“The Conditions Were Brutal”: Jonathan LaPaglia on ‘Australian Survivor’

For fans of Australian Survivor, it’s been a rather long wait for a new season.

Usually filmed on a Fijian island, the show’s producers had to search for a new location due to COVID-19 border closures. And, as it happened, it’s the remote Queensland town of Cloncurry that provided the harsh environment perfect for a survival setting, squaring tribes of Brains and Brawn against each other.

Speaking to Hope Breakfast, host Jonathan LaPaglia explained just how remote the location was.

“It is deep into the outback,” Jonathan said. “It’s arid, it’s dusty. It’s hot, it’s dirty. The conditions were brutal – not only for the contestants but for the crew. It added a whole other level of difficulty to the show.”

While a tropics location allows for tribe members to catch fish and eat coconuts on top of the usual rations – the deserts of Cloncurry provided less options.

“Each camp had their own watering hole, and there were yabbies in there until they fished them all out. So the food reward challenges became all the more important.”

Jonathan told Hope Breakfast that fans won’t have to wait as long for the next season, with shooting scheduled for September, again in the remote outback.

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Australian Survivor airs Sunday to Tuesday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10Play. You can hear the full chat with Jonathan LaPaglia in the player above.