Australian Survivor is known for being one of the most brutal reality TV shows in the world. After all, it is the game that requires its contestants to outwit, outplay and outlast.
Though our Champions and Contenders have been put through the ringer with fierce challenges, wild weather and cutthroat blindsides this season, it’s often the starvation that’s noted as one of the hardest components by all the evictees.
After eating nothing but rice and beans for weeks, our contestants who make it to the later end of the game are often shocked when they realise just how much weight they’ve lost during their time in Savusavu, Fiji.
“I was shocked! I was so skinny,” Jury Villa member Shaun Hampson told TV WEEK upon his elimination. “I looked like a 19-year-old version of myself, but with a beard.”
Meanwhile, Daisy Richardson admits food was the best part about being eliminated.
Scroll through to see what the 2019 Australian Survivor contestants have to say about their weight loss on the series…
BEFORE: Shaun Hampson
BEFORE: Shaun Hampson
A recently retired AFL player, Shaun, 31, arrived as a massive challenge threat.
AFTER: Shaun Hampson
AFTER: Shaun Hampson
Shaun lost a major 11kgs off his athletic frame, leaving him feeling “so skinny” at 97kgs as he made his way to Jury Villa.
“I was shocked! I was so skinny, it was like 11 kilos I think I lost,” he tells TV WEEK. “I looked like a 19 year old version of myself, but with a beard.
“I mean, it all came on again pretty fast once I was in Jury Villa because you’re pretty much getting an unlimited feast every second night when someone else joins. So it came on real quick!”
Australian Survivor: Shaun Hampson reveals weight loss
BEFORE: David Genat
BEFORE: David Genat
International model David, 39, landed in Savusavu in great shape, proving himself to be a major physical threat early in the game. Though, we all know it was David’s villainous mental game that really took over the tribe!
AFTER: David Genat
AFTER: David Genat
David left the game in a very ~unique~ ensemble, complete with a top knot! Once he got over his fashion faux pas, the model was left stunned by his reflection back at Jury Villa.
“Oh wow, look at this!” David declared upon seeing himself for the first time in 34 days. “Holy cow, I am skinny as. Oh man, look at my face. Survivor’s been rough on me.”
Admitting he looked a bit gaunt, David compared himself to his Hidden Immunity Idol (a skull). Weighing in at 86kgs, he revealed he’d lost 11kgs in the game!
BEFORE: John Eastoe
BEFORE: John Eastoe
Fan-favourite John, 28, came in to the game with one glorious moustache and mullet combo, ready to tackle any physical challenges like “a big kid.”
AFTER: John Eastoe
AFTER: John Eastoe
With a full beard and a noticeably smaller “pot belly,” John made his way to Jury Villa to devour a Mexican Parma.
“I got my Mexican parma! Ate it with my hands, it was probably smeared across my whole face. I ate until I was full and then I ate a bit more,” he tells TV WEEK. “Jury Villa was definitely a nice regroup, I guess, after the starvation we’d been put through.”
Of his Survivor weight loss, John says it wasn’t all bad.
“I think that was the first time I’ve had a bloody set of abs since I was about 13 – so it wasn’t a bad thing!” he tells us. “But yeah the weight went on pretty quick, there’ll be no Sports Illustrated photo shoots any time soon because I’ve well and truly put the weight back on.”
BEFORE: Daisy Richardson
BEFORE: Daisy Richardson
Fresh-faced country girl Daisy, 24, was excited to land in Savusavu… Let’s just see how she felt after 41 days of rice and beans.
AFTER: Daisy Richardson
AFTER: Daisy Richardson
When Daisy first saw her reflection, she hilariously called herself “a string of pelican shit,” adding “my bum’s finally got smaller!”
Though, she reveals she actually lost the least amount of weight of all the contestants post-merge.
“I lost 4.2kg so I actually lost the least amount out of anyone that made it past merge,” she tells TV WEEK. “Even percentage-wise, which is pretty funny when you think about it!”
Daisy reveals her weight loss on Australian Survivor
BEFORE: Simon Black
BEFORE: Simon Black
Another retired AFL player, Simon was in great physical shape when he signed up to the series.
AFTER: Simon Black
AFTER: Simon Black
Even Simon’s glorious Survivor beard couldn’t hide his weight loss, with fellow Jury Villa member’s saying it looked like all the weight had been lost from his face.
“I lost 9kg and I looked in the mirror and just thought I looked like a teenager again,” Simon tells TV WEEK. “I was pretty shocked!”
