KRISTIE Bennett has become the overwhelming fan favourite on Australian Survivor, endearing herself to fans of the show with her independent game and honest personality.

The Sydneysider has been the real surprise packet on the Channel 10 reality show, with hardly anyone tipping her to make it to the final five at the beginning of the series.

Week after week the 24-year-old has survived votes at tribal councils when people voted for her, and by quietly going about her business, she has managed to last longer then many who were in supposed super tight alliances.

“I knew everyone was underestimating me,” she said of her time in Samoa.

“I could tell in the way that I was used as a buffer vote.

“I could tell the way they would interact with me, the way they would talk with me.

“Also the fact they still didn’t get rid of me before their alliance had been taken out.

“The fact they decided to make a move on Lee (Carseldine) and El (Rowland) prior to getting rid of me, just showed how much they thought I wasn’t a threat.”

But a real threat she has turned out to be.

Because her head was on the chopping block for so long, and she played an independent game, it has made the fact she has lasted this long feel very sweet feeling for Bennett.

“It’s just incredible,” she said.

“I had been fighting against the odds the whole time, and I should have gone so many times and I’m still in it.

“To be in the top five is amazing.

“I have just felt like I have had to fight my way through the game, and something is working for me.”

From the start Bennett bared her soul on Australian Survivor, not afraid to show her emotions and admit mentally, it was a tough at times.

Looking back now, she said the mental aspect of being on the show was incredibly difficult.

“It was excruciating, it was so painful,” she said.

“The mental side of Survivor is by far the toughest aspect.

“Everyone thinks the challenges are everything, but it’s not.

“It’s how your mind works and how you can deal with things, because the levels of anxiety are so high.

“There is so much going on and everyone has their own self interest.

“It was the biggest mental challenge I have ever had in my entire life.”

It may have looked difficult for Bennett at times on the show, but she said her determination to stick it out never wavered.

She has dreamt of being on Australian Survivor ever since she watched the first series as an eight-year-old with her dad.

“Giving up never crossed my mind at all in the slightest,” she said.

“It may sometimes look like I’m not trying to stay there, but that’s not because I don’t want to be there, and it’s not because I am not fighting.

“It’s a silent fight if anything, because sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut.”

Bennett is in the final five, alongside Queenslanders El Rowland, Lee Carseldine, Flick Egginton, and Adelaide’s Matt Tarrant.

In particular she has enormous respect for former professional cricketer Carseldine, who has been her biggest supporter on the show.

“Lee is such a beautiful person,” she said.

“He is so genuine, and I just connected with him.

“He was one of the people out there who actually gave me the time of day to talk to me.

“People weren’t talking to me in camp essentially.

“Him being from my original tribe Aganoa, he saw what I was going through at the beginning, and he had the decency to talk to me.

“I have a lot of respect for him.

“Also because to try and play the game of Survivor an honest person all the way through, that is amazing.

“I don’t think it’s possible, but he is trying his best.”

In Channel 10s online poll about who is the fan favourite on Australian Survivor, Bennett is polling an overwhelming 57 per cent, winning the fan vote easily.

She admits this is very humbling.

“People actually like me, and that’s awesome,” she said.

“It does make me feel really good, particularly being out there I wasn’t the most popular person.

“I think it comes from probably me being really relatable to people.

“I think I’m making it OK for other people to cry or feel weak, or to be vulnerable.

“I was really surprised when I found out the first time.

“I guess I’m different, and I’m not afraid to show that.”

Why she wasn’t the most popular person out there, she defended the initial strong alliance of Rowland, Egginton and Victorian Brooke Jowett, who were dubbed “mean girls” by some fans.

“I definitely think it was completely undeserving that they were labelled mean girls,” she said.

“They had an incredibly strong alliance, so good on them.

“It they can create a strong alliance, they deserve to be there.”

However Bennett admitted it was incredibly frustrating at times to try and penetrate the alliance, but she figured out a way.

“It was frustrating, because coming in you are in an absolutely minority,” she said.

“It was such a tight knit alliance, so you couldn’t play a text book game.

“But I don’t believe there is one way to play Survivor.

“I believe you can play Survivor with alliances, or without alliances.”

Bennett has enjoyed watching every minute of her show, with her Dad by her side, just like it was when she was eight years old.

“It’s an absolute dream,” she said.

“It is so surreal to be sitting their watching it with him, and doing exactly what we did when I was eight, but I’m on the show.”

Jennah-Louise voted out of camp Jennah-Louise voted out of camp

Sue is eliminated from Australian Survivor Sue is eliminated from Australian Survivor

Kylie is eliminated from Survivor Kylie is eliminated from Survivor

Nick is voted out of Australian Survivor Nick is voted out of Australian Survivor

Channel 10 will show episodes of Australian Survivor from 7.30pm on Sunday and Monday, with the season finale on Tuesday