Jonathan LaPaglia: Being fired from Australian Survivor "hurts like a b****!"
Jonathan LaPaglia has expressed that he was hurt after being dumped from the show, with the network wanting to shake things up.
Earlier today Network 10 confirmed that the upcoming season of Australian Survivor will be the last for host Jonathan LaPaglia. While the host has been gracious about his time on the show, today he expressed pain over the decision.
LaPaglia has hosted Australian Survivor since 2016, when the network revived the show. At the time of his hire, 10 chief programmer Beverley McGarvey said: "Jonathan is the perfect host for Australian Survivor. He is intelligent, engaging, energetic and a true fan of the show."
Today, following the announcement that he is leaving the show, LaPaglia posted to Instagram that he feels hurt by the firing.
LaPaglia wrote: "Australian Survivor has seen some of the most epic blindsides over the last 10 years, but this one might just be the craziest of them all….because it happened to me. I received a call from the Network thanking me for all my hard work and dedication to the show but for next season they are ‘going in a different direction’. Ratings had dipped a bit recently and they wanted to do something drastic to shake things up. So for the first time ever this is not a tribe swap, but a HOST SWAP®️ Yes, you read that right."
He concluded his post with: "(Ps. Whoever said a blindside is the most humane way to put someone down is an idiot. It hurts like a bitch!)"
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On the decision to change hosts for Australian Survivor, a 10 spokesperson said: “JLP has brought a unique blend of authority, intelligence and empathy to his role as host of Australian Survivor over the last 10 years. Acting as a referee and managing the intense pressure of the game while also acknowledging the human drama unfolding, JLP has been a compelling and memorable figure in the world of Survivor.
“We look forward to JLP hosting the next epic instalment of Survivor: Australia V World coming soon to 10. We extend our sincere gratitude to JLP for his outstanding contribution over 10 years on Survivor. We wish him continued success in his acting and presenting career.”
