There’s been one major difference between Australian Survivor and the US in recent years.

Australian Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia filmed two seasons of the show for 2025, and with Brains v Brawn II done and dusted, fans are waiting with bated breath for Survivor: Australia v The World to drop.

Recently, the New York Times even included Australian Survivor in a list of the best TV episodes for 2023. The article blurb stated that our homegrown version “has been outplaying the US version for a while now”.

So, what makes Australian Survivor so gripping? Jonathan told Chattr in an interview in February that he believes it’s because Australian producers are sticking to what made the show successful in the first place.

“The US show has really evolved over the years, pushing the boundaries. Some of it worked really well, some not so much,” he told Chattr.
Jonathan LaPaglia with Australian Survivor 2024’s Kirby Bentley. Image: Ten.
“Personally, I like the push to try new stuff, but I’m guessing some in the audience feel otherwise. We produce a show that is a little more old school.”

Indeed, Survivor US has undergone some major changes in recent years. In 2020, the Winners at War season was released, which is known as the last season of “old-school” Survivor.

Australian Survivor has stuck to the “old-school” format

The New Era (otherwise known as new-school) of Survivor US kicked off in Season 41, and it involves more mental challenges than physical challenges. Plus, the length of time the castaways compete for dropped from 39 days to 26 days.

The regular seasons of Australian Survivor film for a whopping 47 days and have pretty much stuck to the same format since the franchise’s beginning. However, that does vary for Survivor: Australia v The World, which filmed over just 16 days.

“I’m all for the evolution of the game, so I love new-school players. But I’m also an old-school dude who was introduced to Survivor with all the great old-school players. So I really love both,” Jonathan told Chattr.
A challenge on Australian Survivor Season 1 in 2002. Image: Ten.
As always, Survivor: Australia v The World will put the strategy vs physical strength concept to the test. So, which quality does Jonathan think is more important to have as a player?

“I think it helps to have a bit of both, and good players typically do. But Survivor is a social game heavily rooted in strategy, so in the end, brains will earn you the crown.”