Tyson Apostol is often regarded as one of the greatest Survivor players ever, but it turns out he wasn’t the right fit for one of the franchise’s biggest seasons.
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In a recent interview with The Wrap, Tyson revealed that he was originally set to compete on Survivor: Australia vs. the World, even securing a deal to join the cast. However, he shared that he ended up being one of the last players cut before filming.
Here’s what Tyson told The Wrap:
So I showed up, part out of spite for ‘Australian Survivor,’ because they made me an offer; they were excited to have me there, but then went in a different direction. ‘Casting is like a puzzle and the pieces have to all fit together.’ That’s what they told me. Spare me the analogy. That’s the most insulting part, not that you decided to go in a different direction, but that you gave me the puzzle analogy 20 years into my reality TV career. Like I haven’t heard that a million times.
After being one of the final cuts from Australia vs. the World, Tyson went on to agree to appear on House of Villains season 3.
It’s pretty wild that Survivor Australia decided not to include Tyson in such a legendary season. He was ready to return to the game for the first time since Winners at War, but instead, he was sidelined while Parvati Shallow, Cirie Fields, and Tony Vlachos were selected for Australia vs. the World.
In my opinion, Tyson would have been a perfect fit for that season. That’s no knock on Parvati, Cirie, or Tony — those three are absolute legends and easily rank among the top five Survivor players ever. But with Tyson likely sitting right at number six in Survivor history, it feels strange that he was left out in favor of some of the other “World” picks for Australia vs. the World.
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There had been rumors that Australia vs. the World was originally planned as Australia vs. US, but at some point, that idea was scrapped. It’s not clear if that’s when Tyson was told he wouldn’t be part of the season, but either way, it’s definitely disappointing.
As I’ve said before, Tyson is one of my all-time favorite Survivor players, and it’s a shame he didn’t get the chance to compete alongside Parvati, Tony, and Cirie again. He’s also not included in the Survivor 50 cast, which doesn’t feature any winners from the first 44 seasons. Parvati is finished with Survivor now, Cirie has confirmed that Survivor 50 will be her last season, and we know Tony will play again. Hopefully Tyson gets another shot if he wants it, though I have a feeling he’s probably finished with the US version of the show.
I don’t know about you, but it really seems like Australia vs. the World missed a big opportunity by leaving Tyson out. Hopefully, he gets another chance to compete in the future!
Source: The Wrap