It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload, the podcast.
Last week Their Life.
Welcome to TV Reload.
My name is Benjamin Norris and this is your podcast to get all the inside goss on the popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably, our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment and very little is known about how our favorite shows get made. Each episode, I find guests that want to dive just that little bit deeper into the shows they're currently making, so that you can hear all the exclusive stories and gain access to the biggest names in
Australian television. I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to this podcast. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure you leave a review or a comment on your chosen podcast platform and I'll make sure you feel as included in the production of this show as I possibly can. On today's podcast, I have this week's booted castaways from Australian Survivor Heroes Versus Villains and what a week it has been saying goodbye to Sam, Shannie and Sean.
It's a huge week for.
Exit interviews and these guys have some really fun stories to share. Sam was the first season returney with a mission to beat his personal best. Shawnee was the first person to return for her third time, and Sean also a Returney just wanted to be kept in frame as he is a literal giant at six foot seven. First up, I chat with Sam and find out who his real alliance was. We will also discuss how the game has
changed since series one. He will share how he feels about Nina and Sean using their idols incorrectly to save themselves. Then Shawnie will join me to talk about the Spice Girl's alliance and what went wrong. Shawnee will talk about her three Survivor experiences and what she decided to change up for heroes versus villains. Finally, we will have Sean, who will unpack the recovery period from the extreme conditions
of Australian Survivor. I'll ask if his wife Megan Gail had any Gogglebox commentary from the couch, and we will also discuss if a friendship with George is even possible. Once all this settles down, I will get some exclusives from behind the scenes. On the sixth week of Australian Survivor Heroes Versus Villains, which you can now catch up on on ten Play. Anyway, let's bring Sam into the podcast. I hope you enjoy the first part of this episode. Hi, Sam, how are you then?
I'm very well considering they're a turn of advance at tribal council.
How are you doing well? It's just week after week.
You know, you kind of thought maybe you get like a really intense tribal council like one or two, you know, times out of a season. But every time they seem to go to tribal council, I take another layer of my fingernails off.
Yeah.
It is like that, isn't it mate. I'll tell you right now, when you're in that tribal council and you're sitting down, I lost it at ten years of my life. So it's a stressful environment, it really is. It's a pressure cooker night and day. Different than when I played it in season one.
Well, you had the longest break between seasons. I mean that's a really long break.
We've seen people come back straight after, you know, back into the next season.
You know, had you ever thought that you would return to this show.
I wanted to return to this show. I think I'm very First of all, I'm going to say how grateful I am to play the game twice now, you know, and season one and season eight two different sides of the spectrum, so pardon me. Obviously wanted to play again and know i'd get the shot, but made I can now say I'm a veteran of the game, which is so funny because I'd never say that.
I'd never say that, But in all honesty, I wanted to ask you this question because I thought you'd be the best person to answer it. How long does it take to shake off an Australian survivor experience? Because you've had that time And I always say to people, I think I reckon, it's about four years before your brain starts to reset. But for you, how long did it take for you to get over the first experience?
Yeah?
I mean the first experience lingered for a while with the food and stuff, and like the experiences, bro, I took so much greatness out of it too, So I was like, yeah, I feel like it's always in you once you've done it, once you've learned from it in so many different ways, or it's changed you in some kind of way. I feel like for me, the six years in between in between seasons was great. I think I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, to be honest,
I know. And it was great because I got to sit in the background and just hanging out, and here I pop up again out of six years. I mean, it was good.
I just was really surprised as well that they didn't ask you to do another show. I just, you know, I don't know why I'm saying this. Maybe it's because you know, you're a good looking rooster, You're very well spoken, you know, you have this amazing charity. There's just so many things that are going for you. Had you been asked to do anything else or are you just a survivor guy.
Well, it was funny because after season to be honest, season one was in twenty sixteen, I was single. I'm getting married next month, man, So I'm I'm going to be a married man in April, which I'm excited about Mid Mexico. But after season one, I did get Arcs actually to do the Bachelot kind of yeah, but it was never it was never something that I wanted to do or entertain, and so it was kind of like a conversation came up, but I brushed it aside pretty quickly.
But yeah, mate, I haven't been asked, And to be honest, I probably wouldn't do any other reality TV shows. Maybe the Amazing.
Race with your name, with your soon to be wife, of course.
Maybe with her. I don't know if I would do it with it.
I want to.
I'll do it with my brother or my my best mate or something. Maybe it could be better.
I don't know.
I wanted too many arguments with Nadia if we did Amazing Race together.
How much has the Australian Survivor series changed since you were first on?
The show has changed.
I think, And I'll be straight in the line, you know. I'm very honest and open and up front. I feel like the epicness of the challenges in the Season one were probably second to none. They were the best, were the biggest. It's probably because it was season one. They wanted to make it even bigger and greater and they had to have a statement to put it.
You know.
But the gameplay was very different. Gameplay Season one wasn't nowhere near as intense and chaotic and stressful and anxiety provoking as this was and it shows on TV. I feel like the audience is left feeling some of those emotions too. Yeah, it's changed a lot in that in that in that realm, for sure, it's night and day differently, and it's a lot harder.
I can see that in the show.
I mean, I think that the player's attitude towards taking part in the show has changed.
And it was only a few episodes back.
On the podcast, I was chatting to one of the other you know castaways that was there with you, and I just think that, you know, people are going on this show now with more of a sort of cartoon villainry, do you know what I mean? Like they're they're willing to make all of these really dramatic moves just for the glory of it, do you know what I mean? Where I felt like in the first series people were reluctant because they were worried if they made two bigger moves they'd be chucked out.
Yeah, exactly, man. And I think I think over the years, it's kind of carbonated enough to weed out certain people and bring in certain people. And I feel like it had to take this many years for it to really get to a level where it's at and I feel like the feedback and the and the audience and people, you know, it's proof in the pudding. I mean, it's I'm getting people here in America and that never happened to me last time, but I'm here. I live in
the States. Someone in my building goes, hang on a minute, this is weird. But you seeing them from Survivor likes the heroes. I said, yeah, because I'm binge watching it right now and love it. And I'm like, oh my god, like, yeah, it's made it ZEPI.
It's kind of a I mean, I can't even tell you, Like honestly, I've been recommending this series to people who've never watched Survivor before, and I don't hear back from them because they can't pick up the phone because they're binge watching the first half of this series, like it is addictive television. And I've said it a number of times on this podcast. I think this series could be the best reality series I've seen made in Australia.
Yeah, I think so too. And I don't just say that, man, just because I'm part of it. I actually do think that too. I speak a few players that have played the American Survivor and they've been watching it too, and they reckon it's probably one of the best Survivors I've watched, So, I mean, it's good feedback for the EPs and that, so it's and yeah, I think it's It's got the right mix of people coming to the and applying for it, and they're casting it very well, so that makes it even better.
You said that, you know, you're you know, the game has changed, and your morals and your strategy hadn't really changed. I thought it was interesting to find out. You know, what do you think was different about your gameplay this time around?
Looking back?
Yeah, I think I think my gameplay this time around. I feel like my values and stuff were still intact, but I was able to forgive here for a bit, Like I don't think in season one I would have ever forgiven someone for turning on me like you know Nina did. For example, I had to write my name down Hailey like I was willing. Like if I've got more of a bit of time there at the back end of the game to play with Hailey, I I
think I would have worked with her. And I said this watch in the episode today, I'm like, I wish I worked with her more, you know what I mean, And my gameplay, while it was kind of similar, and I think that's just who I am as a person. I find it interesting some of the little nuanced choices that I made this time around, and my gut instincts
I followed a lot more. You know, I picked out my spider sense, so to speak, kind of picked out a few things before things actually went down, and I was right, although there were things where I was off the mark. You know, I probably didn't say as much as I should have said. There were times where I did let lose and I said things that needed to be sad. And I don't think season one I would have called out someone to play an idol for me if if that's the instinct that I had in my gut,
you know. And I knew that my instinct was right last night, like.
Of course, I mean I could see that it was written all over your face, I think, yeah, But I mean I'm shocked. I'm absolutely shocked to my very foundation that you all managed to fumble that opportunity to eliminate George because it looked like a full proof plan. Maybe it didn't look like a full proof plan on the beach. But to us, it just you know, it seems shocking to me that you didn't take that opportunity to get to George Man.
It was it was a full it was a full proof plan on the bench. That was the problem. And the problem unraveled when we had two idols. Nina found it, which I almost found it. I'm hideous to finding idols, obviously, and I'll take responsibility for that. But I think where the plan kind of come unstuck was Simon's very hard to play with because he's he's very flaky in the way that he's not solid, He's not permitted all the time.
He could he could change his decision like last minute, and that that that's dangerous and that's something that I find hard to play with, you know, But.
I guess, you know, leaking the plans, you know, that's really where it came undone, because I mean the fear of God was really put into Sean and Nina, meaning that you know, they had idols and they wasted them because the game, you know, the plan of attack had changed.
Complete complete waste of time. And look, look, part of me, like I was meant to have the idol was meant to be in my bag before walking to tribal council, and after a few events didn't happen, said to Nina, don't worry, just give it to me at tribal counts. It will just play it for me. And then after tribal you're in a cooker. You've got Simon whisper and saying no, that's a four to three split. And then I'm listening and I hear one of them say there's
only six of this in our alliance. And I'm not like, thinking in my stomach they're missing one person. It must be Simon, because they're not taken into account. They must have turned their vote. And then I looked and the way I knew it straight away because Nina didn't play her idols. She played it too fast. If you've got an idol, like I don't even I've never played one, As I said, I'm not. I wouldn't be the greatest person to find one, but I think I would play
it as a tool. So like, sit there and dangle it, go, who am I going to play it for? I play it a bit better, you know what I mean. She rushed to play it, even though I told her just play it for yourself.
Well, people online were coming for them, you know, and saying, you know, we've seen people in the Villains tribe using idols to save other people instead of themselves, which worked out to be good gameplay. People are now saying that Sean and Nina were a little bit selfish to be using their idol so quickly on themselves instead of being able to use it as a tool to strengthen a relationship with maybe somebody else by building trust.
Yeah, I mean that that would have been That would have been the player right, playing the idol for me to save the day. Would have been the best heroes man.
Of course, I.
Understand it, and I understand self preservation. My game became unstuck, probably again similar to just season one. I'm too nice, man, I'm too nice.
And Sam, it's better to be too nice than it is to a person coming off a reality show that you know comes across dodgy.
Yeah, I agree, man, I agree, and I'm grateful how I played it. I wouldn't change the thing, but I am very nice, and you know me saying to Nina, just play it for yourself, Like then.
I looked over.
She played it too fast. I knew on George's he just doesn't have a poker face. I knew straight away he got like this sense of relief that she played for herself because they didn't vote for her. That's when I knew they're voting for me. Surely play the idem for me, please, bam please.
And he really should have. But I want to workshop something with you. I have a theory.
I love Sean, by the way, so if Sean's listening to please not come for me.
But I think Sean is the real problem in that original Heroes tribe, and I wonder if he has done all of this on purpose to get rid of some of his biggest competition, because you had this, he had this really strong male alliance that looked undefeatable when the merge happened, and then all of a sudden there's just been some fumbling along the way. Is there a possibility that Seawn's just like letting some of you guys go.
Yeah, for sure, definitely, no doubt about it. I mean I picked up that on on Heroes Beach after I couldn't find an idol with David and a sense not looking for it, and I'm thinking maybe he has got it and that's kind of sit my mind. And yeah, he was very very self preservation RD and I feel like I was at the other end of the spectrum. And that's you know, it is what it is one hundred. There's a thousand and one different decisions choices you can make every day in that game, and it only takes
one choice to ruin everything and or change everything. So I played it what I thought was right, what was in my control. I just wish that I had that idol in my hand because I would have played it for myself I had, you know, but being in someone else's possession, I want to guilty if it was actually in fact then going home and I told them to play for me. That's Yeah, that's a tough one.
That one is a.
Tough one for your own mental health.
I'm going to say, don't ever watch that episode back because that footage of you missing the idol, it's you're so close to it that rewatching that back I think would be like actual torture.
Yeah, I think I put my hand on it because I remember when Nina found it. I'm like, I swear I just looked at it anyway, Yeah, well you did. Yeah, it was the game is wild, and we get out there for so long, in so many people it is it is a mind It is a mind wrecking game. That's what it plays with your mind over anything like I don't care yet whether you win challenges or not. It's it's a modern game and that's exactly how you play that game.
How the hell is Haley and George still in this show?
Though?
I mean they are literally like the biggest characters and they really should have been eliminated, like everyone should be going for them week one, and yet here we are so far into the competition and they're still there, Like, how is this in your what's your theory behind? How those two could be still in the competition with this much power?
Well again, the first my first boat back on Here Over Beach was Hailey. I said, we need to get rid of Haley.
Of course, I convinced.
David that I hadn't Nina, and then Shawan spoke up, and I kind of didn't want to be a leader because that was where I went wrong the first season. I think as well, I wanted to take a back seat, let someone else lead in I'm like, all right, man, you call the shots. Put in my mind I'm like, you don't get someone out that can really play a game first, they're going to last a long time. And it's proved like they're good. They're good game players. It's
why they're still in it. They're very they're very strategic minded, and that is a big threat for someone like me because I'm I'm not very strategic. I'm more of a social player. I don't even look myself as like a challenge beast. I'm more of a group challenge beast. I played well with teams like I look after people, and that's what I wanted to play it like. But yeah, those guys are good players, and you need those players in the game too, because you know they can help
us shields. They can help us focusing attention on them as opposed to year and hiding behind them. So there's a number of different things.
And also they got to go to this I was calling it cave FC because they got to go and swim in that cave and got KFC. So I'm like, you know, these guys have got to go to Cave FC and now they've got a new lease of life. But when you win those challenges and you get taken away and you can go and swim and eat some food. Is that like giving people a lifeline? Like, how much does that really affect someone's mental attitude coming back into the game, you.
Know what, I think it does, but doesn't I don't think it. I'm not fully bored, to be honest. Yeah, And I mean you feel better, that's for sure. I mean I didn't feel the greatest after I had some of the for challenges. I actually felt worse. So I think your body asks pretty well. It's a smart machine. But like going away depends on who you go away on those challenges with how you picked strategically. I think
you know and neither here nor there. I never looking back on it now, man, I mean I played in season one. I'm like a new player in a way because I never played with anyone and I've been so far removed from Survivor in general. In the conversation, like I was a new players. Probably why I gelled really well with with new players on there. To be honest, I found a lot of the returning these kind of
threats and that's fine. But like when you've got players like George and Haylea who've played together, and this is very recently there has to be something said for that tour, Like I feel like there's pros to that haven't played with someone before very recently, Like I feel like if I'd played with someone, it probably would have helped my game rather than hurt. That makes sense, But that's my that's my take on that.
You know, I saw your post, I followed you for a while, and I've saw your post on Instagram over the last couple of days, and I just think that you are the perfect person to share your story when it comes to, you know, people opening up and talking about mental health issues and people and anxiety. I live
with someone who suffers from anxiety really badly. You know, do you think that coming back on to Survivor and sort of lifting your profile a little bit more is going to allow you to, you know, help other people a little bit more with this?
I really hope so like I hope that whatever my profile ever does in life is able to help other people. Like I'm a person of service, and I feel like for me, when I deteriorate front or deter from being a personal service, I actually suffer myself with bad anxiety. So yeah, I hope that by being a voice and
being outspoken in general about feelings and mental health. From a man and a masculine point of view, I feel like hopefully it does break down some barriers for others to seek help and support and know that they're not on this journey alone, because the journey alone can feel pretty lonely, you know sometimes, and if anyone's listened to this right now, that might say with anxiety, like, there is a lot of support out there and you can go better, but it takes work, you know, Like it's
not easy either, Like even doing that self work and the discovery and yourself is bloody hard work and sometimes it's really scary. So just just keep at it and take baby steps and speak to someone who can help make a safe space for it. I always say that to people.
Well before you go, I'm asking everyone the same questions, which is who did you think would win?
Like not who do you think will win?
Is a difficult question because you know, obviously this was filmed a while ago and we don't want to get into any of that, so not what you may know. But when you left the tribal council, who did you think was going to take this competition out?
That's a good question. Because who do I think would know? Who do I want to win?
Well?
Very good, they're different questions, but I think it's I think who you think is going to win is more interesting.
Yeah, I think I think who's going to win this is I think Nina or Simon in this game.
Not on They're not on my list, but they're good players.
They are good players. They're different players, but they're good players. I mean, yeah, I mean if it got down to yeah, I mean, if George gets all the way to the end and he's there, I mean, yeah, he'll get my bug.
But whether he can make it there, it's a completely different story.
That's the thing. Yeah, that's the thing.
And the last question I have is would you ever return? It's an interesting question to ask all of you guys, because a lot of people want to return to this show, and you've had the opportunity of returning, and we've seen someone come back three times. Is this something that you would ever do again? Or if you close the book on this Australian Survivor chapter.
It's funny, it's a great question because I'm more invested in Survivor this time around than I have ever been, and I'm watching the American one now and I've never watched the American season ever, so I would definitely play again. And I don't know, maybe it makes sense to me having a crack here in America. I live here in LA and so I don't know. Maybe the American Survivor could be something that I can do. But I'm definitely definitely down to play again. I have to play again.
I think I need to play against some stage.
Well, I'll be in your audience, mate, I'll be watching, so look after yourself. I appreciate your generosity with chatting with me this morning.
I appreciate you, mate. Thank you so much for your time your interest as well. Appreciate it.
Some great insights from Sam. It was great to chat with him all the way from Los Angeles. Anyway, let's bring Shane into the podcast now. I'm a huge Shawnee fan, so I'll try and keep my fandom down to a dull raw. Hope you enjoy the part two of my Survivor Chat exit interviews for week six. Hi, Shannie, how are you hi?
I am good. Would be a little bit better if I had half a mil in the bank, but well, oh boo.
Well, I have watched all three seasons that you've been in, and I actually think this was my favorite season for you. But how does the stack up in your mind? Was this your favorite season or what's the order?
I think this is my most boldest season. You know, when I first played and See and three, I was interested in being an under the radar player and kind of just sneaking through round two. I was like, Okay, it can be a little bit more bold. Round three, I was like, I've got nothing to prove here. I'm the only person that's playing for a third time, and who knows how long I'm going to be there because I will be a threat. So I decided to just go guns blazing from the get go, and it was fun.
Well, you winning idols is my favorite joygasm of the season. I just thought it was so great every time you just look so happy and appreciative and mischievous.
Yeah, definitely, and always like from a leisure activity, you know, what do you.
Think would have to be the positives of being a retorney to survivor?
I think it is you know, you're able to read the situations. You can kind of put yourself in like the mind frame of being like what would I do if I were that person, what's in their best interest?
And even things like how can I sell this idea to them as from a point of view of why it's beneficial to them and not just me, So you kind of you know, you have a couple of tricks of the trade, even things like if you're trying to get some information from someone, you might just pause and just let them keep on continuing.
Yeah, because if you let people talk long enough, they'll hang themselves. Is the best piece of advice that I was ever given.
And that's think I learned from the producers because they were never They would never stop you from talking, and they just keep on going and going and going until you're just like blah blah blah bla bla blah blah blah blah.
They know what they need to get out of it.
But then the back end of that question is what's the negatives of being a returney?
The negatives is you have to really struggle more times than everyone else.
People would get rid of you, and Haley and Simon and George. I thought everyone would just be all the newbies would be like stack the votes, get rid of these people, because you know you've already you've got an established audience, you know, get rid of the people that are popular.
Yeah, I was definitely worried going into this round that people would know that I do have. You know, the people are very nice to me in Australia and I love them all so much, and I was kind of concerned that they would be like, oh, we need to get Shonny off because she's already got this audience and she's probably going to get more airtimes enough, of course.
And you deserved it because you honestly, I mean, I feel stressed about the rest of the show because losing people like you and even Jordan and a few others, you know, it's You've just given so much to the show.
It's just I know, like I honestly feel so grateful and I feel like so loved. And I was so anxious about last night's episode airing, and I was really really nervous about like feeling as if I had let down everyone. But I have had so many like lovely messages of people literally saying like thank you for taking time out of your life to go and film this show for There's so many lovely things. It's really nice.
I'm going to say that myself. You know, I watched it last week, so I've had some time to grieve. But I was really disappointed at first that you came out and then I went on a journey with it, and I was just like, I'm so glad that we got more Shonny. Anyway, I should just be really appreciative. But in my mind, I did think you were going to win. I thought when you were on the project to promote the series, I was like, maybe she's on the project because they know that she's going to win this show.
You know, Yeah, the project was really.
Fun, great on that you were really good.
Thank you.
Anyway, I was going to say, I thought your gameplay was amazing and really cool to watch. It was really that's the best way to describe it, because you seem cool with it, and you seem like you were having fun with it. But what was the strategy? And was the strategy much different to the other times.
So this time, I really I didn't know how long I was going to be there for, so I really wanted to make the most and make the show like as entertaining as possible and just make the most of what time I had on there. So I really just went in and I also felt like I have already experienced Duri Villa twice, so it wasn't as if I needed to, you know, play the really quiet game just to get there to experience it for the first time.
I was like, I've been there, I've done that, so let's just go wild and see what happens.
Let's talk about the Spice Girls though. You know, I loved your alliance with the Spice Girls to begin with, but I expected, you know, Lizen yourself to go after George first.
Yeah, I mean, and you've got to give it to George, because Lizen and I definitely had a conversation about.
When getting rid of him George.
But yeah, I would never I've never been able to turn on a close friend in this game because for me, it's like, if I'm not going to win half Moon dollars, I would absolutely love someone that I'm friends within the real world to win. So I would never be able to turn on Liz in a million years, Just the same with Nick Harry Fenn. But yeah, George got me first.
Do you think that George went after you because it was a necessity or do you think that he was jealous of you and Liz having a better friendship than him.
It definitely felt like the third Will, and which is rightly so, because he definitely was the third Will. Liz was always my number one, my priority, and even like we're in the border and I'm like, I will do anything to protect us, like it's always it's almost like we're playing as one person. So I can completely understand why he would want to split that up.
You know, he got in there early. But just like Jerry halliwell, I felt like that this alliance ended too quickly.
Yeah, I think it could have. We could have played it out one more. But it's actually quite weird because that tribal council was like, I must have like some guardian angels around me, because I just felt really at peace.
You did you look like it? You were like, hee, this is really.
I really struggled in that last twenty four hours, and it was the only time I have ever felt calm out of tribal Cancil.
And that's because you were going home. They always say that, you know, when you're feeling calm, it's because you've been out of the conversations and it's all happened behind your backs.
I was just like ah, like, yeah, oh boom. I was definitely like a one half a million. Don't get me wrong, but I yeah, I felt calm.
I know you've been You publicly said that you wish that you wouldn't have saved George at the second Tribal Council and that you wish that you hadn't played your idol for him. But is that really? Is that really how you feel? Yeah, I read this this morning. I
was like, I've done a deep dive. I've literally I know what underpants you wore two weeks ago, like I've read everything online and it said that you were you were like I shouldn't have saved George on the second Tribal Council and that you wished you hadn't played your idol for him.
Oh I might have maybe I said something like maybe I shouldn't have And yeah, look like, in all honesty, who knows what would have happened to me if I didn't save George and.
If I didn't play my idol for him. But that's also like maybe I would have been voted out way earlier.
I believe that I was like in the Survivor verse, like the Spider verse, I don't think if you, I mean, if you had gotten rid of George, I don't know whether or not you would have survived because it really, you know, you guys leaned on each other.
Yeah, definitely. And George, like he loves the game. He's so passionate about it. He really is a great person to have on your side, you know before he turns on you, and it's really fun and he yeah, he just loves it. So it's good to have someone that is. He never is like oh God and dying. He's like, I'm thriving.
It's such a good way. I think it's a good way to look at life. Though, Like he just didn't seem to let anything get him down. I mean the weather, conditions, the food, everything. But he was like, I don't know, the last lemming, just wandering around like you know, pushing the envelope.
It's living his passion for him. So I'm happy that he gets to do that.
He needs to go and do a third season. If he doesn't win this, he's going to need to ask you how'd he get on a third season of this year? What do you need to do? What advice do you have for me? Is he dead to you?
Though?
No, not at all.
What about in the jury, because I feel like, you know, if that had happened to me and I'd been blindsided like that, or you know, i'd been sort of had my had been stabbed in the back, I don't know. Does that make you appreciate his gameplay more?
I mean I am. It's not as if I'm like a close friend. I'm very much like once I'm out of Survivor. You know, I've got the same friends that I had since primary school. I've seen my family all the time. I'm not like heavily involved. I'm not flying around the country. Well I actually did fly to Perth to see Liz.
Of course that goes without saying, but I mean what you're trying to say is, yes, we can see on social media that all the survival can tendons through many seasons.
Get together and have hangs.
I did notice that I hadn't seen you in any of these group hangs, and I wondered if there was any resentment or reasons behind not flying around the country to join them for these drinking I.
Love playing Survivor. I'm so grateful to play it, but when I'm not playing it, I am personally not about to like do a tour of the country to do meet and greets, like obviously if I also live in Noosa, so it's not as if there's loads of players here. I do hang out with Jeordie and Sam in real life because we are friends. Ye, but I just I don't really I like to just let it be what it was and carry on.
Live in the real world. You know, if is there anything in the contract this is what it's really interested with. And maybe you can't say this, but is there anything of the contract that says that you can't make a pack to split the money? I mean, maybe I haven't watched all of the survivors from all around the world, and maybe this is been done before. But I wondered whether or not you and Liz could have said made a pact that you would split the money.
That is definitely against the rules.
Oh fair enough, because we.
Have you know, we have cameras on us twenty four to seven, and that would be highly illegal.
Okay.
I've always wanted to know this because I mean, I've done a reality show and it was in my contract that I wasn't allowed to split the money. Yeah, but anyway, that's a really good one to know. Who do you think is a better player out of Haley and George.
I think Hailey because Haley has the track record of being able.
To win enough. Yeah, Okay.
The other thing is is it I find this sad because I think that you would be the best bachelorette we've ever seen in this country. But I just don't know if they do this show anymore, you know. I mean, i'd watch you in any TV show. I'd literally watch you hanging your clothes on the line, and you know, I feel like in some scenes of Survivor I almost did. But you know, I think that's huge interest in you personally.
I think people want to follow your story, Like, have you been approached to do any other reality TV or has it always just been Survivor.
I definitely will do another show. I would. I don't want it to be Survivor because I've been there, done that, but I feel like there's definitely something brewing.
Okay, Well that's that's fucking fantastic, because like, all I can say is that you've left the show too early. I need to see more of you. I don't feel like I'm getting enough on your social media. The weirdest talker than I am. So I just want to I want to see you on another show. I want to see more Shanny. So if there's something brewing, then bring it on.
Yeah it's brewing a little cauldron.
Okay, well, well I'll put that under my pillow and wish for it myself. I've been asking everyone because they're not really allowed to usk behind the scenes secret so I've been asking different questions for all of you astray and survived that castaway.
So who did you think would win? Like when you left?
Not what you know now, but like when you were booted, when your torch was snuffed, who did you think was going to come out?
Who do you think is going to win?
Oh? I actually it was so long ago, I've forgotten trying to think. I think I probably thought that a lot of people would be interested in taking Jerry along for the ride. So I did expect like, I did think that, and I thought that perhaps Nina and Sean I had good feelings about them because I thought, now that you know the Vigilante Alliance has broken up, I did start to see a bit of a clear path for them.
Okay, that's fair enough. So not one person you can't give me one name, one name.
No.
It was like I just started seeing more options for everyone.
Okay, fair enough. The other question I've been asking everyone is would you ever return? Which is ridiculous because you know me asking you this, would you return for the full time? You kind of answered this before, but please please return and do like a global Australian survivor.
When that happens, maybe I can take Jailp's job and then I get food and accommodation, but it's still a survivor. I'll it like with my big muscle, I was like survivors.
Ready, No, I don't.
I love all of you all basically obsessed with him by the way between the scenes because like if I was on that show, I don't I just be like staring at him like a god.
Yeah, And I mean there's he always like smells nice, he looks clean, he looks fresh. He's obviously got a great personality. So yeah, Like even it is funny like someone not a cast member will walk past you and you'll get like a waft of like jo that's freshly showered, and you're.
Like, WHOA is that perfume?
Like wow, did you ask him what it is? Does he does he have a has he made his own scent? Because I mean, we really should get this into Maya or my chemists warehouse.
We aren't really allowed to talk to anyone, but I definitely asked a couple of producers. I'm like, what perfume?
Is this? Like?
No talking? I'm like, oh my the dog bone.
Up on socials?
Wasn't there a rumor that you guys were flirting on social media at one point?
I am I have a very friendly I mean, you probably think I'm flirting with you right now. I've got a very friendly personality. I'll flirt with an eighty five year old woman.
Ali, I just thought you knew that. You know you've got the wrong plumbing for me, So you know, you just thought it was you could flirt with me and it'd be fine because it's just you know. Anyway, I absolutely adore you as I'm fangirled all over you. I tried not to do that, but I have done it anyway. I wish you all the best of luck. Thank you for an amazing experience with Survivor this year.
This has been my favorite interview of the.
Day and you said that to everyone. Ye, I would never trust you that's so funny.
I love Seannie and I can't wait to hear about her next project, which I hope we'll find out very soon. Finally, I have Sean here to talk about his return to the franchise, and I'm sure we'll get some juicy insights into the biggest players of twenty twenty three. Anyway, let's bring him in now, and I hope you enjoyed this part of the chat. Well, Sean tough like on last night, how are you feeling?
Well, I'm feeling okay. It's odd because it happened so long ago. Now, I was like gutted and evastated, heartbroken, and you know, you slowly come to terms with it, and then the jury Villy talk to everybody, and you start that healing process and you get home with your family and stuff, and then that's when you really start to heal. And then you've got, you know, relive it all again months and months later, and it's it's really bizarre to sort of relive that trauma. But it look
was it was okay. My family around me, I'd already knew the backstory of why and how it happened, so it was really good to sort of play Out Day too, but no, I'm all good.
Well, speaking of the aftermath of being in Survivor, I mean, this is the second time you've returned to the Survivor universe. What was the recovery time like this time compared to the first time.
Physically, yeah, but more so mentally. I've got nothing but respect for the guys who have done it back to back seasons. I had three years and it still seemed really short. Physically, I was so fine this time. I mean I went out there a lot heavier. Mark Wales told me, he was like, you have to just stack it on, so some months I was just eating so much.
So physically I felt really great, Like when I got voted out, I was sort of sitting around my sort of peak weight, like sort of similar weight I used to play footy at. But mentally it still takes a toll on you. And the mental recovery from something like that is its long that the recovery is. It really is a long one.
I guess.
Then you get some time to breathe, and then it's time to watch the actual show when it comes on television.
I want to know.
I'm picturing you and Megan having to sit around and watch the show with quite a few bottles of red wine. What is the experience like for you at home rewatching the series.
Yeah, it's really funny. Like I love watching the season back. I don't love so much watching myself on TV. I just can't sort of, I think everybody's saying my custom my own voice, like cringe every time I'm on the TV. But I know the family loves it, and I think that's the best part about it. Like my son River, he just loved watching it this time. Megsie loves watching it as well, and I know my family and friends do. So that's the solace that I get from it. But
it's definitely it definitely is hard to watch back. I mean I love watching the challenges and stuff like that because you know, I'm just doing it and I'm not talking, so it's really nice. But look, glasses of wine don't go straight.
Do they offer you any critiques? I mean, is there anything that they say to you, well, you could have done that better.
No.
I think me understands what's out there, and she knows how confusing and convoluted the game can get and how nuanced it is, so I think she always knows that you're sort of doing the best with the information that you've got. I feel like I'm really self aware of my game, and you know where I went wrong, And I think she knows that I am, too, Like I'm very self critical and very open to admitting and realizing where I've made mistakes and where I perhaps think about
things deeply enough. So she's good. She's definitely not like, you should have done this, you should have done that, because I think she knows that's not going to help, and she also knows that I think I'm aware of, you know, all those mistakes.
You know, what I thought was really interesting was that you put up a post about your idle play because so many people were trying to take you to task over it. But interestingly enough, you know, people watching this show, I mean, we only get to see the looks that land with the storyline. You know, we got oh, she made that look, So that's the only look that's happened.
We're an actual fact, you know, there'd be different things to read into every day, so it would be impossible to know how to play that idol correctly every single time.
And I think that's why I did the post, Like I had a lot of support, like a lot of people saying like, you can only play it for yourself. Simon had told us the votes were on myself and Nina, and we had more reason to trust him. Now it turns out like he was feeding us the information that he was given that he thought was correct. It was just a good read for George to see that so and wasn't with them. So, you know, all credit to George. They're also credit to Haley because you know, she she
did try to sort of discreetly make a move. Had she been more sort of open and outright with it, you know, maybe something would have happened. But she was also trying to protect her own button there. And I don't blame her for the way she did it at all, but you know, that was the thing. There were a lot of critics about me not playing it for Sam and it was like, well, hang on, you you've seen Hailey's mindset. I'm ready to make a big move the camera like it it's time for me to start getting
some agency in this game. Like we're not aware of any of that. She had a thirty second conversation with Nina and that's all we had to go on. So I said it in my post. I'll say it again. Given the information we had and the spot in the I would play that for myself over and over again.
Well, I was kind of wondering, you know, Sean. I genuinely thought that you were making a few mistakes along the way on purpose, you know, to get rid of some of your meat tray competition, because I mean at some point you were going to need to get rid of them. And then it just felt like, you know, just kind of ah, you know, those ones fell off and that's kind of okay by you. Is there any truth to my theory?
Yeah, I mean I was happy with Dave to go. I was happy with Sam to go. Obviously, I would have liked them to go further into the game simply because yeah, he would have. Mean we had the majority. But I mean Dave and Minna were openly like a power couple, Like they were really openly, very very close. So, I mean, I've had talks with Haley and Flick about them, and you know, they will have to go shortly because they're holding a lot of power. And that's I think
one thing myself and Flick did well. I mean, it wasn't really shown in the season until I think it was Flick's exit episode. But like, we were each other's number one out there, and you know, the meat trade was always secondary for me. We came up with this pack that we'd speed each other's number one and we'd look out for each other. But we're not sleeping next to each other in the shelter. We're having our chats at night when nobody's looking, and we'll always sort of
look out for each other. And I think we played that perfectly to a tea because nobody really had any idea how tight we were.
You know, when I saw you two in that moment and you ran up to each other and we realized that you had that really strong alliance, I was like, No, I felt like you should have stayed stronger with your alliance with Haley. I mean, would it have been better to foster that relationship more than say, fostering a relationship with Flick.
Yeah, that's a really that's a really interesting thing you say there, because I do feel like that's one of my biggest mistakes in the game, is how I let my relationship with Haley deteriorate. She was somebody that I absolutely wanted to play with and for a number of reasons, because not only is she a great shield, but fantastic player.
But I don't think I pushed hard enough. I want to keep her around because of just how good she is at the game and how I enjoyed sort of playing with her and I enjoyed her ideas, and had I done that and I managed that relationship a bit better than you knows. E merged time when George confronted Haley and I about flipping over because it looked like Sam, Dave and Nina were going to blindside her. She might have told me that she was going and to come across,
because you know, I was on a sinking ship. So that was one of the areas I think that was my biggest regret out of the game, and one of the areas where I know I really failed all.
A bit of Sunday morning quarterbacking when you look back and you go, oh, I really should have done that differently, I wanted to ask you a little bit about Simon, and you know, Simon's just come out and won all these challenges, which has kind of kept him going in the competition. You know, what has the perception been like for you? I mean, you two are very strong blokes and possibly have just an equal chance of being able to win these challenges. What do you think of Simon?
Did you think of him as a real threat in the game.
No, not as a threat to win. I think most people would have been happy to go to the end with Simon. And I'll preface this by saying that I love the guy, and I think he's so misunderstood. He is one of the sweetest, most he means so well. Much of a threat, he was always going to get a bit of a run on with challenges. I mean he's he's exceptionally talented with things you know where you
need like fine motor skills as well. I think that's one thing that sort of surprised people, just how good at those sort of challenges he was with, you know, when it came to sort of balancing things or he's really really very good. But I never saw him as a threat, simply because I knew that he damaged so many relationships along the way. I just couldn't see him getting too many votes at the end.
Did you see his tweet the other day where he was tweeting to JLP and he was saying, when is it possible for me to come out and tell the truth and that I was always playing to the bottom. I mean, can Simon come out and tell us a different narrative once the show is all over? I mean, was he really playing to the bottom?
Diamond's complex guy? Hey, I mean he was trying to play from the bottom. It wouldn't surprise me. I can't imagine why anybody would want to play from the bottom. I just cannot see the upside in that. That said, everybody in Jury Villa, you know, when I got Johnny Fleck and Sam Like, they'd all developed a real soft pot for him. Surprised me coming out because I knew
that out there they'd all really sort of them. But I think Simon's one of those guys when you have a bit of time away from him, I think you really start to appreciate him a lot more time.
Do you think that your resume would have been strong enough had you made or if you made it to the Tribal Council and faced off against people like George Haley and maybe even Simon It's.
Hard to say. I mean the first half of my game, I really feel like I was really completely in charge, So you know, nothing really got done or no. No
votes were made without like mine and flicks. Okay, Sam and Dave really wanted Haley in that second vote, and me and Flick said no, we still need her around, and you know, she ended up staying, and then you know, it was sort of it was definitely a group decision to send Jerry off to the other tribe, and then it was absolutely a sort of group decision with with Sharny going home. And then you know, after swap, you know, I really feel like I was responsible for sending your
at home. I feel like if we all went around along with you know, Jordi and Lizzard's plans, so Sam would have been going. And you know, it was my plan that I sort of came up with to send Jordie home with the idol in his pocket. And while it wasn't the perfect plan, and I absolutely could have done it better, and I see that now in hindsight and looking back at it, you know, it's still it's still worked out and it still kept us all safe. It did sort of end up fracturing some relationships, which
is which is my fault. But you know, I felt like I had a really strong second half of the game, and then you know, if we emerge, managed to survive, made some mistakes, played the idle wrong, so it didn't have a great sort of first half of merge to hang my hat on. But knew that, you know, if I get to the end, that there would be at least two more really convincing things that I would have to do to have a good run at it.
What about these shields?
I mean, this season it feels like everybody is using everybody as a shield. I mean, is there too many shields happening in this season that probably can't come to fruition. Yeah.
It was really the buzzword of this season was shield It was something that I think all the returnees were I guess all the returneys with high threat levels were really concerned about. You see it early on with Seohnnie deciding that, well, hang on, I know George is really dangerous here, but that could work to my advantage. And
I was certainly the same going in. As soon as I saw as soon as I saw Haley on that beach, I was like, Okay, arguably nobody was a bigger threat out there than her, perhaps George, but she was one that I absolutely wanted to keep around. Simon as well. I knew going in that I necessarily wouldn't need big
challenge guys as threats. I was more concerned about keeping threats around that were like strategic or gameplay threats because I just felt it was more advantageous for my game and it was safer to keep those people in front of me because just purely being six foot seven, that's something that I can't hide. So, you know, regardless, people are going to see me as a physical threat. So I knew that I couldn't have any nobody else out there could I couldn't hold in front of me as
a physical shield. But I knew that sort of Haley's of the world, like they were the ones that I had to sort of try users as a shield.
In my mind.
And I know nothing about what's gonna happen, but I kind of feel like some of the noisy players should make it to the end, to that final tribal council. I think, you know, Haley, George and even Simon, you know, I keep bringing these people up. I kind of feel
like they're the ones everyone's talking about. I hope they make it to the final tribal council because you've got Matt, and you have Jerry and you have Liz, and you know, ultimately, I just I don't know have they done enough to really deserve to be there in that final tribal counsel. I mean, who do you think deserves to still be there?
Yeah, Look, Matt, Matt's a nice kid, but he was really really frustrating to play without there because you know, post merge when he when he flipped. Look, I don't blame him at all for that. He was doing what he thought was best for his game, and I actually give him credit for that for that move. But what he did after that was it just he went into his shell and he could see what he thought was the easiest way to finish, and that was just to
just tuck under George's wing. And we would constantly be coming up to Matt going like, mate, we see what you're doing. But you know he's going to go on and win the thing, Like let's do this, Like you need some moves under your belt, Like let's go, let's make a move. This is the time we make a move. It doesn't have to be on George, it can be on somebody else, just like let's play. And he'd go yeah, you know, I'll I'll think about it, and then he'd
literally like walk off from our conversation. He'd go right over to George, and then five minutes George would be talking to you, knowing your whole plan. So it was really frustrating to play with him. And the path of least resistance to the end isn't always the best way there, and I think some people can get caught up in sort of thinking that the easiest way is the best way there, and I think we've seen time and time again that's not the case.
Is there any chance that there's, like in a llure to want to stay on the show for as long as possible, you know, not necessarily to do any thing with big moves or be too noisy, but you know, I just want to stay on the actual show for as long as I can.
Yeah. Absolutely, And I know there's the argument of you know, well, you've got to get to the end, and if you do have a path in front of you that really doesn't have many twists or turns or roadblocks, like he's silly not taking it, perhaps you also to sort of think, well, you know, if I do take that road, is there somebody else who's had an even smoother road than me
that I can get there with. You just want to make sure that you're getting there with somebody who's had an even easier ride than you.
Well, I do think that there's three people, you know, and people can work that out for themselves that probably haven't done as much as say George, Haley and Simon. You know, maybe it has to do with screen time or whatever. But you know what, I really wanted to ask you because I thought you might be a good person to answer this. So this season is like King George, and it is a lot about George, and he's fantastic, But what about the relationship with him after the show?
Will you foresee yourself being George's friend? Post Survivor?
George is George again is a very complex, interesting guy. And I like George outside a Survivor where he struggles and it's because of the game that the big TV game he wants to play is the social side of things. You know, if he does want that big, brash TV game, he's got to realize that if he gets to the end, it could potentially cost him half a million dollars because he does have a way of really upsetting people along the way and burning some bridges and sort of doing
some damage. It is strange talking to him because sometimes it can feel like you're talking to like a Hannibal lected type character, just because he's so calm and ruthless and calculated. It really does feel like you're talking to somebody like that.
He kind of looks those eyes kind of remind me. I like that, you said Hannibal Lecter, but it kind of reminds me of the shark from Jaws. You know, you can't necessarily read, but you know it's goddamn intense. I want to ask you. Obviously, there is a lot going on when the show first starts, and there's so many castaways on the beach, but you know, as the numbers drop, are there any storylines that we're not seeing?
No, I mean there's a ton. There's a ton of stuff you don't see, like particularly early on in our right, simply because we didn't go to tribal council too often. You lose out on a lot of the dynamics. I mean, you didn't find out until you know, Flick and I were each other's number one until her exit episode. They didn't really give you a good understanding of just how close Dave and Nina were and what a real powerful power couple they were as well. So I think there's
a lot that you don't see. I mean, that's just the way it is. Yeah, I mean, the game's going twenty four to seven. Literally, they're recording twenty four to seven, and they got sixty minutes of actual run time. If you take sort of advertisements out of it to sort of sort of try fit in three days worth of stuff or sometimes two days worker stuff, like, there's naturally going to be so many things that you just miss.
I mean, I think that the thing that's really hard for most reality TV contestants is, you know, not realizing that the show's not all about you. I mean, you feel like you're on reality television. You see certain things happen, you think that's definitely going to be on the edit, But when it comes down to what you actually watch, it must be a huge jigsaw puzzle to try and put it together and work out how to tell everyone's story effectively enough to suit the story.
I'm not part of Reduction, but I assume they just sort of try to work backwards. I mean that's how I feel I would. I would do it, and you just sort of go right, what is ultimately, even if it's entertaining, what is unimportant to the story that we need to go forward and tell And sometimes that's going to be part of your story. And I think it's odd because everybody's their own main character there. Yeah, like you sort of you're living your own game and it's
you're the main character. So when you're like it's going to be great, they're going to show that, oh my god, that was hilarious and stuff like that. Like the ultimately, not much of it is going to ben It's just a shame that so much has to get left out.
I mean, it'd be fantastic if the episodes were two hours long and they could leave everything in, because there are so many things that happened this season, so many funny things, so many great things that happened that simply just didn't make it in.
You know, this is I mean, this is a lot of Survivor. You know, three nights a week is a huge commitment. And when it first starts, I'm like, oh my god, Survivor's coming back.
It's going to take over my whole life.
But the reality about this season is that I'd watch a Titanic version every single episode. I watched three and a half hours if they was like a director's cut. Anyway, I need to quickly ask you before you go, because this has probably gone on a little bit too long. But I want to know not what you know now, but I want to know what you thought when your idol had been snuffed.
Who did you think was going to be the winner?
It's interesting because when I guess when I left, you're thinking, like, who's the biggest threats to win? Well, there's George. He's played like fantastic strategical game, but he has struggled socially. Hailey is obviously you know, she's obviously like ready to sort of make moves and stuff like that, and she'll get to the end and she'll be dangerous. But I think if you're like, if you look at it and
you go, well, what's most likely to happen? Simon was obviously always a threat because I guess, without myself out there anymore, if there were any really sort of physical challenges, he probably would have won them, so he could really get a run on. He might struggle with some of the endurance challenges and if that happens, he might go, But you just never know what the challenges are. Obviously, Maddie and Jerry look like they're in a really sweet spot and don't have too much of a target on
their head. Liz, you know, she's flying under the radar as well a little bit. It's so hard to say. Because we were talking about Injury Villa as well. You could see you could see a path for anybody at this point, and I think when it gets down to that final seven then it is really anybody's game.
Another question that I've been asking people is would you ever return? I know you've already done it twice, but you know people do come back for a third time. Is there any way that you'd foresee yourself coming back to the show, and is there a theme that you think would suit you best.
I definitely need some time off. I mean, it is a big arc and it's I mean, it's this extremely selfish pursuit to go do survivor, particularly when you have a family and children, to leave them for sort of eight weeks. It's the hardest thing about being out there. Bar By None, I mean, I love the physical side, love people that dirt, love not having my phone, love starving, love the challenges, and you know, love the game play, but being away from your family is it takes a
toll on you, your partner, your kids. So that's something I'd be really really wary about. I think the only season that would be really hard to say no too it would be an international version. Look, and I'm not saying I'd even get a call up for that with the just the breadth fantastic players that we've had on showing Survivor. But if I did get a call up for like a US versus AU, or you know, like a world version, I think that would be really hard to do about.
I think people would call you. I think people will call you because, you know, you might not have the biggest characterization or personality or resume on your two seasons of the show, but you are a very good looking rooster and you look great on the poster. That should be enough. Anyway, I will let you go. Thank you so much for being so generous with your time today. I thought you were fantastic this season, and good luck with it.
Great chat. Yeah, take care. See Bet