Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains
In this season, based on the twentieth American series and carrying the same sub-title, new and returning players were divided into two tribes of Heroes and Villains.
The cast includes news anchor Anjali Rao, author Benjamin Law, AFL footballer David Zaharakis, Olympic pole vaulter Liz Parnov and actress Sharni Vinson.
[4] Outside of Survivor, George Mladenov appeared on Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly and competed on The Amazing Race Australia 7 in 2023 with his sister Pam.
[7] Thirteen new players and eleven returnees arrived in Samoa, where they were divided into two tribes based on their personality, occupation and/or past gameplay: “Heroes” and “Villains”.
The Heroes dominated the early immunity challenges, with a hierarchy forming around the strong men like Shaun and Sam while social threats like Hayley and Flick kept the target focused on the weaker members.
The Villains tribe was primarily run by the "Spice Girls" trio of George, Shonee and Liz, with Simon and Jordie winding up in the minority.
Liz, Matt and Gerry then faced the jury at the final tribal council, where all three were questioned on what moves they made outside of George's influence.
Liz took credit for taking revenge against George on behalf of Shonee, and the jury voted unanimously in her favour, awarding her the $500,000 and title of Sole Survivor.
Michael is eager to make a big move early and begins spreading the word that he wants to blindside George at the first Tribal Council.
George wants to destroy their shelter and steal all their food, but Mimi convinces the others to show mercy and leave them with something to foster future goodwill.
Shonee comments on Stevie's quirky presence around camp, believing that he is bad for her long-term game and planning to target him next if they lose immunity again.
Back at the Heroes camp, the athletic men Shaun, Sam, David and Matt discuss a possible alliance of four, making Benjamin nervous about his place in the tribe.
At the Villains camp, the tribe bonds over their cookies while George sneaks off to search for a hidden immunity idol, finding one in a tree trunk.
Back at the Villains camp, Stevie proposes that Mimi goes home due to the cookie incident and her weak challenge performance, and Simon and Jordie agree.
After his tribe leaves the room, Simon burns George's hat in the fire pit and vows to return to "finish the job".
Benjamin decides to gather supplies to build a fake idol as a team-building exercise, but it makes other tribe members nervous about his motives.
Sam realises that he can't trust the original Heroes alliance outside of David, and plans to be more flexible moving forward.
Stevie is discouraged from talking to the minority alliance, but he recognises that he is the swing vote and bounces between the two groups, making both sides nervous.
Shaun considers his previous promise of safety to Simon nullified because his idol wasn't real, and he contemplates throwing the next challenge.
Sam starts to get paranoid and scrambles to make sure his name isn't being discussed, and Nina comes clean that he was the decoy vote.
Back at the Heroes camp, Matt realises that Flick is growing close to the girls, making him question his prior loyalties.
Gerry worries that the boys burned themselves by not sending Flick home, but trusts George as a strategist and remains loyal to him and Matt.
Flick pitches to Simon that he risks losing the chance to get rid of George if he waits too long, while Shaun appeals to Hayley that he previously kept her safe and hopes she'll do the same for him.
At Tribal Council, Sam believes that the previous vote didn't change much in the pecking order, while George disagrees, saying the ship has sailed to get on the winning side.
George suggests a split vote between Nina and Shaun with Simon present, but he later pulls the rest of the alliance aside to secretly switch the target onto Sam.
Late that night, a frustrated Simon dumps out half of the tribe's rice, hoping to weaken them and boost his chances in the next immunity challenge.
However, Matt privately worries that his resume isn't strong enough and considers making a move against George, discussing the option with Simon and Nina.
The following morning, Gerry, Liz and Matt enjoy a breakfast feast and discuss their different paths to the end, before heading to their Final Tribal Council to face the jury.
Notes Ratings data is from OzTAM and represents the viewership from the 5 largest Australian metropolitan centres (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth).
[33] In 2024, Jackie Glazier filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Victoria against Endemol Shine Australia for the injuries that she sustained in the first Immunity Challenge due to alleged safety shortcomings.
