Australian Survivor: Players accused of ableism after recent elimination
The choice of words shown in the edit of a recent Australian Survivor episode has fans sending out accusations of ableism on the Champions tribe.
When you’re competing for a life-changing amount of money in a reality competition series, every person you see on the island is an obstacle in the way to victory. For Australian Survivor, the Champions tribe was sent to Tribal Council for the second straight episode after Jackie couldn’t even start to work on the tribe’s puzzle, so she and others started pinning the target on Damien as a “liability” for challenges.
For those who have not watched Australian Survivor (you absolutely should, by the way), Damien is a military veteran who lost his legs in an IED explosion in the Middle East. The suggestions that he would be a “liability” in upcoming challenges has rubbed fans the wrong way, as well as Damien himself.
In an interview with TV Week, Damien called the classification as “a bit disappointing,” explaining, “I think Jackie definitely felt threatened after the amount of trouble she had with this relatively simple puzzle…
“It was hard to watch people say that I could be a liability in challenges,” he explained. “If eliminating me was done to make the tribe stronger in challenges, then obviously no one watched the challenges we had done.”
Hey @Survivor_AU peeps. I feel the need to point out that I went for Damo coz he was voting and coming after me from day dot. Simple, I was trying to survive. I have so much admiration and respect for him.
— Jackie Glazier (@JackieGlazier) August 6, 2018
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It’s true that Damien was a strong provider at camp and in challenges, but the whims of reality television aim for drama, not for truth. Jackie claimed on Twitter that her primary concerns were that he was after her from the beginning. This is true, too; he was the only player to revote for Jackie instead of Russell Hantz when he was eliminated. She’s been his biggest target.
At the same time, it’s hard for anybody with a physical disability to hear that they would be branded as a liability if they were to compete in Australian Survivor, no matter the circumstances. Damien even helped win the Champions’ only Immunity Challenge (at the time), knocking down targets with a fiery fastball of a throw.
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In the end, it’s hard to win Survivor and come out without a little blood on your hands. Calling people weak in challenges or a strategic threat is all part of the game for everyone involved. It’s just unfortunate that this angle was portrayed during an amazing season of gameplay and character so far.