Australian Survivor 2025 has introduced us to a fresh crop of cunning contenders, including AJ Antonios. Between his strategising and unapologetic gameplay, it’s no surprise he landed on the original Brains tribe.
AJ isn’t here for fun, he’s here to win.
“I want to be remembered as the best Survivor player ever,” he told Channel 10.
“Not, not just in Australia. I really want to be the most fun, entertaining, strategic, everything. I want it all together. I want to be that Survivor player that is just undisputed the best.”
So, what do we know about the self-proclaimed future legend of Australian Survivor? Keep reading to find out more about AJ.
Australian Survivor’s AJ is a pro poker champion
AJ is a professional poker player, which is a skillset that’s pretty handy for a game like Survivor. After stepping away from the game for five years, he made his return in 2022.
He’s ranked 196th in Australia’s poker circuit, which might not sound super flashy, but $456,158 in live earnings is nothing to sneeze at.
AJ has been featured on The Australian Poker Mindset, where he was described as a high-stakes cash game player. He also appeared on the social-media poker series High Stakes Heroes.
According to Channel 10, AJ’s love for games and competition started young. As a teenager, he played trading card games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and quickly found he had a knack for strategic thinking. Now, he’s hoping those same instincts will translate to Survivor.
“I’ll say things like, you did so good! I loved that blindside! That was so smart!” he said to Channel 10.
“Of course it wasn’t smart. But I’m going to tell them it was.” Very… smart?
Where is he from?
AJ is from Sydney, NSW, and the city-slicker certainly has a penchant for the finer things in life.
“The hardest part about Survivor for me will be sleeping outdoors,” he said.
“I’m used to really nice accommodation generally, so sleeping outdoors is going to be a little bit tough.”
That said, he’s not completely new to the outdoors. He was braving the wilderness before the beaches of Samoa, like 4am hikes in New Zealand, no less!
So, will his poker skills and strategic mind take AJ all the way? We’ll have to wait and see.
