“Beyond anything we’ve ever seen before.”

The Survivor: Australia v The World finale was bittersweet, with Parvati Shallow crowned Sole Survivor in what also marked Jonathan LaPaglia’s final episode as host, before David Genat takes over next season.

Parvati, who’s played four seasons of Survivor US, gushed about Jonathan as a host in an interview with Chattr.

“It was fun to play with because the host is part of the game. They influence the game. They become part of the game. He was fun to banter with on challenges, and he held my torch when I needed his help. He was very supportive,” she laughed, referring to a moment where she asked the host to host her fire torch as she retrieved an Immunity Idol at the end of one of the Tribal Councils.

“I really appreciated that he gave us contestants, space at Tribal Council to run it like he wasn’t trying to control tribal or make it about him in any way. He really just offered us the platform, asked us questions, and then let us run with it, and that was so nice. It really felt like I was running Tribal Council a lot, and I loved that, because I was like, This is my game. And that was fun for me. So I wish him all the best,” she added.

Australian Survivor All Stars winner David is stepping up to the hosting role starting with the 2026 season. He and Parvati built a close relationship when they competed on Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 together, but he was eliminated before the Survivor: Australia v The World merge, and they weren’t able to play together.
David, Parvati and Dickson on Deal or No Deal Island. Image: Ten.
Reflecting on David’s new gig, Parvati said she thinks he will do a great job as host.

“I think he’s had a really incredible run, and I’m excited to see David take the torch, because we’ve never seen a contestant post Survivor, and the experience of playing Survivor is very unique and specific, and if you’ve never done it, you don’t know what it’s like. So I think David, with his experience having played the game, is really in a good position to step into that role and make it something beyond anything we’ve ever seen before.”

When will David Genat take over as host of Australian Survivor?

While rumours about David taking over from Jonthan started surfacing in June, it was officially confirmed on August 18, when he confirmed it in a joint post with the official Survivor Instagram account  — shared just after his elimination from Survivor: Australia v The World.

“I have so much respect for Australian Survivor. This game has changed my life. I love the players, I love the community of fans, and I love the crew who make it happen. As the new host of Australian Survivor, I won’t let you down,” his post read.

David shared a follow-up post, which confirmed that he’s already begun filming Australian Survivor 2026: Redemption.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by David Genat (@davidgenat)

“We are on!!! Australian Survivor REDEMPTION is underway!! It’s gonna be a banger!!! Big love to you all from Samoa,” he captioned the clip

While there isn’t much official information about the upcoming season, it’s speculated that there will be four returning players, Simon Mee, Brooke Jowett, Harry Hills and Mark Warnock, who will be team captains championing some new faces.