Australian Survivor returns to Ten with ‘Brains V Brawn’ format
Ten has revealed that the forthcoming season of Australian Survivor will have a new Brains V Brawn format, pitting muscle against book smarts.
The series, produced by Endemol Shine Australia for Network Ten, will once again be hosted by Jonathan LaPaglia, and is the sixth edition of the show featuring Australian contestants.
Ten said the new season will again feature castaways from all walks of life, and warns viewers not to be fooled into thinking that the Brains team will be at a disadvantage, teasing that the team will be full of experts in their chosen field.
“Careful strategists, they know when to bide their time and are strongest when their backs are against the wall,” Ten teased.
Meanwhile, the Brawn team won’t be ‘all muscle, no hustle’ either. “These castaways may be the doers in their professions but as we all know in this game, physical strength can only get you so far,” Ten says.
Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn is the first season of the show to be shot in Australia, filmed in the vast outback of northwest Queensland. That follows five seasons set in Samoa and Fiji.
Ten was also the recipient of $3.9 million in Federal Government funding to assist filming in the town of Cloncurry, a town more than 1,700 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, with a population of less than 3,000.
Announcing the funding earlier this year, Communications and Arts Minister Paul Fletcher said: “Australian Survivor was one of the many world-renowned productions jeopardised by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why we are pleased to provide $3.9 million to get the series back on our screens in 2021.
“Local production of the show’s sixth season will support businesses in regional Queensland and create 150 employment opportunities for local crew, providing a major boost to the Australian economy.”
Ten had planned to air two seasons of Australian Survivor in 2020, but the second was postponed when filming in Fiji became impossible as the pandemic ripped around the world.
Host Jonathan LaPaglia was unable to attend the finale of last year’s first-ever all stars season – watched by 878,000 metro viewers – due to the travel limitations imposed by COVID-19, and some contestants dialled in virtually.
Got a tip?
Zanda Wilson was a reporter and podcast producer at Mumbrella, specialising in radio reporting. He left Mumbrella in September 2021.
Linkedin