After 26 episodes, Australian Survivor season 2 has officially revealed it’s winner, and with that, one of the most enjoyable seasons I’ve watched in quite a while has unfortunately come to an end. A big congratulation to not only Jericho, for being named the Sole Survivor, but to everyone else involved in creating a really fun season.

Now that this season has ended, it’s time to reflect. I’ll go over the final 3, the first boot, and everyone else in between (forgive me if my memory doesn’t serve me well on some of the earlier boots).

The Cast

First of all, they nailed the casting of this season. There was a real good mix of characters and game players. It seemed that each came out to really play this year, and it resulted in a fantastic season overall. Seeing as some got skipped over at the reunion, I’m going to run through each 24 members of the cast (… I’m just going to apologise in advance, just in case). Here we go.

I liked Joan, and I always feel bad for the first boot of any season. She unfortunately failed in the first challenge, and when you put yourself to in that kind of hero role, you really don’t want to lose, especially before the first tribal. I also remember her mentioning having a full night of sleep(?), and really, how dare she.

23rd Place – Adam Parkin

His boot episode was very entertaining, but… he ended up being a bit of a hot mess. Adam started off strong, he was in the majority, but then he found the idol clue and it all went to shit. Tara refusing to help him find the idol was funny, because of course shelter is the priority, and unfortunately, he just lost everyone’s trust.

22nd Place – Kate Temby

I really don’t remember all that much about Kate. I know she was there, I vaguely remember her having a confessional or two, and she was on the outs with Tarzan and Tessa… but that’s about it. The night she went home, which she still didn’t get all that much of a focus, it was split between her and Tessa… so I guess I’m glad she went, because I really grew to like Tessa. Sorry Kate.

21st Place – Mark ‘Tarzan’ Herlaar

Tarzan became a real fan favourite in this game. I remember the night he went home, the fans on Twitter and Facebook were absolutely devastated. He really was a great casting choice, and was a lot of fun to watch, and it’s just unfortunate that he didn’t last all that long. He did find the idol, and his plan to save Tessa with it was really solid… until he told AK… which got Locky suspicious, causing the plan to fall apart, and Locky took him out. That said, he was a great addition to this cast.

20th Place – Aimee Stanton

Besides Kate, Aimee is the only other member of this cast that I don’t really have that many vivid memories of. She’s a gorgeous girl, and I remember really liking her, and wanting her to do well in the early days, but… I’m just not overly sure why. I do know that she was tight with Locky, but seeing as the tribe needed strength at that point, she was instead targeted, and her being blindsided led to the AK 5 taking control of their tribe. I also still can’t believe she got up after that fall so quickly, but, that said, she did have one of the highlights of the reunion.

19th Place – Samantha Gas

I really didn’t like Sam all that much, and I remember watching the first episode thinking that her strong personality would most likely get her in trouble. Her thing with Mark was nice, and her eventual blindside was fun to watch, even if it took way too long to actually get there (Henry just couldn’t throw a challenge properly). Overall, she was a good addition to the cast, and I think it would have been interesting to see what she would do if she got further, but, I do think we saw just enough of her.

18th Place – Mark Wales

I pretty much have the same thoughts on Mark, that I have of Sam, he just didn’t have as big of a personality as she did. Again, their love connection was nice, but, as soon as Henry and Jacqui threw the first challenge to get rid of Sam, you knew he would most likely be next. Being a former Special Ops Commander, he was always going to be an asset in the challenges, and him hiding his past, while smart on paper, probably did more damage to his game than it did good. Him wanting revenge in the episode after Sam left was fun, but, I wasn’t surprised that Henry chose to take him out as well.

17th Place – Jacqui Patterson

In those early days, I thought that Henry and Jacqui were going to be the Australian version of Malcolm and Denise… only a little evil. They found the idol together, and really controlled those early votes. While I never think throwing a challenge is smart, they did manage to take out Sam and Mark, seemingly putting them in a good position. Unfortunately for Jacqui, Henry decided to switch tribes for some reason, which just completely messed with her game, especially considering Luke already had the thought of getting rid of her. She made that Monopoly reference at one of the Tribals, which was fantastic, and she was a big part of those early episodes, so it was a little sad to see her go.

16th Place – Kent Nelson

The founder of the ‘dickhead strategy’, which is still absolute gold. I really wanted Kent to go home the first episode, but, now, I’m really glad he stuck around. He was a really good narrator in his confessionals, and while he didn’t have the best grasp of the game, he did provide some great moments in the episodes he was in. The situation at the reward, with Henry, when they found the ‘idol clue’ which turned out to be just scissors was just hilarious. In the end though, he lost his main alliance in Jacqui, he really just refused to scramble, and it cost him in the end.

15th Place – Aaron ‘A.K.’ Knight

A.K. will join Phoebe as a great player, with a hell of a lot of potential going forward, that was screwed over by a twist. Tara not leaving when she got ‘voted out’ wasn’t great for his game, and the tribe swap was just icing on the cake. That said, I very much disliked him in the first episode, and I thought he played way too fast, way too soon, but he grew on me as the season went on. He showed his strategic skills in a number of occasions, and once he gained control, he became a lot more chill. Each of his voting confessionals were a highlight of the early episodes. If there ever is an all-star season, he would be a lock.

14th Place – Ben Morgan

I felt terrible for Ben, all throughout his time on the show. He just got no airtime. For something like 7 episodes straight, he got 0 confessionals. But, I found him to be a really interesting character. He, like myself, was only 20 years old, and it was especially apparent when he got up to vote in the first Tribal Council, and he said that he was living a childhood dream, that he had been wanting to play this game for a long time. I just wish we had seen more of him. However, once Michelle identified that he was the weakest link once the tribes had swapped, he just had no chance. She ran complete circles around him at tribal, and seeing as it seems he isn’t the most articulated speaker, he just couldn’t defend himself.

13th Place – Odette Blacklock

Speaking of people who got not airtime, Odette was just as invisible as Ben was… and in my opinion, far less memorable. I did however see a lot of people online saying she was going to win, which just confused the hell out of me. She really didn’t contribute all that much to the season, and I wasn’t that big of a fan. She did try to play both sides, and it eventually did cost her, when one of my favourite alliances of the game, Sarah, Luke and Jericho, put their issues aside to take her out. Seeing as it was between her or Sarah that night… I’m very glad Sarah stuck around.

12th Place – Jarrad Seng

Rounding off our trio of nearly invisible contestants, Jarrad spent 8 episodes without a single confessional, and out of the 3, he is the one who definitely deserved far more airtime. I feel a little bad, but when Jericho was discussing who to take off the jury, and they mentioned Jarrad… I completely blanked on who they were talking about. That said, whenever we did hear from him, I liked what he had to say, and had that first vote of the merge gone differently, I could have seen him going very deep into the game. I’m glad he at least got on the jury, with the whole underline saga being a fantastic little story arc for himself and Jericho. On a sidenote, he did beat out Ben for having the best hair of the season, and at least that is something.

11th Place – Anneliese Wilson

There were 3 people in this game that I was truly devastated when they left. Anneliese is one of them. Heading into the merge, I was really hoping that she would go far, and I really thought she would. She had that strong stretch of episodes after she was ‘voted out’, where she found the idol (in spectacular fashion after the challenge), and seemed to form a strong bond with Sarah (which… was it ever explained why that didn’t work out?). I really thought things were going well for her… until jam gate happened, and Ziggy used her super idol against her.

Anneliese had some of the best reactions all season, so at least she made the jury to show them off. In the end though, it funny to think that she was really the only person in this game to actually use an idol correctly, and it’s such a shame that she still went home anyway. A really great addition to the season, even if I can’t explain why I liked her so much.

10th Place – Henry Nicholson

Henry brought a lot to this season, and while I don’t think he was as strategically brilliant as he thought he was, I do believe he was a great character, and a really interesting villain for the duration of the season. While I constantly went back and forth as to whether I actually liked Henry, there is no denying that he was one of the most notable, and talked about member of this cast.

In terms of his gameplay, I never really understood why he thought lying to be a yoga teacher was a clever idea, nor do I think it helped him in any way. He also often mentioned all the big moves he made… but I would struggle to name you more than one. That said, he did have control for periods throughout the game, especially when he was a pair with Jacqui in the early days, and there is no denying that the rise and fall of Henry was a great story arc. I do feel bad for him though, going home with an idol must be an awful feeling, and while people give Ziggy slack for using her idol too early… I’d prefer to use it and not need it, rather than go home with it.

9th Place – Tessa O’Halloran

I grew to really enjoy Tessa in this game, and was truly saddened when she got voted out. But, I thought, hey, at least she is on the jury… and then the jury twist happened and I was left devastated once again. I hate the twist, and I hate even more that a superfan like her didn’t get a chance to be at the final Tribal Council.

While Tessa didn’t play a perfect game, and there were times (especially her handling of Michelle after the merge) where she didn’t make the best decisions, there is no doubting that Tessa was a great addition to this season, and for the most part, was quite strategically competent. On top of that, I think she is one of those players who really thrive when she is at the bottom, playing the scrappy underdog.

Her relationship with Tarzan was great, and the fact that she was able to survive those early days is a credit to her gameplay (and maybe a bit of luck). It’s a shame, because we didn’t see all that much of her after the first few episodes, and it was only when the merge hit where she began to get the airtime she deserved. Forming the champagne alliance (still hate the name) was a good move, even if it only lasted 1 vote, but unfortunately for her, Luke saw her as too much of a threat, and in the strangest vote out I’ve seen in a while, it took a 3-2-2-2 vote to take her out.

8th Place – Sarah Tilleke

Sarah was my absolute favourite in this game, right from the start, and I truly thought she was going to win this game (which of course meant it didn’t happen, my track record of picking a winner is shockingly bad)… so you can imagine that I was pretty devastated when she got voted out. I was also shocked when I read she was only 22… she was only 2 years older than Ben.

Strategically, she was up there as one of the best throughout the season, with possibly voting Tessa out when she did (or just not including Michelle) being the one bad move she notably made. Sarah, all throughout the game, knew when to switch sides, and it worked well for her, especially in the pre-merge portion of the game. The alliance she had with Luke and Jericho was great, even if it didn’t last all that long, and do wish the 3 of them could have gone far together.

Like Anneliese, I struggle to write why I enjoyed watching Sarah’s game so much, there was just elements of it that were fun to watch. Her vote for Tara at the end was… interesting, and I would love to hear why, but besides that, I really couldn’t write anything negative about her. Also, her acting skills, after the auction, to keep Henry convinced he was safe, really deserved some sort of award. A great player, who, in a second chance, could win this game.

7th Place – Luke Toki

I had such a love/hate relationship with Luke, but there is absolutely no denying he was the standout character from this season. Every confessional he made, every scene he was in, he just proved how much of a unique Survivor contestant he was. I’ll confess, some of his confessionals did irritate me slightly, but I did grow to not only appreciate them, but really miss them when he was voted out.

For someone admitted had only watched 3 YouTube clips before he left for Samoa, strategically, Luke was a quite a solid player. He made the moves to get out Jacqui early on, and played a big role in several other vote outs. He also brought the spy shack to Samoa, and it actually came quite in handy for him. The problem for Luke, was that he was just way too big of a threat to win the game. Only he could get away with sharing every item at the auction, and face no consequences. I don’t think anybody would have beaten him, and nobody (probably not even Jericho) was going to take the chance. Easily the most popular member of this cast, and, there is no doubting why.

6th Place – Nicola ‘Ziggy’ Zagame

I was never high on Ziggy. While she had some good moments early on, with her finding the super idol, and also her announcing her vote Anneliese in the fake vote out, I just found her to never be all that interesting. The show also seemingly kept building up to be a big force once the merge hit, and outside of the immunity wins, she didn’t do all that much to impress.

I honestly don’t think she was all that good at Survivor. I think she misplayed the super idol, and she incorrectly played her idol too early, and while she explained her reasoning for both, I think both moves just proved that she never had a great read on the game once the merge hit. Physically, there is no denying her skills, she was damn impressive, and outperformed most. On top of that, it did look like she was having fun out there, but I wasn’t overly sad to see her go.

5th Place – Locklan ‘Locky’ Gilbert

Like Ziggy, I was never all that invested in Locky. I’ll admit, I’m never a big fan of the alpha male of the season, and I found that the longer the season went on, the less interested I became in him.

Physically, he was one of the best all season, and his 3 immunity wins in a row created an interesting little storyline late in the game. The tribe vs Locky was a fun arc, but I always figured it would only end one way, and that was him being voted out as soon as he lost (and to Michelle of all people, by only 2 seconds… which he mentioned… a lot). That said, him scrambling before that Tribal Council was unintentionally hilarious. I feel Locky outside the game would be a lot of fun to be around, and the moment with Jericho in the ocean proved that. Speaking of that moment, it would have to go down as one of the best scenes all season. That said, in the game, I just never warmed up him, but, I can absolutely see why he was a fan favourite for some. My opinion on him beside, he was one of the big characters of the season.

4th Place – Michelle Dougan

I said in an earlier power rankings that Michelle was everything I hated in a Survivor player. She thought everything was her move, she was often whiny, she constantly gave confessionals that drove me crazy and would often speak like she wanted to talk to your manager… and I stand by it all. That said… I don’t hate Michelle. I think she is a truly unique character that we’ve never seen before on Survivor. She was absolutely out of her elements, and you wouldn’t think she’d last the first day. So, for her to make it all the way to the top 4, and beat out some great players, you can’t not respect her, and her gameplay.

Michelle was a highlight of pretty much every Tribal she went to. The speeches she gave ranged from good to amazing, and had she have made it to the final Tribal Council, I think we’d be speaking about her as the winner. Her gameplay ranks up there as one of the best of the season. She made the decision to switch alliances after the merge , and in the space of two episodes, took out two of the biggest threats to win, Sarah and Luke, out of the game. While some said that she was undeserving to sit in the final 4 (which I completely disagree with), I think she sits with Flick now, as one of bigger strategic players, who unfortunately got taken out in 4th place. But hey, at least she won the car. (Love that the car curse lives on)

3rd Place – Peter Conte

There isn’t a lot to say about Peter, and that’s only because he just got so little airtime, especially for a player who came 3rd. Peter always felt more like a sidekick in the game, and I hate saying that. He only got 47 confessionals all season, and you only have to compare that with Tara, who got 112, or Locky, who 91, to see that he deserved so much better.

While we didn’t see Peter all that much, even after the merge, I actually really liked him as a player, and as a character. His confessionals were always very logical, which I enjoyed, and while there were times where he didn’t seem to have much of a clue sometimes (telling Ziggy to play the idol on Michelle during the Sarah boot comes to mind), I do think he played a solid game. His immunity win and family visit were both feel good moments of the season, and it is just a real shame he was so under-edited, because the finale would have been far more suspenseful if I thought he had a shot of winning. That said, I did really like Peter in the game.

2nd Place – Tara Pitt

Alright. I didn’t hate Tara. I didn’t particularly enjoy her way of playing, but I think, overall, she was a very well developed 2nd place player. I’m still not overly sure where all the hate from her came, or when it started, but, as I see it, she was reality tv gold, and would fit well into any season of Survivor

The fact that she could admit that she didn’t really begin playing until day 49 at least shows she had some game awareness. Although, the fact that she was previously voted out, only for it to be another twist, wasn’t necessarily great for her game, and it’s another reason why I hate that specific twist. I know non-elimination episodes are necessary with so many episodes, but at least find another way to do it. But, from there, her social skills were at least good enough to keep the target completely off her. I don’t really think her name was actually ever thrown around as a contender to be voted off from that point (her lack of challenge skills may be a reason).

Like I said, Tara was not, in any way, my favourite during the game. I do, however, respect that she did what was necessary to get to the end, and somehow get 3 jury votes. She was a big part of the season, and with 112 confessions, it’s not hard to see how.

Winner – Jericho Malabonga

First of all. A big congratulations to Jericho. To last 55 days is a huge feat on its own, but to also walk away with the win is an unreal effort. Jericho played a really good game, and I think out of everyone, he was also the most consistent. Jericho was one of the few who had consistent airtime right from the start. He also came into the game saying that he was good out of the game, but was prepared to be evil in it, and, it absolutely worked for him. He seemed to know when he needed to move on from someone (Henry and Sarah), and it got him all the way to the end.

There isn’t a lot about Jericho’s game, and him overall, that I disliked. His confessionals were always fun, he seemed to be having the time of his life out there, and his analogies at Tribal were some of the highlights of the season. Not the mention, his bromance with Luke was great, and I’ve already touched on the moment in the ocean with Locky as being one of the best scenes all season. However, I didn’t love the whole cookie alliance, and that’s only because I felt it didn’t build to anything, and there were moments where he was painted as quite naive, especially with the whole Henry-idol situation.

I figured going into the last few episodes that Jericho had a good shot of winning if could actually get there, and while his final Tribal Council performance was… less than average, I truly believe that he is a deserving winner, and a great player of the game. Oh, and his cookie bowtie at the reunion was amazing.