Waaay back in 2006, Australia was blessed with a celebrity version of Survivor. Among the cast was a politician, model and footy player.
While the idea of tossing a bunch of privileged celebrities into a jungle to fend for themselves is interesting to most, the season didn’t exactly attract many viewers, and Survivor Australia was shelved for a decade.
But, with the rise of reality shows casting celebrities, like Amazing Race Australia Celebrity Edition, and Dessert Masters, could it be time for a celebrity Survivor redo?
Does Jonathan LaPaglia think a celebrity edition of Survivor Australia could work?
Unfortunately for those hoping to see some Aussie celebs donning buffs, host Jonathan LaPaglia has all but shut down the idea of a celebrity interaction.
The long-time host told Chattr during an interview ahead of the Survivor Australia 2024 premiere that he believes the format of the reality show is too brutal for celebrities to be interested.
“To get to the end of Survivor you may need to do things that some may perceive as dastardly. It can be tricky for celebrities to reconcile playing the game hard with protecting their public image. For this reason, I don’t think the format is well suited for celebs,” he said.
Jonathan on whether social skills or physical strength is more important
As the show’s slogan goes, Survivor is about outplaying, outwitting and outlasting, and it’s well-known that both physical strength and social skills are important qualities to have in the game.
However, Jonathan believes that one of those qualities reigns supreme over the other. He thinks “social game” is an extremely important skill the master.
“There’s no point muscling your way to the end if you can’t secure your peers’ votes for the win. That’s the genius twist of the format. The players you vote out will ultimately decide if you are worthy of the title.”
Would Jonathan compete on Survivor?
Titans V Rebels is Jonathan has hosted nine seasons of Survivor. However, despite his extensive knowledge of the franchise, he thinks he’d tank as a contestant.
“Sleeping on a beach looks like it sucks. I prefer a comfy hotel!” He laughed.
“I don’t think I’d last long. My poor social skills would rear their ugly head and I’d say something stupid to someone that would get me voted off pretty early.”
Survivor Australia airs Sunday – Wednesday at 7:30pm on 10 and 10Play.
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