What Australian Survivor winner Liz Parnov did first after ousting King George to claim her crown

After dining out on her sweet victory, Australian Survivor winner Liz Parnov shares what she’d like to splash her $500,000 prize on.

After a mentally and physically punishing 47 days on Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains, subsisting on not much more than rice and beans, the first thing newly crowned Queen of Survivor Liz Parnov did was order one of every option from hotel room service.

Turns out her eyes were way bigger than her deprived belly as the 28-year-old Olympic pole vaulter barely managed a mouthful from each delicious dish.

However, she did have plenty of room to savour her sweet victory over her one-time ally and frenemy, the consummate game player King George Mladenov, in Monday night’s Survivor Grand Finale.

Olympic Pole Vaulter Liz Parnov is the Sole Survivor of Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains. Picture: Network 10

“It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders,” Parnov said, of being the only one in two seasons of Ten’s local version of the hit reality show to take out one of the game’s greatest players.

“Watching the episode last night was just a lot, like, emotionally and just like reliving all of those feelings again of being able to execute taking George out, and actually it worked was just incredible. Taking out a player like that is really challenging and you need to pick your time. Otherwise, if you screw that up, you are toast.”

The original Villain’s win came after a particularly tense pitch to the jury along with the rest of the final three – Heroes’ Matt Sharp and Gerry Geltch. They all squirmed as they were challenged to name exactly what moves they’d pulled off in the game that hadn’t been orchestrated by George. But Liz, despite never having debated at school, remained the most eloquent and the only one up to the verbal challenge.

Australian Survivor Heroes v Villains final four: Gerry Geltch, George Mladenov, Liz Parnov and Matt Sharp. Picture: Nigel Wright

“I went into that pitch so ridiculously nervous,” she said.

“I think I literally blacked out when I was doing my thing because I couldn’t even tell you what I had said until I watched it last night and I actually heard it.

“I just went into that final pitch with a lot of conviction. I knew I had to really convey everything I had done in bullet-like point to the jury because, you know, everyone can say they need half a million dollars.

“So it’s not about that. It’s about the game and how you behaved out there.”

In the longstanding tradition of what happens in Survivor stays on the tropical island, George and Liz are very much still friends in the real world, with George posting on Instagram his congratulations.

“You threatened me with an idol, you called me soft, and you are the only person who voted me off after 94 days – my dear, dear friend, I couldn’t be more proud to vote for you to deservingly win Sole #SurvivorAU,” he wrote.

Dethroned King George Mladenov posts his congratulations to frenemy and 2023 Australian Survivor winner Liz Parnov. Picture: Instagram

Parnov was only told Monday she was unanimously voted this year’s Sole Survivor, so it’s still sinking in that she has $500,000.

“I’m just in shock,” she says. “I feel like the last 24 hours have just been an absolute blur.

“And what to do with the money – I don’t even know.

“I think I just really want to be really sensible with it and I want to – hopefully – invest into something.

“Plus, I really just want to be able to help my parents and give back to them after everything they’ve done for me growing up.”

Viewers peaked at 930,000 nationally, tuning in to see Liz oust the previously unstoppable George, and decimate fellow top four players Gerry and Matt on Monday night, averaging out at 898,000.

Ratings have steadily grown in what has been the reality show’s best local season, cementing the Ten show firmly in second place behind the MAFS juggernaut which attracted 1.2 million eyes nationally in the second night of its vow renewals.

Originally published as What Australian Survivor winner Liz Parnov did first after ousting King George to claim her crown