Survivor New Zealand winner Lisa Holmes (nee Stanger) has provided plenty of entertainment on Survivor: Australia v The World. From trying to quit the show so Tommi Manninen could win for the international contingent, to getting emotional over Cirie Fields (she’s a superfan, didn’t you hear?) and finally letting her claws come out during a last-minute scramble, she certainly baffled fans with her odd strategy.
We finally have some inside intel about why she approached Survivor: Australia v The World in such a messy way, and it comes down to her win on Survivor New Zealand.
“I know Lisa a little in real life, being from her hometown. When she went on Survivor [New Zealand], she didn’t come in thinking she could win, but more for the experience… then she got to a point after merge where she realised that she could win against 99 per cent of people. Most of which were new to Survivor, weren’t strategic etc. Her only barrier was her closest ally. She blindsided her ally, without remorse, and went on to win,” the source spilled on Reddit.
“The problem was after her win she got a fair amount of hate from the casual NZ audience who are not Survivor literate, and just saw a nerdy weirdo snake win against people they believed were more physical or fan favourites.”
The insider went on to say they believe Lisa’s Survivor: Australia v The World gameplay was “shaped” by her past experience, and wanted to prove that she could be a loyal player.
“She came back wanting to redeem herself and for the experience of playing with big players. I think the second she saw Cirie on that beach… she realised she just wanted Cirie to win as a fan, her winning twice was less important than Cirie getting her deserved first win,” they added.
“We saw glimpses [in her boot episode] of how she could turn it on and be ruthless if she wanted to be. But I think her reactions to be called sketch really highlighted [that] her intentions [were] pure.”
Another Reddit user claiming to work with Lisa in New Zealand also jumped in and said she’s a “lovely” person.
Lisa’s wild pre-game Survivor: Australia v The World strategy
While it seemed like Lisa went into Survivor: Australia v The World relatively clueless and without much strategic prowess, in reality, she spent the months prior to landing in Samoa trying to lower her threat level.
A YouTube video titled “How Survivor New Zealand Was Almost RUINED (Before It Even Began)”, aimed at tearing down Lisa’s gameplay, was uploaded on September 11, 2024.
The YouTuber, Henry Hickman, has since revealed that Lisa asked him to create this video before she went on the show.
“This is a video Lisa requested I make in order to lower her threat level going into Survivor: Australia v The World. What an insane and wild life I live,” he wrote. “She is playing on levels other players can’t even conceive. She is mildly lucky to be friends with a random small-time Survivor YouTuber to put her plan into action.”
If only we were able to see more of this strategy play out on screen, but Lisa sure made this season extremely entertaining.
Survivor: Australia v The World airs at 7pm on Sundays, and 7:30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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