Brace yourselves for some very exciting news, Survivor fans.
Season two of Australian Survivor will premiere on Sunday, July 30 at 7:30pm on Network Ten.
Plus, this time around the series will have a drumroll…. LIVE FINALE.
We quizzed Stephen Tate, the Head of Entertainment and Factual Programming at Network Ten to keep you up to date with everything you need to know.
Very exciting news about the live finale. When was the decision made to make it live?
Last year’s finale was so amazing that we felt the only way to top it would be to bring the announcement of the winner home and add the reunion special into the mix.
Was it a case of Survivor fans wanting it to have been a live finale last season? How closely do you listen to the reaction from viewers?
Yes the Survivor fan’s really wanted the reunion special in particular. The Survivor fans are the most vocal fan base we have ever encountered. We have no choice but to listen to them because they know the format so well and have really constructive ideas.
Will the reunion be filmed back in Australia?
Yes the reunion special will be shot straight after the big winners announcement, in the same Australian location and with as many of the cast and their families as we can gather.
How long will the gap be between filming ending in Samoa and recording the live finale?
We have just wrapped shooting in Samoa and it will be a few months before we get to the finale broadcast so it’s a long time to wait for the contestants but it will be worth the wait.
How did the contestants react to having to wait that long for the result?
The Jury went absolutely crazy when Jonathan made the announcement, they loved the idea and I think they were actually hoping this was going to happen. It’s obviously a much harder wait for the final two.
Will every contestant come back for the final episode?
We certainly hope so.
Will we also see JLP grill all of the contestants? Is he excited about this part?
Jonathan can’t wait. This has been a really feisty cast of Survivor’s with lots of secrets and Jonathan is onto all of them. The reunion special will be really entertaining and there will be plenty of revelations and fireworks.
Any other surprises we could expect from the reunion episode?
The biggest surprise will be the result. Not even Jonathan knows who has won at this stage because the votes were sealed in Samoa and they will not be counted until Jonathan does it in front of everyone back here at home.
