Outgoing Australian Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia was allegedly fired by production company Endemol Shine via email last week, an inside source has revealed to PEDESTRIAN.TV.
On Monday, Network Ten confirmed LaPaglia would not be returning to the show he’s fronted since 2016 after the upcoming season, a move LaPaglia himself said he was “blindsided” by.
“I received a call from the Network thanking me for all my hard work and dedication to the show, but for next season they are ‘going in a different direction’. Ratings had dipped a bit recently and they wanted to do something drastic to shake things up,” LaPaglia said in a fiery Instagram post.
“Whoever said a blindside is the most humane way to put someone down is an idiot. It hurts like a bitch!”
Multiple industry sources now claim this wasn’t just a creative decision. It was a cost-cutting exercise, with LaPaglia’s contract up for renewal and Network Ten reportedly making some savage cuts to their 2026 slate.
Australian Survivor, along with several other legacy titles, is reportedly being trimmed for budget, not necessarily for performance.
And here’s where it gets spicier: insiders allege JLP had been clashing with the show’s creators for some time, especially around control of the game.
When asking a long-time creator of the decision, they replied with “I am not surprised” of his axing.
One source claims JLP was “outspoken about production changes and let’s be real, if you’ve ever watched the man storm tribal council in head-to-toe linen, you know he takes the job seriously. Gym, set, repeat. He lives it”.
Word is the decision to dump him was made ages ago but kept tightly under wraps so it wouldn’t overshadow the upcoming Australia v The World season. Too late. The tribal torches have well and truly been lit and not just in Samoa.
Survivor legend David Genat is rumoured to be taking over the hosting gig from 2026, which another ex-Survivor star has confirmed is legit.
“Yep, it’s true and it’s so shit the way [LaPaglia] found out,” they said.
Filming for the yet-to-be-titled next season kicks off next month in Upolu. After a chaotic 2024 run… marred by bullying allegations, a messy edit and Olympic sprinter Morgan Mitchell calling out alleged racism and mistreatment, Ten has overhauled the production team and implemented new “respectful conduct” guidelines. The next season will feature no returning players and a fully fresh cast in what the network is clearly framing as a reset.
But fans aren’t buying it.
“He’s the heart of the show,” one former contestant told PEDESTRIAN.TV. “Replacing him is a mistake. The new guy? Bit of an ego maniac. Doesn’t have the range.”
Another long-time Survivor stan was even blunter: “Only Jeff Probst [the American host] could replace JLP. David should’ve stayed in his lane as a contestant.”
While Genat is reportedly charismatic and popular with casual viewers, some critics feel he lacks the gravitas and gravely voiceover vibes that made JLP a staple of Aussie reality TV.
Endemol Shine has declined to comment on the claims. However, an inside source has said the claims are untrue. Network Ten wouldn’t comment on the claim, and in its official statement, thanked the host for bringing “a unique blend of authority, intelligence and empathy to his role as host of Australian Survivor over the last 10 years”.
It’s a bold move from a network trying to salvage a format that’s survived twists, blindsides and a decade of torch snuffings. But burning your host and fan goodwill in the same breath? That might be the most questionable play of all.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to LaPaglia for comment.
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