It’s called the greatest game on Earth for a reason and over the years we’ve seen some epic Australian Survivor moments.
From shock blindsides, to challenge fails and even budding romances, we can expect blood, sweat and tears (both happy and sad) with every season.
WATCH: The Australian Survivor proposal. Post continues after video…
In 2024, the theme will be Titans V Rebels and now we know who the castmates will be, we can’t wait to see what will unfold this season.
But who will be joining the Hall of Fame next? Meet the previous winners here and see what has happened since they wrapped filming.
Season one: Rob Dickson
Australia’s first Sole Survivor Rob Dickson played smart and won the premiere series in 2002 – back when the show aired on Channel Nine – with an impressive 5-2 jury vote.
Back then, the show was filmed in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula and the castaways only had to spend 39 days there. How times have changed!
As a former AFL player for both Hawthorne and the Brisbane Bears in the late eighties and early nineties, he had the physical strength but went on to be a film director.
However tragedy struck in 2009 when Rob and his five-year-old son Byron died in a car accident whilst on holiday in South Africa. Not only that, but his eight-year-old son Gabriel died four days later in hospital due to injuries sustained in the crash.
Rob was a former AFL star who tragically died in 2009.
(Image: Nine Network) (Credit: (Image: Nine Network))Season two: Guy Leech
The celebrity edition of season two was taken over by Channel Seven and featured 12 celebrities battling it out in Vanuatu to win $100,000 for their chosen charity.
Despite getting originally voted out, former ironman champ, Guy Leech not only made his way back into the game but was crowned the winner. The money went to his chosen charity, Ride Aid Inc and was used to build two schools in North Cambodia.
Since then, Guy has been living his best life with his wife and two daughters advocating for defibrillators to be more readily available through his business Heart180 and playing plenty of golf.
Season three: Kristie Bennett
By 2016, Channel Ten had claimed ownership and it was the beginning of the Survivor we know and love today. So you can call it season three or season one, take your pick.
That year, Sydney-based senior account executive Kristie Bennett became the first female winner of Australian Survivor at 24-years-old. But after snagging the prize money, she didn’t want to go back to her old life.
“I wanna be a facilitator, that people can find a way if they have a dream or a goal — motivational stuff but also strategic things as well,” she told the Manly Daily in 2017. “I’m not prepared to do what I don’t really believe in anymore.”
Until recently, Kristie spent her time travelling around the world looking for the best op shop buys, and her Instagram gave us serious wanderlust. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic pumped the brakes on her international travels, but she still spends plenty of time exploring her own backyard in Australia. She also has her own YouTube channel!
She also posts heaps of Survivor throwbacks on her Instagram.
Season four: Jericho Malabonga
Known for his bromance with Luke Toki, Victorian flight attendant Jericho was crowned Sole Survivor in 2017 and put the prize money to good use.
Jericho took Luke, Luke’s wife Mary and their two boys to Disneyland after Luke promised he’d take his family there if he won. Now if that’s not friendship, we don’t know what is!
Aside from travelling (he kept his day job at Qantas) and keeping up his fitness at his local F45 gym, Jericho also spent time volunteering in Cambodia in 2018. He was even joined by former Survivor contestants Elena Rowland, Lee Carseldine and his runner up Tara Pitt.
He returned in 2019 for the show’s All Stars season, but didn’t take home the top prize that time. As for his job as a flight attendant, Jericho kept up his passion even through the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing on Instagram that he was working on some flights returning stranded Aussies to the country in 2020.
Nowadays he’s enjoying life on the edge, documenting his many travels on Instagram as well as sharing his love of Jesus.
Season five: Shane Gould
In the first instalment of Champions versus Contenders, it was Olympic swimmer Shane Gould who took the title against criminal lawyer Sharn Coombs.
Following her win, Shane, who was the eldest winner the franchise has seen, told TV WEEK that she wanted to spend her half a million dollars wisely.
“I want it mostly to free me up to go and do good work in drowning prevention, and things with people who are scared of the water. So I can go and do projects that help people,” she said at the time.
Shane isn’t on social media but her runner up Sharn is and in March 2019 revealed that she and Shane returned to Fiji’s Savusavu together. This time, however, they chilled in a resort and spent their time kayaking, pearl farming, visiting villages and trekking through the rainforest.
Like Jericho, Shane returned for All Stars with her motto: Don’t f— with Shane Gould! However, she was the first to be sent packing.
Season six: Pia Miranda
In 2019, the Smiling Assassin came out on top beating Baden Gilbert for the title of Sole Survivor in a landslide win.
A longtime fan of the show, the Looking For Alibrandi star told TV WEEK that being on Survivor was a dream of hers for 20 years. She said: “I’ve got a young family and I’m an Australian actor, we don’t… It will be life-changing for us, just like it would be for any other normal Australian family.”
Since her win, Melbourne based Pia’s been spending some quality family time with her husband and two kids, and has returned to our screens. Pia been busy starring in thriller series, Heat, and also participated in Dancing with the Stars Australia.
And in exciting news, Pia has also written and released her very own book! Finding My Bella Vita is a memoir about love and family. You can purchase Pia’s book here.
Season seven: David Genat
The Golden God may not have been victorious in 2019 but the 2020 season saw David Genat win in a landslide against runner-up (again) Sharn Coombs.
“I’m on cloud nine. It’s almost incomprehensible. I’m happy, my family is happy of course, but I think the fans are really happy and that’s what is bringing me a lot of joy today,” he confessed to TV WEEK after his win.
The international model and his family are now based in Perth, WA after relocating from New York and David returned to reality TV when he starred on Celebrity Apprentice.
He also hosted Rush on Channel 9 in 2023.
Season eight: Hayley Leake
The 2021 season looked a little different as it had to be filmed on Australian soil due to the pandemic.
But PhD candidate and Survivor super-fan Hayley stormed to victory in the Brains vs Brawn season, even after taking fan favourite “King” George Mladenov to the final.
Hayley told Who that she planned on putting her $500,000 towards buying a home with her then-fiancé Jimmy.
“I’ve been renting for a long time, and I’m pretty keen to kind of get that house, that dream of having your family, and then get started on making a little tribe of my own.”
Hayley also returned to Survivor on Heroes vs Villains where she said she was looking forward to facing off against George once more: ”I came in to this season knowing I had a huge target on my back from day one and that I would have to adapt my game very quickly,” she told TV Week ahead of the season premiere. Hayley was ultimately eliminated after a blindside.
Since then, Hayley has tied the knot with her husband as well as welcomed her first child, a daughter named Chloe.
Season nine: Mark Wales
Survivor Blood vs Water was perhaps the most intense yet! With our castaways competing against friends and family members (and in the case of Mark his wife Sam), things sure did heat up!
But ultimately Mark rose to the top, and took home the top prize.
Mark has since released a book, Survivor Life in the SAS – you can purchase his book here.
He has also delved into the world of acting, announcing he will feature in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
TRIGGER WARNING:
In the years since Mark has been a busy boy, travelling to Nepal for a hiking trip with his family, taking part in numerous speaking engagement and even going public with his own experience of childhood sexual abuse, in an effort to support and encourage other Survivors to come forward to authorities.
Season 10: Liz Parnov
Former Olympian, Liz Parnov was crowned the winner of Heroes V Villians in a clean sweep of votes in 2023.
”I am open to any opportunities that come from this experience. Survivor has changed my life,” Liz told TV Week the morning after her win.
Since then, Liz has been enjoying life in Western Australia, and regularly uploads photos of her beachy lifestyle.
Liz has hinted at a possible podcast with former Survivor castmate and friend, Shonee Fairfax, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
It seems Liz is just enjoying her $500,000 cash prize – good on her!
Want more Australian Survivor content? Check out these articles!
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Where are the Australian Survivor winners today?
Where is Australian Survivor filmed?
Megan Gale and Shaun Hampson’s relationship proves that sometimes, slow burns turn to fireworks
How much do Survivor contestants get paid? The answer may shock you
Who is Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia’s wife? Here’s what we know
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