Jonathan LaPaglia on the public reaction to his new gig as host of Survivor Australia

THERE was quite a perplexed reaction when Jonathan LaPaglia was announced as the host of Survivor Australia, but no one was more surprised than LaPaglia himself.

Australian actor Jonathan LaPaglia is the host of Australian Survivor.

THERE was quite a perplexed reaction when Jonathan LaPaglia was announced as the host of Survivor Australia, but no one was more surprised than LaPaglia himself.

The 46-year-old, who leaves to start filming the show in Samoa this week, has considerable acting chops both here and overseas, but never thought he’d ever host a show.

“When (Ten) came to me, I really had to say to them ‘are you sure you’ve got the right person, are you sure you want me?’” he told news.com.au.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, so I was surprised when they called. I was incredibly flattered but as a huge fan of the show, I’m happy they chose me to do them proud.”

LaPaglia says he expected the public to have a mixed reaction to his helming of the show, but says Ten have got themselves a good deal.

“I’ve never done anything like that before and a lot of the hosts in Australia have comedy backgrounds and I am so not funny. Maybe they chose me because I used to be a doctor, they’re getting a two-for-one deal, host, medic — they can save on the medical team.”

To prepare for the challenging gig, the Adelaide-born, California-based actor has been binge watching old episodes from the 32 seasons of US Survivor to get some tips from veteran host Jeff Probst.

Jonathan LaPaglia’s Twitter profile picture, which fans said looked like Jeff Probst’s twin.

Jeff Probst, host of the US version of Survivor.

“There’s 500 episodes in total and I reckon I’ve seen maybe 200 episodes. I watched a lot of them before as a passive viewer, but now I’ve gone back with a critical eye trying to figure it out and it scares the crap out of me because when I went back with a critical eye I realised it‘s not that easy. Jeff is so good at it, he makes it look easy so I’m hating Jeff right now.”

So how do he think the Aussies will handle the game compared to their American counterparts?

“One of the things I’m curious about is mateship, it’s such an important part of the Australian fabric so I’m curious to see how much that will play into it. Loyalty is a big part of the game and breaking loyalty and wondering how that’s going to be perceived and play out will be great to watch.

Jonathan LaPaglia with the host and executive producer of the American version, Jeff Probst.

LaPaglia is under no illusions that he has one of the toughest TV hosting jobs in front of him and agrees it’s a complex job.

“It’s part sports commentator, part coach and part team psychologist. You wear a lot of different hats. Also at the same time, you’re kind of the referee, so there’s a lot of things to do and be good at.

“There’s a level of panic there as well. I love a challenge and I’m weirdly drawn to things that scare me,” he added.

Fans were quick to point out the resemblance between he and Probst, with several fans commenting that LaPaglia’s Twitter profile picture made the pair look like twins.

@JLa_Paglia @Survivor_AU @channelten @JeffProbst Looking at the pic of the pair of them and Johnathan's profile pic they could be twins

— Francis Tyson NZ (@ftysonpetone) April 10, 2016

@AMikeBloomType @Survivor_AU @JeffProbst @JLa_Paglia I really hope him looking like Jeff wasn't the main reason for choosing him

— Jonathan (@jonathanl_s) April 10, 2016

“I didn’t realise until it was pointed out and then I was like ‘oh it’s unfortunate I had that picture up there,’” he said. “I actually take it as a compliment because he’s a pretty handsome guy isn’t he.

“Although I don’t have those dimples. How can you compete with those dimples?”

Survivor Australia will air on Ten later this year.