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Pia Miranda wins Australian Survivor 2019

In a 9-0 landslide, the 'Smiling Assassin' wins the 2019 title.

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Actor Pia Miranda has won the title of Sole Survivor in 10’s Australian Survivor: Contenders vs Champions season.

She defeated 23 year old student Baden Gilbert from Adelaide for the win after 30 year old ice-cream maker Harry Hills was eliminated following an excruciating 6.40hr challenge.

Miranda, dubbed the “Smiling Assassin,” described her gameplay as strategic, and was persuasive enough to win the title in a 9-0 victory.

“This was the most amazing experience of my life, and I’ve come away from this a better person. Playing Survivor was a lifelong dream. I always said I was going to be the first person voted out, or I would win,” she said.

Miranda, whose credits include Wentworth, The Time of our Lives, Mustangs FC and Looking for Alibrandi, was cast in the 10 series after confessing to TV Tonight last December she had a secret desire to compete.

“I know actors aren’t meant to like reality but I’m a massive Survivor fan. I never miss a season…… I’m not sure I could go that long without a bowl of pasta and a set of tweezers. Also if I didn’t make the jury I would be DEVASTATED! I’d never get over it,” she said.

This week she confirmed, “No joke. The next day they sent a clip of the article to my agent.”

This season has been the most successful yet, including topping key demos, and led to fans mounting GoFundMe pages for 4th placed Luke Toki, now at over $400,000.

10 has also confirmed an Australian Survivor: All Stars for early 2020 with 24 returning players.

Network 10 Chief Content Officer, Beverley McGarvey, said: “Over the past four sensational seasons of Australian Survivor, we have watched almost 100 fantastic contestants play the game. Now with the next All Stars season, we have the exciting opportunity to invite some of our most memorable players back for another chance to take home the title of Sole Survivor.

“Australian viewers have embraced the game play, the physical challenges, and the passionate characters that makes Survivor so unique and compelling. We can’t wait to return in 2020 with more twists and turns from the All Stars cast.”

Endemol Shine Australia CEO, Carl Fennessy, said: “We are immensely proud that Australian Survivor has resonated with viewers and really hit its stride. We look forward to bringing together a phenomenal All Star cast to play this incredible game.

48 Responses

  2. Future contestants of Survivor should apart from practising making fire and endurance training invest in a public speaking course. Speaking well has sealed the deal for Pia, Shane Gould and Kristy.

    1. That certainly helped, but I believe she actually won the night before with a very well-placed argument that put Baden in a position where he couldn’t do anything but eliminate Harry. That was the defining moment.

  3. I really missed not having a reunion show as I love seeing their change of appearance and hearing what they’ve been up to, but I understand they are currently filming all-stars so they couldn’t. I think Pia claimed far too much credit for her strategy, speaking about Baden in an arrogant and sometimes mean way in her pitch to the jury, when if it wasn’t for Janine Pia would have gone a long time before. Her only claim was she was able to lie over and over and get away with it. What a surprise for an actor!

    1. Have absolutely loved this season of Aus.Survivor. Definitely the best yet !
      Congratulations to Pia and Baden. They did well to outlast so many much stronger players. But I think they were largely both passengers, being carried through the game by more dominant personalities. They made it through to the end because none of the other players saw them as a threat.
      Agree about Pia. Really felt for poor Baden whom I felt was unnecessarily humiliated and put down by Pia and some of the jury.
      I think taking part in Survivor has been really good for this quiet, young self- confessed introvert’s personal growth and confidence. Just hope that the overly aggressive way he was treated at the end, (along with the fact the poor guy got no votes at all from the jury), doesn’t cause him to retreat “back into his shell.”
      I actually thought he played a better game than Pia overall, giving his everything in a few crucial challenges.

      3. It is a genuine and valid strategy to use a stronger player as a foil. Luke did it for much of the season, putting David and his ego out front as a target. The question is how much can you manipulate that strong person without them realising it? We saw Pia do it several times, but I can’t remember Baden doing it at all. Luke also did it very well.

  4. Congratulations Pia! I had a feeling she had the win in the bag seeing as she did so well getting her points across to the jury. So looking forward to All Stars Survivor. Can’t wait to see who comes back.

  5. Phenomenal season. Everything about this production has been treated with respect to the franchise and the fans who willed it to happen. Congratulations to Pia for winning and everyone involved the show!

  6. Well done to Baden for his personal growth and let’s not forget Winning that record breaking endurance challenge, however it clearly wasn’t enough to put forward a credible pitch for the win. Congratulations to Pia, a very deserving win. I was a little sad that Luke didn’t make it to the end but impressed that Pia voted him out, good ‘on her, you have to be ruthless to win. When are all the muscular, somewhat macho blokes gonna realise not to bother with dragging a goat to the end? Get rid of them early and avoid conflict with fellow macho blokes

  7. Seriously one of the best seasons of Survivor, ever, world wide. Not only did we have big players, we had massive moves. Pia was a worthy winner who held her own and made the right decisions at the right time and when she was on the wrong side of the vote, she managed to duck past it and deflect the attention on to someone else. I can’t wait to see what they do with the All Stars season next year, it should be exciting. Though I do wonder if four seasons is enough to warrant having an all stars season yet. But I will still be watching so…
    Baden sealed his own fate at tribal when he said he played the game from the middle, all but confirming to the jury that he was indeed a goat. He needed to be more assertive. Pia on the other hand had crafted an impressive resume and was able to point out exactly what she had done with confidence.

      2. Oh yeah, there have been 6. It would be interesting to see how a contestant from the channel 9 version back in the day would cope. And maybe a few of the celebs from 7’s Celebrity Survivor. But I assume 10 will stick to their own seasons. That being said, I would love to see a version with four tribes, with each tribe made up from a different version of the game. Say Australian Survivor Vs N.Z Vs South Africa Vs The US (Or maybe one of the countries which do Exhibition Robertson.)
        Oh, and welcome to the fandom Poida.

    2. I have never watched an episode of Survivor from any country in my life. But there was so much buzz about this that I watched it in place of The Block. Such a tense and emotional finale. I used to think it was fake/staged but last night showed the Aussie version is quite different. I’ll be back next year with bells on.

  8. If u ask me luke was a little smug on the project, could have said more about the bullying of Pia. It’s only natural some of the money will be gambled and partied up, it’s free money after all ?? Keep sending ppl lol

  10. I’m happy Pia won. Well deserved. Outwit Outlast outplay. She did it. Yes I would have loved Luke to win but not to be. Pia deserves the money, she is a actress doesn’t get paid much as she said she does other jobs like teaching.

    Also can’t wait for all stars next year, I’m guessing that will be after jungle.

  11. I heard rumors that they are doing two seasons next year – All-Stars & a regular seasons

    Any truth to that? – And if it is true, when are they starting casting for the regular season.

  12. Pia was a worthy winner. She did orchestrate a few big moves and kept the target off her by having shields take the bullets.

    I wish they would do a regular season next year, especially with the increased ratings this season got. I don’t want more gimmicks. The concept of Survivor stands on its own. Of course I’ll still watch, just as I did this year despite being sick of the gimmicks lol

  13. The best reality show, great players.Pia got the winners editing though but well deserved win.That last challenge was brutal ,you really felt the pain.The people certainly love Luke $450 000 on go fund me, good for him

  16. Im so happy she won!! She was incredible. I am in the minority here but im glad Luke didnt win. She made the right decision voting out luke and people hated hes on social media for it… look what happened she won! Outwit outlast outplay thats whats she did! She nailed the finale too. Poor baden so weak.

    Amazing season… ive seen rumoured all stars… i dont think your an all star if you didnt make the merge.. which alot hadnt lol

  17. Hope you get you cut of the $500k.

    Is I’m a Celeb confirmed for next year? Could All Stars air in the void between that and Masterchef, and will a further series air in August?

          1. You wouldn’t think that I’m a Celeb and Survivor would both air at the same time of year? Similar shows in a lot of ways.

  18. Congratulations to Pia. She was tipped by many from the start, although later it became clear that Luke was a certainty if he made it to the end.

    Pia played a classic Power behind the Throne game, and then made one of the most powerful comments at the second last tribal – that was the moment she sealed her win.

  19. Loved it. For the life of me I will never understand how anyone can stand like that in the challenge for over 6 hours let alone six minutes !! Well done Pia, very happy for you.

  21. Pia lead with her head instead of her heart, exactly how she should have. A deserving winner who played smart. She has received an incredible amount of backlash for not saving Luke but if she would have she would be considered an absolute idiot.

  22. Congratulations to 10, this has consistently been a high quality show that often had a point of difference with the US version that I hope screens well overseas.

    As for this season decision, I think it reinforces the fact that most contestants reward the warrior, rather than the passenger. Luke was definitely the “bigger” player, but that also brings that target to his back. Still he should still come out of this season in a better position than Harry who was also a worthy winner.

    The concept of Survivor is so good, because winning relies on deploying any number of different skills and strategies that may or may not work in different games, along with a dose of luck. That is why it is so successful some 20 years on.

  23. I don’t really like Pia… but respect her game… it was brilliant. Baden is a dipstick for choosing to take her. He probably would have lost either way, but to take a professional actress with a young family who already had possibly at least three guaranteed votes from the jury was ludicrous. Taking “Dirty Harry” seemed more logical to me, but as I said… he would have lost either way… rarely do Goat’s ever win Survivor.

    I also don’t like that it’s returning early next year with an All-Stars version… all stars? We’ve only had 4 seasons…

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