The Project makes huge backflip as lone ranger takes up the mantle of continuing axed show
In early June, Network 10 announced that the popular news panel show would come to an end after 16 years on the air and 4,500 episodes.
But it was an anonymous Ten employee who had the last laugh.
'The bosses really should have changed the password from Password1,' the first taunting post from The Project's new keeper read.
In the caption, the admin who calls themselves 'the social media hero', teased their TV bosses: 'Look who's in charge now.'
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The official Project Instagram account has 401,000 followers, a larger audience than either The Project, or its replacement 10 News+, draws.
10 News+ launched with a whimper last week - with just a measly 291,000 Australians tuning in for the much-hyped news program on its first night and the ratings sliding from there.
As the new series limped through its first week on-air, The Project's new overlord posted an update: 'Still cancelled. Still curious.'
'I have nobody to share the silly news I see from around the world with,' the mysterious admin penned.
'That, and the other things we should be discussing… Shall I just post the things that interest/make me laugh anyway?'
Former The Project host Sam Taunton was quick to respond: 'Do you know if I left my wallet in the office????'
'I stole the money but yes,' The Project TV replied.
'I will DM you my CV,' Taunton added in a joking reference to his axing.
The Project fans have flocked to the axed TV show's Instagram account in support of the rogue Ten employee who is now managing the account
The response online has been immense.
People love an anonymous Gossip Girl in real life, as much as they do in fiction.
As with (formerly anonymous) Instagram accounts 'Miss Double Bay' and 'Pink Patti Cakes', the anonymous The Project has reeled in quite the audience.
'I just assumed the news stopped when we did,' Rove McManus commented.
Even The Feed SBS' social media manager joined in on the fun: 'Hi from the other youth news show that got cancelled in the 2010s. We should get a beer.'
The Bachelor star Matty 'J' Johnson said he 'feels like I'm speaking to the ghost of a deceased relative.'
In the past week, The Project TV's Instagram has covered such news as a Sydney woman being knocked down by a cardboard box in the 'bomb' cyclone, Kanye West's Australian visa cancellation, and the 'hero' Aussie who spent $6500 fuelling his Guzman Y Gomez addiction.
However, the flurry of posts has certainly confused some viewers, who assumed the activity signalled hope for The Project on TV.
'So...I posted a few things. People noticed. Slightly more than I expected,' the social media 'hero' posted in another update over the weekend.
'Turns out, there's a lot of news. Whether it's serious stuff, the weird stuff, the did that actually happen?! stuff. I reckon we have enough to fill a few posts a day...And you seem to like it?
'So here's the deal: I post news. You read it, laugh, comment, and maybe have a little existential crisis (optional), and we keep building a space that feels smart, sharp, and not sad all the time.
'Sounds good? Want more? Say the word. And if you don't...I'll keep pretending you do...for my mental health.'
'Want to come along for the ride & be silly while being smart?,' the admin asked in the caption. 'Let me know, ideally before bedtime.'
'In!' former host Rachel Corbett commented, alongside hundreds of others.
While there is already talk that 10News+ might not make it to 2026, Ten appears to have struck the right chord by rebranding The Project as a social-first platform, similar to The Daily Aus.
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