Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia reveals his filthiest comments don't air

Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia reveals the rude moments that go “too far” and end up on the cutting room floor.

Jonathan LaPaglia’s cheeky habit of dropping double entendres into his challenge commentary has become something of a running joke on Australian Survivor.

As evidenced in the compilation above, Survivor host LaPaglia never met a “ball” or “nut” pun he didn’t like – and seemed to be in his element commentating the infamous wrestling challenge this season that some viewers claimed felt “like watching porn”.

But, as LaPaglia sheepishly confessed to news.com.au, viewers don’t even hear the half of it.

“(The crew) rehearse every single challenge, so I see opportunities for … stuff,” he explained.

“I guess it’s become a thing – the audience loves it, and it’s entertaining for us on set to do it. It’s our way having a little wink with the fans … although sometimes, I lean into it too much and I start to go off the rails. And this season they actually cut a lot of it out,” he revealed.

Survivor Australia's infamous wrestling challenge.

“Like I said, sometimes I get carried away … And you can tell when you’ve gone too far because you’ll hear a collective groan. Everyone in the challenge goes ‘Oh, really? You went there’. And fair enough, those should be cut out!”

LaPaglia’s not wrong – we asked Survivor evictee Johnny Eastoe about JLP’s love of off-colour commentary earlier this season and he gave a very passionate answer.

“Mate, youse haven’t heard the half of it. JLP’s a dirty, dirty man. Don’t let his pretty face fool ya – he’s the biggest sh*t-stirrer out of the lot of them,” Eastoe said.

These unusual times have forced a less-than-ideal change to the filming of tonight’s Survivor season finale, with LaPaglia stuck in the US and having to host via satellite while Osher Gunsberg assists on the ground. LaPaglia admitted it “wasn’t fun at all” being so far away from the action.

LaPaglia will host tonight’s finale via satellite. Picture: Channel 10

“They’re my footy team that I’ve coached all season. To not be there for the finale … Logically, we knew it was the right decision given how things were playing out, but on an emotional level it was tough,” he said.

“I had a bunch of sleepless nights about it; it was not something I wanted to miss.”

Three strong players remain in the game heading into the finale, including barrister Sharn Coombes, who’s played a great social game and placed runner-up in her original season, and footballer Moana Hope, a quietly powerful player with the sort of backstory Survivor juries love.

Then there’s model David Genat, arguably this season’s most entertaining player and surely the biggest threat to win. One question remains: How on earth did nobody vote him out before now?

“I had the same question when I was on the island, and then when I was watching at home: ‘Why are you guys not targeting him from the get-go?’ That’s the big question that I had. And I really don’t know the answer!” LaPaglia said.

Even LaPaglia’s not sure how David’s stayed in the game. Picture: Nigel Wright / Network 10

“He’s pulled off some incredible moves this season that they were all aware of and all fell into line. But just watching him from the season before, Champions vs Contenders, he was super-dangerous then. How can you come into this season and not want to target him straight away? Maybe it’s a testament to how charming he is.”

A seasoned actor with no previous hosting experience, LaPaglia seemed a surprise choice when he was announced as host of Survivor Australia in 2016. Since then, though, he’s emerged as one of the most honest, invested presenters in reality TV, frequently chiming in on social media with inside info as fans debate the show.

“I am super-passionate about the show and super-invested in it … it does consume my whole life,” he laughed. “We did two seasons last year, so it feels like that’s all I do. But my approach to fans is transparency. I’m not about bullsh*tting them.”

Indeed, last year LaPaglia even sided with fans who’d criticised how a challenge had been edited. It’s a rare host who will openly agree with viewer critiques of their show.

“If a bunch of people ark up about something and I think they’re right, I’ll say so. Half the time I do agree with them about things we could’ve done better. I think if you patronise the audience, you risk losing them,” LaPaglia said.

Survivor: All-Stars’ season finale airs 7:30pm tonight on Ten.