After 47 days of gameplay in Samoa, the winner of Australian Survivor in 2024 has finally been decided!
Rebel Feras Basal has been crowned Sole Survivor by this season’s fierce jury, after a long and gruelling competition.
The HR manager effectively pleaded his case, convincing his fellow castmates on the jury that his moves and strategies in the game were the strongest and smartest compared to his remaining competition in Caroline.
Feras took Caroline through to the final two and she was named runner up, while Mark came in third place.
In an excruciating, physically and mentally exhausting challenge, the players had to stand on narrow pegs fixed to a giant wheel. In regular intervals, the wheel turned and forced them onto even narrower pegs. If their feet left the wheel, they were out.
Being in front of their spouses, the final immunity challenge unsurprisingly proved a difficult feat and Mark was the first to tap out after a gruelling two hours and 15 minutes.
It was Feras who walked away with the immunity necklace, and with the sole power to decide who he brought with him to the end, Feras decided to vote out Mark.
Feras was predicted to win for most of the season, with betting odds continually sitting around $1.50 since this year’s season began airing nearly two months ago.
Feras was an obvious contender for the title, having orchestrated many of the biggest moves and blindsides of the season.
He spent almost the entirety of the game in an alliance with Raymond who made it to all the way to fourth place, as well as Aileen and Garrick, who he remained loyal to for the duration of the competition.
In his final pitch to the jury, Feras delivered a pitch about sticking to his morals and values, staying loyal to his alliance, and knowing when to put the game aside and just be himself. He spoke about the multiple eliminations he orchestrated, his determination to do his best in the challenges, and the smart way he utilised his hidden immunity idols to confuse the other plays and cause doubt.
It seemed the jury didn’t need any convincing, as in the end they awarded Feras nine out of nine votes, meaning he walked away with the title of Sole Survivor and a hefty $500,000 cash prize.
This season of Australian Survivor saw some huge players fighting it out to get to the end, but Feras’ smarts, social game and physical determination proved him the ultimate castaway.
When speaking to our sister site New Idea following his victory, Feras revealed he had an “absolute blast” on Survivor.
“I’m glad people got to see that onscreen as well,” he said. “I never took anything to heart, everything was just a game to me. I was very unorthodox in my plays and I’m so proud of that. I love that I wasn’t your typical player. My experience was completely more than anything I ever expected, the good and the ugly.”
Will we see Feras return to the show in a future season like past winners Jericho, Shane, David and Hayley? Only time will tell…
