Pia Miranda is facing a roasting online today after she took the title of her reality show – Australian Survivor – very literally, ousting her friend from the show, fan favourite Luke Toki. But the star is also under scrutiny following some shock allegations about her alleged advantages on the show.
According to reports, Pia was allegedly ‘favoured’ due to her connection to host Jonathan LaPaglia.
WATCH: Survivor viewers turn on Pia after Luke Toki voted out
‘Pia was given special treatment at times and tipped off about things to keep her in the game,’ claims a source, who also alleged Abbey Holmes was given an ‘unfair advantage’ due to her close relationship with Simon Black before filming, having worked with him on AFL projects.
The gossip will enrage Luke fans further, after his heartbreaking exit from the show.
While fellow tribemates Harry Hills and Baden Gilbert also voted against Luke, it was Pia’s turnaround that had fans up in arms.
Pia faced a nasty backlash for turning on her ally Luke, with many lashing out at the reality TV star in her Instagram comments.
The 46-year-old star addressed the controversy after the episode aired, calling the game ‘brutal’.
‘I didn’t expect to have to make a decision that tore me apart like this but Survivor will do that to you,’ she confessed.
‘At the end of the day we are all out there playing to change our lives and Harry, Baden and I made a choice that was strategically right but morally painful. So send me all your snake emojis and know that I get it,’ she wrote on her Instagram account.
But Luke himself has been far more forgiving about Pia’s move. Speaking to 10 Daily, Luke described how he begged Pia to let him stay.
‘She could have then not written my name down on the parchment and I’m telling you if I went to fire, I would have blown Baden out of the water.
‘That’s one thing I was good at. I was good at fishing and I was good at fire. I tried to play it down a little bit but I could start fire from the tip of my fingers.
‘I’m in Pia’s corner. You’ve got to separate the game from the emotions and we’ll have to wait and see if this pays dividends for her.’
Luke has been open about wanting to use the $500,000 prize money to help his three children. Both Luke’s sons are on the autism spectrum and his baby daughter – born just six weeks before Survivor started filming – has cystic fibrosis..
Fans have rushed to GoFundMe to help him out, with $85,000 already raised.
