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Where are they now? Take a look back at Australian Survivor winners

They survived one of the toughest games in history!
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It’s been eleven vigorous seasons of Australian Survivor. With challenges, alliances, and triumphs, the drama played out on Australian screens with the greatest game on Earth.

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And with the upcoming season of Australian Survivor: Brains v Brawn II around the corner, one lucky competitor will walk away victorious and $500,000 richer.

But who will they be joining in the Hall of Fame?

Meet the previous winners here and see what has happened since they wrapped filming.

Rob
Rob Dickson. (Credits: Supplied)

Rob Dickson

Season one

The premiere of the series goes way back to 2002 when former Hawthorne and Brisbane Bears AFL player and film director Rob Dickson made Survivor history as the first winner of the series. As one of the first 16 castaways, Dickson secured his name in the final two by winning the final immunity challenge to become victorious. 

Dickson directed documentaries such as The Passion to Play, Shane Crawford Exposed, and The Essence of The Game.

Tragically, Rob lost his life alongside his five-year-old son Byron in 2009 due to a car accident while holidaying in South Africa. His eight-year-old son Gabriel lost his life four days after due to injuries sustained in the crash.

Guy
Guy Leech. (Credits: Supplied)

Guy Leech

Season two

The former Australian Ironman surf life-saving champion appeared on the Seven Network’s Australian Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu, in 2006. Competing against 11 other celebrities for a cash prize of $100,000 to donate to a charity of choice. 

Despite a twist elimination, he made his way back into the game, returning and taking home an extra $95,000 for his chosen Ride Aid charity. He used the money to generously build two schools in North Cambodia.

He is now enjoying life in the Northern Beaches with his adoring wife and two daughters. He and his family also advocate for defibrillator availability when playing golf.

kristie
Kristie Bennett. (Credits: Instagram)

Kristie Bennett

Season three

In 2016, Sydney-based senior account executive Kristie Bennett was crowned the first female winner of Australian Survivor at only 24 years old. After Bennett took her winnings she did not want to return to her life as an account exec. 

Bennett previously spoke out about the seriously damaging effects of being a reality TV star. Explaining on Instagram, the challenges of Survivor took a serious mental and physical toll on her health. 

The reality star said, “And no ‘we did not sign up for that’ we signed up with courage and determination to chase our dreams. Not have our mental health destroyed.”

Bennett now spends her time living her best life on Instagram, traveling around the world. She also has her own mentoring business, where she provides advice for those hoping to get cast on Survivor.

malabonga
Jericho Malabonga. (Credits: Channel Ten)

Jericho Malabonga

Season four

Victorian flight attendant Jericho Malabonga (aka the cookie thief) was the sole survivor Australian Survivor in 2017. 

The husband and father of two boys promised his family if he won that he would use the winnings for a trip to Disneyland, in which the father kept his promise! 

Today Malabonga still works as a flight attendant, while working on his fitness and traveling the world. The father of two also spends his time volunteering in Cambodia where he was joined by former Survivor contestants in 2018. 

He returned in 2019 for the show’s All-Stars season but didn’t take home the top prize that time after his torch was snuffed at his first tribal council.

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Gould
Shane Gould. (Credits: Channel Ten)

Shane Gould

Season five

Former Australian competition swimmer and three-time Olympic gold medalist Shane Gould competed in the first installment of Champions versus Contenders in 2018. 

Winning half a million dollars, Gould made it her mission to put the money to good use, telling a past publication, she wanted to “do good work in drowning prevention,” going on to say helping people who are afraid of the water. 

Her passion for the water and swimming remains at the forefront of her life. 

Nowadays, Gould enjoys her time traveling with friend and former Survivor runner-up Sharn Coombes. Sharn shared that the two traveled to Fiji and enjoyed their time exploring the villages, the rainforest, kayaking, and pearl farming.

Like Jericho, Shane returned for All Stars with her motto: “Don’t f— with Shane Gould!” Unfortunately, her time on All Stars was dramatically shorter than her winning streak from Champions vs Contenders.

Pia
Pia Miranda. (Credits: Channel 10)

Pia Miranda

Season six

In 2019, Pia took the coveted title of Sole Survivor in a unanimous 9–0 vote. 

The actress – who won Australia’s heart almost twenty years ago as Josie in Looking For Alibrandi, was a long-time fan of the show and lived out her dream of competing and winning. 

Today, Miranda spends her days enjoying family time with her two kids and loving husband, while catching up with former Survivor cast mates. 

In 2023, she also released her memoir, Finding My Bella Vita, offering fans a detailed insight into the “peaks and troughs” of her life so far.

m
David Genat. (Credits: Channel Ten)

David Genat

Season seven

You know what they say, the second time’s a charm, and that’s exactly what happened for this ‘golden god’ after he emerged victorious from Australian Survivor: All-Stars

After his time on the show wrapped, David went on to star on The Celebrity Apprentice in 2021 as well as host an adventure reality show on Channel Nine called RUSH

And thanks to some handy snaps posted to his Instagram, we know he routinely catches up with his Survivor castmates as well!

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Hayley Leake. (Credits: Channel Ten)

Hayley Leake

Season eight

This pain researcher was another player to give the game a second crack, returning to play in Brains vs Brawns where her torch was snuffed in the final seven. 

But she came back stronger and took home the prize.

In 2023 she married her long-time love Jimmy, and in early 2024 they welcomed their first child together, a daughter they named Chloe.

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Mark Wales. (Credits: Channel Ten)

Mark Wales

Season nine

Since winning Blood vs Water what hasn’t Mark done?

As well as working as a resilience speaker, publishing his book Survivor: Life in the SAS, and beginning his acting career with stints on television and George Miller’s Mad Max: Furiosa, Mark is still happily married to Sam Gash (whom he met on Australian Survivor season four). 

They share a four-year-old son, Harry, together.

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Liz Parnov. (Credits: Channel Ten)

Liz Parnov 

Season ten

In the year since this Olympic pole vaulter emerged triumphant and won her season of Heroes vs Villains, Liz has launched her self-help group for women called ‘Elevat3u’. 

On the official Instagram page for the business, Liz writes that ‘Elevat3u’ is a “community where you belong, look after your body & prioritise your mental [health].” 

She is also currently dating StreetX entrepreneur Daniel Bradshaw, and they welcomed their son Texas into the world in 2024.

Feras Basal. (Credit: Channel Nine)

Feras Basal

Season eleven

The Sydney HR manager won the unanimous vote and took home half a million dollars in 2024.

Speaking about his win on Instagram, Feras said it was an “emotional rollercoaster” and was thankful for the journey.

Upon winning, he told Media Week he would not spend it all at once and instead invest in his future and a holiday.

After being on the show, he posts a variety of comedy videos on TikTok and still works in human resources.

According to his socials, he is still friends with his castmates.

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