who then brings it up during a group chat at the well. Lyndl is sharp, though, and realises she may have fallen right into a bit of Dirty Harry manipulation. Still, most are happy to put Richard’s name down, so it seems nice and easy. But is to be, or not to be?
It could have been, if not for Daniel, the excitable pastor and Survivor superfan, who is so eager to play that he completely overdoes it. It also doesn’t help that he struggles to remember names. At one point, he says the target is “Jackson,” right to Jackson’s face, despite meaning to say Richard, whom he earlier suggested by a not-so-inconspicuous nod. He later changes his mind and decides Loz is his preferred target, only adding to the confusion (and the amount of names he has to remember).
Daniel’s scrambling and forgetfulness draw the ire of Lottie, who believes his overly excitable nature is a liability. The Daniel vote appears to be somewhat of a compromise for Lottie, who initially wanted to target Simon and Harry. However, with the rest of the tribe voicing their support for the returnees, Lottie senses that pushing that agenda isn’t going to fly at the moment. Instead, she throws out Daniel’s name, which quickly gains traction and overrides the Richard and Loz plans.
But what about the Jackson plan? Cameron is still gung-ho for it, despite Aisha pointing out how “a lot” of people are going for Daniel. Cameron makes another pitch to Loz, who shares the idea with Lyndl, who is torn about crushing Daniel’s Survivor dreams. He also runs the idea by Simon, trying to appeal to the returnee’s desire to be on the right side of a major blindside for once.
All of this makes for a deliciously chaotic bit of pre-tribal scambling, though tribal itself winds up rather uneventful. Though the topic of big moves is brought up, Lottie’s argument of “It’s not always about a big move, it’s about the right move” wins out. Ultimately, Daniel is sent packing in a unanimous vote, with Cameron putting his powerslam on Jackson on the back burner, for now. Daniel does get to live on this season, though, kind of, as he agrees to Simon’s Angelina Keeley-inspired request for his jacket.
Overall, I thought this was a solid, scene-setting premiere. David will take a little getting used to as host; the jury is still out on the Bounty vs. Barren twist, and, as always, Australian Survivor struggles to share the edit evenly. But there are clearly some spicy players here, and I don’t imagine it will be too long before they can’t hold back any longer and start going for it.
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