Having already competed on Survivor twice before, the decision to leave his family again to appear on Survivor: Australia v The World wasn’t one that Luke Toki took lightly.
Add to the fact that Luke’s daughter Maddie, 6, has been bravely battling cystic fibrosis since birth and it only complicates matters.
Still, the opportunity to win some serious cash to help with her hospital bills and for the fundraising work he does for Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and cystic fibrosis research was too good to refuse.
(Credit: Instagram)
On July 8, after an agonising 266 days, Maddie was released from hospital much to the relief of her doting parents, Luke and wife Mary-Louise.
“Yeah look, she’s OK. She’s now out of hospital,” Luke, 38, tells WHO. “She just spent close to nine months in, so that was a really rough time. But she’s home now.
“She still lives on TPN [Total Parenteral Nutrition] and she’s still got a lot of issues. But to be out of hospital is a good thing.
“We’re just raising a bit of money for the hospital again to say thanks, because we spent so long there. That has actually probably been even harder than Survivor recently. But we’re out of hospital, so I’m positive and happy with that.”
(Credit: Network 10)
While he’s widely considered to be one of Survivor’s best players, Luke is still yet to win the title of Sole Survivor.
Yet, despite narrowly missing out on the crown in 2019, the fan favourite father-of-three still took home a whopping $500,000 after a GoFundMe was set up to help him and his family.
Back with something to prove on his third time competing, Luke’s strategy going into Survivor: Australia v The World was to just “go out there and dominate”. So far, it seems to be working.
“I’m really good at trying to stay in the game,” he says. “I like to think I’ve got a read on the game. But again, this game is different, because everyone has no qualms in stabbing their best friend in the back.
“Because it is the best of the best, there’s no emotional attachment to anyone or anyone’s game – it’s all about yourself and your game. So yeah, it’s definitely an interesting ride.”
(Credit: Network 10)
With a challenge from his past that previously led to his untimely demise the only thing standing in his way from making it to the Top 5 this week, will he conquer his demons or fall short once again?
“Let’s cross our toes and cross our feet,” he teases.
As the intensity of the face-paced game Luke calls “Survivor on steroids” cranked all the way up to 100, the larrikin admits it’s too soon to contemplate whether he has another season in him just yet.
(Credit: Network 10)
“Let me have a year off!” he says with a laugh, before we remind him he’s already had a year to recover since filming took place in 2024. “I think we all say there’s retirement, but I just feel like I’m so fortunate to be able to play three times.
“I look at what I’ve been able to achieve in the game and I try to bring the LOLs and the laughs and stuff to every season and try to make it a fun one for myself and for the viewers. It would have to be the perfect season or the perfect environment for me to ever come back again, I think.”
Survivor: Australia v The World airs Monday and Tuesday and concludes Sunday on 10.
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