Survivor: Australia is one of the most successful international versions of the show, especially since its reboot in 2016. While the concept of the show is primarily the same as the United States version, including their very own Jeff Probst-style host in Jonathan LaPaglia, there are some minor differences between the two editions.
Specifically, the cast is typically 24 castaways and thus requires a longer amount of time filming. They also have not yet adopted the controversial final four firemaking challenge, although they did recently switch from individual final tribal council questions to the open forum. There is also a more open focus on physicality, especially in challenges.
Otherwise, they feel pretty identical, and thus, international Survivor fans have long clamored for a crossover season where all stars from all different versions of Survivor come together to battle it out on one show. Well, Australia is finally abliging, and I must admit, the cast they have pulled together is pretty star-studded.
Survivor: Australia vs. the World switches up expected formats
We have an idea of the format for the show, and while it is being considered an Australian edition, it does not follow their typical structure. Instead of 24 players, there will be just 14. Another difference is that the filming will be much shorter, at just 16 total days, which aims to keep the game and narrative constantly moving and open the door for bold, never-before-seen strategy.
Additionally, the castaways will be playing for $250,000, and starting tribes will consist of two tribes of seven, presumably split into Australian all-stars and World all-stars, given the theme. Seven castaways from the Australian Survivor pool will be taking on seven huge names from Survivor across the world, including the US, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and Finland.
We know that filming will be taking place on the beaches of Samoa, although we do not yet have a premiere date. It is expected, though, that the show will begin between the end of July and the beginning of August this year.
Meet the tribes and individual legends
Interestingly, the World tribe consists of far more individually successful players than the Australian version, which is filled primarily with huge personalities. One major storyline, though, may be Parvati Shallow (US) and David Genat (AU), coming off their duo alliance on the US version of Deal or No Deal Island.
It is hard to complain too much when you see the legendary cast they did assemble. Tune in later in the summer to see how it all plays out!
Team Australia Tribe:
- Janine Allis – Champions v Contenders (2019)
- Kirby Bentley – Titans v Rebels
- Shonee Bowtell – Champions v Contenders (2018), Australian Survivor All Stars, Heroes v Villains
- David Genat – Champions v Contenders (2019), Australian Survivor: All Stars (Winner)
- George Mladenov – Brains v Brawn (Runner-Up), Heroes v Villains
- Sarah Tilleke – Australian Survivor (2017)
- Luke Toki – Australian Survivor (2017), Champions v Contenders (2019)
Team World Tribe:
- Kass Bastarache– Survivor Québec 2024 (Runner-Up)
- Rob Bentele– Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (Winner)
- Cirie Fields– Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Game Changers
- Lisa Holmes– Survivor New Zealand: Thailand (Winner)
- Tommi Manninen – Selviytyjät Suomi Season 7 (Runner-Up)
- Parvati Shallow– Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Micronesia (Winner), Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (Runner-Up), Survivor: Winners at War
- Tony Vlachos – Survivor: Cagayan (Winner), Survivor: Game Changers, Survivor: Winners at War (Winner)
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