The Block’sMarty Fox listed his stunning Toorak mansion for sale earlier this year, asking for a casual $13 million price tag for the five-bedroom residence.
The house, which was listed in May, hasn’t appeared to have sold yet, and now The Block fans have taken to Reddit to share their opinions on the renovated 1890s Victorian estate that’s set on a 1400-square-metre patch of land.
The Block fans critique Marty Fox’s huge white mansion: ‘Feels so clinical’
A harsh but fair lesson The Block judges have learned over the years is that if they’re going to judge rooms and houses on the show, you better believe fans of The Block will come and judge the judges’ own residence on social media like Reddit.
The house has been on the market since May. Image: Domain
Which is exactly what people are doing now when it comes to inspecting Marty’s mansion, with Reddit users questioning the price tag.
“If I’m spending 13 million, I’d want way more than what this house is giving. Even $5 million feels rich for this place,” one person said. “No wonder he is using the show to promote it! Could it be the price that is the problem? It doesn’t look like a $13 million home to me,” another agreed. “It is nice, but not worth that, but I don’t know the market.”
Others called it “boring”.
“I mean, I could not imagine having young kids in that home. I feel like all The Block homes are just so not liveable family homes. Way too white and boring,” one person critiqued.
“It’s beautiful, but it’s far too white and I’m not a fan of that colour and vein of marble. Too much white feels so clinical, cold and dated to me,” another said.
“Per Marty’s own comments in living room week, his couch is facing the wrong way. 0.75/10 from me,” another joked.
There’s no tile in the house, everything is marble. Image: Domain
What do we know about The Block’s Marty Fox’s multi-million-dollar mansion?
The Block judge and his wife bought the house in the middle of the COVID pandemic, telling Domain about the unique way they renovated the house to turn it into the multi-million-dollar delight it is today.
“We bought the home in the middle of the pandemic and, a year later, purchased the smaller house next door and consolidated both into the one property over a quarter of an acre,” Marty said. “There’s not another house like it, because you just cannot get this land size so close to the two villages. There are no tiles in the home – everything is marble slabs.”
The house features five bedrooms, three bathrooms and space for seven cars. The outdoor area boasts resort-style living including a heated pool, wellness deck, gym, cabana, and pickleball court. The back garden also is home to a four-metre long herb garden bursting with parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano and chives.
The house boasts a pool and pickleball court. Image: Domain
“It’s a house that’s very pared-back and yet it’s definitely not boring,” Marty said. “There’s nothing quite like it on the market.”
The Block 2025 airs on Sundays at 7:30pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Jonathan LaPaglia’s reign as host of Australian Survivor has officially come to an end, but Parvati Shallow told us something that could hint at his return on her very own reality show.
Jonathan’s final season as host was Survivor: Australia v The World, after which he joined Parvati at a Los Angeles bar for a viewing party where they watched her be crowned Sole Survivor. Although Jonathan is Australian, he’s been based in California for decades.
After Parvati’s winning scene aired, Jonathan addressed the crowd with a speech.
“Stay tuned, because you’re gonna see me on something else, but I can’t…” He told the crowd, possibly hinting at a non-disclosure clause from a new series he’s hosting.
Parvati reveals she’s releasing her own reality show
Interestingly, during a post-win interview with Chattr, Parvati revealed that she’s releasing her own reality show.
“I’m starting a new writing project. I’ve been working on a show with the producers of Deal or No Deal. So we have just sold a show to a network over here in the US, and it’s the ultimate social game. So stay tuned,” she said.
In the same interview, Parvati gushed about Jonathan as a host.
“He was fun to banter with on challenges, and he held my torch when I needed his help. He was very supportive,” she told Chattr.
“I really appreciated that he gave us contestants, space at tribal council to run it like he wasn’t trying to control tribal or make it about him in any way. He really just offered us the platform he asked questions of us, and then let us run with it, and that was so nice.”
So, between Jonathan’s cryptic comment about an upcoming gig, Parvati’s new show and their mutual respect, a hosting gig for Jonathan on her new show makes sense.
Mat and Robby have been working on their underground wine cellar since day one of The Block — and now, midway through the season, Emma and Ben are planning one of their own, a move the boys think feels a little like copying.
While Mat and Robby kept their wine cellar under wraps early on, they’ve now fully dug out the space and started laying the foundations — and the other contestants have now caught onto their plan.
During Week 7, The Block 2023 winners Steph and Gian visited the contestants’ houses, and, after seeing Mat and Robby’s wine cellar, suggested to Emma and Ben that they have room to build something below their house, which is on a suspended slab.
In a producer-led interview, Emma and Ben admitted that they were looking to build a “wine storage room,” with Ben saying, “If we put a wine cellar in the bottom of our backyard, it would be considered cheating.”
But with Emma and Ben’s wine storage room looking a lot like their own cellar, Mat and Robby weren’t shy about sharing how they really feel.
“Ben’s words on TV were: ‘If we put in a wine cellar, it would be considered cheating’. They were his exact words,” Mat told Chattr.
“So, the thing is, he hasn’t put in a ‘wine cellar’, but he’s putting in a cubby house at the back of his house, where you could sit and drink wine. So…” He added.
Robby pointed out the likeness between Emma and Ben’s potential room and their own.
“It’s not quite a cellar. I guess it’s a wine room. But what does he do for a job, Mat?” Robby asked.
When Mat replied that Ben’s an engineer, Robby jokingly responded, “You’re a pretty bad engineer if you’re on a suspended slab and you don’t come up with an idea [for it].”
Mat took the high road, saying he views imitation as a compliment. Still, he argued that on The Block, if you’re going to draw inspiration from someone else’s idea, you should elevate it.
“I think copying is the biggest form of flattery. I don’t believe in copying. If you see someone is doing something exceptional, be better, be faster, be more creative. Do something to one-up that. Don’t just try and do an inferior version of it.”
Ben making plans for his wine room with The Block architect Julian Brenchley. Image: Nine.
“They ran out of floorboards, and were taking floorboards from us, but we were promised that we will have enough floorboards to finish the house,” Robby told Chattr.
However, the pair believe it was the flooring company’s fault rather than Emma and Ben, but hinted at the upcoming wine storage room drama.
“They might take something in the future, but I’ll tell you what. What they’re taking this week might not be that big a deal,” Matt chimed in, referring to the lack of floorboards.
The Block 2025 airs on Sundays at 7:30pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Cirie has had her torch snuffed out before due to a fire-making challenge, but in her fire-making showdown against Luke Toki, the fan-favourite player looked like she could win at one point. Sadly, Cirie didn’t make Final Tribal Council, and had to take a seat on the Jury.
She’s competing for her sixth time on US Survivor 50 — so will her time on Survivor: Australia v The World help her finally clench the title she’s coveted for so long? Parvati thinks so.
“I hope it gives her a sense of confidence, because I think that will be really supportive for Cirie going out there, to just trust that she can win,” Parvati tells Chattr.
“She’s had this sort of, stigma, this kind of reputation stuck to her, where it’s like the best to never win, and that’s a hard thing to shake… I’ve sent her so much good energy. I’m just praying that this is her time to kind of break that curse and win.”
Parvati and Cirie developed a close friendship on Survivor: Micronesia, and fans were overjoyed to see the pair reunite for Survivor: Australia v The World.
“I just loved playing with her so much, and the depth of that friendship is so rare in a game of deception and betrayal, to have someone that is so reliable, and so smart, and sophisticated in their gameplay, that I could trust, it’s such a gift,” Parvati gushes.
“I was really sad she wasn’t with me at the end.”
Parvati and Cirie played together on Survivor: Micronesia. Image: CBS
Was Parvati Shallow upset Jeff Probst didn’t call her for Survivor 50?
Sadly, Parvati wasn’t asked to compete on US Survivor 50, so we won’t get to see her compete alongside Cirie again.
She tells Chattr she expected to be invited, but says she wouldn’t have agreed to play anyway.
“I think it would have been appropriate to get a call. I would have liked to have gotten a call. I think you know, I’ve been part of the Survivor family for 20 years, and I’ve really held myself to a high standard in that community, and I’m a big player,” Parvati begins.
“I think if Survivor 50 is a legendary game of big players, they probably would like, want to have at least have invited me. But they have their reasons.”
Parvati is one of the greatest Survivor players of all time. Image: 10
Parvati thinks because she has been open about the fact she no longer wants to play Survivor, producers decided it wasn’t worth trying to convince her to change her mind.
“I’m friends with a lot of the producers over there, and they’re like, ‘Would you play?’, and I’m like, ‘No I wouldn’t.’ So that’s probably why I didn’t get a call, because I’ve been saying, don’t call me,” she laughs.
“I’m excited for 50. I’ll watch it. I’ll be cheering for Cirie, and some of the other players that I love who are playing.”
US Survivor 50 wrapped in June, and the landmark season features a cast of 24 contestants who have played the game before. Cirie will be competing against Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Colby Donaldson, Joseph Hunter, Kamilla Karthigesu, Stephenie Lagrossa Kendrick, Ozzy Lusth, Benjamin ‘Coach Wade, Kyle Fraser, Aubry Bracco, Chrissy Hofbeck, Emily Flippen, Christian Hubicki, Tiffany Ervin, Angelina Keeley, Mike White, Dee Valladares, Rick Devens, Jonathan Young, Q Burdette, Charlie Davis and Genevieve Mushaluk.
My Kitchen Rules (MKR)is never devoid of big personalities, and NSW cousins Jacinta and Mel are bringing the heat this season, with the feisty pair quite happy to stir the pot.
When it comes to cooking, the duo has a mission to prove that healthy meals don’t have to be boring, with the pair’s ultimate goal to create a cookbook of nutritious and delicious but affordable food.
The pair have already proved to be controversial characters, from Jacinta refusing to eat meat on the show (much to the shock of meat-master Michael), to “outing” Maria’s baking business.
Here’s everything we know about MKR’s feisty cousins Mel and Jacinta
MKR’s Jacinta and Mel aren’t afraid to share their opinion. Image: Seven
The cousins make quite the competitive pair, with Jacinta bringing a background in nutritional medicine and a love of surprising people with her vegan and gluten-free dishes. Mel likes to balance things out with comfort food classics, but overall both have a heavy focus on nutrition.
The duo are self-confessed “home cooks”, something they reiterated to Chattr recently after causing controversy by revealing fellow contestant Maria runs a pastry business.
“Mel and I are home cooks,” Jacinta told Chattr. “Just knowing that other teams and other people in the competition had cooked [on a large scale], that’s where it becomes difficult. We kind of felt a little bit deflated that we [were up] against someone who’s done it many, many, many times compared to us.”
The cousins describe their partnership and cooking style as “fun, a little chaotic, and genuinely supportive” and are due to cook next Monday, on the 15th of September. Honestly, we can’t wait to see what they dish up for everyone – particularly Michael and his partner Reilli.
Why are MKR’s Mel and Jacinta clashing with Michael and Reilli?
It’s not a proper MKR season without a clash of teams, and so far Mel and Jacinta and Michael and Reilli are bringing the drama.
Things kicked off initially with Michael (the master of meat) voicing that he didn’t think vegetarians should be allowed on the show. Michael and Reilli doubled down on this, telling Chattr they didn’t believe Jacinta should be competing on MKR.
“I do not think that vegetarians or vegans should be on MKR. I think that if they want to go on a cooking show, they should make MKR Vegetarian,” Michael said. “This will sound crazy, but when I was growing up, I actually experimented with a lot of diets and I was vegetarian and I was also vegan, and then I just realised that I love meat, and meat [is] good for you.”
In an earlier episode of MKR, the two teams also found themselves in confrontation after Rielli pointed a butter knife at Mel during a back-and-forth debate, saying, “What are you gonna do bitch?”. Reilli was quick to call it a joke, but Mel felt differently, telling cameras she felt unsettled by the behaviour and that it had “crossed a line”.
Reilli later apologised, but Michael had already made things worse by calling Mel and Jacinta “sooks” for being upset.
Michael and Reilli [pictured] have clashed with Mel and Jacinta. Image: Seven
MKR’s Mel and Jacinta open up about “strategic” scoring
The opinionated cousins have been accused by MKR fans of giving low scores to the teams they’ve clashed with most at the dinner table.
However, Mel and Jacinta told Chattr they’re not being strategic and prefer to vote honestly. “We’re voting the way that we think the score should go, and we are being truthful for what we feel about the food. And you know, there’s a few comments where… I said that it needs more flavour and spice,” Jacinta said.
“I do put a lot of spices and lots of flavour into my food, and if that’s what I’m looking for, that’s what I was looking for… it’s what we actually really think of the food.”
Watch My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2025 on Channel 7 and 7Plus.
However, if producers knew about Jacinta’s plant-based diet before she was chosen to compete on MKR, the whole debate would be moot.
Jacinta tells Chattr she was “very open” about her plant-based diet during the application process, and as a nutritionist, she has no problems with other people eating meat.
“I don’t try to hide anything from people, you know, my clients eat meat, and I just make sure it’s [from] the best sources. So I was very open [with producers],” Jacinta says.
“[Being plant-based on the show] was one of my concerns. I obviously had to think about how I would go about it because… at the end of the day, I deserve to be there, [not excluded] because I don’t eat one certain food.”
The cook says she had no idea it would cause “such a shockwave”, because it’s quite common for people to know about different types of diets in 2025.
“We’re living in the 21st Century. It’s the modern day. There are so many people, like so many famous chefs [who] do Meat-Free Mondays; it’s such a movement right now that we’re all conscious about the environment, what we’re eating, what goes into our bodies,” she explains.
“I just feel like [embracing plant-based food] would take the show to another level and open the audience [up to] even more. I feel like it could actually be a huge benefit.”
Jacinta on MKR. Image: Seven
Mel also disclosed her food allergies to the MKR casting producers, and processes had to be put in place so she could compete.
“We told [producers] everything. So when we applied to the show, [I told them] I get a bit funny with gluten,” Mel says. “When I was filming, I made sure that I had all these different kinds of medications and supplements to sort me through the process, so I understood that I was gonna have to eat a bit of gluten throughout.”
“We did so many different questionnaires [before filming], and we even [had] medical examinations. We went through a crazy amount of tests and questionnaires and doctors’ reports and stuff like that to get on the show, and all that information is there.”
Michael and Rielli think there should be a separate show called MKR Vegetarian
Even though Jacinta and Mel went through the same rigorous application process as Michael and Rielli, the couple don’t think vegetarians or vegans should be allowed on MKR.
“I do not think that vegetarians or vegans should be on MKR. I think that if they want to go on a cooking show, they should make MKR Vegetarian,” Michael tells Chattr.
“I’ve got the most utmost respect for anyone trying any diet out there. I just feel like, on a cooking competition, you should be trying the food that the people put their blood, sweat and tears into to prepare.”
Michael and Rielli during their Instant Restaurant. Image: Seven
Rielli echoes her partner’s words and claims that having people with restricted diets on MKR shouldn’t be allowed.
“Whether we want to admit it or not, it’s a cooking show, and if we’re not all eating the same thing, ultimately it’s not fair,” she says.
Jacinta and Mel are the last to cook in this Instant Restaurant round, so will their healthy fare be up to scratch? We’ll have to see how the (plant-based) cookie crumbles.
My Kitchen Rules (MKR) airs on Monday and Tuesday nights at 7:30pm on Channel 7 and 7Plus.
Two My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2025 contestants have been at the heart of all the drama this year: Mel and Jacinta. The opinionated cousins aren’t afraid to back down from a challenge, and the healthy eaters have clashed heavily with the self-proclaimed meat-master, Michael, and his partner, Rielli.
But is the show authentic, or is some of the drama created by producers? Mel tells Chattr it’s “not scripted”, but reveals why the cooking show is getting so heated.
“People are definitely passionate when it comes to the show, and you know, emotions can be heightened, and there’s $100,000 at the end of it,” she spills.
Her teammate Jacinta confirms it isn’t scripted, and adds: “We have hours and hours of footage, so how much the audience actually sees compared to what’s actually said at the time as well. So you know, something could be said, but it could be in a different situation [or context].
“Everyone knows reality TV at the end of the day, so there’s a lot of footage for everyone to go through.”
Mel and Jacinta on MKR 2025. Image: Seven
Who are the villains on MKR 2025?
Jacinta and Mel haven’t had the best fan reaction online, with some viewers hoping they bomb when it comes time for their Instant Restaurant. However, they’re still on good terms with the other contestants, and they don’t believe there are any ‘villains’ on the show this year.
“I think there’s really strong teams this year, I think the casting has been great. There are some really different characters,” Mel says.
“I actually probably couldn’t pick who the villains are on the show, actually, because everyone’s coming at it from different angles and bringing their own spice.”
Jacinta agrees, saying that everybody is just extremely motivated to win — although, this could come across as villainous behaviour.
“There’s no villains. Everyone’s just really out to win, willing to do anything to do it, to get it right,” Jacinta explains. “At the end of the day, we’re having these conversations and then they’re taken fully out of context.”
Jacinta and Mel will present their Instant Restaurant on Monday night’s episode, where one team will be eliminated. With Lil and Lol sitting at the bottom of the MKR leaderboard, it’s up to the cousins to bring their A-game if they want to stick around.
My Kitchen Rules (MKR) airs on Monday and Tuesday nights at 7:30pm on Channel 7 and 7Plus.
Ant Middleton, Chief Instructor on SAS Australia, and his brother Dan were kicked off the show after just one episode, with host Beau Ryan addressing the drama in a voiceover during the September 9 episode.
“Overnight, due to the breach of the code of conduct, Ant and Dan have been removed from the race,” Beau said.
What actually happened with The Amazing Race’s Ant and Dan Middleton and Luke and Sassy Scott?
Previously to the episode airing, there had been reports that the brothers were kicked off after an altercation with comedians Luke and ‘Sassy’ Scott O’Halloran. Now the pair have confirmed to Sydney Confidentialthat Dan Middleton made “offensive and intimidatory” remarks and gestures towards them.
“Dan Middleton approached us six times, making remarks and gestures that we found homophobic, offensive, intimidatory, and disturbing,” the duo told the outlet. “Each time he (Dan) came over to us, the encounters felt increasingly more aggressive.
“At one point, he was right up in our faces, surrounded by some of the other cast members, who seemed to us to be as uncomfortable as we were.”
The pair then said that AFL star Brendan Fevola physically stepped into the situation to defuse it, standing between Dan and the brothers. Later, Brendan reportedly gave producers an ultimatum saying that if the Middleton brothers weren’t removed, he and his daughter Leni would leave the competition.
It’s understood Ant Middleton wasn’t involved, but was removed alongside his brother.
Do Ant and Dan Middleton still get paid for The Amazing Race even after disqualification?
Ant and Dan Middleton had a short-lived journey on The Amazing Race. Image: 10
Recently, The Amazing Racecast salaries were leaked, with Dan and Ant Middleton rumoured to be paid $140,000 for their appearance.
Chattr has reached out to Network 10 for a statement as to whether the brothers were still paid for their appearance on the show.
In a previous statement, Network 10 confirmed the Middleton brothers had been disqualified for a breach of production code.
“Network 10 takes the health, safety and well-being of all contestants seriously,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail. “Following a breach of the production’s code of conduct by one contestant, on a day off during production, a team from The Amazing Race Australia was disqualified and swiftly sent home.”
The Amazing Race Australia airs on Monday and Tuesday 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
My Kitchen Rules (MKR) 2025 is filled with spice, and we’re not just talking about the food. From faux-knife fights to contestants claiming they were “gagging” on beef tongue, this year’s home cooking competition has turned up the heat. Cooks Jacinta and Mel have ruffled a few feathers, with their strong personalities making enemies out of Rielli, Michael, Bailey and Maria at the dinner table.
The cousins recently revealed a bombshell: Maria not only owns Blondies Bakehouse, but she also used to run another pastry business. Was this a deliberate strategic move to sabotage Bailey and Maria’s Instant Restaurant?
Mel tells Chattr she was simply passing information on, and didn’t realise it would come across as shady. “We were just looking at Maria’s first business… to see if [we] could get a cookie. And then as I was looking it up, I saw that there was an article that came up for Maria and another business,” Mel says.
“I actually was just sincerely wanting the teams to know that they’ve got some competition on their hands with Maria, and it’s like, that she’s quite good at what she does… it wasn’t a game plan.”
Jacinta chimes in, saying that the pair felt “deflated” having to compete against such experienced cooks. “Mel and I are home cooks,” Jacinta explains. “Just knowing that other teams and other people in the competition had cooked [on a large scale], that’s where it becomes difficult.
“We kind of felt a little bit deflated that we [were up] against someone who’s done it many, many, many times compared to us.”
Bailey and Maria’s Instant Restaurant. Image: Seven
Seeing as Mel and Jacinta have yet to cook, this comment about Maria’s business could come back to bite them.
“I don’t think we intended to come across like we were causing trouble… I know it definitely does look like that,” Mel admits. “Probably wasn’t great of us to even really share that type of information about Maria’s business, because we are so close to cooking, and people might have seen that as a negative kind of thing that we [were] doing.”
Jacinta warns viewers that things can be “taken fully out of context”, and assures Chattr that she and Mel have been “genuine” while competing on MKR.
Have Mel and Jacinta been voting strategically on MKR?
Viewers have pointed out that Mel and Jacinta have given quite low scores for Michael and Rielli, followed by Bailey and Maria, the two couples they have clashed with the most at the dinner table.
The cousins claim they’re not being strategic and prefer to vote honestly. So, perhaps they really didn’t enjoy the unseasoned beef tongue!
“We’re voting the way that we think the score should go, and we are being truthful for what we feel about the food. And you know, there’s a few comments where… I said that it needs more flavour and spice,” Jacinta says.
“I do put a lot of spices and lots of flavour into my food, and if that’s what I’m looking for, that’s what I was looking for… it’s what we actually really think of the food.”
Lol and Lil are next to cook, followed by Jacinta and Mel. Who will be going home? We’ll have to see how it all plays out.
My Kitchen Rules (MKR) airs on Monday and Tuesday nights at 7:30pm on Channel 7 and 7Plus.
Every Survivor: Australia v The World contestant who finished 9th or higher joined the Jury, which voted for the winner at the finale. All those jury members voted for Parvati to win, except for Sarah, who wrote Luke’s name on her parchment paper.
In the past, Survivor superfans have coined the term ‘a perfect game’ — a player who receives zero elimination votes throughout the season and secures the win with a unanimous vote.
Parvati was on track to achieve the rare feat of ‘a perfect game’ on Survivor: Australia v The World, but Sarah’s vote for Luke sabotaged her, so is she upset?
“That’s so silly. I don’t think like that. I think I am just so grateful that I won, and I’m so grateful that I got enough votes to win. I do not begrudge Sarah her vote,” Parvati told Chattr.
“Poor Sarah, poor thing got broken in the first episode of the game where she, like, betrayed her friend (David). And I know she and Luke are friends, like, she’s not going to do that again. So no, I think, no, I don’t need a clean sweep to feel good about my win at all.”
The Survivor: Australia v The World jury. Image: Ten.
Whose vote was Parvati surprised to get?
Although it was near impossible to tell that Parvati was nervous during her impressive final Tribal Council speech, she told Chattr that she was “trembling”.
“It’s the scariest thing I am terrified of doing speeches,” she said. “I was so nervous about that final tribal speech. And I was just like, Okay, just remember to say the things that you want to say. It was so scary. The hardest part for me.”
But Parvati’s speech clearly hit the mark with the Survivor: Australia v The World Jury, earning her every single vote — even from players like Tommi and Kirby, who she’d blindsided along the way.
“I honestly was shocked that I got Tommi’s vote. I thought he was mad at me for not playing with him,” she said. “I was like, oh, he’s gonna vote for Luke, and it’s probably gonna be a boys club. Usually, the boys don’t vote for me.”
It turns out that the cast of The Amazing Race Australia doesn’t just get a chance to travel the world; they also receive a decent paycheck for the whole experience.
While $100,000 in prize money goes to the charity of the winning team’s choice, the teams also get a nice little salary bump along the way, with sources revealing this season’s cast is raking in $1.5 million between them.
The surprising amounts celebs are being paid to go on The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race 2025 cast are all taking a pretty penny home. Image: Network 10
According to The Daily Mail, former MasterChef and Dessert Masters judge Melissa Leong and former Big Brother host and media personality Gretel Killeen are the biggest paid stars for this season, with both rumoured to pocket $150,000 each.
Ant Middleton reportedly locked in $140,000, despite the fact he was later kicked off the show, and power coupleEd Kavalee and Tiffiny Hall were said to have secured $120,000. Comedians and personalties Luke and ‘Sassy’ Scott are reported to be on a $90,000 deal.
On the lower end of salaries were Parkour pros Dom ‘Tomato’ Di Tommasoand his mate Marx Marsters, comedy siblings Steph and Ben Tisdell, and mother-daughter duo Lindy and Stella Klim.
One of the celebrities to appear on a previous season of The Amazing Race told Chattr the reported 2025 salaries are higher than what they earned, but not the highest ever paid to a celebrity.
“I got paid $75,000,” they said. “But I heard Ian Thorpe was paid $200,000 for his season.”
What’s happened so far on The Amazing Race 2025? Fans left disappointed by first elimination
They were the last team to check in at the Pit Stop after taking a time penalty, with fans saying they were “gutted” to see them go. The two struggled on the Haystack challenge, which involved stacking hay around a bamboo pole to a specified width and height before receiving their next clue.
“Gutted, thought these two would go close to winning,” one person said.
Some fans accused the pair of giving up too easily on the challenge. “Disappointing to see someone who tells people never to give up, to do exactly that. Respect lost,” one person said, with another expressing their disappointment with how things went down. “Surely hay stacking was easy enough not to have taken a time penalty for! Very disappointing!”
“Unsure if it was just the editing but why didn’t they work together they were so close to the top. A time penalty is just lazy,” someone else stated. “If they both actually participated, it would have been done.”
The Amazing Race Australia airs on Monday and Tuesday 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
Although they had a fling while Jamie was in Europe, he wanted to visit her in Australia, but the MAFS bride said she’d come to Greece instead. Jamie told fans he “crashed out” and asked her to come in November, which raised some red flags for fans, who asked if he had a wife or secret family.
“Why does everyone think this man has a wife? Like he doesn’t have a wife. I’m not being funny but he just wouldn’t be at the age where he’d have a wife and kids, okay?” she said on TikTok.
“I stayed at his house multiple times, he has three-in-one body wash. That’s like case in point. Who in a relationship has three-in-one body wash?”
Jamie tells Chattr she can’t “keep things” to herself, and ends up chatting on TikTok like she’s speaking to old friends.
“I’m trying to let people in on the love life. I didn’t expect so many people to be invested, like I get asked about it on my lives,” she spills. “I keep saying it’s not gonna go anywhere [but] people [are] either rooting for me or think he’s hiding a wife and kids.”
She tells us that anybody in a relationship is off the table, and we’ve seen that from how she acted like a girls’ girl on MAFS.
“I would never go for anyone that is married or taken. That’s just not my style at all. I’m a very loyal person and respect relationships, but it just wasn’t that situation,” Jamie says.
Jamie on MAFS 2025. Image: Nine
Who is Jamie from MAFS dating now?
Jamie isn’t serious with her Greek fling, although it sounded like she enjoyed her dip in the Mediterranean. He’s still contacting her as well, so he could have caught the feels.
“All I’ve learned is I definitely like Greek men. They’re very romantic, and I hope to be there soon,” she spills. “I’m gonna really brush up on my Greek, and maybe I’ll be an international bride.”
The Block 2025’s Emma and Ben announced their pregnancy during an episode that aired in late August, but it was Scotty Cam and ShelleyCraft that broke the news to the other contestants.
Some viewers took to social media to share that they were disappointed they didn’t get to see Emma and Ben share their exciting baby news with the other Blockheads.
“Did Ben and Emma say it was ok for Scotty to tell the others? If not, that’s just not on. Shouldn’t have told him first,” one person wrote in a Facebook fan group.
“Just bizarre that those 2 walked around and told everyone Ben and Emma’s news!!!!” Another penned.
Some even went as far as to speculate that Emma and Ben told the other cast members off-camera, and that the Shelley and Scotty scenes were staged.
“I think a few already knew…the reactions were pretty average,” one person wrote, while another said: “Everything we see is for drama. You are watching a reality DRAMA show.”
However, in an interview with Chattr, Emma and Ben confirmed that they specifically asked the hosts to share the new for them, and added that it was the first time the other contestants found out about the pregnancy.
“No, we actually didn’t [tell the other contestants off camera],” Emma said. “We were so busy doing our room and everything, that we gave Scotty and Shelly the go-ahead to tell everyone, we thought that was the easiest thing to do. Everyone’s in their own space. Everyone’s working away,” she added.
“The producers were like, Do you want to tell everyone, or do you want Scotty and Shelley too? It was walk-around Friday. So we’re like, Oh, Scotty and Shelly are going to see everyone anyway, so it saves us having to walk around and tell everyone,” Emma laughed.
“But everyone’s still like, congratulated us as soon as they saw us later that day. So, it was still a nice way to tell them,” Ben added.
Scotty Cam and Shelley Craft telling Sonny and Alicia and Ben and Emma’s pregnancy. Image: Nine.
Did producers know that Emma and Ben were pregnant when they started on The Block?
Emma learned she was pregnant the same morning Scotty Cam rang to tell her and Ben they’d made it onto The Block.
“I had a feeling I was pregnant, and we did the test literally the same morning that we got the call from Scotty to tell us that we were on The Block, and I was like, ‘Oh God, then what are we gonna do? Like, should we just go with the flow?’ And we did. We were just like, well, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. So we literally just went with the flow. It was very exciting. It was a big day,” Emma said.
The married couple said that they never second-guessed their choice to go on the show after finding out Emma was pregnant.
“It was never not an option to go on The Block. We were really early in the pregnancy, but I thought, like, I’ll just listen to my body, and if I wasn’t on The Block, I would still be running around teaching all my pole dancing, like, renovating at home anyway. So I just thought, as long as I listen to my body, and everything will be fine,” she added.
It’s extremely common for couples to keep a pregnancy to themselves until the twelve-week mark passes, as that’s when the chance of complications drops significantly. Emma and Ben chose to keep their baby news to themselves and only told the crew about the baby when they were midway through the season.
“We waited till the 12-week mark, and we just thought — because there’s a slight chance that it doesn’t work out — let’s not get ahead of ourselves and wait until that 12-week mark. The moment you saw on the TV was us genuinely finding out [the gender].”
A huge congratulations to Ben and Emma and their incoming bundle of joy!
The Block 2025 airs on Sundays at 7:30pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
The Block 2025 ‘villains’ Han and Can are in hot water… again. The controversial couple recently fired their builder, Ben, who wasn’t pleased with the way he was treated. When Han secretly removed her microphone during all the drama, suspicions were raised.
However, viewers have called out Han and Can for “disrespectful” behaviour when dealing with Ben, by refusing to call him a builder, and telling producers to call him a “chippy” instead.
“How disrespectful for Han to correct the producer several times saying he’s not a builder, he’s a chippy. They didn’t mind using him to do all that beautiful work, the builder is better off with[out] Han and Can. They have no respect whatsoever,” one angry fan wrote.
“And when they said it to Scott [Cam] at dinner and he cleared his throat, I believe in disgust at the comment, it went straight over their heads,” another added.
“I felt really bad for Ben saying he loved the opportunity and wished he was in another house,” a third chimed in.
“She’s just a nasty person down to her core! Throwing Ben under the bus big time. Now the new builder has to fix what was her fuckup because she didn’t forward on the information she was emailed,” another pointed out.
Han tells Chattr she had to act as the builder due to having Ben, the chippy, on site.
“It was very stressful. What viewers may not realise is that Ben wasn’t a builder, he was a chippy even though they are calling him a ‘builder’ for the purpose of the show. Before we went on the show, production told us that we ‘don’t need a builder, you just need a good chippy’,” Han claims.
Can and Han defend their decision at the Winners Dinner. Image: Nine
“I ended up being the builder and stepping into the role of managing the build, trades, making calls, placing orders, and making countless daily decisions. Our team was just Ben, myself, Can, two plasterers from Ballarat Plaster Specialists, and one tiler in the first bathroom week, so we were running lean compared to other teams.”
What’s the difference between a builder and a chippy?
The word “chippy” is slang for a carpenter in Australia, and there is a difference between a carpenter and a builder.
A carpenter, or chippy, is a skilled tradesperson who work alongside builders, architects and other tradies to get the job done. Their speciality lies in wooden carpentry — such as walls, floors, skirting boards and more.
A builder manages the project, ensures construction is going according to plan, helps coordinate tradies, and ensures everything meets regulations. In Australia, a builder needs to get a special building license or registration (depending on the territory or state).
Han and Can have had their fair share of drama recently. Image: Nine
Who is Han and Can’s new builder?
Han and Can have hired new local builder, Shan, and the reason isn’t so their names can all rhyme. According to the couple, Shan is cheaper and comes with a bigger crew.
“The girls have said they will stick with Shan’s crew because they’ve got three and I have only got one, and I am too expensive and their budget has been blown out too many times,” former builder Ben told Foreman Dan.
“I might have to go and see if House 1 (Ben and Emma) need another chippy.”
Regardless of all this drama, we can now officially call House 2 Han, Can and Shan. Maybe they can hire a plasterer called Anne?
The Block 2025 airs on Sundays at 7:30pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
Parvati, who’s played four seasons of Survivor US, gushed about Jonathan as a host in an interview with Chattr.
“It was fun to play with because the host is part of the game. They influence the game. They become part of the game. He was fun to banter with on challenges, and he held my torch when I needed his help. He was very supportive,” she laughed, referring to a moment where she asked the host to host her fire torch as she retrieved an Immunity Idol at the end of one of the Tribal Councils.
“I really appreciated that he gave us contestants, space at Tribal Council to run it like he wasn’t trying to control tribal or make it about him in any way. He really just offered us the platform, asked us questions, and then let us run with it, and that was so nice. It really felt like I was running Tribal Council a lot, and I loved that, because I was like, This is my game. And that was fun for me. So I wish him all the best,” she added.
Australian Survivor All Stars winner David is stepping up to the hosting role starting with the 2026 season. He and Parvati built a close relationship when they competed onDeal or No Deal Island Season 2 together, but he was eliminated before the Survivor: Australia v The World merge, and they weren’t able to play together.
David, Parvati and Dickson on Deal or No Deal Island. Image: Ten.
Reflecting on David’s new gig, Parvati said she thinks he will do a great job as host.
“I think he’s had a really incredible run, and I’m excited to see David take the torch, because we’ve never seen a contestant post Survivor, and the experience of playing Survivor is very unique and specific, and if you’ve never done it, you don’t know what it’s like. So I think David, with his experience having played the game, is really in a good position to step into that role and make it something beyond anything we’ve ever seen before.”
When will David Genat take over as host of Australian Survivor?
While rumours about David taking over from Jonthan started surfacing in June, it was officially confirmed on August 18, when he confirmed it in a joint post with the official Survivor Instagram account — shared just after his elimination from Survivor: Australia v The World.
“I have so much respect for Australian Survivor. This game has changed my life. I love the players, I love the community of fans, and I love the crew who make it happen. As the new host of Australian Survivor, I won’t let you down,” his post read.
David shared a follow-up post, which confirmed that he’s already begun filming Australian Survivor 2026: Redemption.
“We are on!!! Australian Survivor REDEMPTION is underway!! It’s gonna be a banger!!! Big love to you all from Samoa,” he captioned the clip
While there isn’t much official information about the upcoming season, it’s speculated that there will be four returning players, Simon Mee, Brooke Jowett, Harry Hills and Mark Warnock, who will be team captains championing some new faces.
However, the two-time Survivor winner tells Chattr there was one hidden detail from Final Tribal Council that fans wouldn’t have noticed.
“I was so nervous, I was trembling,” Parvati recalls, talking about her Final Tribal Council speech. “It’s the scariest thing, I am like, terrified of doing speeches, because I always feel like I’m gonna forget what I want to say.”
The Survivor: Australia v The World player knew she could hold her own when being interrogated by the Jury, but public speaking isn’t her forte.
“I was like, alright, I’m good once I get my speech done, I’m smooth sailing. But oh my god, I was so nervous about that Final Tribal Speech,” she explains. “It was so scary. The hardest part for me.”
Prior to the Final Tribal Council, Parvati actually spent all day practising what she was going to say to the Jury.
“I took it so seriously, because I knew Luke [Toki] and Janine [Allis] were taking it really seriously,” Parvati says.
“Janine is a freaking professional keynote speaker, and Luke has such a way with the Jury. I thought, if I don’t come in really prepared, I could lose this in the final.”
Parvati after winning Survivor: Australia v The World. Image: 10
Was Parvati surprised by any of the Jury votes?
During the Final Tribal Council, Parvati was interrogated by Kirby Bentley and Tommi Mannisen, with Tommi repeatedly asking Parvati why she didn’t want to work with him.
So, she was surprised that he still voted for her to win over Luke and Janine.
“I honestly was shocked that I got Tommi’s vote. I thought he was mad at me for not playing with him,” Parvati spills. “I was like, oh, he’s gonna vote for Luke, and it’s probably gonna be a boys club. Usually the boys don’t vote for me.”
She adds she was “pleasantly surprised and delighted” by Tommi’s vote, which helped her win six out of seven Jury votes.
Considering this was Parvati’s final time playing Survivor, she sure went out on top. She’s a true Survivor queen.
You can stream Survivor: Australia v The World on Channel 10 and 10Play.
Parvati Shallow made history during Survivor: Australia v World, by becoming the third player to win twice. She’s a fan-favourite and known to many as the best Survivor player of all time — but there’s been some discourse online about whether Tony Vlachos, Sandra Diaz-Twine or Parvati deserve the ultimate crown.
Parvati tells Chattr she’s clearly the greatest two-time winner of all time, and her reasoning is sound.
“My legacy is inarguable, like I am the only person who’s been to the Final Tribal Council three times and won twice. How do you argue with that?” she asks.
Some people rank Tony or Sandra above her because she won one US season of Survivor and one season of Australian Survivor, rather than two US seasons. So, does it still count as winning twice?
“That’s actually crazy, of course it counts,” Parvati says, when hearing what fans have been debating online. “Australian Survivor is so hardcore, it’s actually what US Survivor used to be in its glory days.
“Australian Survivor is, as far as I’m concerned, the gold standard of Survivor, and we had an international cast of the bigger players Survivor has ever seen from any country in the history of Survivor. So that’s just silly, in my opinion.”
Cirie and Parvati. Image: Ten
Where do Parvati and Tony stand now?
Parvati and Tony are not only butting heads when it comes to declaring who is the best two-time Survivor winner of all time, but the pair also got a bit feisty on Survivor: Australia v The World.
After Tony was voted out, he shared a screenshot of Parvati voting him out and added his two cents, and Parvati commented on it, saying, “Did you even watch the episode?”
However, Parvati tells Chattr she doesn’t have any “bad blood” with Tony. “I don’t care. Tony is like a wild man. He’s crazy, so I have no bad blood with Tony,” she says.
“I don’t think he has any with me either. He’s moved on with his life, I’m sure.”
Whether you agree with Parvati or not, there’s no doubt her win on Survivor: Australia v The World has further cemented her already incredible Survivor legacy. If only she was coming back for Survivor 50!
You can stream Survivor: Australia v The World on Channel 10 and 10Play.
As David Genat put it, Survivor: Australia v The World is the Olympics of Survivor, and some of the world’s best players competed for the title.
Among them were previous winners Parvati Shallow, Tony Vlachos, David, Rob Bentele and Lisa Stanger. They were joined by other big names like Shonee Bowtell, who’s played the most days of Australian Survivor, and George Mladenov, who legitimately believes he’s the best player ever.
But with a cast this impressive, there was nowhere to hide, and big names were getting booted from the competition early on.
Unlike typical seasons of Australian Survivor — which are filmed over around 47 days — Australia v The World was a hard and fast version, and the entire instalment was shot in just 16 days and played out over 10 episodes.
Here’s everyone who’s left Survivor: Australia v The World.
Luke Toki
Luke reached his personal best on Australian Survivor by making it to the final three. After pitching his case to the jury, he only recieved one vote, which was from Sarah, with the rest of the jury voting for Parvati, who was crown the winner of Survivor: Australia v The World.
Janine Allis
Janine made it to the final three alongside Luke and Parvati and pitched her case to the jury. However, she received zero votes for the win.
Cirie Fields
Cirie’s fifth Survivor stint came to an end during the Survivor: Australia v The World finale during a fire challenge.
Because the final four vote was deadlocked at two for Cirie and two for Luke, the pair faced off in a fire-making challenge, where the first to burn through a piece of string would stay in the game and the loser would be sent home. After a close battle, it was Luke who broke the string, and Cirie was eliminated.
Shonee Bowtell
Shonee Bowtell on Survivor: Australia v The World. Image: Ten.
Australian Survivor‘s queen Shonee was sent home during the second last episode of Survivor: Australia v The World after every remaining cast member, aside from her and Cirie, had Immunity.
Luke, who won the Immunity Challenge, gave his protection to Janine, and both he and Parvati had an Idol in play. They each decided to play their own Idols for themselves, and Shonee was voted out unanimously.
She left with a new record to her name — reaching Merge more times than any other Australian Survivor player — adding to her existing title of most days played in the game.
Lisa Holmes
Lisa Holmes and Jonathan LaPaglia. Image: Ten.
Survivor: Australia v the World turned into Survivor: Australia v The US, when New ZealanderLisawas sent home during Episode 8.
Lisa’s elimination was hardly unexpected, after she volunteered to quit during Episode 7, and her strongest allies, Tommi and Kass, had their torches snuffed during the same instalment.
Lisa placed sixth, meaning the final five are Shonee, Luke, Janine, Parvati and Cirie.
Tommi Manninen
Tommi. Image: Ten.
The dramatic Tribal wasn’t over after Kassandre’s elimination. All the remaining contestants took part in an Immunity Challenge at Tribal Council, which Luke won.
At Tribal, it became clear that both Tommi and Lisa had a target on their backs, and Lisa even offered to quit the game to save Tommi. However, Jonathan said that if Lisa were to leave, she would miss out on being a part of the jury, and someone would still be eliminated that night, so she decided to stay.
Tommi received a unanimous vote against him, and he was sent to the Jury.
Kassandre Bastarache
Kassandre. Image: Ten.
After Tommi tried to get the international players to team up with the Australians and take out Parvati, the World tribe was in ruins. Parvati baited Kassandre into not playing her Idol for herself after reading out her steal-an-idol advantage, and the SurvivorQuebec castaway was eliminated from the game.
Kirby Bentley
Kirby’s elimination. Image: Ten
Kirby was blindsided at Tribal Council after her “ride-or-die” alliance with Parvati turned out to be all smoke and mirrors. After Janine went on a mission to convince the Tribe that Kirby was the biggest threat, Parvati briefly considered using her Immunity Idol to save Kirby, but ultimately decided against it.
Kirby was convinced the boot would be Lisa, while Shonee and Luke were convinced it was Cirie, but the rest of the Tribe put their votes on Kirby.
“Oh man, I went back and forth so many times,” Parvati said. “But, in the end, my decision came down to the fact that you keep blindsiding the people you get closest to. I don’t want that to be me.”
While it looked like Kirby snubbed Parvati during Tribal Council, the contestant said that wasn’t the case at all. “On the day, we step away, and we’re still human, and we still are our own selves. So yeah, I’d like to think Parv and I are mates, and I think whoever voted me off, we’re still friends, I hope we are,” she told Chattr.
Sarah Tilleke
Sarah’s elimination. Image: Ten.
Sarah was the first Merge boot after both teams were united, and her initial ride-or-die Kirby turned against her.
While Kass and Janine both received votes at Tribal, a power alliance between Kirby, Shonee, Parvati, and Cirie saw Sarah receive enough to be eliminated.
“Sarah was very risky,” Kirby told Chattr of her choice to target Sarah. “I watched her behaviour, and it sometimes contradicted what she was saying to me on the Aussie tribe on the Aussie beach.”
She added that she caught wind of Sarah mentioning her name behind her back and said, from that point, the trust was lost.
“We weren’t really mending our ride or die relationship, and I was comparing it to Ri [Bowley] on my season. Ri just never did that. Ri could talk to whoever she wanted, and I never questioned her.”
Tony Vlachos
Tony getting his torch snuffed by Jonathan LaPaglia. Image: Ten.
Tony was backed into a corner during Episode 4 of Survivor: Australia v The World when the all women’s alliance of Parvati, Kassandre, Cirie and Lisa decided it was either him or Tommi being sent home.
Cirie and Parvati wanted to keep Tony, while Kassandre and Lisa fought for Tommi. However, Tony dug his own Survivor grave when he turned on Parvati during Tribal Council. He bluffed that he knew she had the key to a secret, powerful box (which she holds with her other alliance members), and she turned against him.
After his Hail Mary, it was a unanimous vote against Tony, and the two-time winner was eliminated from the game.
George Mladenov
George on Survivor. Image: Ten.
Shonee finally got her revenge on George after he flipped on her and voted her out during Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains. After an early target was placed on her back by Sarah, Shonee managed to flip the vote, and with hers, Sarah and Kirby’s votes, George was sent packing.
David Genat
David Genat on Survivor: Australia v The World. Image: Ten.
The first Australian scramble was chaos. The target was initially fixed firmly on David, with Kirby, George, Shonee and Sarah agreeing to vote for him. However, George ran to David to tell him about the plan and blamed Kirby.
David then switched the target back around to George and it seemed as though everyone was on board. But, Kirby changed it to David again during Tribal Council.
The first vote was a tie between David and George, but David’s fate was sealed during the revote and he was eliminated from Survivor: Australia v The World.
Rob Bentele
Rob on Australian Survivor. Image: Ten.
Rob Bentele entered Survivor: Australia v The World confident, in his first producer-led interview, he said that he was going to give the Australian Survivor players a “long overdue devil of a thrashing”.
Unfortunately for Rob, he never got the chance as he fell prey to Parvati — otherwise known as the Black Widow — who turned the World tribe on him after he tried to target her.
But, before Rob was voted out in an unanimous blindside, he managed to smear Parvati’s name, by revealing that she recently played Deal or No Deal Island with David, and pointed out that the two will work together if they make it post-merge.
In his post-elimination interview, Rob said he understood why he was targeted.
“[I was] a massive threat in the game, I was the only thing standing between them and the Australians, and now they will be sliced apart,” he said. “I truly thought they had brains in them to realise the only way to beat the Australians is to work together as a team.”
Survivor: Australia v The World airs at 7pm on Sundays, and 7:30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays on Channel 10 and 10Play.
Not too long ago, Tropfestwas the beating heart of Aussie film culture, where thousands sprawled out on picnic blankets across Sydney’s parks to witness the launch of future screen legends.
And now, after six long years, Tropfest is back. Bigger, bolder, and set to transform Centennial Park on Sunday, 22 February 2026, into a storytelling playground once again.
At the official media launch at Centennial Park, the buzz was real. Tropfest founder John Polson, announced the exciting news with support from NSW Premier Chris Minns, Monique Macleod CommBank, YouTube, Managing Director and VP of Google Australia and New Zealand, Melanie Silva and film royalty George Miller, Bruna Papandrea, Bryan Brown, Robert Connolly and Nash Edgerton in attendance.
Tropfest 2026 is stacked with serious partner backing: Presenting Partner CommBank, Powered-by Partner YouTube, Official Airline Partner, Qantas, Media Supporting Partner Nine Entertainment and Official Venue Partner Greater Sydney Parklands with major backing from NSW Government.
“It’s been my dream for six long years to bring Tropfest back … We’re finally home,” said John Polson. “Our number one goal is to get Australia’s most talented, emerging filmmakers a level playing field … we can’t wait to see how they run with this year’s Signature Item: ‘Hourglass.’”
Chris Minns enthusiastically shared, “Sydney needs Tropfest. In 100 years, people won’t be reading our speeches — they’ll be watching the art, the films, the stories that capture who we are.”
And in a goosebump moment, none other than Martin Scorsese appeared in a surprise video endorsing the festival and encouraging aspiring filmmakers: “Go make it, creators. Your story belongs here.”
Aspiring filmmakers will be in the running to win a host of prizes, including a special Google tech bundle, and newly established CommBank-Tropfest Emerging Filmmakers Fund offering a jaw-dropping $100,000 in prize money:
For the first time ever, Tropfest will livestream globally via YouTube, with finalists screened in-person at Centennial Park and streamed to millions around the world.
Kicking off September 5, the “Trop ‘til You Drop” YouTube Marathon will stream 24/7 for two full weeks — showcasing decades of iconic Tropfest films, including many hidden gems from the vault.
YouTube will also launch the Creator Collective x Tropfest, offering free workshops for emerging filmmakers starting October.
From a TV in a Café to the World’s Largest Short Film Festival
John Polson shared with me that Tropfest started by accident. “I made a short film and couldn’t afford the thousand dollars to hire a cinema, so I asked the owner of Tropicana Café if I could put a TV in the corner. I thought maybe 20 people would come … 200 showed up. So I jumped on a chair and declared we were going to make a festival.”
Since those humble beginnings, Tropfest quickly grew to become the largest platform for short films in the world. Previously, audiences of around 100,000 have been recorded at the live events where 16 finalist films are screened to the public, making Tropfest one of the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest cultural icons. With broadcast and online audiences including the official Tropfest YouTube channel, this number has now swelled to millions across the globe.
Tropfest created a legacy that helped launch leading actors and directors working in Australia and internationally. The long list that John Polson is proud of includes Bruna Papandrea, Sam Worthington, Rebel Wilson, Robert Connolly, Joel and Nash Edgerton, Murray Bartlett, David Wenham, Emma Freeman, Alethea Jones, Genevieve Clay-Smith, Damon Gameau, Patrick Hughes, Abe Forsythe, Gregor Jordan, Adam Zwar, Jason Gann, Justin Kurzel, Mia Wasikowska, Xavier Samuel, Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer.
The support and involvement of film personalities has been a major drawcard of the festival since the beginning, with Australian and international celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Samuel L. Jackson, Baz Luhrmann, Keanu Reeves, George Miller AO, Ewan McGregor, Rose Byrne, Naomi Watts, Sam Neill and dozens more judging and supporting past Tropfests. The judging line-up for 2026 will be revealed soon.
Bryan Brown, John Polson, Monique Mcleod, John Polson, Peter V’landys and George Miller. Image: Supplied.
The Legends Share Their Connection to Tropfest
George Miller: “Way back I met John [Polson] because our offices used to be at Darlinghurst and everybody hung out at Tropicana Café. He asked me to go to the second one and I got hooked on the whole idea of making short films. It’s just great sitting in that audience … as the films come up you don’t know what you’re going to see. still remember Rust Bucket the short film that kicked off Robert Connolly’s career.
Brian Brown: “I was there at the first one back in Tropicana Café and at least three-quarters of them at different times since then. I did love the time that we sat in Victoria Street with a sheet up showing the films.” Brian has played a big part in helping John Polsonrelaunch Tropfest with fellow board members Peter V’lands and Sarah Murdoch.
Bruna Papandrea: “John Polson’s an old friend of mine. We’ve known each other since we were 17. I had a film in the second Tropfest that I co-directed and I’ve been a judge and supporter over the years and a lifelong fan. I feel very connected to it, and I’m very excited it’s back.”
Nash Edgerton: “Both Rob [Connoly] and I had films at Tropfest in 1997. We just made stuff with friends. It was the first time I’d ever been to the festival, and I pretty much went every year after that whenever I was in town.” Nash’s film Deadline won the Tropfest first prize in 1997, and his film Lucky won second prize in 2005.
Robert Connolly: “In 1997 at the beginning of our careers Nash [Edgerton] won, I came second. I hadn’t made any feature films … We couldn’t fund the film I was trying to get up so one weekend we said we should make something, and we made the short film.
Rob Carlton: Robert Connolly and Nash Edgerton pointed out Rob’s Carmichael and Shane which won Tropfest 2006 was a standout favourite for them. Rob featured his own twins in the film. ‘Well that is the most outstanding thing to hear from these two guys whom I know and admire so much”.
Beyond the Screening: Scholarships and Year-Round Impact
Tropfest is no longer just a night, it’s a year-round movement. Through the newly established Tropfest Foundation, led by Sarah Murdoch, Bryan Brown, Peter V’landys, Richard Weinberg, and John Polson, the festival will offer:
Workshops & masterclasses covering writing, production, AI and more
Runways – a 12-month scholarship for finalists
Tropfest Junior – returning in 2026 for under-15s
From a TV in a café to a global live stream backed by tech giants and Aussie icons — Tropfest has always been about one thing: Telling your story.
Tropfest 2026 isn’t just a comeback … it’s a revival of community, creativity, and cultural momentum.
Love Island Games is back for Season 2, and just like last time, a few familiar Aussies are tipped to join the fun.
Season 1 featured Aussies Callum and Jessica as OGs, with on-again-off-again winners Mitch and Tina stirring things up later in the season.
Now, with rumours swirling about the new line-up, it looks just as chaotic — with Mimi and Dylan among those speculated to be heading into the villa.
While nothing has been officially confirmed, Reddit sleuths are already spilling tea about who we can expect in Love Island Games Season 2.
Read on to see the rumoured Love Island Games Season 2 cast.
Love Island Australia
Love Island Australia is bringing the mess to Love Island Games. Mimiand Dylanwere coupled up in the Season 6 villa but decided to go their separate ways. Dylan went on to date one of Mimi’s besties for the rest of the season, but they rekindled their love post-show, which ended in another messy breakup.
Meanwhile, Em won the same season with reality TV regular Mercedes, but the pair split almost immediately after the finale was filmed.
Love Island France will again be part of Love Island Games. In season 1 we had Steph, who also appeared on Love Island Australia, this time Cindy and Edgar will be taking their shot at the games.
There are more than a few recognisable faces among the rumoured Love Island US line-up. Fresh from the most recent season are, apparently, Andreina, Chris and Bella-A.
