User Reviews

I love the Australian version of this show which in my opinion is as good and probably better than the U.S version.I really look forward to this show,.Well done channel 10.

Jonathan Lapaglia is a fantastic host.

And it would be hard to live up to the skills of Jeff Probst. I love U. S.survivor so had lots of expectations.

I was not disappointed the camera work, the angles, the contestant selection and the challenges are better then the U. S the effort that's gone into the challenges actually surpass the U. S. version. Less puzzles more endurance.

The contestants get more airtime and it's impressive.

Locky, Dave, Benji, Henry, Luke, what legends.

So addictive!

WOW. I don't know how long Paramount has had this on their channel, but I blew through seasons 4, 5, and 6 in less than two weeks. That's with 70-plus episodes and half of them over an hour of runtime.

Australian Survivor takes the gold. The challenges are ten times better. The runtime and amount of episodes they show in Australia is great (I think I saw someone say it's three times a week over there). The people make us Americans look like garbage people lol. Even their narcissists are decent people!

Production is better, we get to learn about these contestants, there are so many surprises and advantages. How is US Survivor so bland compared to this? And we were the original! When I watch this show, I don't do anything else. Usually I get so sucked in, I feel like I'm there right along with the contestants playing the game. Sounds weird, I know, but that's how flawless this show is.

Only con is I'm in the States and only have access to the last three seasons, and I'm not sure if we'll get to see the new season in real time. I was on the fence about the host, and I saw someone mention that he stirs stuff up in tribals. That was super annoying to begin with because like that commenter, I was wondering why there is so much interference. However, the conversation is always riveting. People just lay things out there! The majority say what's on their mind, and even when it's a negative comment about someone they're sitting next to, most deliver it in a respectful manner.

I can't say enough about the production and longer runtime. Survivor US doesn't give us nearly enough, and if my memory serves correct, they even either did away with or cut out the reward challenges.

Australians are great humans. They also have the best TV (Wentworth, Survivor, etc.). I wish I was Australian so I can go on the show. I mean seriously, I could write a book about this gem.

Hands down, Survivor AU is brilliant. Please watch!

This show is really well done and keeps the form of original Survivor. US Version is going off track shortening episodes, length of season, dividing into 3 tribes and eliminating rewards. Australian version runs longer with more depth and we really get to know the contestants and appreciate their struggles without producers trying to falsely create drama that really doesn't seem to be there as in recent US versions. So much more real I've even rewatched a couple of series though I knew final outcome. I really hope it comes back. Aussies deserve credit for elevating this format. When watching Survivor you want to see contestants really going through something and wonder if you could ever handle that kind of challenge - this show gives something to appreciate and admire whether you like the players or not. Winners really deserve what they get.

Girlfriend put this on the other day and now I'm hooked, we only have "I'm a celebrity" in the UK and it is just awful (she watches it, not me), lots of animal cruelty and cheapo celebrities at its finest. I feared this show would involve the same but it's just done to perfection, love the season 4 survivors, such nice people. Can't wait to watch more 👍

Australian Survivor FAR surpasses any other version of Survivor, it's just amazing! 54 days so you really get to know the players, they brought back all the things I LOVE about Survivor, The auction and even the car, it's Survivor on Steroids is the best way to say it. The challenges are better, it's just an amazing show that I prefer over the US version and I am a die hard Survivor fan and thought no way I would ever like this better than the original but it's better!!

Compared to Australian Survivor (2002) and Celebrity Survivor (2006), this 2016 version is SO much better. It has everything the US version has; from the theme to the fast-thinking lovable host. The music is a bit over-dramatic but apart from that, Australian Survivor has everything a good survivor season needs. It's not perfect quite yet, but it's certainly on its way. As a survivor fan, I can definitely see myself watching this season and many seasons to come without hesitation, and i hope others from around the country share the same opinion. Over all, great job, great host, great contestants, great everything. Thankyou for not repeating your previous mistake in the first 2 seasons (if I dare consider them survivor seasons).

Just as good as the original American show but they kept the rewards challenges and immunities so unlike the American one where they actually have two challenges an episode still

That is the biggest disappointment from the newer American seasons they took out a lot of challenges and it's just too much blah blah blah talking

American survivor has more twists and turns but Australian has more original advantages and also way more creative advantages

All in all just as good and worth a watch.

I have loved the American version of Survivor from day one. The last few seasons however, I found that love waning a bit. Then after watching the beginnings of Season 41, the wokeness garbage has ruined the grittiness of the show in general and stomped out what love I had left for it. THEN I DISCOVERED the Australian version of Survivor. Wow! The challenges are more endurance and strength based, not the puzzle mania BS at all. The participant selection is spot on, giving us viewers dynamic yet down to earth people to connect with. I am officially hooked on Australian Survivor.

I will start by saying that I think Australian Survivor does a GREAT job in casting. I would LOOOOOVE to see a crossover with AU and US tribe mates! The only problem I have with the show is Jonathan LaPaglia's approach at tribal council. He does not let tribal happen organically. He stirs up too much at tribal. Probst does a far better job, and LaPaglia would do better to keep it more like Probst. The amount of time spent on each episode at tribal is ridiculously too long. The constant probing questions as to who is going to be the next person out, defeats the purpose. Apart from that, I do believe out of all the English versions of Survivor, Australian Survivor does the best apart from the US. Both seasons on New Zealand were bland, and South Africa had some unforgivable antics with an immunity idol. Anyways, AU is doing a great job for the most part! I love this show!

Survivor fans in Australia did not begin watching this season with high hopes...it just so happens that we were all thoroughly impressed. After watching this seasons EPIC finale, I believe many of Australian Survivor's faults have been redeemed and justified. Hopefully next season there will not be Tribal Councils where no one is actually voted out and additionally that episode boots aren't made too predictable based on the edit they get and the advertisements in the lead up to the episode airing. I think some different choices in the casting process would have made a big difference, and maybe having more diversity in the cast also. Overall, great season, could be sitting up the US big leagues. :)

This Australian reboot was really well produced in the way that it was set up so similar to the US version. However the cast was overall, awful consisting of a quitter and also characters/real world people rather than players The game of survivor is so entertaining because big moves are made and blindsides occur. The game has evolved so much since the borneo season, and to be fair thisAus version was so similar in that one alliance cruised all the way, the only difference being the winner. This provided for a fairly boring season with the only real players voting each other off (phoebe v craig for example). So does this means it takes about several more seasons before really taking off? I honestly hope not. The host also could be better in that he goes over the top with the tribal interrogation. With all this being said, the finale was epic with great jury speeches and seeing as this was so reminiscent of the borneo season, it leaves a glimmer of hope for a fascinating and entertaining evolution to the game of survivor. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Look... Producers. It's very obvious that you get involved, and manipulate situations to support your narrative. I also know you'll be reading these comments, because your egos won't allow anything you not too... This last season, it was very clear who you wanted to win. Don't get me wrong, I liked the winner, and I wish I could comfortably say he deserved it, but he didn't. For example, he suddenly finds an idol! He keeps feeling the same area, where he's checked numerous times, making it very obvious he was being told there IS one there. The producers wanted to do everything in their power for this individual to win, and it's also obvious why. Australian TV is some of the most manipulated tv in the world. Either that, or you're just really bad at hiding it. My wife and I stopped watching MAFS because it was ridiculously obvious what they were doing.

Good series, but be aware the producers are a bunch of virtue signalling, dictators!!!

No more is Survivor USA the best, thanks to Jeff Probst going off script with failed detours from the tried and true. Aussie Survivor goes from strength to stronger with great casting of players and even greater destinations in the Queensland bush! I have watched every Survivor since 2000. I grew up in outback Queensland in the 1950's without electricity,running water,telephone etc. Great to see young people surviving in conditions which I thought were normal!

I have enjoyed this Survivor version after watching the US version and sincerely hope there will be a future US vs AU All Stars version. How awesome that would be!!

This is a great series. It is captivating and we won't do anything else on Mon, Tues and Wed evenings until it is over. We love the gamesmanship and the humour. At times it is such a crack up and we love the strategies attempted by the contestants.

Anyone who takes this seriously needs to give themselves an upper cut.

David is amazing and a producer's dream. He has the ability to constantly polarise opinion. We love Mr Golden God, as he is the best game player we have ever seen, plus his ability to make fun of himself is to die for. In fact, the whole cast has been great and wonderful to watch.

The only negative thing we could say is that we find the sound really annoying because the background music track gets bumped up so high in the production studio you can't always hear what the contestants are saying.

I've watched Survivor USA since it began many years ago. This show is what ours used to be! Ours has become soft through the years but this one is terrific, excellent players, difficult challenges, Gorgeous locations, excellent host Jonathan LaPaglia! I am so excited I finally found this show and am thoroughly enjoying each episode! My husband is too! You have no idea how many fans of your show there are in America! We talk about this on our regular Survivor page daily. Americans looooove Australian Survivor! Please keep up the excellent work! We are all excited about each episode! Love from the USA!

I wish they do a family one against others families! But great season this year! I can't wait for the next season!

Agree with others here. We have watched each season as it has been broadcast, and were initially shocked at the constant attempts by host Johnathan to push people into giving away their voting intentions at tribal council. At times he's more like a prosecutor in court than a neutral host. To be fair, this could be partly the producers' influence ... the none-too-subtle steps by production to keep George in the game last season were shameful, but not the only time they've left themselves looking guilty in this way. A pity, because so much else about the show is so good. I still marvel that they were able to make 2021's coverage of the outback environment actually look interesting for so many weeks of viewing.

Whereas the US version has went full woke and is painfully dull to watch in its effort to never offend anyone... and will even click pause and have a full Struggle Sessions live when they don't like a particular scene or contestant... Australian Survivor currently is what the early seasons of the US version were: beautifully pure, imperfect, human relationships without a filter on top to fit any 'approved' narrative or political ideology. Will they fall too? Probably, but until then it is far more satisfying, I only wish it was easier to watch in the US.

(TL;DR below)

Australian Survivor is so much more enjoyable than US Survivor, mostly thanks to the longer run-time. More time lets viewers immerse and connect with the participants more deeply. Plus, conversations and conflicts are fully played-out so that you can easily understand the context and weight of each situation; much unlike its American counterpart where everything is shoddily spliced together with jarring cuts to maximize drama while cramming as much into standard programming time as possible.

The contestants themselves seem to be much more likeable versus those on the American version because they truly demonstrate decency and comradery toward one another throughout the competition. Don't get me wrong, cutthroat subversion and betrayals keep it interesting, but the contestants on this version of the show openly display remorse in having to do those things, and you can tell that they genuinely care for one another. That creates a particularly satisfying payoff toward the end of each season when, as a viewer, you can tell that those remaining have developed an incredible bond through shared experiences.

The music can be a hair over-the-top at times, but the show doesn't rely on bombastic sound effects and heavy edits to artificially enhance the tension. A lot can even be said about the show's cinematography. There are plenty of really stunning and creative shots that artistically remind viewers of nature's beauty (and terror).

HOWEVER.

One major issue is that the producers interfere with the show to an extreme degree. Look at Season 6 as the case and point. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but there are several instances where producers randomly break fundamental rules of Survivor; so much so that it completely detracts from the quality of the show.

Oftentimes, it leaves the audience wondering how permanent any given decision is and has probably made contestants frustrated that, no matter how masterful their strategy may be, it is subject to random producer interference at any moment. The whole point of Survivor is that it emulates the very basics of human society and provides a miniature case study of how people naturally arrange themselves into groups and hierarchies. This concept is fascinating because viewers get to watch as a group of "survivors" essentially reconstruct civilization at micro-scale while fighting for supremacy as the dynamic of power evolves from physical in nature to social. Producers trying to force drama into the show with gimmicks and arbitrary rule changes seem to be out-of-touch with what makes Survivor so gripping in the first place.

This aspect alone brings the show down from a 9/10 star to a 5/10 star... that's how disappointing and egregious the producer interference is.

TL;DR: Australian Survivor is better than American Survivor because it is enjoyably presented as more of a creative documentary following a group of "survivors" attempting to weave through complex social, physical, and psychological dilemmas until only the best remains. Whereas, the American show is just a flashy game show that happens to follow a group of people on an island who are desperately vying for screen time. It needs to work out kinks in the mechanics of the game itself, but once it does, it will be the best version of Survivor on TV.

I absolutely love Australian survivor but can hardly hear the comments due to the loudness of the background music. We have to put subtitles on! No other show we watch has this issue. Even the ads are softer on the ears (can't believe I said that!

The villain versus heroes is a great concept with this Aussie cast. I reckon they deserve to have winnings like the US has.

We really enjoy the Aussie version which now makes it harder to watch other countries. The settings are always great.

One of the challenges was pretty dangerous when a2 contestants planted their faces after a fall, lucky no necks broken. May need to remove this one. Keep up the great work Aussies!

Watching season 8 of Australian Survivor is like watching a game of chess, but instead of players moving the pieces, it's the producers who are making all the moves. It's like they're playing puppet-master with the contestants, pulling the strings to create manufactured drama and tension.

But despite the frustration of watching the producers pull all the strings, there's still something addictive about watching a group of strangers trying to outwit each other on a deserted island. It's like a social experiment, but with more coconuts and fewer lab coats.

If you're looking for a show that will leave you scratching your head in confusion and disbelief, then Australian Survivor season 8 is definitely worth a watch. Just don't expect the contestants to have any control over their own fate. Maybe the producers should give them a chance to call the shots next season... or at least give them a map to the hidden immunity idols.