Survivor premiere ends with brutal blindside

One controversial returning player didn’t last long in the new season of Survivor, blindsided by their new teammates. WARNING: Spoilers.

WARNING: Survivor spoilers below.

One of Australian Survivor’s most divisive players didn’t last long upon returning to the game this season, voted out by his teammates in a brutal episode one blindside.

Fans of the franchise will remember Andy Meldrum from 2019’s Champions vs Contenders season, a Noosa marketing exec who entered the game with an elaborate made-up story about being a golf and travel writer. That season, he bragged he would be the “most memorable and dominant player” Survivor had ever seen and insisted he wanted to be the show’s “ultimate villain.”

It wasn’t meant to be – he placed 12th, voted out unanimously by his tribe mates, who deemed him untrustworthy in the game (and this is a show where everyone’s untrustworthy).

There was no redemption in Blood Vs. Water, with Andy’s new tribe mates turning on him almost immediately after he plotted to get rid of injured player Alex Frost (younger brother of former Bachelorette and Home And Away actress Sam).

Andy's face fell as the votes were read.

Alex suffered a mysterious back injury on the way to a challenge in episode one that left him immobile at camp for the rest of the day – so Andy swooped, conspiring with the tribe to oust him.

But if there’s one thing Survivor players hate it’s someone calling the shots so early in the game, so a new plan – hatched by Nina, daughter of two-time US Survivor champion Sandra Diaz – saw the majority of votes land on Andy.

He looked crestfallen as the votes were read out, but had to congratulate his tribe for their plan after his elimination.

Someone’s gotta go first.

“You guys deserve a friggin’ medal for that,” he told them.

Andy’s elimination leaves his sister Kate on the other tribe, so far unaware her brother’s been voted out first. She already seemed upset by the fact they wouldn’t be playing together – it’ll be interesting to see her reaction in episode two when she discovers her brother’s not even in the game anymore.

Australian Survivor: Blood vs. Water continues 7:30pm Tuesday.