Survivor: All-Stars boot one of their ‘best and brightest’ after merge

Survivor: All-Stars’ strongest players made an impassioned plea for “big moves” at tribal council. Their tribemates then voted them out.

Perth adventure guide and challenge beast Locky Gilbert became Survivor: All-Stars’ first post-merge casualty on Tuesday night’s episode, eliminated from the game shortly after the two tribes became one.

“We’re going to see one of our best and brightest get taken out,” David Genat warned at tribal council, a statement that understandably made Locky nervous.

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Locky had some fighting words as the tribal council wore on, pointing out that whoever was eliminated would become the first member of the jury.

Locky said of his elimination he "did not see that coming."

“I know if I’m sitting over there and someone’s just playing the safe move the whole time, I’m not giving them any money. That’s just boring — I don’t want to see that,” he warned.

“Isn’t that exactly what you’ve done the last four votes before merge?” Moana shot back.

Locky received seven votes to Sharn’s five, and while surprised, he took the result in good spirits. “S**t, hey? Good one! Good luck, guys,” he told his tribemates. “Play really hard … make big moves.”

Speaking after his elimination, he admitted his call for “big moves” might have come back to bite him: “I was just blindsided … I did not see that coming.”

But there’s a silver lining for Locky, as Ten dropped a bombshell overnight. Ladies and gentlemen, meet your new Bachelor: Locky Gilbert.

PLAYERS ‘JUST THERE TO CUT A CHEQUE’

Survivor contestant Nick Iadanza got booted just before merge on Monday’s episode.

Speaking to news.com.au on Tuesday morning after his elimination in Monday night’s episode, high school teacher and Survivor superfan Nick Iadanza said he had been frustrated at some of his fellow players’ lack of knowledge of the game.

“There are some people who have no Survivor knowledge, and at first that would infuriate me. You’re only on the show because your agent called and asked if you wanted to try this thing called Survivor!” he said.

“But just because I’m a Survivor fan, doesn’t mean I have any more right to play or win than anybody else – I think it took All-Stars for me to come to that realisation. It felt like it was more ingrained in my identity than other people who were just there to cut a cheque.”

Iadanza proved his Survivor superfan pedigree after his elimination with a heartfelt Twitter post about his near-lifelong love of the show — illustrated with a photo of himself aged 12 on a family holiday staging his own Survivor challenge.

A message to my supportive twitter fam 🐍❤️ #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/NtF6kskY7q

— Nick Iadanza (@nickiadanza) March 2, 2020

“There is no-one in Australian Survivor who’s been more invested in Survivor than me, I don’t care what anyone says. That picture was taken out on the river Murray on a family vacation, and I stood out on those poles for hours because I wanted to be like Richard Hatch in season one. It never left – I had a Survivor-themed 21st, I have a buff collection, I’ve watched all the Survivors. So to get to play Survivor twice, that little kid would be over the moon,” he said.

Survivor: All-Stars continues 7:30pm Wednesday on Ten.