The hype has been building for months but the wait is almost over for Australian Survivor to return to our screens after a ten year absence. With Sunday night’s premiere looming, Ozlet Noah Groves takes a look at the top 10 things to look forward to in our Aussie version of the show. Continue reading to find out what we’re most excited for here at Survivor Oz!
10. Extended Premiere Episode
Seems like Australian Survivor is following suite with its US counterpart by having an extended opening episode. Australian Survivor’s premiere will be 100 minutes long, including commercials. It is perhaps even more important for Australian Survivor to have a longer opening episode when the cast consists of twenty four players. It is going to be a stretch as it is to showcase everyone right off the bat and even with two episodes a week, no doubt many players will fly under the radar of the edit. This extended premiere is a great way to kick off the season and will give us even more to soak in for this exciting time in Survivor history!
9. Sue
The Sue-nami is coming! Sue is the oldest female player on the upcoming season and is one of the eight or so contestants to receive some pre-season preview attention from channel ten. Sue seems like an absolute character and fun person who is sure to gain a cut following from the online Survivor fans. While she is one of the oldest contestants, Sue isn’t worried about that and she is being labelled as the feisty granny who can compete with the younger players. Let’s hope she does stick around for at least a few weeks so we get to see the Sue-nami in full swing. Right off the bat Sue sticks out as a potentially fun character and someone to watch out for next Sunday!
8. Similarities and Differences to the US Version
The original Australian Survivor went out of its way to be different in as much as it could. Most of which failed…does anyone remember the immunity bell? So far this new version looks very similar to the US version, and that’s a good thing. It is exciting to see how much of this season adopts for the better and how much it will hold up to its American counterpart. From all we have seen, the production values are up there. But for all we wonder of what will stay the same, it is also just as exciting to see what differences there might be between the shows. What new twists can we look forward to and will the Australian version introduce a new element that is successful and then adopted by the American version? Already we know of some differences in that there is 24 players, 55 days and two episodes airing a week. Will these changes ultimately pay off in the end?
7. Australian’s competing for the First Time in Ten Years
It still hasn’t really set in that we actually have our own version of Survivor starting in under a week. The last time there were Aussie contestants playing Survivor was ten years ago and even then it was a celebrity version. The initial Australian Survivor cast was criticised for being boring and being too friendly to one another. That was a different time though and casting has not only changed but the players have become savvier on what is entertaining and how to play the game properly. It is exciting to see how these Aussie castaways will play the game. Will they really value mateship more than the Americans? Will we see unity or different style of gameplay from different states? Will the Australians prove to be just as entertaining as the American players or will they be less over the top and more down to earth? Survivor Oz was formed in 2011 and I think it is safe to assume that none of us expected for Australian Survivor to ever come back and now we will be talking about players who we perhaps understand or associate with more due to how uniquely Australian this cast could prove to be. If the show returns for future seasons we could well see Survivor Oz fans or even ozlets making it on to compete.
6. Phoebe
Along with Des, Phoebe has received the most attention in the pre-season content out of all the players. She is being set up as the sexy strategist role and is looking likely to be one of the bigger characters in the season. It remains to be seen whether or not the hype of her being the Australian Parvati will pay off but Phoebe is definitely someone the producers/advertising team seem to be happy with. Phoebe is a brain, brawn and beauty and is a criminal cartel lawyer in her everyday life. Phoebe is also on the same tribe as Des, who will be mentioned later in the article. The Aganoa tribe also features former professional cricketer Lee Carseldine and model Rohan. So far Phoebe has received positive attention and hopefully next Sunday she proves to us that the hype is not unwarranted.
5. Jonathan LaPaglia
Jono was certainly an unexpected, left field choice when it came to the host of the show. Most speculated that a popular channel ten personality such as Chris Brown would take the job. However the unexpected choice is showing to be perhaps the correct move for Australian Survivor. Jono seems like a man suited for the job and from everything we have seen, seems like the hype will follow through. Obviously we haven’t seen the man in action yet, but that is what makes it exciting and something to look forward to. How many Probst-isms will he adopt and how many Jono-isms will he create? No doubt there will be unfair comparisons towards Jeff and Jonathan but it is exciting, and nerve raking, to see just how much our local host will hold up with the rest of the show.
4. Super Fans Competing
It is important in Survivor to have a mix of people who aren’t as familiar with the show and people who are super fans who have seen every episode. Often super fans turn out to be some of the worst players in the game, however in this case it is comforting to know that we have at least three or four big fans of the game. It is questionable just how big of a fan these people are but to have a small group that are going to play hard no matter what else happens in the season is a positive. In the preview of the first six minutes of episode one, Andrew is seen dropping what could be a Brian Heidik quote. Exciting stuff! Other fans include Adelaide magician Matt and teacher Nick, law student Conner and Craig from Brisbane. No doubt some of the fans of the show will leave the game early but I think it is safe to assume and look forward to a few of them wheeling and dealing their way through the game and giving us the level of strategy fans have expected from recent seasons.
3. Three Tribes of Eight/Twenty Four Players
Australian Survivor is following another trend from the US version by starting off the game with three tribes. However it won’t be three tribes of six, it will be eight, the size of tribes from the early days of Survivor. It will be fascinating to see how the dynamics of these three tribes of eight will play out. Three tribes often lead to craziness during a tribe swap or merge because there is so many different alliances and subsects. Will this be heightened with two more people being added to the tribe or will it have an opposite affect where there is a greater sense of unity in the larger alliances from each group eight? It may also lead to more unpredictability before the tribe swap as tribes of six often lead to a solid four or so person alliance sticking together early on. This tribe layout could also produce new opportunities like two tribes going to tribal and only one being immune or up to eight tribal’s with three tribes still intact.
2. Des
Des is one of the oldest contestants in this upcoming season and is also one of the few to be receiving the most pre game attention and advertisement space. Is this because he goes far in the season or is it simply he is a big character that they want to show off to promote the show? Only time will tell but he certainly seems like a much needed source for comedy and light-heartedness in the season. Des is a quirky guy who says he will rely more on his brains than anything to succeed in the game. He states in the promos “I’m born to play a villainous game. If they don’t get rid of my first, they are gonna be in trouble.” In a season which is promoting mateship as a major theme, Des appears to be the de facto villain and trouble maker and certainly someone to look forward to on August 21st.
1. Two Episodes a Week and More Australian Hype/Media Coverage
If having our own local version of Survivor wasn’t already exciting, we will be for the next twelve or thirteen weeks, getting two episodes of Survivor a week. Sunday and Monday nights in Australia will be dominated by Survivor. More episodes means more coverage from Survivor Oz and more discussion amongst the Australian fan base and Audience. The US version gets minimal attention here in Australia so it is an exciting notion to think the show will generate a new fan base and discussion in Survivor as well as attention in the media. Here at Survivor Oz we will be providing recap episodes, including some live after shows after the channel ten airing. We will also have written recaps and power rankings weekly to help fill the six day gap between episodes. We also hope to either get exit interviews or at least interview the castaways sometime after they are voted out. On top of our show, Australian Survivor will be no doubt covered in the media, by Channel ten shows like The Project and through new Australian Survivor podcasts and online blogs. There are extremely exciting times ahead for Survivor fans and the Australian Survivor hype is real and in full swing. Bring on the premiere, 7:30PM August 21st!
What do you think of the top 10? What are you most looking forward to about Australian Survivor? Leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts!
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