The 2027 cast of Australian Survivor has officially been revealed, with 24 new contestants set to take on the ultimate test of Outwit, Outplay and Outlast in Malaysia.
The full cast, along with the confirmed theme for 2027, was announced by Network 10 on Sunday several months before airing, bringing together some very familiar faces alongside contestants who will be new to many viewers.
The new ‘Rivals’ theme, first reported by TV Blackbox in July, will see the 24 contestants divided into 12 pairs, with each castaway matched against a rival on the opposing tribe based on their strengths, backgrounds, personalities or competitive credentials.
The pairings include the previously reported casting of AFL stars Adam Cooney and Heath Shaw, with the 11 other rivalries bringing together twins, sporting stars, actors, media personalities, vloggers, lawyers, divas, rebels and power mums.
Here’s a closer look at the 12 rival pairings heading into Australian Survivor: Rivals.
AFL: Collingwood v Essendon
Former AFL stars Heath Shaw and Adam Cooney bring the long-running Collingwood v Essendon rivalry to Australian Survivor: Rivals, with both entering the game after decorated careers at the highest level.
Heath Shaw played 325 AFL games across Collingwood and Greater Western Sydney, winning a premiership with the Magpies in 2010 and earning All-Australian selection twice. He retired in 2020 after 17 seasons in the AFL.
Adam Cooney played 250 games for the Western Bulldogs and Essendon and won the 2008 Brownlow Medal. He has also previously appeared on reality television, competing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
The two also have some history, with Cooney having previously named Shaw among his AFL “villains of the decade”, adding another layer to a rivalry that already comes with plenty of history.
Rugby Union v Rugby League
Former Wallaby Adam Ashley-Cooper and NRL great Robbie Farah bring the code war to Australian Survivor: Rivals, with the pair having built long careers at the highest level of their respective sports.
Adam Ashley-Cooper is one of Australia’s most capped rugby players, making 121 appearances for the Wallabies across a 15-year international career. He represented Australia at four Rugby World Cups and scored 39 Test tries, while also playing professionally in France, Japan and the United States.
Robbie Farah is a Wests Tigers legend, playing 303 NRL games during a 17-year career that included a premiership with the club in 2005. He also represented Australia, Lebanon and NSW, and finished his career as the most-capped player in Wests Tigers history.
The pair will now trade the rugby field for the Malaysian jungle, with Ashley-Cooper and Farah facing off in one of the most straightforward rivalries of the new season: union versus league.
Twin v Twin
Alisa and Lysandra Fraser are no strangers to reality television, having first made their mark on The Block before returning to the series the following year.
The Adelaide twins won The Block: Sky High in 2013, taking home $395,000 in total winnings. They returned for The Block: Fans v Faves in 2014, where they finished as runners-up and made another $616,000.
Since their time on The Block, the sisters have built careers in interior design and homewares, including their al.ive body brand. They will now have to put their usual partnership aside as they face each other in the Australian Survivor game.
Red Carpet Rivals
Christian Wilkins and Mitch Churi are both familiar faces from the Australian entertainment industry, with the pair bringing television, radio and red-carpet experience to Australian Survivor: Rivals.
Christian Wilkins has built a career across modelling, television, acting and presenting, becoming particularly well known for his distinctive fashion and regular appearances at major entertainment events. The son of television presenter Richard Wilkins, he finished runner-up on Network 10’s Dancing with the Stars in 2020 and has appeared on programs including The Project and Today.
Mitch Churi spent almost a decade with KIIS FM, hosting The Night Show and appearing on The Pick Up, before leaving the network in late 2024. He has since moved into independent podcasting with The Mitch Churi Chat Show, which has continued to release new episodes in 2026, including interviews with guests such as Mel C and Jessica Mauboy.
Olympians: Summer v Winter
Olympic gold medallist Kerri Pottharst and fellow Olympian Danielle Scott bring two very different sporting backgrounds to Australian Survivor: Rivals, with their careers spanning beach volleyball and aerial skiing.
Kerri Pottharst won bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before claiming gold alongside Natalie Cook at Sydney 2000. She also competed at the 2004 Athens Games, making her one of Australia’s most experienced Olympic beach volleyball players.
Danielle Scott is a four-time Winter Olympian in aerial skiing, having competed at Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026. At her fourth Games earlier this year, she won silver in the women’s aerials event, making her the most recent Olympic medallist in the Rivals cast.
Athletes: Netball v Football
Former Australian netballer Sharni Layton and footballer Sarah Yatim bring another cross-code rivalry to Australian Survivor: Rivals, with both having competed at the elite level in their respective sports.
Sharni Layton represented the Australian Diamonds 46 times and captained the national team in 2017. She won two Netball World Cups and a Commonwealth Games gold medal before making the move into football, where she played for Collingwood in the AFLW and was named an All-Australian in 2020.
Sarah Yatim has a background in both futsal and football, beginning her senior football career with North West Sydney Women’s Koalas before joining Manly United and later Western Sydney Wanderers. She made eight appearances in the 2016-17 W-League season for the Wanderers, scoring once.
Actors
Lincoln Lewis and Bernard Curry bring two generations of Australian television experience to Australian Survivor: Rivals, with both having built long careers on screen.
Lincoln Lewis is best known for playing Geoff Campbell on Home and Away, before going on to star as Kevin Holmes in the 2010 film Tomorrow, When the War Began. He has since appeared in productions including Neighbours, Underbelly, House Husbands and Gallipoli. Lewis is also the son of rugby league legend Wally Lewis.
Bernard Curry has spent more than three decades working in Australian television, with roles in Neighbours, Home and Away and Wentworth, where he played Jake Stewart. He also competed alongside his brother Stephen on The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition in 2025, with the pair going on to win the season.
Vloggers
Travel creator Jorden Tually and journalist and digital storyteller Yusuf Omar are both experienced in creating content for large online audiences, although their careers have taken very different paths.
Jorden Tually has spent more than a decade travelling the world and documenting his experiences online, building a substantial following across social media. He has also reportedly been trying to get onto Australian Survivor for several years, making his eventual arrival on the cast particularly notable.
Yusuf Omar is a journalist and digital storyteller who co-founded Hashtag Our Stories. He previously worked as CNN’s Senior Social Media Reporter and Mobile Editor at the Hindustan Times, and has worked as a foreign correspondent covering major international stories.
Rebels
Josh Robinson and Louie Liu are among the lesser-known names in the Australian Survivor: Rivals cast, with Network 10 positioning the pair as the ‘Rebels’.
Josh Robinson, 26, is from Victoria, while Louie Liu, 37, is from NSW. Further details about both contestants’ professional backgrounds have not yet been widely publicised, making their inclusion one of the bigger unknowns in the cast.
Lawyers
Emily Jones and Portia Ferdinand bring a very different kind of rivalry to Australian Survivor: Rivals, with both contestants coming from the legal world.
Emily Jones, 34, is based in Queensland and has a background in law, including experience with community-focused legal services.
Portia Ferdinand, 27, has a background in law and was involved with the Australian Pro Bono Centre while studying at UNSW, where she also served as Editor-in-Chief of the UNSW Law Society’s Court of Conscience.
Divas
Ellie Gonsalves and Kaitlyn Souksamlane-Tan will take on the ‘Divas’ pairing, with Gonsalves bringing plenty of reality television and entertainment experience to the match-up.
Ellie Gonsalves is a model, actress and media personality who has built a substantial online following. She competed on Big Brother VIP in 2021 and has appeared in Fighting with My Family alongside Dwayne Johnson. She has also worked with major fashion and beauty brands and is a global ambassador for Wildlife Warriors.
Kaitlyn Souksamlane-Tan, 36, is based in NSW and is one of the less familiar names in the Rivals cast. Network 10 has positioned her alongside Gonsalves as one of the season’s ‘Divas’, but further details about her background have not yet been widely publicised.
Power Mums
Eva Bantin and Kate Allan round out the cast profiles, with both contestants entering the game with considerably less public recognition than some of their rivals.
Eva Bantin, 51, is a recruitment specialist with almost 30 years of experience in the industry. She has also attracted media attention for moving into a 40-square-metre tiny home in her ex-husband’s backyard after their divorce, allowing the pair to remain close to their children.
Kate Allan, 36, is based in NSW and is another relatively unknown name for television audiences. Network 10 has positioned her alongside Bantin as one of the season’s ‘Power Mums’, although further details about her professional background have not yet been widely publicised.
With 24 contestants and 12 rivalries, Australian Survivor: Rivals will put the cast’s different backgrounds and relationships to the test when the new season gets underway.
Darryl Brew