Australian Survivor is going big in 2025 with not one but two new seasons, including a special Australia versus The World showdown.
The special season is currently in production and features a tribe of former Aussie castaways facing off against a tribe of Survivor contestants from around the world. Network 10 previously revealed six of the cast members taking part, including George Mladenov, Shonee Bowtell, and Kirby Bentley for Australia, and Cirie Fields, Parvati Shallow, and Tony Vlachos from Survivor US.
Inside Survivor can now reveal other castaways rumored to be taking part in Australia vs. The World. Check out the cast below.
AUSTRALIA
George Mladenov
George first made his mark on Australian Survivor: Brains v Brawn in 2021, where he finished as runner-up to champion Hayley Leake. He was known for his bold gameplay, finding idols, and clashing with his fellow tribemates. Yet, despite his personal conflicts, George proved to be a savvy gamer.
The self-declared King of Bankstown returned for Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains in 2023, where, once again, he showed off his strategic skill, using his cunning to get out of some tricky spots. He made a deep run once again, making it all the way to the final four before his so-called “pawns” turned on him.
Shonee Bowtell
Shonee is Australian Survivor’s most prolific player, with the upcoming Australia vs. The World marking her fourth appearance on the show. She first appeared on Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders in 2018, where she displayed an impressive social game that took her all the way to the final four.
When she returned for All Stars in 2020, Shonee quickly became a target and was voted to exile by her tribe. However, she returned with a vendetta, flipping on her old tribemates and securing her spot in the merge. Unfortunately, she couldn’t penetrate the dominating new Mokuta tribe alliance, and she was voted out in seventh place.
In her third appearance, on 2023’s Heroes vs. Villains, Shonee again showed off her social magnetism, forming the popular Spice Girls alliance with eventual winner Liz Parnov and the aforementioned George. The trio strategically maneuvered through to the merge until George became wary of Shonee’s closeness to Liz and blindsided her with an idol in her pocket.
Kirby Bentley
Kirby is the most recent returnee on Tribe Australia, having only played on Australian Survivor: Titans v Rebels earlier this year. However, Kirby is just as formidable a player as her fellow tribemates. From the very start, Kirby proved to be a strategically aggressive player, using her social abilities to attract allies and pull off major blindsides.
She is perhaps best known for her on/off rivalry with eventual winner Feras Basal, as the two started as enemies only to call a truce at the merge and create some serious damage together. Unfortunately for Kirby, her target eventually became too much to overlook, and she was voted out at the final five.
David Genat
David first won fans over on Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders in 2019, where he became known for his colourful confessionals and flashy moves. He dominated the majority of the pre-merge after dismantling the Sporty Seven alliance on the Champions tribe and pulling off an idol heist by exchanging a fake with Shaun Hampson’s real idol. However, overconfidence got the best of him at the merge, and he was blindsided in tenth place.
When the Golden God returned for All Stars, he’d clearly learned from his previous mistakes. While he still pulled off a flashy move or two, he focused on playing a more serious game, choosing to focus on building relationships over tribal grandstanding. With his alliance of seven, David kept a firm grip on the game until the very end, where he was ultimately crowned the Sole Survivor in an 8-1 vote.
Sarah Tilleke
Sarah might have only played once, but she is no slouch when it comes to Survivor. As a long-time fan, she entered Australian Survivor (2017) as a clear front-runner and quickly proved why. With a combination of social skills and sneaky strategy, Sarah maneuvered through the pre-merge unscathed, putting her in a prime power position at the merge.
However, despite pulling off some big moves along the way, Sarah’s fellow castaways grew wary of her threat level and her ability to influence others. She was ultimately voted out in eighth place but has long since been a fan favorite to return for a future season.
Luke Toki
Arguably Australian Survivor’s most recognizable player, Luke is set to make his third appearance on the hit reality franchise. He first appeared on Australian Survivor (2017) alongside the above-mentioned Sarah and quickly became a fan-favorite for his humorous confessionals and cheeky attitude. Inspired by Survivor US’s Tony Vlachos, Luke played aggressively, giving him control of much of the game until he was eventually booted out in seventh place.
Luke returned for Champions v Contenders in 2019 and went on another deep run. He aligned early on with fellow Tribe Australia teammate David, and together with others on the bottom, he was able to turn the Champions tribe in his favour. Despite losing David early in the merge, Luke bounced back and made it close to the end until ultimately being eliminated in fourth place due to his impressive resume.
Janine Allis
Janine is another castaway who has only played once, but she certainly made her impact on Champions v Contenders in 2019. She was part of the underdog alliance with David and Luke that helped overthrow the Sporty Alliance, and she kept in that power position by later forming a tight trio with eventual winner Pia Miranda and Abbey Holmes.
Dubbed “The Godmother” by her fellow castmates, Janine held immense power at the merge, pulling off multiple blindsides along the way. However, as her threat level increased, her former allies, Luke and Abbey, flipped, eliminating Janine in sixth place.
THE WORLD
Tony Vlachos (Survivor US)
As one of only two players to win Survivor twice, Tony is without a doubt on the Mount Rushmore of Survivor. He first made his mark in Survivor: Cagayan, where he came out of the gates swinging. He played an aggressive game, finding idols, building spy-shacks, and backstabbing his own allies. Despite his sometimes brash playstyle, Tony was eventually crowned the Sole Survivor in an 8-1 vote.
His second appearance came in Survivor: Game Changers, where he upped the ferocity. However, this time, his tribemates refused to play ball, and he was quickly voted out at the Day 6 tribal council.
But Tony made up for this poor performance when he returned for Survivor: Winners At War, showing restraint and patience when it came to his gameplay. He kept a mostly low profile throughout the pre-merge, reaffirming his Cops R Us alliance with Sarah Lacina, until breaking out of his shell in the post-merge. He made it to the final tribal despite his huge target and was crowned Sole Survivor for the second time.
Cirie Fields (Survivor US)
Cirie has cemented herself as a bonafide reality TV icon in recent years, appearing on the first season of The Traitors US and Big Brother 25. However, Survivor will always be her bread and butter. She first appeared on Survivor: Panama back in 2006, making it all the way to the final four due to her strategic cunning and social performance.
When she returned for Survivor: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites, Cirie outperformed her previous effort, once again dominating the game and pulling off numerous blindsides with her Black Widow Brigade alliance. Unfortunately, a surprise Final 2 twist saw her eliminated in third place.
Her threat level was too big coming into Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and she was booted early, but she aimed to rectify that defeat when she returned for Game Changers. Proving why she’s considered one of the greatest, Cirie made another deep run, only to be eliminated at the final six without even receiving a vote.
Parvati Shallow
A four-time Survivor player, Parvati is another castaway who could claim a rightful spot on Survivor’s Mount Rushmore. After a solid, if unmemorable, first appearance on Survivor: Cook Islands, Parvati returned in Micronesia to prove she had what it took to become a Survivor legend. With her fellow Black Widows, Parvati weaved a wicked web, luring her opponents into her trap and securing the victory.
Parvati almost repeated her success when she came back for Heroes vs. Villains. Despite starting the game as an underdog, she managed to take control of the pre-merge alongside Russell Hantz and Danielle DiLorenzo. When she reached the merge, she weaponized her two idols to bring the Villains together and take down the Heroes. Despite this, her close association with Russell irked some of the jury, and she finished as runner-up to Sandra Diaz-Twine.
Her most recent appearance came on Winners At War, where she fell victim to the onslaught against the “old school” contestants. She was voted out in 15th place yet remained on the Edge of Extinction until the very end.
Rob Bentele (Survivor South Africa)
Arguably the most dominant winner in Survivor South Africa history, Rob dominated Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets in 2019. After being brought into the five-person Amigos alliance early on, Rob and his allies dictated the rest of the season, with Rob, in particular, having a stranglehold on the game.
With a combination of physical power, natural charisma, and strategic wit, Rob was able to fend off every attempt to overthrow him, whether it was by winning immunities or through his social connections. Overall, he won five individual immunity challenges and claimed the title of Sole Survivor in a 6-4 jury vote.
Lisa Stanger (Survivor New Zealand)
Survivor New Zealand’s run was short-lived, but Lisa made the most of it when she appeared on the show’s second season in 2018. A self-confessed super fan, Lisa started out slow and steady, using her social charm to integrate herself with the majority Khangkhaw alliance in the pre-merge.
When it came to the merge, Lisa upped her game, taking control by engineering most of the eliminations, including putting together the blindsides of Brad Norris and Matt Hancock, who both left with idols in their pockets. In the end, her aggressive gameplay and control over the votes led her to victory in a close 4-3-0 vote.
Kassandre Bastarache (Survivor Québec)
Also on the World Tribe is Kassandre Bastarache, who competed on the second season of Survivor Québec earlier this year. A web editor from Trois-Rivières, Mauricie, Kassandre entered the game hoping to disarm with her charm and beautiful looks while hiding a cunning strategic side underneath. This strategy worked, as she lasted all 42 days, making it to the Final 3. Unfortunately, she finished as co-runner-up in an 8-0-0 vote.
Tommi Manninen (Survivor Finland)
Despite the Ten press release mentioning Survivor Norway, we understand this was a mistake, and they meant Survivor Finland. Tommi Manninen was a contestant on Survivor Finland (aka Selviytyjät Suomi) season 7 in 2022. He has worked as a journalist and presenter for almost a decade and clearly used those communication skills on Survivor Finland, where he finished as a runner-up.
Stay tuned to Inside Survivor for more information
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Cant wait….so many winners too