Television series based on the reality show Survivor
This article is about the Australian edition of "Survivor". For the second season of the American edition set in Australia, see Survivor: The Australian Outback.
Australian Survivor is an Australian adventurereality game show based on the international Survivor format. Following the premise of other versions of the Survivor format, the show features a group of contestants, referred to as "castaways" as they are marooned in an isolated location. The castaways must provide food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants compete in various challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted off the island by their fellow castaways. The final castaway remaining is awarded the title of "Sole Survivor" and the grand prize of A$500,000.
The series first aired in 2002 on the Nine Network, who as of 2023[update], also hold the first-run Australian broadcast rights to the American edition of Survivor. In 2006, a celebrity edition aired on the Seven Network. Both iterations of the series only lasted one season due to low ratings.[9]
In November 2015, Network Ten announced at its network upfronts that it would be reviving the series in 2016.[10] The series commenced airing on 21 August 2016. Unlike its predecessors, the series was renewed by Network Ten for another season for 2017,[11] and has continuously been renewed with success. Most recently, Australian Survivor aired the 11th season titled Titans V Rebels,[12] which in early 2024,[13] with the season being filmed on the island of Upolu in Samoa. The series was renewed for a 12th season titled Brains V Brawn II set in Samoa in winter 2024, to be aired in early 2025.[14] In late 2024, the show was renewed for a shorter second edition for 2025, and the 13th season overall, titled Australia V The World also set in Samoa. The season will feature notable returning players from previous seasons competing against notable players from other versions of Survivor.
The show follows the same general format as the other editions of Survivor. To begin, the players are split into two or three tribes and taken to a remote, isolated location. They are forced to live off the land with meagre supplies for several weeks. Frequent physical and mental challenges are used to pit the tribes against each other for rewards such as food, luxuries, or for immunity, forcing the other tribe to attend Tribal Council, where they must vote one of their tribemates out of the game by secret ballot.
About halfway through the game, the tribes are merged into a single tribe, and challenges are on an individual basis; winning immunity prevents that player from being voted out. Most players voted out during this stage become members of the Tribal Council Jury. When only two or three players remain, the Final Tribal Council is held. The finalists plead their case to the Jury about why they should win the game. The jurors then have the opportunity to interrogate the finalists before casting their vote for which finalist should be awarded the title of Sole Survivor and win the grand prize of A$500,000 (or a A$100,000 charity prize in the 2006 celebrity edition).
Like other editions of the show, the Australian edition has introduced numerous modifications or twists on the core rules to prevent players from over-relying on strategies that succeeded in prior seasons or other editions of Survivor. These changes have included tribe switches, players being exiled from their tribe for a short period of time, hidden immunity idols that players can use to save themselves or another player at Tribal Council from being voted off, voting powers that can be used to influence the result at Tribal Council and players being given a chance to return following their elimination.
Survivor in Australia
The first Australian version of the Survivor format was filmed in late 2001 and aired in 2002 on the Nine Network. The program was a contractual obligation if the network were to be allowed to continue to broadcast American Survivor.[15] The program was criticised for poor casting and lower production value than the popular American edition and it was not renewed due to low ratings. The Nine Network still hold the first-run rights to American Survivor and have continued to broadcast the American edition of the program ever since.[9] Since 2013, recent seasons air on Nine's secondary channel; 9Go! and streamed on 9Now within hours of the original American airing,[16][17] with most seasons since 2015 having the finale broadcast as a Simulcast of the American Eastern Time broadcast, across Australia.[18]
In 2006, the Seven Network found a loophole in the contract between the Nine Network and Castaway Television which allowed them to produce a celebrity version of the series due to a celebrity format being licensed as a separate from the original format. The Seven Network did not renew the series.[19]
In November 2015, Network Ten revealed at its upfront event that it would air a new season featuring regular contestants to air in the last quarter of 2016.[20] This new season gave Australian Survivor the distinction of being one of the few Australian programs to have aired across all three major commercial television networks in Australia. Australian Survivor has continued to air mostly yearly. The show's most recent season concluded in March 2024.[21]
Following Network Ten's acquisition by CBS (the American broadcaster of the format) in 2017, starting in December 2018, CBS made the complete American Survivor series available on their paid Australian streaming platform, Paramount+ (previously known as 10 All Access until August 2021). The broadcasts include Survivor US: Marquesas, which never aired in Australia due to Nine Network's commitment in airing their 2002 version of Australian Survivor.[22] Originally, a select few seasons are also uploaded to Network Ten's free streaming site, 10 Play.[23] As of June 2022, all seasons are uploaded to 10Play.[24] Each US season is uploaded sometime after the season has aired on Nine Network, when the rights to that season revert to CBS under their agreement.
Additionally, as of September 2020, both seasons of Survivor NZ and the Philippines and Island of Secrets editions of Survivor South Africa were also uploaded on 10 Play.[25] Starting with the Immunity Island edition of the South African series, 10 Play offered same-day streaming of the series as it aired on M-Net in Africa.[26][27] In late 2023, Survivor UK was included on 10Play, with same day streaming as the series aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom.[28]
Two tribes of seven, divided by their originating Survivor series: Australian Survivors and players from other Survivor editions.
Notes
^In referencing the series, Network 10 only accounts for their seasons in season counts - discounting the two earlier iterations of the series. By 10's season count, the 2016 season would be the 1st season. However, Castaway Productions (including Survivor creator Charlie Parsons) count all iterations of the show as one continuous series[29] — making the 2016 season the 3rd season. Wikipedia will use the Castaway Productions season count.
^Ben Dark hosted the casting special, and Eddie McGuire hosted the studio segments of the live finale and reunion.
^As a result of travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, LaPaglia was unable to host the reunion for All Stars. The Reunion was instead hosted by Osher Günsberg, with LaPaglia contributing via satellite.
^ abcdeThe program occasionally deviates from these timeslots - check the ratings table on each season's page for specific timeslots for each episode.
^ abThe premiere was coded into two programs - titled "Launch" and “Tribal Council". Two sets of ratings were produced.
^No network change. “Network Ten" rebranded as "Network 10" in late 2018.
^In 2024, the OzTAM system by which Television ratings are recorded changed, with the rank now determined by a program's reach (viewers nationally who watch a minute of a program) rather than by average viewership over the length of the program. Both Reach and Average viewership are recorded. For consistency, the average viewership is used in this table.[42]
^The finale was only coded into one program - unlike past seasons with a separate "Winner Revealed" Segment. Hence, only one set of ratings was produced.
Companion series
In addition to the main program, two companion web programs are also produced for Australian Survivor with both airings on 10's free video on demand streaming service 10Play. 10Play also hosts deleted scenes called "Secret Scenes" as well as additional interviews from the contestants.
Jury Villa
Introduced in the 3rd season, Jury Villa is based on the Ponderosa series from American Survivor. The series follows the castaways that are voted off during the jury phase of the game as they become members of the Tribal Council Jury and interact with one another in the villa. Each episode focuses primarily on the latest evictee and their arrival in the villa. Episodes are released through 10Play following the airing of each episode of the main show of the Jury phase of the game.[44][45]
Talking Tribal
Introduced in the All Stars season, Talking Tribal is an aftershow that unpacks all of the castaway's strategies from the main show. The show premiered on Friday 31 January 2020, days before the premiere of All-Stars for a preview special. The show then airs weekly after each Wednesday night episode of the main show.[46][47] In addition to airing as web series on 10 Play, the series also airs as an audio podcast on 10's podcast platform 10 speaks. The first season was hosted by former contestant Luke Toki and television presenter James Mathison, who were joined by Rob Has a Podcast podcaster Shannon Guss as a regular panelist, with the trio being joined by a guest panelists each week.[48]
Talking Tribal's second season (companion to the Brains V Brawn edition of the show) was hosted by Luke Toki and radio host Nathan Morris, who were joined by Shannon Guss and Nick Iadanza.[49]
Mathison and Guss were joined by the winner and the runner-up of Brains V Brawn, Hayley Leake and George Mladenov, in the third season of Talking Tribal during Blood V Water.[50][51] Brooke Jowett from the third season and All Stars, alongside Khanh Ong from Blood V Water, joined Guss in the fourth season of Talking Tribal during Heroes V Villains.[52] Chrissy Zaremba from Blood V Water joined Guss in the fifth season of Talking Tribal during Titans V Rebels, with Mladenov returning for a second season.[53]
International broadcast
The series airs on the following channels outside of Australia:
In the United States, the series aired on Paramount+ but is not currently available as of 14 February 2022 due to the service losing streaming rights.[56]
In Sweden, the series is titled Robinson Australien (reflecting the Expedition Robinson title used in Sweden for Survivor) and is available to watch on TV4's streaming service, TV4 Play.[58]
