Meet the Australian Survivor 2018 contestants

MONIKA, 27, CHAMPION

2015 Miss Universe Australia winner Monika Radulovic has joined the 2018 season of Australian Survivor. Though she’s “nervous” about being on the show, Monika is excited to take on the challenge.

“It’s honestly the most incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so I decided to grab it with both hands!” she says.

LYDIA LASSILA, 36, CHAMPION

Victorian native Lydia is a mum of two, has been running her own business for over 10 years and, somehow, found the time to compete in FIVE Winter Olympics as an aerial skier. She says winning Gold at the 2010 Olympics was ‘pretty special’ and thinks her physical strength will be an asset in endurance challenges.

FENELLA, 33, CONTENDER

Fenella is an interior designer from Victoria, who applied because she’s attracted to the “mental challenge” of Survivor and wanted to “shake things up.”

“I did say to myself that this was the year I wanted to shake things up,” she says. “So I guess there’s no better way than to quit your job and go on Survivor!”

BENJI, 26, CONTENDER

The young business man from Victoria has applied for the show three times because his family are the ‘biggest Survivor fans ever!’ This year, Beni finally has his shot.

“It is the world’s most incredible game in the most insane arena,” he says. “Every time the casting call goes out, there is literally no question about whether I will be putting my life on hold for a chance to show Australia what I’ve got!”

Benji has revealed he is a secret millionaire! We asked him HERE how he made his millions at such a young age!

STEVE WILLIS, 42, CHAMPION

Steve ‘Commando’ Willis shot to fame as a trainer on The Biggest Loser. Having served in the army for years before becoming a personal trainer, Steve believes he’s got what it takes to be crowned this year’s Survivor.

SAM, 26, CHAMPION

Brisbane-born Astrophysicist Sam has a simple strategy heading in to Survivor, he’s going to make himself ‘useful’ and hopefully find friends with good social skills.

“I’m going to try and be useful in the camp,” he says. “Making fire, shelter. Find a socially strong contestant to befriend and use their insight to navigate the murky waters of constant backstabbing.”

ANITA, 50, CONTENDER

Queensland Sales Rep Anita wanted a ‘big challenge’ after celebrating her 50th birthday, and reveals competing on Survivor has always been on her bucket list.

Anita plans on ‘playing the game’ by being nice to the others, saying “I’d like to be thought of as not a threat and I’d like to be underestimated.”

STEVE K, 58, CONTENDER

He’s been described as ‘one of the biggest characters to hit the island’ this season, and it’s not hard to see why. Steve K tells us it would be “foolish”‘ to go in to the game with strategy, joking he needs “intel on the enemies” before making a game plan.

“Before the merge, it is best to rally my tribe to focus on systematically obliterating the Champion tribe while I manoeuvre with a charm offensive!” he says. “After the merge I want to be Dr Evil’s worse nightmare.”

DAMIEN THOMLINSON, 36, CHAMPION

Damien is an author, actor, speaker and ex-special forces commando. He entered to competition because he “wants to show veterans and people that are adaptive that anything is possible.”

MAT ROGERS, 42, CHAMPION

Australian Rugby League and Union legend Mat Rogers is taking on Survivor!

The former Wallabies player says he was thrilled when he was approached to be on the show as a Champion, revealing “[I] was a huge fan from the very first series, we use to have survivor nights at mum and dads place.”

SHANE GOULD, 61, CHAMPION

Shane is a real-life champion, having won three gold medals, one silver and one bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics for Australia.

Now a successful business owner, Shane entered the competition because she “thought it would be a very interesting social experiment to be involved with AND a difficult test of my survival skills.”

JENNA, 28, CONTENDER

Born and raised in the country in Western Australia, Jenna’s adventurous childhood has prepared her for the challenges on Survivor.

“Being on Survivor is a dream come true,” the Warehouse Supervisor says. “I would have to say I believe it is one of the most amazing opportunities I have been given to date.”

Jenna was sent home after suffering a series of injuries to her foot in challenges.

MOANA HOPE, 30, CHAMPION

If you recognise Moana, it’s because the 30-year-old athlete plays for North Melbourne Football Club in the AFLW!

She decided to enter because it will be ‘something different’ and says she’s not entering the show with any strategies or tactics. “Not yet, I’m still trying to work it all out,” she says.

Fan favourite Moana shocked us all when she asked to be sent home!

ROB, 26, CONTENDER

This South Australian native is a Construction Manager by day, and Survivor enthusiast by night.

“I never thought I would be selected,” Rob says of his dream of being on the competition coming true. “[It’s] the ultimate challenge and I want to take it on and not leave anything behind so I can make everyone back at home proud.”

SHONEE, 26, CONTENDER

Shonee splits her time between her home-town of Noosa in Queensland, and London, England. Shonee’s husband, Ben Fairfax, is a pro-skater.

The HR worker says she was “freezing cold in London” and “randomly started watching survivor” when she decided to apply for the hit show.

ZACH, 39, CONTENDER

This personal trainer from Western Australia is a self-confessed Survivor super-fan who has seen every episode of every season.

“I have always wanted to play and the timing was just right. I haven’t applied before so I was pretty stoked to get through on the first shot,” he says.

READ NEXT: Is Zach Survivor Australia’s worst villain yet?

SHARN, 41, CHAMPION

Sharn is a criminal barrister from Victoria, who most recently worked as a Crown Prosecutor. She applied to Survivor this season after watching on as a fan since the beginning.

“I hoped that there may come a time that I would get the opportunity myself to play the game, and win! I believe it is the ultimate game, the ultimate challenge,” Sharn says.

JACKIE GLAZIER, 41, CHAMPION

Jackie is an accomplished poker player, so we’re already keen to see her poker face while playing out strategies! Thanks to her profession, Jackie says one of her greatest strengths is that she can “read people really well” and says she will use her skills to make it to the end of the competition.

RUSSELL, 45, CHAMPION

Can you even call yourself a Survivor fan if you haven’t heard of Russell Hantz? The three-time player in the US series is here to make his Australian debut, and he’s here to “prove” he can win.

READ NEXT: Survivor’s Russell Hantz’s most controversial moments

PAIGE, 24, CONTENDER

Paige is a marketing and events coordinator from South Australia, and says she was “really lucky” to have a good upbringing. She wanted to go on Survivor because it’s “it’s one of the most amazing ridiculous unique experiences I can think of, and I have never turned down something like that when it’s within reach.”

TEGAN, 32, CONTENDER

Stay-at-home mum and accountant Tegen also grew up in a small town in Western Australia, where she had an “adventurous” upbringing and learned useful Surivor skills, including fishing and camping.

Teigen’s strategy is to “blend in as much as possible” and “not stand out in the initial weeks.”

HEATH, 33, CONTENDER

The Queensland builder decided to enter the competition because he has always loved Survivor.

“I watch it every year and always tell my wife what I would do and how I would play it. The wife told me I should apply so I did!”

BRIAN, 36, CHAMPION

Brian has year’s of experience in competition, after enjoying a successful AFL career that spanned over a decade. He decided to go on Survivor because it’s a once in a lifetime chance.

“Why not give it a go and see what would happen!” he says. “It’s going to be very different to anything else I’ve ever done before.”

MATT, 35, CONTENDER

Matt is a police officer from Queensland, who became the first person voted off Australian Survivor 2018.