You almost have to wonder if Network Ten saw the backlash coming. After the controversial sacking of longtime Australian Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia last year, the theme of this new season, “Redemption”, feels a little on the nose.
“The want to right your wrongs. The need to make your mark. And to turn your greatest failures into your greatest success.” These first words, gravely purred by new host and past winner David Genat as the sun sets over a Samoan beach, are as much about the show as they are about the 24 new contestants.
With many fans still confused about why LaPaglia was let go, or angry about the lack of explanation from the network – echoing the former host’s frustration – there was a lot riding on Monday night’s premiere. Will longtime viewers boycott the series (as many promised on social media)? Is Genat up to the task? Will this homegrown production, which has recently enjoyed worldwide acclaim, still be as good?
As a hardcore Survivor fan, I’m happy to report it’s still very much the show you love. And Genat – a bombastic and divisive player, self-anointed in his first season as “the Golden God” – settles into the more sedate role of host without much issue at all.
If LaPaglia was the gruff dad of Australian Survivor, providing stability and calm and order, Genat is the cool older brother who’s in charge while your parents are out. A bit cheekier. A little awkward when first trying to signpost his authority (that opening monologue and reveal feel like LaPaglia cosplay). But ultimately, he gets the job done.
Who are the new contestants?
It’s been a convenient talking point for Genat and Network Ten in pre-season interviews, but it’s no less true: ultimately, this is a TV show that lives or dies on the strengths of its contestants and the games they play rather than who’s snuffing their torches. Former executive producer David Forster, who also criticised LaPaglia’s axing, told me the same last year: “If the cast is great, the show is great”. And on that metric, we’re looking good this season.
With a mix of 20 new and four returning players, Australian Survivor: Redemption seems stacked with interesting characters. A striving true-blue truck driver. A clumsy, zany pastor. Country singer Don Rogers, son of NRL great Steve Rogers and brother of Mat, who’s hiding the fact his brother is a former Survivor player while also bossing everyone about while building the shelter (a rookie move) and scolding people for touching his hat made from 10 beavers (?).
But more important than these entertaining caricatures, this looks like a group willing to take chances and play hard – all of which will be helped along by notoriously strategic returning players Harry “Dirty Harry” Hills and Mark Warnock. And the production has wasted no time throwing them into the action.
What about the challenges?
The very first challenge brings with it an idol clue and a potentially controversial twist. With the tribes quickly established as “Barren” and “Bounty”, the latter receives potentially game-altering perks including a shelter, food and flint.
Though this concept was briefly trialled in the 2025 Brains v Brawn season, it’s a risky move straight out of the gate. The US version of the show did something similar (“Haves” v “Have Nots”) in 2007, which was widely regarded as one of the worst twists in the show’s franchise. The “Haves” predictably steamrollered their competition (leading to a pretty boring show).
Thankfully, that’s not what happened here, with “Bounty” losing the immunity challenge. But it’s notable the series is leaning on a gimmick so early. Australian Survivor has long prided itself on an “old-school” approach to the game that stands in contrast to the much-maligned twist-heavy “new era” in the US.
Putting aside my slight reservation on the tribe themes, we’re nowhere near that level. Survivor season 50, which also begins this week (and might have influenced the decision to make a splashy start), somehow includes a cameo from YouTube star MrBeast.
It’s also reassuring that, though he’s not a seasoned host, Genat has a deep knowledge of the show and a demonstrated respect for our game.
It wasn’t so long ago that he called Australian Survivor the “harder, better version” and denigrated the US show saying, “I don’t want to do puzzles with a bunch of dorks”. He’s since tried to soften those statements, saddled with progressional obligation, but I believe it’s important he cares.
The verdict
Survivor isn’t an ordinary hosting gig where you read your lines and go home at the end of the night. It’s spending months on location, understanding and decoding gameplay, in real time, 24 hours a day. It’s asking the exact right questions at a fast-paced tribal council. It’s knowing to throw to former player Simon Mee, as Genat did on Monday night, when “big moves” are talked about because you know, historically, “he’s only been on the receiving end of them”.
LaPaglia had honed those skills over a decade, and it is still deeply confusing for fans that Network Ten threw that away. But, so far at least, the Golden God has given me enough reason to keep faith.
What did you think of the first episode of the new season of Australian Survivor? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Australian Survivor continues 7.30pm Tuesday on 10 and 10Play.
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Meg Watson is deputy TV editor at The Age and Sydney Morning HeraldConnect via X or email.
