Castaway Jonathan Young, known for his twin appearances on “Survivor 42” and, more recently, “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans,” has been making headlines in recent weeks following his devastating second-place finish in the latter milestone season.
After coming up just short of the win – and a $2 million payday – in the Season 50 finale last month, Young faced backlash after claiming that jury members like Cirie Fields intentionally turned the tides against him by campaigning for the installment’s eventual winner, Aubry Bracco.
While the two-time castaway has been licking his wounds since the finale, it now seems that he’s not quite done with his “Survivor” journey just yet, revealing in a new interview with Pedestrian TV that he’d love to compete on the more “brutal” and “physical” Australian version of the franchise.
Jonathan Young Says He’s ‘Not Impressed’ By the U.S. Players on ‘Australian Survivor’
CBS“Australian Survivor,” which debuted in 2002 – just two years after the U.S. flagship series – has been set apart from its predecessor by its grueling, highly physical, and endurance-based challenges.
The series also features a number of other differences from the original, including – typically – a longer game, up to 55 days in some cases, larger casts, featuring as many as 24 contestants, and frequent non-elimination episodes, often resolved by production-heavy twists.
While castaways from the American franchise have been invited to compete on the Australian version in the past, the list remains, at present, quite small, with just five former players – Russell Hantz, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Tony Vlachos, Cirie Fields and Parvati Shallow – joining the elite club.
That list stands to grow by at least one as “challenge beast” Jonathan Young expressed his interest in joining the challenge-focused series, though he told Pedestrian TV that he’s still waiting on an offer to compete.
“I just think that they haven’t asked me yet ‘cause they’re scared,” he told the publication in a May 22 video interview (seen above). “I think Australians might be a little scared. ‘Cause I see who they’re asking from the U.S., and I’m not impressed!”
While Young insisted that he was “kidding” about whether or not he was impressed by the list of players – three of whom are former winners of the U.S. series – he added: “They’re great, but I haven’t seen a whole lot of physical forces going over to Australia.”
Parvati Shallow Claps Back at Co-Stars Questioning Her ‘Australian Survivor’ Victory
Young’s comments come less than a year after “Survivor: Australia vs. the World” welcomed series legends Tony Vlachos, Cirie Fields and Parvati Shallow to face-off head-to-head with powerhouse castaways from international iterations of the series from all over the world.
In the end, “Survivor: Micronesia” champion Parvati Shallow emerged victorious from the showdown, earning her second “Sole Survivor” title and unofficially joining both Vlachos and Diaz-Twine in the elite two-time winners club.
That being said, former U.S. castaways like Jeremy Collins, called into question whether or not Shallow really earned the honor, specifically citing the fact that “Australia vs. the World” was a 16-day game, significantly shorter than the Down Under standard (55 days), the original U.S. length (39 days), and the updated “New Era” length (26 days).
Shallow, for her part, seemed unphased by Collins’ comments, receiving widespread support from former castaways and reality TV fans alike, including Las Culturistas Culture Awards hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.
‘Australian Survivor’ Reportedly Facing Cancellation on Home Network
While Young’s physical presence is certainly well-suited to succeed on “Australian Survivor,” rumors suggest that he may never get the chance to compete on the series, with reports suggesting that the franchise could be getting axed from its current home at Australia’s Network 10.
GettyNews of the show’s potential cancellation comes less than a year after longtime (and beloved) host Jonathan LaPaglia was fired from the production and replaced with former series champion David Genat – who famously won $5.2 million on “Deal or No Deal Island” in 2025.
NBCGenat’s first season as host, “Australian Survivor: Redemption,” aired earlier this year, pulling in significantly lower viewership numbers than LaPaglia’s final season – “Australia vs. the World” – on which Genat himself was a contestant.
A second Genat-hosted season was originally scheduled for filming immediately following the first, though it was eventually cut from the line-up by Network 10. Instead, a follow-up installment is now set to begin filming later this summer, though rumors suggest that it could be the franchise’s final season, at least at its current home.
