Out of all the former contestants hoping to secure a spot on Australian Survivor: All Stars, none were keener than season-one participant Nick Iadanza.
But when the opportunity came along, the Adelaide high school teacher decided to put family first following his baby daughter’s health issues.
Nick Iadanza almost didn’t return for All Stars.
(Image: Network Ten)“My daughter Paloma has had some issues with her legs,” Nick, 28, explains. “She’s been in double casts most of her life and I didn’t feel right leaving.
“So I initially said no when executive producer Amelia [Fisk], called me – I’m a huge Survivor fan, so you can imagine how difficult that was for me.”
Nick and wife Christine welcomed Paloma in December 2018 and together have traversed the tricky terrain of a baby with complications.
Christine and baby Paloma will be hoping Daddy does well.
(Image: Instagram)“Paloma is the happiest kid, but it hasn’t been easy with her health issues,” he says. “It adds a layer of complexity to raising your kids.
“But my wife is an absolute gem. She can cope with anything, so she’s saved us.”
Ultimately, it was Christine who convinced Nick to take a second shot at Australian Survivor glory.
“When I told Christine I’d turned it down, she said I’d regret it for the rest of my life,” Nick says. “She told me I had to do it.
“So once I had her blessing, I knew I was going to go out there and burn that island to the ground.”
WATCH: Locky Gilbert is back for Australian Survivor: All Stars – but will he be crowned Sole Survivor? Story continues below…
Has Locky Gilbert found love on the island?
He’s returned to Australian Survivor single and ready to mingle, and it hasn’t taken Locky Gilbert long to flirt up a storm.
“From day dot I got along with Brooke [Jowett] well,” Locky, 30, tells TV WEEK. “We’re both adventurous, outgoing people, so we hit it off right away.
Could Brooke and Locky out-romance everyone?
(Image: Network Ten)“We hadn’t met before [filming], but we’d spoken on Instagram when we both had partners.”
Since arriving on the island, the pair have formed a bond.
“Brooke and I are close – we’re good friends for now; we’re just going at our own pace,” Locky says, but he knows Australian Survivor can be a good-luck charm when it comes to finding love.
“I’m good friends with Lee [Carseldine] and he met El [Rowland] on the show [in 2016]. And I’m close with Sam and Mark [from the 2017 season], who just got married and have a child, so you can find amazing connections on Survivor.”
Australian Survivor: All Stars, Monday to Wednesday, 7.30pm, 10
