Australian Survivor scored a world-first TV event. Then it sacked the host...

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. When Network Ten announced Survivor: Australia v The World in September last year, it was celebrated as a victory lap for our local version of the reality franchise. It was proof that, after a decade on air and a few years of high praise from critics and fans around the world, we were making incredible TV that the world’s best players wanted to be a part of.

That was the story I had in mind when I jumped on a plane a few days later, courtesy of Network Ten, to watch the filming in Samoa. It was a dream assignment for a long-time fan. The cast and crew and head of the production company all gushed about what a historic season this would be and how much the fans would love it. I tried a challenge (so much more difficult than it looks at home) and witnessed how much work it takes to bring a show like this to life.

“So many eyes are going to be on this season – not only in Australia, but from all around the world,” said Australian Survivor podcaster Nick Iadanza, who appeared on the show in 2016. “People have been asking for this for years, and Australia is the one that made it happen. This is going to be landmark television.”

We were sheltering from the rain on a hot night about to watch tribal council unfold. It’s an event he would later describe, breathlessly, as “the best episode of Survivor that’s ever been made”.

But now, almost a year later and just a few days before the show’s premiere, the franchise is in turmoil with long-time host Jonathan LaPaglia sacked, fans and past players in open revolt, and the network no longer quite as keen on chatting with me.

What went wrong?

On June 30, six weeks ahead the broadcast of the new season and before a trailer had landed, Network 10 and LaPaglia confirmed this season would be the host’s last. But LaPaglia, known affectionately on the show as JLP, made clear this was not his decision.

“It hurts like a bitch!” he wrote on Instagram. “I received a call from the network thanking me for all my hard work and dedication to the show but for next season they are ‘going in a different direction’. Ratings had dipped a bit recently, and they wanted to do something drastic to shake things up.”

The news was met with outrage from fans, and much confusion, too. The show isn’t a ratings’ juggernaut like Married at First Sight, but it never has been. Instead, it maintained a strong audience and showed promising signs of growth with younger viewers and those watching on 10Play.

And no one was criticising LaPaglia’s performance; instead, he was celebrated as the heart of a continually popular series with the occasional quieter season.

Ten has declined to comment on when and why the decision was made and LaPaglia was not made available for interview. LaPaglia’s personal representatives also declined further requests for comment. A Ten spokesperson offered a statement praising the long-time host’s “authority, intelligence and empathy” in the role and his “outstanding contribution over 10 years on Survivor”.

Australian Survivor, Ten noted, is the network’s best performing reality show of 2025 and second-highest series in terms of total ratings. All of which makes the news even more confounding.

Even the show’s celebrated executive producer David Forster, who left the series after almost 10 years to pursue other projects following Australia v The World, says he was “shocked” and “blindsided” by LaPaglia’s exit.

“I don’t know the reasons,” says Forster. “I don’t even know if Jonathan knows the real reasons. And the audience is confused, too. When you move on a host, you could just be honest and say, ‘We’re looking for a creative refresh’. That’s a completely valid reason. But I think, currently, the fans are a little duped.”

How we scored the ‘Survivor Olympics’

Survivor: Australia v The World is what Amelia Fisk, the director of content for production company Endemol Shine, calls the “Survivor Olympics”.

The show usually casts two tribes of ordinary people and leaves them in the elements to outwit, outplay and outlast each other for between 44 and 55 days. But this season, a special event the production company pitched to celebrate 10 seasons of the Network 10 franchise, features the “best of the best”: past players from all around the world competing over 14 days.

The Australian tribe is stacked with fan favourites, including social butterfly Shonee Bowtell (returning for her fourth season, just eight months after the birth of her first child); George Mladenov, aka “King George”, who is known for some of the best tactical gameplay the franchise has ever seen; and David Genat, a former winner who recently won $9.2 million on Deal or No Deal Island in the US. Genat is also widely rumoured as LaPaglia’s replacement as host.

The World tribe features three hall of fame players from the US: former winners Tony Vlachos and Parvarti Shallow, plus Cirie Fields, who is often regarded as the best player to have never won. They are joined by high-profile entrants from New Zealand, South Africa, Quebec and Finland.

If you’re only a casual fan of the show, you might be surprised to see that list. First premiering in Sweden in 1997 under the name Expedition Robinson then hitting the US in 2000, Survivor has now been produced in more than 25 countries.

“As soon as we started making calls, we realised how respected Australia is in the Survivor community.”

Amelia Fisk, EndemolShine director of content

Though there have been many seasons pitting former contestants against each other, and occasionally an odd cameo from one franchise in another, this season marks the first time players from different regions have competed against each other en masse. And that means there was a very large pool of contestants to draw from.

“There are a lot of [fantasy draft] Reddit lists out there,” said Fisk on set in Samoa last year. “But as soon as we started making calls, we realised how respected Australia is in the Survivor community.

“All of these players were jumping at the chance to do it. Even with [US host] Jeff [Probst] and the pull of season 50 [the US show was also seeking former players to return and has since bagged The White Lotus creator Mike White], they’ve come to play this series. It’s super humbling that it’s so respected around the world.”

Of course, the woman in charge of the show would say that. But she’s not overexaggerating.

Why the world is obsessed with Australian Survivor

While it has always had a global following, Australian Survivor has recently enjoyed particularly high praise on the world stage. One thrilling episode of season eight (in which King George truly earned his title) made The New York Times list of the best television in 2023, while Australian Survivor was also named as the best of all the international franchises.

“We spoke to amazing American players like John Cochran,” Fisk said. “And he said he’s on a network executive email chain group with an EP of Marvel and when Australian Survivor airs everyone’s talking about the series.”

What’s even more incredible, is that the Australian show isn’t even available to watch in the US without using a VPN.

So what makes it so good? “People always say that Australian Survivor just feels nostalgic,” said Fisk. “It’s respected because it goes back to the grassroots of what Survivor is: great players and getting a great game out of them.”

On social media, international viewers often praise the show’s humour, casting and player-led gameplay. That last point stands in stark comparison to the US version, which has come under fire in its “new era” for throwing too many twists, idols and advantages in the mix. It has also compressed the game into 26 days, as opposed to the original 39.

“The ‘new era’ has ruffled a few feathers among the fans and has perhaps drifted from what the show was originally,” said Iadanza on set.

Others are less careful with their words. One recent Slate headline states, “I miss the old Survivor”, while another from Vulture simply says, “Fire Jeff Probst”. That same Vulture article also called the Australian version “pretty much perfect”.

“Australian Survivor is the disruptor on the scene, trying to get the attention of the big brother,” said Iadanza. And evidently, it’s worked. Iadanza was on set as part of the team from popular US podcast Drop Your Buffs. The show is this year’s official companion podcast featuring Iadanza, former US player Ricard Foye and longtime fan Sean Ross.

Australia v The World will be the show’s biggest test yet. Can the franchise keep its nostalgic appeal while pushing forward with a novelty concept? Is 14 days even enough time for Survivor to work? And, of course, what comes next?

The future of the franchise

“Part of me wishes we did it for a full season,” LaPaglia said on set in Samoa. It’s a bold statement considering, at the time we speak, he’s already three months into a rigorous filming schedule away from his family home in LA, recording two seasons back to back. “This shortened hyper-season is a bit of an experiment ... It’s really compressed things. We’ve had some big, crazy moments in the show and I think that’s partly because of the duration and partly because of the big players.”

Watching the action behind the scenes, there are times when the crew – who communicate about gameplay developments day and night via WhatsApp – aren’t even sure if players are telling the truth about alliances or idols. Production staff, meanwhile, say this season has come with extra challenges as the players are so experienced, they know what positions cameras will be in if certain twists are coming and they over-analyse who has been seated together at tribal council.

“The cast is trying to outwit, outplay and outlast each other,” Fisk said. “We’re just trying to do the same to the cast. To stay in front of the game is exciting.”

During my 48 hours on location in Samoa, LaPaglia – a powerful presence on set, who treated the game and its mechanics with great reverence – was the only one with anything negative to say. When I asked if this season proved Australian Survivor was officially the superior franchise, he replied with a simple “no”.

MW: “You think US is the best?”

JLP: “Yep.”

MW: “Still?”

JLP: “Uh, yeah. You don’t?”

“We do an old-school version of the show,” he said. “And that’s what the audience likes. But I admire the fact that the US is trying new stuff … I feel like there’s a reluctance to try some new stuff here.”

In addition to a new host, Ten has confirmed the next season – which is now filming – will have a few more changes, including fewer non-elimination shows, a different location in Samoa and the return of a live finale.

“The new host is doing an amazing job, and both the crew and contestants were thrilled when they arrived on set,” a spokesperson said.

Some past contestants, however, have been quite outspoken about the change. Commenting on a post former executive producer David Forster made about working with LaPaglia over the past 10 years, Titans v Rebels contestant Raymond Chaney wrote this was the “end of an era. Start of an error”.

That’s bad press for Ten to turn around. But Forster is still hopeful about what comes next, noting the show still has “a really strong, dedicated Survivor team” including Phoebe McMahon as the new EP, who has worked on the series for eight seasons.

“The show is bigger than me,” he says. “And it’s bigger than Jonathan … At the end of the day, if the cast is great, the show is great. And that’s what producers should be concentrating on.

“If the new host is David [Genat], good luck to him ... All they have to do is keep their hand on the rudder and hope they don’t steer into a storm.”

The writer travelled to Samoa as a guest of Network 10.

Survivor: Australia v The World premieres on Ten and 10Play at 7pm Sunday August 17.

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