Meet the contestants joining the island for Survivor Australia: Brains v. Brawn

A true “smiling assassin,” salesman Nash plans to use both his natural brawn and effortless charm to keep his tribemates guessing about his true intentions.

“I mean, when I’m always smiling, you’re not gonna tell whether I’m part of your alliance or not. I’m just gonna be telling you what you want to hear and with my confidence and with my charm, you’re gonna believe everything I say.”

Morgan’s been tearing it up in the athletics world since 2012- competing in three World Championships, two Commonwealth Games, and two Olympic Games. While her physical skill will undoubtedly be an asset to Team Brawn, her social game is also on point.

“There’s Olympic Morgan who will help win challenges, then there’s Social Morgan who’s fun and chats with everyone, but they’ll both know when to take a backstep and when to be front and centre.”

Laura, or Noonan (or Noons to her besties), is ready to step out of the shadow of her famous family from the Mornington Peninsula and make a name for herself.

“I felt like I didn’t contribute much to the family name and at any function, people thought I was the hired help… For a long time, Survivor has been my identity – the Noonan that’s obsessed with Survivor. People would joke about it, and now, sitting here, who’s laughing now?”

Kate’s strutting onto the beach in denim and rhinestones, hoping to leave a strong first impression – one that makes people jump to conclusions.

“My whole outfit is just to look like a girly girl. I think they are gonna get the wrong perception. I think they’re not gonna think that I’m here for the right reasons, which is totally fine with me.”

As a long-time fan of the show, father of three Ben is ready to combine his natural brawn with his keen knowledge of a classic Survivor blindside to gather as much valuable tribal intel as possible.

“My plan on Survivor is to get answers from people. I won’t be locked into one strategy, as Survivor is a malleable game, but if I can get what I need out of people, then it will make it all a lot easier.”

A true country girl from WA, Candy’s roots are in farming and working in wineries, but her recent career in modelling has also helped her hone her resilience in other areas.

“You can be mentally and physically tired, getting accidentally pinned by a tailor or someone burns you with a curling wand, you just get on with it, and that’s what I’ll do on Survivor,” she shared.

Skateboarder Jesse is all about maintaining good vibes in the tribe, and as he enters the Survivor camp, he hopes his personality will help him slide under the radar and get his strategic side to shine.

“I want to make the tribe laugh. I want everyone to have fun. I want to take the edge out of situations to get people more relaxed and chilled, and then I want to make some moves and be a little cheeky.”

Kristin is no stranger to high-pressure situations. As an Aviation firefighter, she’s always on call to tackle any emergency and hopes that her strong teamwork and adaptability will make her a key asset to the Brawn tribe.

“I’ll be utilising many of my workplace skills. Knowing how to relate to people, knowing how to act on my feet, working under pressure and just being physical.”

Working as a paramedic, Paulie’s job is all about connecting with people fast and making them feel comfortable. With a toolbox of skills that will come in handy during the game, Paulie’s ready to build relationships and keep calm under pressure, but when it comes to roughing it in the elements, that’s a whole different story.

“I’m a city boy. I like my city stuff. I go on vacation, but I’ve never lived in an environment like this! I’ve slept on a beach a few times and sure, that’s cute, but this is going to be hard.”

A dad of two, PD works as a salesman for a brewery by day and coaches soccer by night. Before hitting the sidelines, he played for the National Soccer League and represented Australia, and now he’s hoping his team management skills will come in handy when it’s time to navigate his tribe.

“I’ve always got plan A and plan B. Now, plan A is our game plan, but plan B is to do plan A even better, so, we aren’t gonna lose.”

When it comes to brawn, Ursula is the real deal. Working as a fitness and nutrition coach and powerlifter, Ursula has developed both physical and mental strength, but there’s one thing that might trip her up in the tribe – her brutal honesty.

“It’s gotten me into trouble a few times, but I just prefer to be honest. If people can’t handle it, that’s not my problem. I’m funny. I have a very dry sense of humour and am loud and bubbly when I want to be.”

As the youngest tribe member of the season, hip-hop artist Zen is super excited to step away from his fast-paced lifestyle and fully embrace nature. Despite his enthusiasm, Zen revealed that the mind games of Survivor may be his biggest challenge.

“Having to hide the testosterone levels and simmer down the level of intelligence and play, not dumb, but play under and allow someone to take the leadership position. This will be the hardest part.”

AJ is a Survivor superfan with one goal in mind – to make a huge impact on the game. Hooked on games and winning since he was a teenager, AJ believes his poker skills will give him an edge when it comes to bluffing and figuring out who’s pulling the strings.

“I want to be remembered as the best Survivor player ever. Not just in Australia. I really want to be the most fun, entertaining, strategic, everything. I want to be that Survivor player that is just undisputed the best.”

After battling her way through the ranks of the male-dominated tech world, Ally is no stranger to being underestimated. Originally from a small town in North Queensland, she lives with her pet rescue kangaroo and proudly considers herself “true blue to the core.”

Despite their perceived physical advantage, Ally believes that the Brawn tribe have no chance of outsmarting her campmates.

“My fighting word to the Brawns is you can have all the muscle in the world, but if you don’t know how to use the muscle in your head? No hope, brother.”

As she prepares to take on the island, Indy jokes, “On a scale of one to crazy competitive, I’m probably psycho.”

When it comes to her social game, Indy believes her life experience gives her the edge she needs to succeed in the game.

“I’m a black Muslim bisexual who grew up in Townsville. I’ve been voted out of tribes my entire life. I’m ready for this.”

While he grew up playing rugby, surfing, and even became a pro stand-up paddleboarder, Kaelan’s ability to seamlessly move between both tribes is what he believes will get him to the end game.

“People often misconceive me based on my appearance and the way I talk. If I’m with the Brawn tribe, I’m going to be talking about footy and sport, and then with the Brain tribe, I can talk about literature, get a bit deeper.”

Working as “the dude that’s holding things apart so the doctor can do the fixing,” Karin’s experience working gruelling 36-hour shifts with no sleep and no food in orthopedic surgery has been the ultimate training ground for Survivor.

As she trades her scrubs for the sandy beaches of Samoa, Karin explains, “I just want to do something that’s different. I’ve had every part of my life planned for the last 30 years. Not a single thing has gone wrong, and everything I’ve wanted to happen has happened… I like having everything organized in front of me, and this is so left field of anything I’ve ever done.”

As a Survivor superfan for nearly three decades, global businessman Kent hopes to be able to re-create one of his favourite contestants David Genat’s tenure on the show.

“The Golden God, just the way he played, how he was obsessed with Idols. He was amazing to watch.”

Speaking on his gameplay plans, Kent shares,” I’m full of love and going to give so much to my tribe, but at the same time, I’ll be happy to cut their throats.”

Laura’s got over 250 crystals, casts spells daily, and embraces her witchy side – taking back the stigma around the title.

“I come across as sweet and curious, but this sugar has her bite and I’m not afraid to use it,” she says, ready to play tough.

With a knack for reading people’s energies and a background in acting, Laura plans to use her skills to fool her tribemates. A true Survivor superfan, she’s even 3D printed puzzles and recreated challenges in her backyard.

Logan may be best known as the wife of one of the Western Bulldogs, but she’s here to prove she’s got her own identity.

“I’ve pretty much given up my 20s to have kids. I had my daughter at 22, my son at 25, and been with my husband since I was 20. I don’t regret anything, and I love my life, but it’s time to do something for me.”

Max is crossing off a bucket list item by playing Survivor, and while he’s confronting his fear of having a crab crawl over his face while he sleeps, he’s ready to take the risk.

“I know this game, I’ve been watching with my Dad since I was a kid. People might think I’m always joking around but I’m calculated and I will be out here. I put this fun energy out for a reason and to bring up tribe morale but the truth is I’m five steps ahead of everyone.”

A Survivor superfan with a passion for statistics, Myles knows he’s more of a Brain than a Brawn. While he’s not exactly a fan of roughing it in the elements, Myles is determined to make the most of the experience.

“What I’ll be drawing on is the fact that I’m on Survivor, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Things may suck, but they’re sucking on Survivor, and you just can’t beat that.”

Having worked with some of the biggest actors, film director Rich sees Survivor as his personal Academy Awards.

“What I love about Survivor is the ability for a player to make a big move and stop a nation watching on their TVs. I love that feeling. It’s tuning in for that one person who had the guts to go and take this person down.”

As a mum of six-year-old twins and a 10-year-old, Zara calls herself the CEO of her household. She’s also the Vice President of her local PTA, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Bachelor of Law, a Master of Economics in International Finance, and is a qualified solicitor and financial planner. With all these skills under her belt, Zara is ready to handle her tribemates.

“The strategies you use to manage the PTA are all about being open to everyone’s opinions and making sure their voices are heard. I’ll do the same for my tribe—everyone gets a voice.