Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn


Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn is the eighth season of Australian Survivor, which aired on Network 10. This season features contestants divided into two tribes: "Brains" and "Brawn".
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this season was filmed domestically in Cloncurry, Queensland. It premiered on 18 July 2021 and concluded on 12 September 2021 with Hayley Leake named the winner over George Mladenov in a 7–2 vote, winning the grand prize of A$500,000 and the title of Sole Survivor. It is the sixth season to air on Network 10 and is hosted by Jonathan LaPaglia.

Contestants

The 24 contestants are divided into two tribes based on their intellect or strength. The cast includes author Wai Chim, surfer Felicity "Flick" Palmateer, MMA fighter Chelsea Hackett, retired cyclist Baden Cooke and former AFL footballer Gavin Wanganeen.
ContestantOriginal tribePost-Swap tribesShuffled tribesMerged tribeFinish
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28, Melbourne, VIC
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43, Townsville, QLD
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48, Adelaide, SA
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35, Los Angeles, California, USA
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33, Brisbane, QLD
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35, Sydney, NSW
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26, Sydney, NSW
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30, Sydney, NSW
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35, Noosaville, QLD
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50, Buderim, QLD
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31, Brisbane, QLD
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25, Busselton, WA		rowspan="13"
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21, Gold Coast, QLD		-
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42, Melbourne, VIC		-
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26, Kilcoy, QLD		-
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36, Sydney, NSW		-
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31, Perth, WA		-
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33, Alice Springs, NT		-
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34, Sydney, NSW		-
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38, Sydney, NSW		-
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47, Sydney, NSW		-
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28, Margaret River, WA		-
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31, Sydney, NSW		-
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31, Sydney, NSW		-

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Future appearances

In 2023, Hayley Leake, George Mladenov, Flick Palmateer, and Simon Mee competed on Australian Survivor: [Heroes V Villains], with Leake and Palmateer as heroes and Mladenov and Mee as villains. Cara Atchison also appeared in Heroes V Villains as a loved one.
In 2025, Mladenov competed on Australian [Survivor: Australia V The World].
In 2026, Mee competed on Australian Survivor: Redemption.
Outside of Survivor, Mladenov appeared on Dogs Behaving Badly and competed on the The [Amazing Race Australia 7|seventh season] of The [Amazing Race Australia] with his sister Pam in 2023. In 2025, Mladenov competed on Deal or [No Deal |Deal or No Deal].

Season summary

The 24 contestants were divided into two tribes based on their intellect or strength. On the Brains tribe, George found himself in the minority early and was the primary target of the majority alliance led by Joey. Just before the swap, George was saved when Hayley flipped on Joey. On the Brawn tribe, Shannon and Simon butted heads early and competed for control as the tribe culled its weak challenge performers.
After a tribe swap, George reconnected with Cara and joined Emmett’s Brawn majority to eliminate the Brains players who had previously betrayed them. On the new Brawn tribe, Simon succeeded in voting out Shannon after Hayley caused the Brawn to turn on each other; however, Simon was then blindsided after revealing he had two hidden immunity idols.
At the merge, George and Cara continued working with the Brawn, led by Emmett and Dani. However, George acted as a double agent, feeding information to the Brains minority as the Brawn sought to eliminate them. He orchestrated several key eliminations, with more advantages gifted to him, including Hayley, who later won her way back into the game in a redemption duel. After Emmett and Dani turned on each other, George and Cara rejoined the Brains to eliminate the remaining Brawn.
Hayley won four individual immunity necklaces down the stretch, including at the final three to eliminate Flick, a huge social threat. She and George faced the jury, where George highlighted his dominant strategic play while Hayley emphasised her all-around strategic, physical and social game. The jury agreed that Hayley had the more well-rounded game and voted in her favour 7-2, awarding her the $500,000 and the title of Sole Survivor.
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Episodes

Voting history

;Tribal Phase
;Individual phase
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Reception

Ratings

Ratings data is from OzTAM and represents the viewership from the 5 largest Australian metropolitan centres.
While the season was lauded by some,
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