You’d assume sitting behind the cameras of Australian Survivor grants you immunity to the suffering of the harsh Survivor challenges. Apparently not.

Host Jonathan LaPaglia has revealed up to 80 members of the crew were struck down by either food poisoning or COVID during filming in Samoa, reports The Daily Telegraph.

On the set of Channel 10’s Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains, Jonathan was lucky enough to escape the dreaded food poisoning but unfortunately fell victim to a bad case of COVID.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Jonathan said, “I heard a lot of anecdotal stories, you know, people saying it was nothing but a little cold, and it was done and dusted.

“But it kicked my arse. It knocked me out for about six weeks.”

Jonathan went on to explain that Australia doesn’t have the same high budget as the US, meaning a loss of up to 80 people can have a BIG impact.

“It’s just tough. really tough,” he said.

What happens on Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains?

In the upcoming season, which premieres on Monday, January 30 at 7.30 pm on 10 and 10 Play, the castaways have been divided into the Hero Tribe and the Villain Tribe.

Pitting heroes and villains against each other, the new season will uncover what kind of person it takes to win the title of Sole Survivor as they attempt to outwit, outplay and outlast their fellow castaways.

This season will see a mix of new and old faces step onto the Survivor stage, with Nina Twine, who featured in last season’s Australian Survivor: Blood v Water, operative George Mladenov from Australian Survivor: Brains v Brawn, and Shonee Bowtell all returning.

The winner of the season gets to take home a whopping $500,000! But is it worth it?

Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains premieres on Monday, January 30 at 7.30 pm on 10 and 10 Play.

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