This year’s Survivor is the most intense yet, as contestants including Shonee Bowtell, George Miladenov, and Hayley Leake return to Samoa seeking revenge or redemption, Survivor executive producer Tim Ali (lead image) told B&T.
“It is intense, it is so intense,” Survivor superfan Ali says like someone fresh from a warzone.
“The thing that stood out to me from moment one, is that it means a lot to these players to play to this theme. The players we have chosen to come back are really out for a purpose, [they are] out for either redemption or revenge”.
This year’s Survivor sees contestants labeled either heroes or villains before they are pitted against each other.
Ali says the theme has been hugely successful in other territories.
“It really speaks true for what Survivor is at its heart. Generally most players who come into the game will either generally play a heroic style of gameplay or a villainous type of gameplay”.
But despite the labels, rather like modern-day anti-heroes such as The Joker, the lines between heroes and villains soon blur.
“You can’t ever win this game by solely playing as a hero or solely playing as a villain,” Ali says.
“You know, if you’re playing heroic, if you’re loyal, trustworthy, playing for your alliance, at some point, you have to turn, at some point, you have to backstab friends and be villainous to progress yourself further in the game”.
The same applies to villains too, Ali said.
“If you come in being a snake in the grass and being trustworthy, at some point, you have to become trustworthy and actually align with people”.
In ‘Heroes vs Villains’, the top 3 finalists from Brains vs Brawns return with a vengeance.
“You’ve got [George Miladenov and Hayley Leake] going head to head, as well as the second runner-up of Brains vs Brawns, Flick [Palmateer]. Who only didn’t make it to the final because she couldn’t hold on in that insanely torturous final challenge”.
Joining George, Hayley and Flick there’s also Simon Mee, which Ali describes as a “classic villain” who is “all about himself” and “will do anything to progress himself further”.
Mee famously went home with two immunity idols in his pocket.
For Ali, Heroes vs Villains is Mee’s story of “coming back for redemption and coming back as a villain working out how he needs to play and how he needs to adjust,”.
“He comes in with so much fury. He’s just so engaged in this and it means so much to him. It’s a really good story to watch”.
Asked whether he would be a hero or a villain, Ali takes a different approach from Mee:
“Hero. I’m just too loyal. That’s my downfall. I’m way too loyal. I’m a loyalist, and I love making people happy. So yeah, I think I would play a really good social game”.
“This is the one thing that a lot of people don’t realize at the end of the day. Survivor at its heart is a social game”.
Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains premieres 7.30 Monday, January 30 on 10 and 10 Play.
