‘Once the game starts, it doesn’t stop. There are no weekends’: Jonathan LaPaglia on surviving Survivor
Jonathan LaPaglia is back for his 12th season of Australian Survivor. This time around, it’s Brains V Brawn, a tried and tested format that never fails to throw up surprise black sheep, unforeseeable alliances, and grabs for power, both graceful – and hilariously otherwise.
The mental and physical wear and tear the show has on the contestants is evident to anyone who has watched past day ten, but what about the reliable, ever chirpy host? Surely it takes its toll on LaPaglia, even if he isn’t the one balancing on wooden torture instruments after three days of a white-rice-only diet.
After all, as LaPaglia tells Mumbrella, “once the game starts, it doesn’t stop”. He speaks to Mumbrella ahead of the upcoming season of Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn, which premieres next Monday, February 17.
The show is obviously gruelling for the contestants – but how hard is it for you? What routines or safeguards have you put into place so you don’t burnout or go mad, etc. while filming such a show?
When I was first offered the show I thought, “That doesn’t look too hard, I’ll do a little bit of work and then hang out at the pool with a Pina Colada and a good book”. Boy, was I wrong!
It’s one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done. Unlike an acting gig, where I get another take if a scene doesn’t go as planned, this is reality, so it needs to be right the first time every time. You can’t go back and fix stuff. I feel the pressure of that and I’m constantly prepping, rehearsing, and shooting. And once the game starts, it doesn’t stop. There are no weekends. So, I try to squeeze in a little bit of exercise every day to try to stay sane. It definitely helps, but by the end of the season I get a little loopy.
You did Top Gear last year – what were the major differences between the two? Did Survivor prepare you for the travel, or was being on the move a completely different experience?
On Survivor, I am a department of one, an MC trying to steer the show if you will. On Top Gear Australia, there are three of us bouncing off each other. It’s less about steering the show and more about creating entertaining scenarios.
Even though both jobs are described as ‘host,’ it’s a very different skill set. And trying to deliver info directly to camera that’s concise, engaging and entertaining, while trying not to crash a multimillion-dollar car, I found particularly challenging.
Survivor prepared me for the workload but definitely not the travel. We were pretty much on the road for four months shooting Top Gear Australia, sleeping at a different hotel every night. We would shoot all day until sundown, drive another couple of hours to the next hotel, got to bed, then rinse and repeat. It was tough but was a hell of an adventure. We got to see and do some incredible stuff.
Brawn tribe, from the 2024 iteration
Do you watch the US version, or do you steer clear of it? Likewise, do you watch the Australian version back when it airs?
I’ve watched all the U.S. seasons. I’m a fan. Also, as the OG, it’s the golden roadmap on how to do the show. I’ve learnt a lot.
And yes, I do watch the Aussie version. I hear about what is happening back at camp when we’re shooting but I don’t get to see it. So, it’s a real treat to witness all the tribe shenanigans once its assembled.
Jeff Probst from the American Survivor
Looking back, do you have a favourite season? Do they blur into each other at this point?
I like all of them for different reasons, but All Stars and Heroes V Villains would be up there. I haven’t seen the upcoming season of Australia V World yet, but I have a feeling that’s going to be pretty great.
How much do producers intervene when it comes to Idols? They tend to come at opportune times…
Sometimes it can seem that way, but the desperate players who really need it are always searching for Idols. And the harder you try, the luckier you get.
A convenient idol.
What is one of the under-appreciated skills that you see in some of the best players, that may not be apparent or obvious to the viewer?
Tolerance! At its core, Survivor is a social game. And to navigate a group of total strangers that you’re forced to live and work with for 47 days, requires a LOT of tolerance. One wrong word to someone and you could see yourself going home that night.
Have you ever considered competing in the show? Has that discussion ever come up?
No, I don’t think I’m allowed to compete. Besides, I wouldn’t be very good. My social game sucks.
Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn premieres Monday, 17 February at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play.
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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