Bizarre Survivor curse strikes again in latest elimination

A strange Survivor curse carried over seasons and franchises reared its head in Sunday’s episode. WARNING: Spoilers

WARNING: Survivor spoilers below.

This Blood vs Water season of Australian Survivor faced its toughest test on Sunday night, with two-time US Survivor winner Sandra Diaz-Twine voted out by her tribemates – including her own daughter, Nina.

Bizarrely, it made for another example of Sandra’s Survivor “curse”: having competed in four previous US seasons, she had won the game the first two times she played - but had been voted out on day 16 the next two times she played.

Sure enough, her fellow Australian Survivor contestants sent her packing on day 16 of the game, continuing the curse.

Sandra’s exit came after a tribe swap, which saw several contestants reunited with their loved ones after having been separated into different tribes back on day one. Among those who were reunited were Sandra and Nina – and Nina assured her mother she wouldn’t be writing her name down any time soon.

All that changed at tribal council, with Nina squirming and struggling to answer when host Jonathan LaPaglia asked her about her alliance with her mother.

Sandra (right) realises she’s in trouble when Nina (left) won’t look at her.

As the undisputed “Queen of Survivor,” Sandra knew something was up.

“I’m in trouble,” she said, as Nina refused to meet her eye. “I knew what I was getting into when I was coming here … that’s my baby. She has to do what she has to do.”

Indeed she did – Nina privately explaining her vote to the camera as she wrote her mother’s name down. “You always tell me to stick with the majority, and unfortunately it looks like the majority’s coming after you. I wish we could’ve played together longer,” she said.

Nina votes her mum out … does the love heart make it better or worse?

Sandra admitted she was “taken by surprise” by her sudden elimination.

“All of a sudden my daughter is looking at me funny, and saying things, and I’m like … ‘Oh, damn. Her alliance is gonna get me,’” she said after being voted out.

But she insisted there would be no hard feelings in the Diaz-Twine family.

“I can’t critique her game – she’s an athlete. She can play a strategic game, a physical game, and a social game – she has all three components. I wish her a ton of luck – I hope she comes home with the big cash money prize.”

Australian Survivor: Blood vs Water continues 7:30pm Monday on Ten.