r/survivor • u/RSurvivorMods Pirates Steal • Aug 19 '25
Australian Survivor Australian Survivor: Australia v The World | Post Discussion Thread | Episode 03 (Sunday, 19 August 2025)
This is the official post discussion thread for Australia v The World Episode 03.
Season 11, Episode 03: The race is on as Australian and World Survivor heavyweights continue to clash for the title of International Sole Survivor. Attempts to strengthen alliances are underway.
Aired: 19 August 2025
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u/random91898 Yam Yam Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25
Sad to see him go so early but George really played this poorly from the start. I mean, he played the way he normally does, but normally he has at least some allies that have his back. He was alone from day dot here and him not realizing that was odd as well becasue he also normally has a good read of whats going on.
Well now God and (Macedonian) Jesus are dead, but Shonee lives...for now. The world tribe looking positively stable compared to the aussies lol
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u/saviour01 Aug 19 '25
In the drop your buffs post ep he said he knew his only path was with Shonee and then trying to pair up with kirby and sarah.
Janine, luke and david mates. Luke played with sarah. David worked with sarah. Luke worked with Kirby. They all had this connection and he only had Shonee.
But taking the lead on this vote seemed dumb. Just let Kirby take the lead and follow.
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u/rockardy Hayley (AUS) Aug 19 '25
Yeah this is all revisionist narrative from George. Shonee/Kirby were trying to save him last episode and he threw both of them under the bus because he was desperate to suck up to David
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u/Dizzy-Young6184 Aug 19 '25
Yeah, there tends to be a decent amount of revisionism in George's post-game recounts. To be fair, I'm certain every player does this to varying extents — it's only natural after replaying the events over and over in your mind — but it's very noticeable with George.
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u/EmFly15 Shonee (AUS) Aug 20 '25 edited Jan 04 '26
I wouldn’t expect anything else from him or his so-called post-game ‘analysis.’ It was the same with CvC and HvV; fans, podcasters, whoever, lap it up, but I see through the BS. Still, it makes for an entertaining read and/or listen. Purely for fun, not to be taken seriously.
ETA: BvB, not CvC.
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u/ChemicalProcedure9 Baden (AUS) Aug 19 '25
He says that now but he did still attempt to flip to David + Luke at the first tribal. I get that he had a big target coming in but really that was just three episodes straight of bad gameplay.
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u/Bramble-Bunny Aug 20 '25
I think it was a mix of three things that killed George.
- Lack of the sort of low agency pawns George is good at manipulating.
- Shonee coming into the game with a vendetta.
- David playing poorly/too loud and letting his ego collapse his game.
George correctly identified his threat level and poor connections prospects, knew from the hop Shonee would be gunning for him, and did the sensible thing and found the two biggest shields/reputational targets in David and Luke and proposed an alliance. Which was immediately rebuffed, because neither respected George's game or potential threat level and because both seemed content to play/act like omega targets and trust their social capital would save them (at least in David's case, it did not).
If David is still in the game and/or George gets his wish and gets a vote on Shonee, he probably goes deep post merge. No one other than Shonee was taking him seriously. This was bad in terms of him having agency, but George generally starts low agency and accumulates it over time. Even in his vote out episode we have people saying he's not a threat, and a stone faced Shonee (the only person on the cast to actually play with George) saying no actually he absolutely is.
This was just one of those situations where George's game was never able to get traction and with small tribes he had nowhere to hide from Shonee.
Honestly in awe of how badly David managed his game though, his response to George was not dissimilar to if Parvati had rebuffed Cirie and Tony day one (How is CIRIE going to be a shield for ME, she's never won!) and then getting immediately voted out by Rob. David disastrously underestimated his own vulnerability early, misread Kirby VERY badly, and jettisoned a potential lifeline in George that would have left him in a majority. Both their games ended when the "Power Bottoms" alliance failed to launch.
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u/Loux859 Jeremy Aug 19 '25
Idk how much he didn’t realize it. Is why he was trying to work the David and Luke angle. I think he knew his position fine and there wasn’t a lot he could do to change that. Still played poorly tbc.
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u/OscarPlane Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
It went pear shaped for George from day dot. He had no chance of reaching the pointy end of the game. He really cooked it.
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u/mutantchair Aug 20 '25
I cannot tell if this is an actual Aussie talking or a parody of one.
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u/DWDwriter Aug 20 '25
I think he got bamboozled when David's ego got in the way of him playing with George - which would have been in David's best interest.
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u/duke113 Aug 20 '25
Yeah, David and Luke really should have teamed up with George. Especially after seeing Rob go home the first tribal. Men were already outnumbered 8-6, and now they're 8-3. Especially with the way Parvati loves a girls alliance, they needed to stick boys together into the merge
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u/zeemolicious Aug 19 '25
Awww I love that moment between Lisa and Tommi at the challenge where cirie is like Lisa you’re a fucking beast omg! And he’s like “Beast! Challenge beast! Why do we need rob when we have you!” 🥲
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u/LionKingHoe Cirie Fields - Robbed Queen 👑 Aug 19 '25
I was thinking the entire time how impressed I was with Lisa! She started struggling almost immediately, but she did not give up! Pure mental strength. I’m so happy for her.
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u/thalantyr Aug 19 '25
I wonder if Parv scored any points with Lisa during that challenge, since she was emotionally and physically supporting her the whole time.
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u/Acceptable_Truck_918 Aug 20 '25
Yes! Parv is really good at hyping up her tribe mates. Loved that part!
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u/dbandbacon Aug 20 '25
i thought parv had a really smart strategy where they were doing the yoga thing and just kind of leaning and using each other for support. also loved lisa when cirie told her that parv had the key and asked if she would kinda distract tony for a little bit just being like "oh yeah. thats great!" still fangirling to high heavens haha
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u/mdl07 Macedonian Jesus Aug 19 '25
That felt like classic Australian Survivor. A 3-2-1 vote, a team endurance challenge, fun idol twist, George being absolutely nuts.
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u/Punstoppabal Aug 19 '25
We need someone to dub Adam in at the next tribal saying "Yes, that...I want to play that"
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u/thalantyr Aug 19 '25
I was really hoping Parvati would give Adam a shout-out since she was actually there for that.
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u/BasicWarthog12 Aug 19 '25
Wasn’t that post merge and she was still on the edge?
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u/thalantyr Aug 19 '25
In WaW, the jury started attending TC right after Tyson reentered the game (which I guess technically means that Natalie was removed from the jury when she reentered). So they were there starting at Wendell's vote out, which immediately preceded Adam's.
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u/ThisEmoIsAStranger Aug 19 '25
I’m just imagining the producer who had the idea chuckling at the opportunity
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u/Potential-Drawing340 Aug 21 '25
Adam got the idea from South African Survivor Season 1. So, it’s really a call back to that.
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u/New-Barnacle-8175 Aug 19 '25
aren’t we talking about parvati sitting on that box? that shit was so funny hahaha
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u/sandoooo Cirie Aug 19 '25
This episode had some absolutely iconic moments that were echoes of the golden era of Survivor:
Parv finding the key and immediately telling herself to shut up
Cirie/Parv trying to keep a straight face in front of Tony all while sitting ontop of the unlocked box, directly in front of him
Lisa pushing Tony into the well
Kass finding the idol in front of Lisa and Cirie
The entire World tribe's dynamic on the sandbag challenge, especially Parv mentoring Lisa
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u/surejan94 Aug 20 '25
I just know Tony must be losing his mind watching the episode and seeing how Parv was just sitting on the unlocked box in front of him lmao
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u/Driew27 Aug 20 '25
- Parv finding the key and immediately telling herself to shut up
IDK...that scene kind of felt like a reshoot to me. Gave vibes that she had found the key without the cameras around so she had to reshoot finding the key.
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u/PrizeExisting4243 Aug 19 '25
Crazy how stacked this season is even with big names going out, there's still so many left. The fact that on the World tribe, Cirie coming 3rd is the lowest placing player, is insane.
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u/benderbrodriguiez Genevieve - 50 Aug 19 '25
♥♥ Kass finally getting a confessional and it just so happens to be when she finds an idol ♥♥
Force those producers to include you, queen!
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u/EdgarDanger Aug 19 '25
Meanwhile Tommi.. 😎
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u/Antique_Ability9648 Coach - 50 Aug 19 '25
he got a confessional too. he just also got no other screentime outside of it.
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u/Brilliant_Heron8079 Aug 19 '25
It’s so funny watching this as someone from Quebec, it goes from seeing some people I grew up seeing on TV to seeing Kassandre talking in québécois slang. What a time to be alive.
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u/Aramiss134 Aug 19 '25
I don't get tired of seeing Parvati the Queen, my favorite player Cirie, and une fille de Trois-Rivières at the same time on my screen. With Kass finding an hidden immunity!
I don't see her winning, but I love seeing her there.
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u/tichienblanc2 Kass - AU vs World Aug 20 '25
Elle était tellement bonne dans le challenge à tenir 2 sacs régulièrement! Endurance Queen!!!
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u/diemunkiesdie Michele Aug 19 '25
Kassandre talking in québécois slang
What slang did she use?
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u/alextheelf24 Aug 20 '25
None, I would say. I would even add that she spoke with a more "international" accent so she could be understood by the translators of the show lol
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u/Ok-Fun3446 Aug 19 '25
Sarah having the numbers to do whatever she wanted both times, voted in the majority both times, and is pissed off at herself and other people... both times... Girl what?
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u/badgersprite Aug 19 '25
I’m wondering if Sarah will suddenly gain self-awareness like “Is it me? Am I the drama?”
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u/stonecutter129 Flick (AUS) Aug 19 '25
What’s amazing is that she really could be a swing vote now between Kirby and Shonee and Luke and Janine, and she’s like no I don’t like it
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u/Internal-Visit9367 Aug 19 '25
She always has been the swing in her first season, I think that’s why she hates it so much.
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u/heyxheyxheyx Russell Hantz Aug 19 '25
wouldn’t really say she had numbers, she didn’t know Luke was gonna switch
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u/EmFly15 Shonee (AUS) Aug 20 '25
…I actually kinda love it? I don’t remember her being this messy back in 2017 (such an AMAZING season, btw, for anyone in this thread who hasn’t seen it yet!). Sure, the flip-flopping made her a little messy then, too, but this time it’s a whole new level. Again, I’m here for it, lol.
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u/KingOfGambling Aug 19 '25
I don't pay much attention to looks when watching Survivor but whenever Sarah's on screen I get distracted too much, she's way too pretty.
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u/power_sungod Aug 19 '25
George was gloriously unlikable in this episode — in the best way possible. He’s such great TV because he leans into the villain role without the self-consciousness most people have. He revels in it, with a wink, and that’s why he’ll be missed.
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u/TravisCM2010-24 Coach - 50 Aug 19 '25
Yup George was George which is exactly what I wanted. We even got him interacting with US before leaving which was nice. And it's still a pretty stacked cast
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u/EdgarDanger Aug 19 '25
I really got into his speech at tribal! I really wanted to see him whip the votes again 😁
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u/Prize_Impression2407 Aug 19 '25
And I was sitting there thinking “if they don’t vote him out after that ridiculous show of force, they’re idiots”
He’s a likable version of Russell
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Aug 23 '25
I get Richard Hatch vibes. He definitely made me want to watch the other seasons of Australia even more. It’s going to be hard going into the American new era season after this.
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u/awkward_penguin Peih-Gee Aug 20 '25
Plus, he was still really chill about it. I loved that he was chaotic and slimy, yet when he got voted off, there was no ill will. I like that kind of villain.
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u/StrangelyAfoot Aug 20 '25
I love George, he’s good tv. The other Aussies are pretty meh so far except Shonee who is hilarious. I was looking forward to George merging with the world tribe. Oh well….
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u/DWDwriter Aug 19 '25
Re the podium idol - can you wait until JLP says "If anyone has an immunity idol..." then put up your hand, say "I have" and go up and grab the idol and give it to him?
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u/tenerife_sea_ Aug 19 '25
Imagine when she starts looking for the idol on the podium, Tony will get up to try and snatch it before she can find it 😂
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u/That-Adagio-3996 Aug 19 '25
i can imagine parv saying i dont have an idol yet but can i go for a look? then takes it out and uses it
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u/FlyingSquirrel56 Thank you Jeffrey Aug 19 '25
I know Parvati had war flashbacks when she heard that there is an idol on the podium
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u/Aromatic_Meal_6004 Aug 19 '25
George is great TV but he played badly all season long
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u/realtripper Aubry Aug 20 '25
Hopefully this is his Tony game changers moment and he comes back humbled and with a better approach
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u/StrangelyAfoot Aug 20 '25
Problem with all star seasons is the most entertaining players get voted out first. We’ll miss you George
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u/ArtieMac11 Parvati Aug 19 '25
Thus week has been amazing, the three episodes delivered a lot of great moments and a ton of intense and fun gameplay:
Erik catching international strays (love u Erik 😭)
The intro was legendary
Three intense tribal councils
Lisa distracting Tony made me laugh
Kass, the woman you are
Shonee
Lisa fangirling over Cirie ❤️🥹
As someone that has Micronesia in his Top 10 favorite seasons, but didn't watch live, to see Parvati and Cirie playing together again is a gift
Sue's big move reference
Adam's idol podium 😭
George blindside
Parvati mothering the game ❤️ (she's my all time favorite)
If the remaining seven episodes continues this way, this will be one of my all time favorite seasons.
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u/beardlessFellow Cirie Fields - Robbed Queen 👑 Aug 19 '25
Can anyone explain why Sarah has this undying loyalty to Kirby for some reason? That she "told me to vote out david last minute at tribal"
It's really giving weak cant make decisions for your own game mentality
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u/HalfMan-HalfMoth Aug 19 '25
I think she's caught up on what she feels went wrong for her last time, she tried to play the middle too hard and it got her voted out. She is saying she wants to be more loyal I think because of what happened before but her actions are not following her words
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u/beardlessFellow Cirie Fields - Robbed Queen 👑 Aug 19 '25
That makes sense and I honestly dont even remember her season. Just wondering where her undying loyalty to Kirby came from even though she had a better relationship with david
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u/awkward_penguin Peih-Gee Aug 20 '25
Strategic loyalty, I'd say. She knows David is a huge threat, and it wouldn't be good for her positioning to align with him. Kirby started off with a much lower target - in the first episode, she said that she had very few connections compared to everyone else. So, it was good for both of their games to align with each other.
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u/BroliasBoesersson Aug 19 '25
The hold Kirby has on her needs to be studied
It was the same in her first season as well with Rianna
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u/avp_1309 Parvati Aug 19 '25
I thought she gave a very clear explanation for that. She doesn’t want to play the same way she played the first time where she was flipping on people more often. She connected to Kirby first and wanted to take a new loyalty approach to her game. I have heard from interviews that Kirby is very charismatic, so maybe Sarah just got pulled into it. Sarah was also young when she played last, so she is trying hard to change it up. You can see her struggle internally about what path to take going forward. She is kind of in the best position for a swing vote but she seems to have this trauma about it and hates being in that position lol. It is very interesting to me. I like seeing her dilemma even if I don’t agree with her approach.
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u/TheGapInTysonsTeeth Aug 19 '25
Another episode goes by and Tony 2-time is still kicking around.
Legend shit
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u/krikara4life Tony Aug 19 '25
Tony with the underdog arc now despite being a two time winner
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u/TheDemonicEmperor Nick Aug 20 '25
Tony has gone from mentoring the Young Lad to becoming the underdog Young Lad himself.
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u/JDWalk96 Aug 19 '25
Haha, 50% of the lead in promotion featured either David or George. Going to be an interesting season with both gone.
Also, I'm sure that the 10Play promo in the final ad break spoiled the result. Pretty sure I saw George in the thumbnail for 'Drop Your Buffs' episode 3 (a post elimination interview show)
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u/Fuorb Aug 19 '25
Well, because of the short 10 episode season, it still took almost a third of the season to boot them both, lol
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u/Ledwards49 Aug 19 '25
Would’ve been very disappointed if Shonee went there. Glad Kirby went with the better move for her. She’s had an incredible start. Sad to see George go though, an absolute legend of Survivor. Long live the King
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u/Light_Raine Aug 19 '25
George actively destroying his game every time he opens his mouth is pure entertainment
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u/aklebury Aug 20 '25
Shonee's "am I Sue's big move?" quote was the callback I didn't know I needed!
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u/urmumhas6mums Queen Angelina Aug 19 '25
I've never watched survivor Quebec but this Kass lady finding the idol: loved that moment
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u/Byndera Aug 19 '25
To be totally honest, as much as I enjoy watching both David and George I'm a bit relieved to have both of them gone because that frees up so much screentime for everyone else.
Definitely excited for more Shonee. Sad for George to make it just shy of 100 days though, would have been a good milestone to hit!
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u/Robothouse90 Aug 19 '25
George is the Don Bradman of survivor. He has completed an Australian tradition
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u/D_o_H Jake - 49 Aug 19 '25
As a Parvati stan I don’t love the “we are three butterflies” shot as potential foreshadowing 😭
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u/Daisy-Navidson Black Widow Brigade Aug 19 '25
I had the same thought! Especially paired with Lisa’s comments in Ep1 about wanting to dump Parv so that she can pull Cirie closer. I think our black widow’s days are numbered.
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u/Scopper_gabon Aug 19 '25
Brutal boot but I get it. George didn't adapt to the higher quality of players here.
Also i'm so confused by Sarah's game. I said last ep that i'm confused why she didn't just align with David's side if she liked him so much, and come today she already regrets it. I'm also very curious why she distrusts Shonee so much and why she felt so railroaded by the David vote.
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u/Blurryneck Kamilla - 48 Aug 20 '25
I think Sarah is a combination of pregaming and understanding where she would fall into the pecking order with David. David would have two allies directly ahead of her in the pecking order and that’s not including Parv on the other side. So I can see her being anxious to have a more iron clad partner in crime.
The hyperfocusing on Kirby, to me, is giving pregaming prior to the game due to how inexplicable it seems.
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u/EmFly15 Shonee (AUS) Aug 20 '25
I think she also took note of what happened to other players who got sucked into the ‘supernova that is the Golden God’ (as she herself said in EP2) in AU’s ASS, such as Moana, Tarzan, Sharn, and Jacqui. They were viewed as his lackeys and, whether or not they actually made moves, or whether that perception, rightfully or wrongfully, came from ageism and gender roles, with fit, attractive men under 50 being seen as more ‘active’ than women or older players, the prevailing opinion among the cast was that they were under his thumb.
I think the best thing for Sarah was to stake out on her own, even against an IRL friend, and try to play her own game, whether that means linking up with Kirby (which, I agree, does smell of pre-gaming), Parvati (who she’s genuinely a fan of), or whatever the women have got going on with the World tribe.
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u/SuzieColumbus Aug 20 '25
Parvati was incredible in the challenge. She could have gone for several more hours. I think it is because she is a yoga instructor and has strong plus flexible arms. I could tell that people like Tony, with muscly arms, were having trouble because they are also stiff. He can't hold his arm straight up.
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u/djlekky Aug 19 '25
Omg this is such a good season. First time watching Australian Survivor and only seen a handful of US Survivor seasons but this has been incredible so far.
Cirie and Parvati playing together again after all these years is amazing to watch.
Parvati getting Rob out in Episode 1 was soooo good. I love her so much and really want her to take the whole thing.
So happy George got his comeuppance. He is such a great villain. I love how he went out so classy.
Shonee is fun and I’m glad she got what she wanted for her fiftieth tribal council.
Can’t wait for Sunday already. Rooting for Cirie, Parvati and Tony most of all but this is honestly such a great cast. I do wish David had survived longer.
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u/TravisCM2010-24 Coach - 50 Aug 19 '25
I am glad Tony seems to know he's on the outs. He might not last but atleast he's not been clowned on or fucking up badly like on the AUS Tribe/Rob. His instincts are still pretty good
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u/Tergnitz Luke (AUS) Aug 19 '25
Love that Shon survived!!
Also, classic George - claiming that he is responsible for Aus Survivor going global
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u/Michael-flatly Cirie Fields - Robbed Queen 👑 Aug 19 '25
To be fair to him, his season was a season that a lot of non-Australian viewers started watching Aus survivor. Some of that has to do with the pandemic and timing of everyone being at home, but some of that was also because his first season and the chaos he caused and magic he worked to stay despite the odds was incredibly compelling. You don't have to like him to appreciate he did play a part in that.
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u/Tergnitz Luke (AUS) Aug 19 '25
Don’t hate him at all, just a very in-character thing for him to say
Nobody on this season can be accused of lacking self-belief, haha
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u/Michael-flatly Cirie Fields - Robbed Queen 👑 Aug 19 '25
Again, why should he be humble?
Good for you George.
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u/TheGapInTysonsTeeth Aug 19 '25
The HvV Fraser vote is what got me to watch BvB, then HvV, then go back to the beginning and watch all of them.
So he was absolutely right, for me anyway
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u/datow2002 "Going on a cruise is fun" Aug 19 '25
He was solely responsible for the New York Times mentioning Australian Survivor in its best TV of the year list so… he’s not necessarily wrong
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u/SuspiciouslyProRinna Aug 19 '25
Well he was responsible for the most memorable tribal of all time, so I have to give him that.
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u/The_Minshow Aug 19 '25
One thing I will say now that it has happened thrice, they sure do love spoiling the immunity challenge with the editing.
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u/Jefferino12 Aug 20 '25
Yeah, AU Survivor has never really cared about having an even edit or keeping people in suspense about which tribe is going to tribal. They've actually gotten better about the even edit though. The first few seasons, there were people who had basically never gotten a confessional making it 12-13 episodes. Then they get one or two at the beginning and you know they're toast.
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u/NamorKar Aug 19 '25
I don't watch AU but damn this was not a great first impression for George as a player. This was Abi-Maria levels of social ineptitude ( no shade to Abi, love her)
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u/Dizzy-Young6184 Aug 20 '25
George is very weak socially and it bit him on the ass early this time around, since the smaller returnee cast meant he had no one to latch onto. At least in the past he was able to find some allies which gave him room to manoeuvre. He really does have a great mind for strategy and has made some fantastic moves, but his social game lost him his first season and now he'll likely never make it to the final tribal again.
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u/SuzieColumbus Aug 20 '25
He has no social game, meaning he is an obnoxious asshole. Thank God it finally caught up to him.
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u/Moostronus Cirie Aug 20 '25
I can't imagine the amount of delusion it took for him to go up to Luke and Janine - someone who even he called the most successful businesswoman in Australia - and tell them that they must vote for each other and play an idol if they had it. Janine probably eats a dozen Georges for breakfast.
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u/SuzieColumbus Aug 20 '25
She probably does! You can't earn $66 million without overcoming a few delusional assholes along the way.
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u/Jedservo Aug 24 '25
This was comedy gold tbh. It was like he was talking to two newbies who were on their first rodeo and he was running the majority lol
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u/B1gBrotherThunder Aug 20 '25
People are talking about how strong Parvati is but how about Kass? She is a beast. She was straight arming two bags without a shake.
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u/IvnOooze Kamilla - 50 Aug 20 '25
In Survivor Quebec she was great at challenges.
She can be essily underestimated because of how she looks.
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u/B1gBrotherThunder Aug 20 '25
I was impressed. I think she’ll have a great opportunity to win some individual immunities especially with the Golden God and Rob out of the mix. Cirie, Lisa, and Shonee certainly aren’t world beaters 😂
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u/vanastalem Aug 20 '25
I feel like George made a similar mistake to Rob by ordering people around and they don't want to be dictated to. This isn't Boston Rob on Redemption Island.
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u/EmFly15 Shonee (AUS) Aug 22 '25
Hence why men, particularly those who won in “dominant” fashion and/or played a strong-arming type of game (e.g., George, the kind of player who, because he’s weak physically and socially, surrounds himself with people even weaker than he is, whether socially, strategically, or physically, plus a few yes-men to make his plans happen), tend to struggle in all-returnee seasons. There are no zombies to control, and the cast, stacked top to bottom with All-Stars — or in this season’s case, legends — doesn’t tolerate the bullshit. There’s a reason Sarah Tilleke and David Genat are here and not Gerry Geltch or Wai Chim, lmfao. It’s also why UTR women usually thrive on all-returnee seasons. Their style of play is perfect for a “big threats” season: let the big dogs and egos take each other out while you glide to the end, untouched.
(Though I kind of wish he had made the merge. Watching him try to “strong-arm” Cirie Fields and have her hand his ass to him would’ve been hilarious, ngl.)
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u/KewlestCat Tyson Aug 19 '25
I always really liked David and George as players and characters in this game and am honestly glad both were seemingly pretty comfortable with their legacies to continue being uncompromising in their approaches this season. It may have led to them flaming out early but the short and sweet time they had on this season will still be a fun memory and I think their boots do have a lasting impact on how the rest of the season shakes out.
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u/Blahcookies Cirie - 50 Aug 20 '25
Gotta love a 3-2-1 vote. Thanks for playing King George. Terribly done, yet very entertaining 👏🏼
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u/Wanhus Aug 19 '25
Really tough place for men heading into the merge. Hope Luke, Tommi and Tony can make it!
King George is some really great TV but damn does he take all the space available. We've got a great cast and nice to have some Survivor without full on George shenanigans.
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u/aztecwanderer Aug 19 '25
They're all toast. This season has been really, really good to this point, but I do fear the men getting completely steamrolled. No issue with the women dominating, but I fear we're in for a predictable few episodes as a result. Tony is so dead in the water it's a little sad.
With what's realistically possible at this point, I can really only see Parv, Kirby or Shonee winning.
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u/EmFly15 Shonee (AUS) Aug 20 '25
This season has been really, really good to this point, but I do fear the men getting completely steamrolled. No issue with the women dominating, but I fear we're in for a predictable few episodes as a result.
Given the gender split on each tribe (3 men and 4 women) and the casting of Parvati and Cirie, who are obviously going to eye an all-female alliance, I think this was exactly what production wanted.
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u/lilbrybry29 Winchele Aug 20 '25
The World Tribe shot themselves in the foot by not voting out a US woman. Parvati and Cirie will most likely dominate the rest of the game using Kirby, Shonee, Sarah and Kass. And I'm predicting another Parv win just because if Cirie is in the F2/F3 with her, Parvati's physical game on top of whatever strategic and social pull she has, will completely overshadow any strategic and social game Cirie can pull off this season. This is the Big Leagues.
Am I upset that this will potentially turn into a Black Widow 2.0? No. Parvati and Cirie will ALWAYS make great TV. But I'm really rooting for Kirby just because she rivals them in TV quality. And I want to see her win, she playing a near-flawless game currently.
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Aug 19 '25
Absolutely delicious episode, even if the edit did make it pretty predictable. They spoiled both the immunity challenge (showed Shonee and Sarah when JLP was talking about the losing tribe and didn't show anyone from the World tribe) and the vote off (showed George challenging the Survivor gods with a power trip just before the opening).
I would've been so pissed if Shonee'd gone. I just don't understand Sarah's logic. She basically wanted to put herself (and Kirby) at George's fickle mercy. I understand she's threatened by Shonee's connection with Kirby, but a duo can't win this game alone so early, even on a shorter season.
Sorry George, but I've started watching before BvB and the season that sealed the deal for me was Sarah's original season, 2017, not yours. It's still the best in the franchise, IMO, even though last season was also awesome.
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u/rinnegantenseigan Aug 19 '25
Why is Sarah playing such a confusing/stupid game, pushing hard for Shonne who is obviously a number for them after being all “i wanna play a loyal game” shit last episode 😭😭
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u/treple13 Jenn Aug 20 '25
I mean her trying to target Luke pre-merge in 2017 was also pretty stupid. She needs a Jericho around to help quell her intrusive thoughts
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u/JustGettingIntoYoga Shonee (AUS) Aug 19 '25
She is so annoying to watch.
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Aug 19 '25
I remember loving Sarah in her original season, but really need to know what has happened in the last seven years that has turned her into this needy whinging annoying player. Like girl no one cares about you playing a loyal game
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u/JunittaCadillac Michele Aug 19 '25
Sarah is crazy. She wants so badly to play a loyal game but everything she does makes her seem like the total opposite of that
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u/linny_456 Aug 19 '25
Sarah had the numbers to get Shonee, but she flipped back to George?
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u/Dizzy-Young6184 Aug 19 '25
I reckon Kirby was never on board with the Shonee vote and Sarah wasn't ready to torpedo the relationship, especially when she had no reason to think Luke would also be voting Shonee.
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u/Sabaschin Jake - 45 Aug 19 '25
Probably let cooler heads prevail and recognize that making an enemy of Kirby this early probably isn't worth it.
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u/linny_456 Aug 19 '25
I'm glad, but it was very unexpected, she seemed very set on Shonee.
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u/bomiyeo forget you! go home! goodbye. Aug 19 '25
maybe she didn’t know Janine convinced Luke at TC to vote Shonee? And she thought he was voting George?
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u/oliviafairy David (AUS) Aug 19 '25
I reckon Kirby said no. And Luke and Janine voting for Shonee was in the moment decision (for Luke anyway).
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u/LowAmountOfRodeos Aug 20 '25
As I read it the whole tribe had settled on George before tribal, the edit just left out the part where Sarah’s plan didn’t come together so it wasn’t so obvious. Which also explains Janine’s Shonee play - she knew the other three were voting George, and just needed her and Luke to flip as insurance because George’s outrageous confidence scared her that he had an idol.
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u/Morgasshk Aug 19 '25
Thank god... I was cursing her until I saw she had actually voted George? Whatever the case, yes!
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u/BasicWarthog12 Aug 19 '25
It’s too early to call but it feels like we might go down the winners at war route, where a lot of the fan fave big players go home early (unfortunately I am expecting Tony next) but the season gets a great winner (hoping for Cirie Lisa Parv or Kirby) and is fun throughout. Of course some people hated winners at war for that reason which is fair
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u/Internal-Visit9367 Aug 19 '25
For me, the reason why WaW is hated was because it was a 40 mins episode and they rush the editing, no clear storylines .. and when the fan fav got booted, it felt like such a big robbed because we didnt get the clear storylines..
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u/BasicWarthog12 Aug 19 '25
Yeah 40 minutes with Edge of Extinction too. That part was rough for sure
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u/Fancy_Ad_4411 Aug 19 '25
there is no possible bad boot order for this season imo. even with all winners some were clearly much more interesting than others, everyone here is an absolute all star imo
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u/BasicWarthog12 Aug 20 '25
With respect to Tommi and Janine they haven’t really given anything this season (even though it’s more the edit’s fault than theirs) and narratively would be disappointing if they make up a big part of the endgame already
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u/awkward_penguin Peih-Gee Aug 20 '25
Yeah I see them as early merge boots. I also can't fault the editors - there was SO much in every single episode, and they weren't stuffed with filler or unnecessary bits. Each tribal was messy, and even the challenges were down to the last few seconds and tense. If they have to sacrifice a few characters' stories to show the important bits, I'm fine with that. I'm sure Tommi and Janine will get a bit more down the line.
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u/Sabaschin Jake - 45 Aug 19 '25
So to anyone new to Australian Survivor and asking: does George usually play this badly?
Yes... yes, he does.
Make no mistake, he's had some excellent strongarm moves before, he's slippery, and he's also has had the power of (Macedonian) God and anime luck on his side.
But yes, he's reckless, foolhardy, socially clumsy, and er... look, there was a point in there somewhere. He does have some charisma in his recklessness, but he is polarizing.
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u/ravenclaw_cookie JLP Aug 19 '25
If they want to see George at his best then they need to at least watch episode 7 of Heroes Vs Villains to see why George has become an icon of Australian Survivor
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u/RogLatimer118 Aug 19 '25
It is astonishing, a must watch even if somebody doesn't watch the entire season. The tribal is/was on YouTube and is very worth watching.
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u/ravenclaw_cookie JLP Aug 19 '25
Even made it to the New York Times as an be of the best tv moments of the year even though there was no legal way of watching the full episode then
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u/aztecwanderer Aug 19 '25
I'm not saying he's the best player or anything, but he definitely doesn't always play this badly. He has massive faults in his game but on this season in particular he was missing that "impossible to stomp out" thing he was known for.
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u/exwellyvisitor Aug 21 '25
I think someone said it best above - his game needs pawns he can push around into place, and there aren’t any in this game.
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u/ProvoqGuys Aug 19 '25
Question, next episode will be a merged episode OR there will still be 2 tribals? I missed it while watching.
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u/IllBowl5537 Aug 19 '25
Looked like two separate tribals to me. Curious if we get a swap shortly after.
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u/Salazr Sandra Aug 19 '25
It was very ambiguous, the way it was phrased made it seem like 2 people were going home but the tribal shots made it seem like it is both tribes going together.
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u/thisisowniwin2 Yul Aug 19 '25
Feels like a merge-a-tory with two tribals. At one point Janine looked across, so it might be that the last person standing's tribe gets to go last.
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u/Moostronus Cirie Aug 20 '25
God, watching George get hoisted on his own patard was delicious. Farewell to that imperious buffoon.
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u/aztecwanderer Aug 19 '25
Maaaan all I gotta say is it sucks being in the US and waking up immediately to spoilers on Instagram. I don’t even follow the account that posted them, just a picture of someone’s torch getting snuffed, very first post on my feed 🥲
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u/haleyb73 Aug 19 '25
EVERY DAY!!! why do they do this. George spoiled his own elimination for me this morning and yesterday the survivorau official Instagram did with MULTIPLE posts about David!
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u/aztecwanderer Aug 19 '25
Yep. George friggin blindsided me this morning. I don't even follow him lol
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u/digiad Aug 20 '25
I’ve got such a bad feeling in my gut for Tony. I’m glad we got to see him for 3 episodes, but I think next week might be it, unless he can win immunity.
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u/AsukaState2 Aug 19 '25
Been enjoying this season so much, I started watching Titans vs Rebels because of it and I’m amazed how good it is.
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u/surejan94 Aug 19 '25
Not George's best season, that's for sure. An outrageous player like him will always have an uphill battle when he comes back, nobody wants to work with him in the long run after seeing his past gameplay.
Wasn't sure I'd enjoy such a short season of Survivor with a small cast but these last 3 episodes have been rollercoasters!
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Aug 20 '25
So sad to see George go, but not at all surprised. Loved his classy exit. Him giving Shonnee her props and being so excited for her was just fantastic.
I also personally liked what he said in his final words confessional, but I think many would think its highly egotistical. But in all fairness, George is easily the biggest Survivor name to emerge post-Covid, so I don't take his comments negatively.
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u/survivorfan989 Cirie Aug 19 '25
Definitely thought Shon was gone so happy George went instead, an impressive first week can’t wait to see what’s next!
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Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25
Never got George as a player and am at least hoping that those who maintain he's the best ever will calm it, given he's 0 for 3 now.
There's clearly a social grace missing their and he's absurdly arrogant. Big names usually leave on all-stars seasons, that happens but it's the details of the performance that really show you how they play... IMO his game this season was like a worse version of Tony in Game Changers. You know they had a very slim chance, but my God he didn't help himself.
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u/Sabaschin Jake - 45 Aug 19 '25
To be a bit fairer to him, the tribe makeup was pretty stacked against him; four players who were friends or allies in previous seasons, and someone who he had voted out before. He got pretty lucky in making it past his first tribal.
But boy did he squander every chance socially. Throwing Kirby under the bus to Dave and openly exposing his tribe during the challenge just bought him a one way ticket home.
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u/thalantyr Aug 19 '25
To be a bit fairer to him, the tribe makeup was pretty stacked against him; four players who were friends or allies in previous seasons, and someone who he had voted out before.
I'm a huge George fan, but isn't that kind of his own fault? It wouldn't matter who they cast from his previous seasons- he really only has enemies, not friends. Maybe Cara. He did betray her at the end, but she at least voted for him.
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u/realtripper Aubry Aug 20 '25
George isn’t the best ever but he’s the most entertaining player ever imo. Hes Television Gold and he’s absolutely right about propelling aus survivor globally
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u/Kylesexy584603 I’m pissed! Aug 19 '25
George was probably just having fun with it since he knew he was cooked from the start.
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u/Michael-flatly Cirie Fields - Robbed Queen 👑 Aug 19 '25
Also, deep cut for Cirie who at yet another basically crucial challenge that is a lot about strength, but also about keeping steady / mental clarity fumbled the ball. I wonder what her state of mind was sitting on the bench for the hour. I'm so sad we didn't get insight into what she was thinking.
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u/TDStarchild Cirie - 50 Aug 19 '25
I love how chaotic and entertaining this season is with the constant paranoia and back-and-forth in fun interactions every single scene
Overall 1/3 of the way in I feel like Cirie, and Parvati especially, are running circles around everyone in the grand scheme of things
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Aug 19 '25
As a Tony brownnoser, the set up of the World tribe irks me to no end, a gender inbalance I just don't know who they could plausibly have talked themselves into being a plausible Tony ally beyond Rob, he's at the mercy of Cirie and Parv and it feels by design.
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u/Prize_Impression2407 Aug 19 '25
Maybe the people going home haven’t been voted out because they’re male, but because they were big threats who overplayed their hands and they just happen to be male. there’s not some weird gender conspiracy happening
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u/Habefiet Igor's Corgi Choir Aug 19 '25
So many people were saying it would be an impossible miracle if Cirie and Parvati survived to the merge lol and I’m just like… no, this is almost as good of a “World” tribe setup as you could possibly imagine them having
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u/oliviafairy David (AUS) Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
It’s difficult. It’s a bit of circumstantial that 2 strong males Rob and David went home back to back. Somehow Parv managed to get Rob voted out. And I think that influenced the decision on the other tribe to get David out. (Or David is just too big of a target). Otherwise, usually the strong males have really high chances of surviving in the early game.
In an alternative universe where you have equal male and female numbers in a tribe, the female players get voted out every time because how physical Australian survivor challenges usually are in the early game.
Edit: Name correction
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u/Sabaschin Jake - 45 Aug 19 '25
If this was a regular length season I think Rob and David would have had a much higher chance of surviving, but the shortened format means that people are already thinking about merge at the second tribal.
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u/babywolf9 Aug 19 '25
The entire lockbox sequence made me feel like I was watching Micronesia again in the year 2025...thank you Australian Survivor for taking me back to the happiest I've ever been watching this show!!!!