‘Australian Survivor’ Daddy JLP Spills All The ‘Heroes V Villains’ Tea
Survivors ready! A brand new season of Australian Survivor is almost upon us and based on the cast alone, this season is gearing up to be the most hectic yet.
The season’s theme will be ‘Heroes V Villains’ with new castaways competing against OG players, like heroic contestants Hayley Leake and Nina Twine returning, alongside troublemakers like George Mladenov and Jordie Hansen.
Check out the iconic cast line-up here.
Last year in, perhaps, my most exciting work opportunity to date, I was lucky enough to meet with host Jonathan LaPaglia while the upcoming season was filming in Samoa. I even got to attend some challenges and tribal council, but more to come on that later!
While in Samoa, I asked the big man JLP all about what we can expect from the new season, and oh boy, we should all be pumped.
Here’s all the Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains tea that host Jonathan LaPaglia spilled:
Are you a Hero or a Villain? You have to choose one or the other!
“You’ll see as the season plays out that everyone has a bit of both. They’re just convenient descriptors for the show — putting people in their camps — but people are complicated. Everyone has a bit of both and need to in order to win this game.
“I would like to think I’m also complicated — I have a bit of both.”
Who were you wanting to see return this season?
“I was very excited to see someone like George back — in terms of stereotypes, he’s the perfect Villain. I was happy to see Hayley back, she’s the perfect Hero on the surface. I was happy to see Jordie back, he’s the quintessential Villain and really leans into that nametag — he’s the joker.
“I was very happy to see Shonee back too!”
Who do you heckle more: the Heroes or Villains?
“I heckle them all [laughs], they all seem to enjoy it!”
This season, do the Heroes become Villains and vise versa?
“Absolutely. If you asked George, by about halfway through he was seeing himself as a Hero. It’s kind of interesting, as an observer you think you know who they are, but they can be something different. Then you have Nina who came back as a Hero, but if you asked her, she’ll say she’s been quite villainous.
“The show would be quite boring if people stayed in their lanes.”
What do you like most about being back filming in Samoa?
“I love the water and the tropical location. It seems to really fit Survivor well, and that’s not to take anything away from Australia. I thought it added its own element to the game, a bit Mad Max…”
“But I think there’s a certain subset of Survivor fans who associate the game with a tropical environment.”
Speaking of filming in Australia, I heard last season was so gruelling that people passed out while filming. Can you eloborate on that?
“It was incredibly hot. But also it’s hot here too, the humidity can be brutal here. Over there it was a very dry heat but there would be days that it got up to 45 degrees — really brutal. But the nights would cool down.
“It’s been interesting for some of the survivors who played in Australia, like George, Jordie and Hayley, they actually found it more difficult here in Samoa. I think it’s because there’s so much more variability with the weather. Back in Australia, it’s just dry heat, but here you get everything — crazy heat, a lot of rain. It makes it kind of miserable when you try to sleep at night: it’s raining, it’s dark, your fire goes out, the roof is leaking.
“It’s like trying to sleep in the shower, they turn up in the morning and they’re miserable.”
Would you ever compete on a season of Survivor getting all the international hosts together? Maybe you versus Jeff Probst?
“Sometimes I’ll post a picture of me and Jeff together as sometimes we’ll catch up for breakfast, then social media will be like ‘oh my God, we need to do a crossover, we need to do all the hosts!’ and I don’t know.”
So, you and Jeff are buddies?
“Yes, we’re friends.”
Will there be an eventual crossover between Australian and American Survivor?
“Jeff and I have never talked about it. Like an Australian tribe versus an American tribe? I don’t know, who hosts that?!”
You can host it together!
“You’re quite right. He can do the tribals and I’ll do the challenges.” [laughs]
–
Australian Survivor kicks off on 30 January at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.