Luke’s shocking Survivor exit triggers an outpour of support and fundraising from fans

Fans have already donated tens of thousands to ‘King of the Jungle’ Luke Toki and his family after his heartbreaking exit from the game.

Last night’s Australian Survivor tribal council left fans heartbroken as they mourned the departure of charismatic player Luke Toki, who many hoped would nab the sole Survivor crown.

So heartbroken, some fans have taken to fundraising platform GoFundMe in a call for donations for the father of three — and they’ve so far raised more than $120,000 and counting..

Toki had a powerful reason for signing up to the show in the hopes of winning the $500,000 prize. His two boys are both on the autism spectrum, while baby Madeline, born just six weeks before Survivor started filming, has cystic fibrosis.

Luke finds out he's going home.

Throughout the season, he was vocal about his intentions to use the money to provide a better life for his family.

Fans wasted no time in expressing their disappointment — with a whopping 31 GoFundMe pages set up to raise money for the young dad. There are only donations on three of the pages so far this morning, but more than $85,000 has been raised.

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The FIFO worker from WA, affectionately dubbed ‘King of the Jungle’ when he appeared on the 2017 season of Survivor, secured himself as a favourite early on. Not just for his heartbreaking backstory, but his boyish charm and enthusiasm in playing the game.

The fan favourite had scored 70 per cent of votes in a recent news.com.au reader poll asking who should win, with Pia Miranda a distant second at 15 per cent.

Alas, he was sent home last night, despite making a desperate pitch to remaining ally Pia as tribal council approached.

Pia wept as she promised she’d consider his proposal carefully. “I really wanted you to win the money if I didn’t … cos I know that you need it,” she said.

But when it came time for the tribal council, the actress broke down in tears as she cast her vote for Luke, securing herself a spot in the top three.

Pia and Luke broke down in tears as they discussed his limited options. Picture: Channel 10.

One of the GoFund Me pages, created by super fan Dave Skow, really took off last night and by 11:30am today had already raised more than $126,000.

“Let’s be honest … Luke Toki is the best Australian Survivor contestant, ever,” Dave wrote on the fundraising page.

“We first met the FIFO worker from Western Australia two years ago when he made a name for himself as the ‘King of the Jungle’ on the 2017 season of Survivor.

“Then this year saw his return as a Champion in the 2019 season. Leaving behind his young family, he had one aim — to take out the title of Sole Survivor and in turn, win $500k to provide a better life for them.”

Fans were quick to set up fundraising pages to help raise money for Luke’s family.

Pointing out how “life changing” the $500k prize money would have been for the family, he asked fans to “rally together” to collect the funds instead.

“Whilst Luke stumbled near the finish line and was voted out in the top 4, true Survivor fans will recognise that he is the greatest Australian player ever to grace our screens. So let’s rally behind this Aussie legend and change this awesome young family’s life,” he concluded.

Viewers also flocked to Twitter following the difficult decision faced by Looking for Alibrandi star Pia Miranda, with mixed opinions about her opting to vote Luke out.

With Pia, Harry and Baden the top three, this season of Australian Survivor concludes with Tuesday night’s finale, 7:30pm on Ten.