“It’s show business, not show friends.”

Former The Bachelor host Osher Günsberg has weighed in on Channel 10’s decision to axe Jonathan LaPaglia as the host of Australian Survivor.

Osher knows what it’s like to be unceremoniously dumped with a reality TV format — having The Masked Singer and The Bachelor cancelled in the same year — and he says it’s simply “show business”.

He doesn’t have a personal relationship with JLP, but he was “aware” of the news. “It’s an extraordinary format. And you know, in a time when no one’s greenlighting anything really, the only things that are going… are the shows that are going again,” he tells Chattr.

“So everyone’s doing their very best to keep their formats healthy, whether it be Survivor or Deal or No Deal, or Dancing With The Stars or whatever, everybody’s doing what they can to make sure that people just keep watching the thing that they’re watching.”

He notes that most networks are not “brave” enough to try and put a new format on air, so making sure current reality TV shows are feeling fresh is the main strategy.

“If that’s what they need to do to keep [Australian Survivor] healthy, then you know, it’s show business, not show friends. As someone who’s no longer employed as a TV host, I understand that more than anybody,” he adds.

“So there’s the business case, and it will always be the reason you make a choice like that.”
Jonathan LaPaglia (JLP) will be replaced for future seasons of Australian Survivor. Image: 10

The Masked Singer and The Bachelor were axed in 2024

Osher is no stranger to having his formats discontinued, with the host losing his job when Australian Idol was cancelled in 2009. In 2024, it felt a bit like deja vu, when Channel 10 released a statement via Mumbrella saying they would be “packing away the masks and roses”.

“Both franchises have been hosted by television presenter extraordinaire Osher Günsberg from their inception. The resting of The Masked Singer Australia and The Bachelor franchise will give Osher a moment to rest his voice which has worked overtime screaming ‘Take It Off’ and simultaneously dropping to a whisper to deliver the iconic line of, ‘I’m sorry, but you did not receive a rose’,” the statement said.

In response, Osher reflected on his time in the media industry on his podcast Better Than Yesterday.
Osher as the host of The Bachelor franchises. Image: 10
“This week is really very funny for me because it’s not the first time that I’ve lost two jobs in the same day. To go back to Australian Idol, when that got cancelled, I was absolutely broken,” he said.

However, he managed to change his perspective, and with the help of his mentor David, decided it was an opportunity rather than a failure.

“My new job was to invent the next job I was going to do. I got up every day, got to my desk, and that’s what I did every day,” he said.