Now in its sixth week, Australian Survivor 2019 has arrived at the post merge portion of the game. While the merge episode was last week, this was the first week without any pre merge/tribal stage episodes. With that, threats are targeted and everyone is looking out for themselves. In the end, only one person can win.
Overall Thoughts
While I’ve been enjoying this season very much, I can’t help but mention a few things. I hate to sound like a broken record but I’m still not liking how we are getting three episodes a week. At this rate, the season will be finished in two weeks. I wish that they’d pace the season with two episodes per a week- which would give fans enough time to digest and take in what just happened.
Another thing worth mentioning is the subtly of the season. This week, the fans were told that there would be big moves and blindsides. When we finally saw them play out on TV, it played out the way we expected. In Episode 16, it was pretty obvious that David was going. Usually when we are shown confessionals of a player saying they feel comfortable or they’re in control, that’s usually a red flag that the person is going to be voted off. With the big sells in the previews and the confessionals, it lessens the impact of the blindside.
All that aside, I thought these were three good episodes.
Stand Out Contestant
For this week, I’m going to pick Pia. Since her rough start in Week 1, she has become a decent player. In fact, some are thinking that she could very well win this season. I could see that: her confessionals have been all positive so far. She has a tight alliance with her Champions tribemates- especially with Janine and Abbey. During the tribal swap, Pia mentioned how well the three female Champions worked together in all aspects of the game. For this week, Abbey explained how she was going to pull off her acting skills- being that she’s an actress. One of my favorite scenes from this week featured her talking about how she would pretend to laugh at David’s jokes, just to make him feel comfortable. The confessional then cut to a scene where Pia was laughing, while the audience all knew she was putting on an act.
My only problem with Pia’s edit is that if she won, it would be very obvious. In the very first episode of this season, one of her confessionals featured her saying that she would either be the first person out or the person that wins. She didn’t end up being the first person voted off so could that mean she wins? Then again, this is AU. They’ve pulled off fake winner edits before. With the US version, they are notorious for making the winner so obvious in these later seasons. I don’t see AU going down that road because they know what they’re doing- even if they end up not giving one contestant any confessionals.
I also want to take the time to talk about Baden again. He’s been one of this season’s underdogs, as he has been getting better and better each week. This week, Baden shined during the Episode 17 immunity challenge. In a challenge in which contestants had to plank for as long as they could, Baden surprised many when he was able to outlast most of the contestants. During the challenge, Baden randomly started listing things- such as countries that hosted the Olympics. Baden’s tribemates were amused as Baden did this, all while in the challenge. In the end, Baden finished in second for the challenge- with the win going to Simon.
Favorite Challenge
My favorite challenge from this week was the reward challenge in Episode 17, which was a variation on the challenge Over-Extended. In the original challenge, contestants will hold up a long pole- which has a small statue balancing on the top. In several intervals, contestants will add another section to the pole- making it trickier to hold. Should a contestant’s statue fall off, they are out of the challenge. Last one standing wins the challenge. In this version of the challenge, the contestants paired up- with each contestant holding onto a pole while they both balance a statue centered between the two contestants. This was a unique twist to the challenge as you are not only worrying about yourself but you also have to be looking out for your partner, so communication is key here. In the end, Janine and Abbey won the reward- along with Harry, who picked them to win since he didn’t get a partner. They brought Simon along with them and enjoyed Chinese food via Deliveroo. Along with the food, the four contestants received custom made plates from home.
Voted Off
In Episode 15, Shaun Hampson became the 13th person voted out of the game and the first member of the jury. With the retired AFL player an original Contender, Shaun was already at a numbers disadvantage. Along with that, Shaun was a massive physical threat. With the game now being an individual one, Shaun’s time was coming.
In Episode 16, David Genat became the 14th person voted out of the game and the second member of the jury. Throughout the season, David has proven to be one of the most savviest players- cutting ties and finding idols. While David is a Champion, he was deemed to be a dangerous player should he go any further. Janine, along with the other Champions, were able to pull in the Contenders and blindside David. The only contestants not in on the plan were David and Luke. Along with being blindsided, David walked out of the game with a idol in his pocket- which he regretted. However in his final words, David said he also regretted by the way he dressed at his last Tribal Council.
In Episode 17, John Eastoe became the 15th person voted out of the game and the third member of the jury. In the beginning of the episode, Daisy found another hidden immunity idol. However, she was caught red handed by Luke and Pia. Soon enough, the idol was no longer a secret. Daisy did let her fellow Contenders know about the idol, letting them know she could play it for one of them. If played correctly, the ratio of original Champions and Contenders would be 4-4. The Contenders targeted Abbey while the Champions targeted John. Daisy incorrectly played the idol on herself- leading to a 4-4 tie between Abbey and John (there was also a vote against Harry place by Pia). In the revote, John was the one voted off. Looking the players left, John could’ve very well one almost every final two scenario he was in (except if he was against Luke). If a Contender had to go, he was smart choice to take out.
Final Thoughts
It looks like we only have two more weeks left in this season. While I’m bummed out by how quickly this season is going, I’m still really enjoying this season.
I’ll see you all next week!
next: Australian Survivor 2019 Week 7 recap
I'm a writer/journalist with a passion for music and pop culture. Having graduated from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2014, I've been looking for a platform in which I can share my passions. Since 2009, I've been posting to my own blog- The Walrus' Music Blog- via Blogger. I'm also the author of two self-published books, "The Camp: Stories from the Summer" and "The College: Stories from King's." Together, the two books cover the story of my life from 2004 to 2014. I've been lucky enough to interview several of my favorite musicians over the years and go to concerts from time to time. I'm also very devoted to the CBS reality TV show Survivor, which I started watching in 2002 when its fourth season started. I currently live in New Jersey.