We already know Australian Survivor: Heroes vs Villains is set to return in January 2023, and to get us even more excited, Channel 10 has decided to slowly drip-feed the contestant list to us.
It’s a genius way to grab people’s attention and also forces Survivor fans to tune in to the network’s latest reality TV competition, The Challenge. During ad breaks of The Challenge, 10 will be announcing the cast of Survivor, and hopefully, by the end of the season, we’ll know the name of every single castaway.
We already know Brains vs Brawns‘ winner Hayley Leake and runner-up, George Mladenov, aka King George of Bankstown, will be taking part. Leake is set to compete in the Heroes tribe, while Mladenov will be a Villain.
Survivor: Heroes vs Villains will return to its roots next year, filming on the beautiful island of Samoa, where the first season was shot back in 2016. This also marks the show’s first time overseas after the COVID-19 pandemic slammed international borders shut. The previous two seasons, Brains vs Brawn and Blood vs Water, took place in outback Queensland.
Returning to host the show will be Jonathan LaPaglia, who promised that “the beautiful beaches will see Heroes and Villains battle it out in gruelling challenges to come out on top” in the short trailer.
“In the game of Survivor, who does it better — the hero or the villain?”
There was heavy speculation around whether or not Nina Twine, from this year’s Blood vs Water season, would return after Jonathan made a cryptic comment right before her exit from the show this year, and now, Ten has confirmed that yes, the Princess of Survivor will indeed be returning for Australian Survivor: Heroes Vs Villains… as a hero.
Now, this is notable because any Survivor fan will be able to tell you that Nina’s mother, two-time winner and Queen of Survivor Sandra Diaz-Twine, is one of Survivor‘s most iconic villains in the show’s history. In fact, Sandra even won the US season of Heroes Vs Villains back in 2010. Perhaps Nina’s decision to compete as a Hero indicates that she wants to play in a different style than her mother.
Nina was playing a great game and was widely considered one of Blood Vs Water‘s frontrunners until she fractured her ankle during a reward challenge, which forced her to withdraw from the competition.
When we spoke to Nina in February after the episode aired, she said that her ankle was on the mend.
“I can jog now without any discomfort, I still have a little bit of tightness in the morning, it’s not gonna go away quickly, but I’m about 95% healed, it’s not bad,” she said. “It’s just a quick stretch, a little warm up and then I’m good to go.”
With months between then and when Australian Survivor: Heroes Vs Villains began filming, we’re sure Nina will be back on deck and ready to play harder than ever. But will she be able to take out the title of Sole Survivor, just like her mum? Only time will tell!
In the meantime, check out the confirmed cast members of Australia Survivor: Heroes vs Villains.
Heroes Tribe
Hayley Leake — Winner of Australian Survivor: Brains Vs Brawn
David Zaharakis — Former AFL Player
Nina Twine — Australian Survivor: Blood Vs Water
Shaun Hampson — Australian Survivor: Champions Vs Contenders 2
Benjamin Law — Author and Journalist
Rogue Rubin — Animal Activist and Filmmaker
Flick Palmateer — Big Wave Surfer and Australian Survivor: Brains Vs Brawn Finalist
Sharni Vinson — Australian Actress (“Home and Away”, “You’re Next”)
Paige Donald — Outback Jillaroo
Gerry Geltch — Tourism Pilot
Matt Sharp — Lifeguard
Sam Webb — Australian Survivor Season 1
Villains Tribe
George Mladenov aka “King George of Bankstown” — Runner Up of Australian Survivor: Brains Vs Brawn
Shonee Bowtell — Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders and Australian Survivor: All Stars
Sarah Marschke — Miss World Australia
Jordie Hansen aka The Joker — Australian Survivor: Blood Vs Water
Anjali Rao — Broadcaster and Journalist
Liz Parnov — Olympic Pole Vaulter
Simon Mee — Australian Survivor: Brains Vs Brawn
Stevie Khouw — Australian Survivor: Champions Vs Contenders
Mimi Tang — Luxury Car PR Manager
Michael Warren — Journalist
Jackie Glazier — Australian Survivor: Champions Vs Contenders
Fraser Lack — Real Estate Agent
Australian Survivor: Heroes Vs Villains will premiere in January 2023, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand.
