Returning Player seasons offer the opportunity to former contestants to play the game of Australian Survivor again.
Origins[]
Although Champions v Contenders (2018) included an imported castaway on the cast, Australian Survivor would not see a player compete for a second time in the franchise until Champions v Contenders (2019). Since then, four more seasons have featured returning players.
All-Stars[]
"All-Stars" seasons feature casts comprised entirely of returning players. The eponymous season, All Stars, saw 24 returnees divided into two competing tribes.
Returning Players v New Players[]
This format features former and/or imported castaways being assigned to one of two tribes that are otherwise composed entirely of new players. Champions v Contenders (2018), Champions v Contenders (2019), Blood v Water, and Heroes v Villains followed this format.
Returning Players v Imported Players[]
An expansion of the format above, Australia v The World pitted 7 returning Australian players against 7 imported players from the American, New Zealand, Norwegian, and South African versions.
Returning Players by Season[]
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Trivia[]
- Luke Toki is the first Australian Survivor castaway to return for a second season.
- Shonee Bowtell is the first castaway to return for both a third and fourth season.
- Russell Hantz is the first castaway imported from an international version of Survivor, as well as the first overall returning player on Australian Survivor. He was followed by Sandra Diaz-Twine, and the imported cast of Australia v The World.
- Lee Carseldine and Sharn Coombes are the only returning players to never be voted out.
- Sharn is the only Australian Survivor castaway to reach the Final Tribal Council every time she competed.
- Phoebe Timmins, Jackie Glazier, and Stevie Khouw have failed to reach the merge each time they competed.
- Although Lydia Lassila and Andy Meldrum did reach the merge on their first seasons, they failed to reach the jury phase on both seasons they competed on.
Seasons and Twists[]
- Australian Survivor (2017) currently has the most castaways return in future seasons, with ten.
- No players who debuted on Australian Survivor (2002) or Celebrity Survivor Australia have returned.
- Every season where returning players competed against new players produced a Sole Survivor that won in a unanimous vote.