Daisy Richardson became the 17th person to leave Australian Survivor on Tuesday night, but unlike her fellow contestants, there was no tribal council.
Instead, the 24 year-old Queenslander went head-to-head with AFL legend Simon Black in the ultimate immunity challenge but lost by mere seconds when the tower she was building toppled over leaving Simon the winner.
From her tight alliance with Shaun Hampson to her fierce determination, Daisy was certainly one of the most memorable contestants this season. She chatted to us about the harsh realities of playing the game that is Survivor and how hindsight is a beautiful thing (especially when it comes to immunity idols).
TV WEEK: Commiserations Daisy, you were literally seconds away from victory when it all came crumbling down. What happened?
Daisy: I know, I know! It was so close, it was really hard to battle against Simon because at that point in time he was who
I was probably closest with in the game so I really wanted to reunite with him. The episode didn’t really scrape on it but I had the worst weather that Survivor had ever seen in the history of Survivor while I was on Exile so it really fuelled my fire to go back in and play a great game and yeah I just fell short unfortunately.
TV WEEK: You mentioned that being on Exile broke you. How did you react when Simon walked in?
Daisy: I expected Harry or Luke to walk in so I was shocked when Blacky walked in, I couldn’t believe it. I kind of thought ‘Oh well the Champions finally turned on each other,’ and I definitely didn’t realise it was going to be Blacky who would be the collateral so I was shellshocked.
Daisy was closest to Simon during her last days in the game.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: You left after an immunity challenge unlike your fellow contestants. Would you have preferred to have had a tribal council or be blindsided?
Daisy: I mean, I think it’s on a Survivor bucket list to get blindsided so yeah I probably would’ve liked to have been blindsided. But in saying that it was kind of nice going out that way because I know I gave it my all and there was absolutely nothing more I could do but it’s a bit of both.
TV WEEK: What was your first thought when you saw your reflection for the first time after leaving the game?
Daisy: I couldn’t believe how skinny I was! I didn’t even lose that much weight but it’s so interesting seeing yourself in the mirror for the first time. The whites of your eyes are so bright and everyone’s so brown, it’s a bit of a shock. It was interesting because I’d had that spa reward not too long before but after that storm in Exile I got so muddy and dirty again and it really made no difference so it was crazy seeing yourself for the first time, you feel like someone totally different.
TV WEEK: You say you didn’t lose much but how much weight did you end up losing?
Daisy: I lost 4.2kg so I actually lost the least amount out of anyone that made it past merge, even percentage-wise which is pretty funny when you think about it!
Daisy says that facing the extreme weather on Exile Beach broke her.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: You’re the first girl in Jury Villa, how was it being reunited with Shaun, David and John?
Daisy: Yeah, me joining the boy band! It was obviously good to be reunited with Shaun, we had such a great friendship in there, and you know I had to debrief with him about me voting him out! John and Dave also have really great senses of humour. Hearing Dave’s game was just so interesting because he just played so hard and there was so much more going on with him that we didn’t even realise so it was awesome. Jury Villa’s very therapeutic because you get to really debrief and go through the pages of what happened. And food, food was the number one priority going back.
TV WEEK: Of course! What was the first thing you ate when you got there?
Daisy: I think the first thing I ate was a burger which is so funny because I don’t even really eat burgers back home but you’re so starving, you just want carbohydrates but it was awesome being able to eat that again.
TV WEEK: But Shaun wasn’t mad at you for voting him out?
Daisy: No, Shaun’s a massive Survivor fan so he always gave me the advice ‘Stay on the right side of the vote,’ and that’s what I had to do so he totally understood.
WATCH: Shaun Hampson enjoys his first meal at Jury Villa. Post continues after video…
TV WEEK: Shaun’s partner Megan Gale says she told him not to be part of a power couple/alliance and you two hit it off straight away. What do you make of that?
Daisy: It’s hard when two people gravitate towards each other in a friendship situation, especially in a situation like that where all you want are words of reassurance and knowing that someone’s got your back so sometimes you end up in a power couple without even meaning to purely because you just get along so well.
TV WEEK: It’s a physically and mentally challenging game. Which aspect of Survivor did you find the toughest?
Daisy: Probably the weather! Physically you can push through and you know it’s going to be tough, mentally it does really strip you bare and you become quite emotional and strategically it is really draining but the weather is this variable that you can’t control so sitting through the rain for hours on end is just miserable.
Daisy suffers from endometriosis but didn’t let it affect her game.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: You also have endometriosis and have spoken out about that. How did you manage that while you were on the show?
Daisy: I was quite lucky out there as I only had about three really major flare ups. I tried to keep it to myself for the first little while because I didn’t want people to sniff out a weakness and exploit it. I kind of really only told Shaun about it when the game started but he was really good about it and was super supportive so I just did what I had to do. But as the game progressed I think I told everyone so people understood if I was a bit off or why I was in pain and that I wasn’t putting it on. But I’ve got a tough personality, I’ve got thick skin. I also eat quite an anti-inflammatory diet to not have flare ups and rice and beans aren’t really inflammatory foods so it kind of worked well not having foods like sugar and coffee out there.
TV WEEK: You were teased a fair bit for playing your idols at the wrong time. Do you have any regrets from your time on the show?
Daisy: I’m pretty happy with the way I played. I mean, with merge I played my idol because it seemed too good to be true that we were lumping 11 votes on Andy so I played it as a safety net and for that one I don’t mind that I did. I wish at John’s tribal council where I had the idol that I’d taken the gamble and played it for John but obviously Pia and Luke caught me finding the idol so the chance of them then voting for me would be pretty slim because it would be dumb on their behalf. So yeah I wish I’d played that idol for John but hindsight’s a beautiful thing.
Daisy regrets not playing her idol for John.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: Do you have a favourite Survivor memory?
Daisy: Probably beating Abbey for the first time was a massive deal for me just because they kept pitting us against each other and I just kept losing so beating her in that swim, I was ecstatic and then beating her again in the idol rope pull was even better so that was a big highlight for me. Also winning the individual reward challenge and getting that food crate, that was probably the highlight of the whole season for me just because I got so much out of it and I had such a good time down there. My only qualm with that is that I didn’t get to share all that yummy food with anyone.
It was the best reward and then they only got better. I’m only about 20 minutes out from a town that only has about 18 people in it so I’ve had very humble beginnings but to then be sitting in a spa with one of Australia’s best actresses, the CEO of Boost and a Brownlow medallist was a bit of a pinch myself moment!
Winning the reward challenges was a big highlight for Daisy.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: Everyone seems to really get on, are you still in contact with people from the show?
Daisy: I see Simon really frequently just because we’re both in Brisbane but most of us chat via a group chat and we all get along pretty well. I still speak to Shaun on the occasion, I still get drunk calls every now and then from John- that’s the larrikin in him! It’s funny because I wasn’t super close with Luke in the game but outside of the game we’ve become really good friends so I’m really lucky.
TV WEEK: We saw that you got some good seats at the footy thanks to Simon!
Daisy: Yeah, it’s handy having hook ups in the AFL! I also went to watch Matt wrestle in Melbourne which was great, he’s actually the person that I’m closest with funnily enough and we only got to play together for 16 days before we were put on separate tribes. I speak to Matt every single day- shortest temper but funniest person in the entire world.
Daisy is still in touch with Simon, Luke and Matt to name a few.
(Image: Network Ten)TV WEEK: You were the 17th person to leave. You must be so proud of how you did.
Daisy: Oh yeah! I mean everyone’s goal in Survivor is to win but to make merge is a nice landing cushion. To get to go into Jury Villa and debrief and spend time with friends, it’s an awesome experience but in saying that, anyone who played or got selected for Survivor, there’s obviously something special about them and someone sees that in you. To even be selected to have this opportunity is just mind-boggling because I think there were about 20,000 applicants and there were 24 of us that got there so it’s a very humbling experience. Whether you lasted two days or 50 days I think you should be proud of yourself. It was the best and worst thing I’ve ever done in my life but I wouldn’t change a minute of it.
TV WEEK: And who do you want to see win?
At this point in time, definitely Luke. He’s played the best game of the people that were left there and it’s a great story but Luke’s the one to watch. He’s the People’s Champion for a reason!
“Survivor was the best and worst thing I’ve ever done in my life but I wouldn’t change a minute of it.”
(Image: Network Ten)Want more on Survivor 2019?
Meet the Australian Survivor 2019 contestants
Is Australian Survivor fake or real? Former contestants and crew speak out
Where is Australian Survivor filmed? Well, not in Australia
The ‘gram has spoken! Where to follow your Australian Survivor favourites on Instagram
How much do Survivor contestants get paid? The answer may shock you
Australian Survivor: AFL star Shaun Hampson on why he isn’t a Champion
Who is Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia’s wife? Here’s what we know
Why every Survivor fan needs to check out host Jonathan LaPaglia’s Twitter account
Real-life survivor: The Australian Survivor stars lucky to be alive
