Australian Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains – Why Hayley Belongs On Hero Tribe

Australian Survivor winner, Hayley Leake’s scrappy underdog story makes her the perfect addition to the Heroes tribe on Heroes vs. Villains.

In January 2023, a new season of Australian Survivor will premiere, with Hayley Leake, winner of Australian Survivor: Brains vs. Brawn, the first one to be placed on the Heroes tribe. Australian Survivor is bringing back 12 of the show’s most prominent heroes and villains of the past eight seasons, along with 12 new contestants. It will feature two tribes of 12, one of the heroes and one of the villains, as they compete for the half-million dollar prize.

The official SurvivorAU Twitter account announced Hayley as a Hero during The Challenge Australia, but no mention was made of the path that got her to that spot on the tribe. Hayley began her heroic journey on the Brains tribe, where she fell into the minority due to a swap in episode 8 of her Australian Survivor season. She then hatched a plan to keep her former Brains tribe safe from the majority Brawn alliance by publicly announcing the use of her hidden immunity idol on either her or Baden Cooke. This spooked Simon Mee into flipping on his own Brawn alliance member, Shannon Lawson. The move set the stage for Hayley to become a heroic figure for the Brains tribe.

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Australian Survivor’s Hayley Uses Perception As A Hero To Her Advantage

Another heroic aspect of Hayley’s game is the fact that she was voted out in episode 15, only to be placed in a redemption challenge against Baden, one of the strongest men on the Australian Survivor cast. She managed to win re-entry back into the game, proving that while she is a scrappy underdog, she will persevere against massive odds to get further. Hayley not only took down the entire Brawn tribe one by one but also outlasted her fellow Brains tribe to become the winner of Australian Survivor: Brains vs. Brawn.

Certain aspects of Hayley’s journey could be deemed villainous, such as her manipulation of Simon at the swap and her devious scheming and ruthless gameplay that initially got her voted out. However, this style of gameplay was necessary to keep her Brains tribe in the game, making her more of a fearless yet caring leader than a conniving villain. Her idol play to save Laura Wells proves that she created strong social bonds with those in her alliance, and she also helped give a voice to Wai Chim when Wai felt she was being strong-armed by George Mladenov.

While there will be more returnees announced for Australian Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Hayley stands out as one of the potential leaders of the Heroes tribe for her ability to play a manipulative game under the guise of friendship and unity. While her legacy as a former winner will no doubt hurt her in Australian Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, her status as a Hero cannot be denied.

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Source: @Survivor_AU/Twitter