Survivor: The Australian Outback
Survivor: The Australian Outback is the second season of the American reality television series Survivor. Broadcast by CBS, it was originally shown between January 28 and May 23, 2001. Filming took place at Goshen cattle station, on the bank of the Herbert River in northern Queensland from October 23 through December 3, 2000. The show was hosted by Jeff Probst and featured 16 participants competing over 42 days. It was the first and only season to have more than 39 days of gameplay.
Tina Wesson was named the Sole Survivor, defeating Colby Donaldson by a jury vote of 4–3 and winning a prize of US$1,000,000. Wesson became the first female winner of the series. The series was generally well received, with many outlets considering it one of the best Survivor series. The opening episode premiered after Super Bowl XXXV to 43.5 million viewers.
Overview
Survivor is a reality television show created by Mark Burnett and Charlie Parsons and based on the Swedish show Expedition Robinson. The series follows a number of participants who are isolated in a remote location, where they must provide food, fire, and shelter for themselves. Every three days, one participant is removed from the series by majority vote, with challenges being held to give a reward and immunity from being voted off the show. The last remaining player is awarded a prize of $1,000,000.Filming of Survivor: The Australian Outback took place from October 23 through December 3, 2000, at Goshen Station, a cattle station on the bank of the Herbert River in northern Queensland. The season premiered after Super Bowl XXXV on January 28, 2001, to 43.5 million viewers.
Contestants
The cast consisted of 16 contestants, who were initially separated into two tribes: Ogakor, named after the word for "crocodile" in the Kunjen language, and Kucha, named after the word for "kangaroo" in the Pakanha language. Midway through the season, the remaining ten players merged into a single "Barramundi" tribe, named after the river fish. The final seven eliminated contestants comprised the jury that decided who would be the winner.Future appearances
Tina Wesson, Colby Donaldson, Jerri Manthey, Alicia Calaway, and Amber Brkich returned to compete in Survivor: All-Stars. Donaldson and Manthey would again return for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Michael Skupin returned in Survivor: Philippines, while Wesson would also appear on Survivor: Blood vs. Water along with her daughter, Katie Collins. Jeff Varner and Kimmi Kappenberg returned for Survivor: Cambodia, and Varner made his third Survivor appearance in Survivor: Game Changers. Brkich, under her married name Mariano, competed again in Survivor: Winners at War. Donaldson is set to compete on Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.Outside Survivor, Brkich competed on The [Amazing Race 7] with her fiancé and fellow Survivor alumnus Rob Mariano. The couple then returned for The Amazing Race 11. Varner and Calaway made an appearance on Big Brother 2.
Season summary
The sixteen contestants were divided into two tribes, Kucha and Ogakor, named after Aboriginal languages|Aboriginal] words for Kangaroo and Crocodile, respectively.Although Ogakor fared significantly worse in challenges, the tribes remained even after Kucha member Michael suffered third-degree burns from a campfire and had to be medically evacuated.
The tribes entered the merge with 5 members apiece, naming the merged tribe Barramundi after a fish native to Australia. The first vote after the merge saw a tie, but Kucha member Jeff was eliminated due to previous votes being cast against him. Ogakor's majority alliance of Colby, Keith, and Tina alternated between eliminating former Kucha members and betraying former tribe-mates Jerri and Amber.
The three stayed together until the end of the game, and Colby took Tina with him into the final Tribal Council. Tina's strategic plan was valued over Colby's prowess in challenges, and she was awarded the title of Sole Survivor by a jury vote of 4–3.