It might have only been a few months since Brain vs Brawn came to an end, but we’re already super excited to see Australian Survivor back and kicking off again.
This year, Australian Survivor: Blood V Water will see contestants take a family member, friend or partner in with them to aid in their attempt to win sole survivor.
We’ve spotted some familiar faces among the crowd – MasterChef alum Khanh Ong will be headed in with his sister Amy, and former contestants Sam Gash and Mark Wales – now married – will be boosting each other through the competition.
But there can only be one sole survivor, so as castaways begin to trickle out of tribal council, we expect things to get personal very quickly.
Here’s everyone who has left so far.
Andy Meldrum
Survivor superfan and Champions vs Contenders alumni Andy was the first to fall victim to a blindside for the 2022 season.
When Alex became injured and had to sit out the challenge, Andy was quick to move on the perceived weakness, encouraging the tribe to vote him out. While Brianna and Shay thought they’d make a move on Chrissy, it was Nina – the daughter of Survivor queen Sandra Diaz-Twine who very quietly plotted Andy’s demise, citing his overconfidence and untrustworthiness.
A very shocked Andy was voted out and had his torch snuffed. He took to Instagram after his elimination, sharing a photo of himself and his three kids, all wearing Survivor buffs.
“My niblings just told me that maybe if I’d been wearing my glasses I would have seen it coming! 😂,” he wrote.
Brianna Goodchild
With the Water Tribe back at Tribal Council, and an immunity idol in play, it was Brianna who fell victim to majority vote this time.
A Survivor super-fan, Brianna came in hoping to make big moves, but her intensity proved too much too soon for the group, who decided she was too much of a threat.
She took to Instagram to say how thankful she was for the experience.
“I live boldly, I #riskitforthebiscuit 🍪… I may not have the biscuit but I have invaluable lessons I have learnt and memories I will cherish for a lifetime,” she wrote.
“But one thing is for certain… I don’t think I’m done with the game… And I don’t think the game is done with me. WE HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS.”
Brianna’s father, David, is still playing in the Blood Tribe.
Kate Tatham
Chaos ensued when Brianna’s Dad, ‘Juicy Dave’, whose nickname has no discernible origin, was out for revenge after his daughter was picked off the night before.
While the split tribes meant he couldn’t exact revenge on Water, he decided to try his luck picking off Sandra, who is undoubtedly the biggest threat of the game.
However, his move lacked any element of smoothness, leading Sandra to turn a decent amount of castaways to vote against him. And when he accused Sam of throwing out his name for vote, when she considered them close friends, she literally started walking around Tribal Council and telling people to write Dave’s name down.
Dave did play an immunity idol, and while it was looking like the end of things for Sandra, just enough people put Kate’s name down to have her sent home instead.
At the end of the show, she said she hoped Andy was happy she at least got to spend a bit of time with Sandra, his Survivor hero, before she followed him on home.
Alex Frost
Suffering an injury on day one that left him struggling throughout the competition, Alex decided to voluntarily withdraw from Survivor last night.
Alex asked his team to vote him out over their chosen play for the evening, Sophie or Khanh, but when they refused, he decided to leave himself, with no vote going ahead.
On Instagram, Alex shared that he was “sad to leave the world’s greatest game, but I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”
Alex’s older sister and former Bachelorette Sam Frost also wrote him a sweet tribute, saying “you are hands down the biggest legend with the softest and kindest soul.”
Jay Bruno
With a ploy to break up a strong alliance of three – Amy, Jay, and David – Jay ended up falling victim to a blindside.
While they conspired to try and vote out Sandra, the remainder of the tribe stayed loyal to her, forcing Amy to play her idol and stacking the split vote on Jay.
While shocked, Jay took the blindside well.
“That was one HELL OF A RIDE,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I’ll miss you Jonathan and my tribe!” he added.
Jay is now part of the second coupling to be gone from the game, with siblings Andy and Kate leaving first, and Jay’s friend, Alex, leaving in Monday’s episode.
Sandra Diaz-Twine
She’s a legend of the game, having been the first-ever contestant to win Survivor twice, but Sandra wasn’t able to pull off a third victory in Australia.
Competing with her daughter Nina, Sandra signed on to Blood V Water knowing there would be a major target on her back. And on Day 16, her tribe mates finally succeeded in voting her out. In order to stay in the alliance, her daughter Nina also had to vote for her.
“It’s my turn to take over the family business,” Nina says in a trailer for the next episode tonight. “I’m going to make sure I’m continuing my mum’s legacy.”
Sophie Cachia
Influencer and well-known businesswoman Sophie Cachia met her end on Survivor.
After playing a game with ferocious dedication and strong loyalty, she was voted out of the blue tribe with the help of her sister, KJ, who wrote down Sophie’s name.
Despite the ‘betrayal’, Sophie spent her last moments embracing her sister, promising her she’d take care of her children until KJ left the game, and telling her ‘this is your big moment’.
Sophie shared a few images of the fateful moment to her Instagram stories, writing, “Kate I was so emotional watching you make such a tough decision. You’re so incredibly brave. In your absolute element and I love watching you in this game.”
Amy Ong
Fan-favourite Amy Ong was on the chopping block, after the Blood Tribe pulled off what Amy herself called “a magnificent blindside”.
Amy, who entered the game with her brother, Khanh Ong (of MasterChef fame), took to Instagram to reflect on the challenges she faced along the way.
“I am so proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone and going on this amazing adventure of a lifetime,” she shared.
“Playing Survivor was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced and I’m so grateful for all the wonderful connections and lifelong friends I’ve made along the way. Unfortunately this time wasn’t for me and sadly I didn’t get to play with my brother, Khanh.
“Thank you to every single person who has supported me on this journey. I love you all.
“Now go win this thing for us @khanhong.”
Nina Twine
Fans were devastated to see Nina Twine leave the show just a week after her mother, Survivor champion, Sandra Diaz-Twine, faced the boot.
Nina had been playing a strong game, but injured her ankle in a reward challenge, landing herself in a boot and on crutches, and unable to continue playing the game.
She shared a sweet and teary goodbye with her tribemates before being packed into a car and driven off.
Calls have already begun from fans for Nina to return to the show next season, or to try her luck on US Survivor, just as her mother has.
Michael ‘Croc’ Crocker
Former NRL player Croc was the next castaway to fall victim to a blindside, trusting his close alliance with Ben to keep him safe.
However, Ben was working simultaneously with Jesse, with the pair leading the tribe to vote Croc out.
It’s even more devastating given Croc had an immunity idol hidden in his pocket.
“I had plans to use that idol once we got to merge, and I think I was too focused on that point, and I should’ve been more in tune with what was going on around me,” Croc told the Courier Mail.
Croc’s sister-in-law, Chrissy, remains in the game.
Ben Watson
Ben was feeling confident after coordinating Croc’s blindside, but Croc’s sister-in-law Chrissy was ready to have revenge.
In a challenge for individual immunity, the necklaces went to Sam and Shay, leaving the gates open for the Water Tribe to vote out Ben once more.
While Ben and the Blood Tribe eliminee, Mel, were given one last chance to save themselves in a fire-making challenge, Mel surprised and delighted fans by winning, and securing herself a spot to go forward another day.
0Ben leaves behind his girlfriend, Shay, on the Blood Tribe, saying the most emotional part of leaving was the game was doing so without her.
Khanh Ong
MasterChef star Khanh Ong became the next victim of a blindside, receiving just enough votes to kick him out of the tribe, making him the first member of the jury.
Fans of Khanh shared their devastation across social media, but Khanh remained in good spirits as he laughed himself out of the tribe and into the jury villa, where he can live in luxury over the coming weeks as the show approaches finale.
“It’s not all sad,” he wrote on Instagram last night alongside a video of himself swinging the idol he left with.
“@amyonng sent me a lot of amazing outfits so you wait for jury fashions,” he shared.
“Thank you so much for everyone’s kind words. I’ve been wanting to play @survivorau for so long and I was able to be part of blindsides, I won challenges, I got an idol, I got to play with my best friend @amyonng, I’ve met great humans and I went out with a bang. So thank you for allowing me to play this amazing game and be a part of this experience.”
1Mel Chiang
Mel was next on the chopping block after Mark’s alliance of ‘strong boys’ decided she was a threat they needed to eliminate.
While they split votes on Mel and her twin sister, Michelle, Mel was ultimately the one who had her torch snuffed.
However, the super-fan left with a smile on her face, taking to Instagram to write about the experience.
“From watching it on TV since I was 12 years old, to now watching my torch get snuffed by @jonathanlapaglia himself – still with a smile on my face! 😁,” she penned.
“As a fan, I feel so fortunate to get to play this crazy game, and especially grateful to get to play it with my literal other half, @miche.chiang, I will be forever thankful. Our late father passed away weeks before filming started, and to celebrate his birthday on day 21 with her with us hugging on the mat before the reward challenge was just what we needed 💜.”
2Jesse Hansen
‘The Kid’ met his end this week in a brutal blindside.
Convinced it was Josh who was going home, Jesse walked confidently into tribal with no plan to use his idol, which Sam was holding onto for him.
While the majority of Mark’s alliance was planning to vote him out all along, Sam remained the swing vote until the very end, but wrote down Jesse’s name, thanking him for the idol, and voting out her closest ally in the game bar her husband.
Sam’s brutal backstab was met with shock and awe from fans.
While Jesse is yet to comment on his exit, he posted videos to his story last night showing the cast celebrating together with drinks, including himself and Sam doing shots together and hugging, meaning all looks well between the two!
Michelle Chiang
3Michelle Chiang became the fourth member of the jury last night, joining her twin sister, Mel.
The vote was not the end for Mel – she was sent to join Jordie, KJ, and Shay in purgatory, but in a challenge that would see only one eliminated for good, she came last.
“Wow, what a ride!” she wrote on Instagram.
“From someone who did not prioritise camping as her #1 choice of holiday experience to literally living out in the bush amongst the elements…this is me living out of my cushy comfort zone,” she added.
“Even though it was not an easy decision to come on the show as our father passed away unexpectedly a few weeks before filming, I am overall thankful,” she continued.
“Thankful for the experience, thankful the bonds with everyone that I’ve met and most of all, thankful for @survivorau for giving me and @mel.chiang the opportunity to be in the same place to play the game that she loves.”
Jordan Schmidt
4Survivor superfan Jordan found himself on the chopping block unexpectedly last night, when an advantage saw KJ remove three members of his alliance in order to better control the vote.
With Jordan’s cousin Josh, as well as Chrissy and Mark removed from tribal council, it was three vs three on each alliance. While Sam faked possession of an idol, everybody fell for it, switching their votes from her to Jordan.
It was then Juicy Dave who dealt the final blow, writing Jordan’s name down in order to save himself, and ultimately switching alliances.
Jordan is now the fifth member of the jury.
Sam Gash
It would be a lot sadder if this season’s true queen hadn’t gone down so spectacularly.
With Dave flipping in the last vote to help the Misfit Alliance send home Jordan, Josh’s cousin and closest ally.
5With Sam and Mark the only remaining couple, and with two idols between them, the tribe closed in on them, deciding it was time to take away their power.
Josh even told them to play an idol for Sam, but they didn’t, and she was sent to join the jury.
Sam has since revealed that she knew she might be heading home.
“The easiest move would be to play an idol & if I was driven by ego I would have done that. But, we were constantly weighing up what was best for our long game,” Sam wrote on Instagram.
“🩸 v 💧 meant we had two lives at this very late stage & we wanted to give one of those lives the most potent path to the end. I said at the start of this game ‘I back myself but I back my husband more,'” she said.
David Goodchild
David joined the game of Survivor to help his super-fan daughter, Brianna, achieve her dream of playing the game. However, her second-night elimination lit a fire underneath him, and he became determined to play the best he could – making it all the way to Day 42.
6When Mark played his immunity idol, the votes were split evenly on David and Jordie, but Chrissy’s flip saw him ultimately booted from the game.
Although devastated that he couldn’t make it to top three, David now sits on the jury, and his final vote will contribute to who ultimately wins Survivor.
Jordie Hansen
Joker Jordie Hansen finally had his torch snuffed last night, after weeks of attempts from his enemies within the tribe.
While last episode saw him successfully sidle up to Josh Millgate, last night saw alliances return to normal, with Jordie working with KJ Austin and Shay Lajoie. Mark Wales, Chrissy Zaremba, and Josh made up the other side.
While Jordie tried to pull Josh across, it was all for naught, and the Joker ended up finally joining the jury, where his brother Jesse was waiting.
“I am feeling gutted right now,” Jordie said as he left.
7“They finally got The Joker, and finally Mark’s second idol was exposed. I gave it everything, I worked really hard to keep coming back, time after time, vote after vote.
“I’m proud of myself.”
Kate ‘KJ’ Austin
After a mad-scramble tribal, KJ Austin became the last person to be voted out of Blood V Water before the finale episode.
Mark’s plan to vote out Shay was thwarted when she won the immunity challenge, leading him to choose to target KJ instead.
While Chrissy tried to get the girls to vote out Mark, chaos ensued, leading in a tied vote for KJ and Josh. Chrissy went with her original alliance, voting out KJ, who finished fifth in the game and will now join the jury.
She reflected on her game on Instagram.
8“To say a simple thank you doesn’t feel like enough but I want to extend so much gratitude to those that helped make this possible,” she wrote.
“My family and my friends. You made this all happen. To Nick – you encouraged me to live out my dream and our little tribe are so lucky to have you as their Daddy.
“Winning is fun but if you find a family along the way you can’t lose,” she shared.
The Australian Survivor: Blood V Water finale airs this evening, April 4 at 7:30pm on 10.