Australian Survivor 2025 champion wins $500,000 in nail-biting finale: 'So happy'
After 47 days of strategic gameplay, brutal blindsides and gruelling challenges, the winner of Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn II was decided in Monday night's grand finale. AJ Antonios, Kaelan Lockhart and Myles Kuah, who were each originally on the 'Brain' tribe, went head to head following Zara Callianiotis' elimination at the final four.
Each of the remaining contestants had played a dominant game, with some fans calling it the "best final three" they've ever seen. They'd been part of an alliance called the 'Post-Graduates' since the beginning of the season and managed to take out their opponents to make it to the end.
The episode began with Kaelan winning the final immunity challenge and taking Myles to the final tribal council, leaving AJ devastated. The duo then delivered their compelling speeches to the jury about why they should each win the game, with a majority of the eliminated contestants voting for Myles.
Myles received seven votes out of a possible eight and won the title of Sole Survivor alongside the $500,000 prize money.
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The 'Jungle Rat' had broken the record for the most Hidden Immunity Idols found in a single season with four, received the most elimination votes of any person this season, and is the first person in the franchise to correctly play the Knowledge is Power advantage.
"I will never give up," Myles said of what he learned from his time in the game. "I will always find a way."
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Social media was quick to erupt over Myles' win, with fans sharing their happiness over his victory.
"Let's go Myles! So happy to see my fave win #SurvivorAU," one viewer wrote. "Also thought Kaelan played an amazing game, I knew he'd go far."
"Hell yeah @mylesmkuah! You were my winner pick from the moment I saw you on the stripper pole. So unapologetically yourself," raved another.
"Whelp we all know @mylesmkuah," another fan said. "First time you meet them they annoy the hell outta you & over time they become your all time favourite that you'd lay down and die for. Biggest annoying to adorable arc since BB SarahMaree congratulations mate!"
"Loved every minute of your game Myles! Congratulations and hope they get you back again! You were awesome to watch!" someone else commented.
Congrats @mylesmkuah ! One of the best AU players ever!!! #SurvivorAU
— Cisnice (@cisnice123) April 14, 2025
While the Australian Survivor finale was filmed last year, the winner typically only learns about the result when watching the episode on TV. Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains champion Liz Parnov revealed to Yahoo Lifestyle following her win in 2023 that the reality show had filmed multiple different results.
'We filmed alternate endings for everyone, so I only actually found out that I'd won yesterday,' she explained. 'So it's all very, very fresh.'
When asked about how they filmed alternate finales, Liz said the show's host Jonathan LaPaglia read 'fake votes' from the voting urn.
'They can bring in fake votes and read them out, and then they don't show the real votes,' she detailed. 'It's wild.'
Channel 10 announced on Sunday that Survivor fans won't have to wait another year for another season to air on TV, thanks to Survivor: Australia v The World. The all-star series will see the best of the best Aussie contestants going up against players from the US, South Africa, Finland and New Zealand franchises.
The season was filmed in Samoa last year over just 16 days, making it a much shorter series than fans are used to, as the Australian version typically films for 47 days and the American edition takes place over 26. Despite its short length, a production insider tells Yahoo Lifestyle that it was the 'most thrilling season' that has ever been filmed.
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Alongside the cast announcement, Channel 10 has revealed that Jonathan LaPaglia will return as host, and the winner will receive $250,000. The series is tipped to premiere following MasterChef Australia, which historically ends in mid-July.
You can check out the 14 contestants set to compete on Survivor: Australia v The World here.
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New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Joey Chestnut gives behind-the-scenes look at ‘hungry' prep for Nathan's return
Competitive eater Joey Chesnut eats up the chance for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby ahead of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Sunday, which Chesnut has won 16 times. Q: What is so great about a Nathan's hot dog? A: Oh my gosh, it's a 100-year-old recipe — more than that now — it's good from the start. There's no reason to change something that isn't broken. It really is a unique taste, an all-beef hot dog, natural tasting … it's simple, but it's delicious. Advertisement Q: How would you describe your mentality on game day? A: I'm hungry. That's all it is. I'm staying hungry no matter what. I'm expecting to eat uncomfortable and bloated and I'm ignoring whatever feelings it takes to get there. Q: Right before the first at bite, what is going through your gut? A: I think the hardest part of the contest is the first one. Stay calm, don't try to swallow the hot dogs whole. My first instinct is to try to swallow whole, which is not a good thing, your muscles are not stretched out yet, I don't want to cough, right? Stay calm, take a normal bite and work into the rhythm, which is hard. Sometimes I over-attack the food, my muscles aren't ready to work for me right away. Stay calm, and don't shove too much in at once. Advertisement 11 Joey Chestnut competes in Raising Canes Chicken Finger Eating Contest during Fanatics Fest NYC at the Javits Center on June 20, 2025 in New York City. Q: Who is your biggest threat? A: My biggest threat is myself if I get in my own head, if I let something bother me, that's when I can make mistakes. … There's a guy from Montreal [James Webb], I think he is amazing, he's young, he's fit. This guy likes to work out so he's gonna be pushing himself really hard. If I let myself mess up, he's the only one that could really catch me. Advertisement Q: Do you feel any pressure? A: I wouldn't say pressure, it's more of support. Every once in a while you get a little bit of pressure from people who are betting. Like, 'Oh, you need to get this Over.' I'm like, 'Oh my god, the Over's really high this year (laugh).' Q: What is the Over? Advertisement A: I think some people are putting the Over at 74, or 72. That's high. Even though the record's 76, it's gonna be hard for me to push myself. I know like minute six if I have a chance at the record. I have a tendency to get lazy if I don't think I can get the record. I would love to get the Over. I'm gonna really try hard. Q: Which one has been your sweetest victory? A: The first one was really, really amazing. Beating [Takeru] Kobayashi for the first time was awesome. I go back three years ago, I had a broken leg, I had a cast on, and like 2 ¹/₂ weeks before my mom passed away, and less than a week later my dog died. And during the contest there was like a protestor who got in front of me — everything was going wrong that year. It was like **** the ***** worst year, I was still able to get it done. Q: After the competition, do you actually have dinner that night? A: No, no, usually I'm in bed. Sometimes I'm going for a walk if I get up from sleeping. If I can, maybe some yogurt, maybe a little salad. I don't really have much until the next day. Even if I'm not hungry, I'm trying to eat salad, just trying to keep things moving. 11 Joey Chestnut competes in Raising Canes Chicken Finger Eating Contest during Fanatics Fest NYC at the Javits Center on June 20, 2025 in New York City. 11 Joey Chestnut, winner of the 2021 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest. AP Q: How about the sickest you ever got? Advertisement A: Oh my god, there's been a couple of times. When I talk about heat, it's because of those hot days. If I'm devastated before the contest, I can tell like right after if the food's not settling and if my body's gonna reject it. The only way you get better is by getting your body to accept it. That's something I don't necessarily practice for is to be dehydrated. I want to say 2006 was probably my worst time getting sick. But it's been a while. Q: What would you say about the New York sports crowd at Coney Island and you being a fan favorite? A: The audience at Coney Island, you feel like you're at the center of the world. It really feels amazing. There's energy, electricity like no other place. Q: What is your mindset the night before the competition? Advertisement A: Stay calm. I usually watch some old practices, almost kind of simulated contests just swallowing air, go through the motions. Usually I'm in bed before 9 p.m., wake up about 5 a.m. and start doing stretches and yoga and burping exercises to get my stomach loose and stretched after sleeping. 11 Joey Chestnut eats an Impossible hotdog after he ate 57 hotdogs in five minutes at the Pop Goes the Fort eating contest on Fort Bliss, Texas on July 4, 2024. Justin Hamel for the NY Post Q: What do you mean by swallowing air? A: I do burping exercises where I swallow air and burp it up just to get those muscles used to being stretched. Advertisement Q: You drink a concoction of liquids the night before? A: There's aloe vera juice and things to make sure that I'm hydrated, and also empty, I'm finishing up my cleanse. Q: I read that you drink milk to stretch out your stomach. A: I do drink milk like a big baby. I'm a believer that if your body can digest milk, it's great for you. Every now and then I'll drink half a gallon of milk in the morning with some water. That's a nice healthy stretch. Advertisement Q: What is the last food you eat the night before? A: The day before I usually have to eat a hot dog at the weigh-in. Before that, I usually have some eggs for breakfast. Maybe a little bit of protein, like protein shake that day. I go in really, really empty the day of the contest. 11 The annual Nathan's Famous 4th of July Hot Dogs and Buns eating contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Paul Martinka Q: Why eat one hot dog at the weigh in? A: [Co-founder of Major League Eating] George Shea likes to make the eaters do a faceoff and eat one hot dog (laugh). He's kind of the boss, and I kind of do what I'm told. Q: What's the purpose of the weigh-in? A: Competitive eaters, we're sizing each other up. Q: When you say sizing each other up, what do you mean? A: We're friends, but we also talk trash … we're posturing (laugh). I like the weigh-in because it's my last chance to really get in the other eater's heads a little bit. Q: What makes you so good about psyching the other opponents out? A: I don't know … I convince myself that there's only one outcome this contest. Once I think they can see that I'm convinced, and the audience is convinced, it's really hard for them to overcome. If I convince myself, then everybody else falls in line. 11 Fans arrive to Coney Island Nathanâs Hot Dog eating contest on July 4th, 2024. Paul Martinka for NY Post Q: What are the strengths of your game? A: I love to eat. I'm a natural eater. It's one of the hardest things for me to control. I need to make sure that I control my eating so that I'm not heavy. I'm competitive, that's another strength. I'm really good at problem solving. Where a lot of athletes, they have coaches, competitive eaters don't have coaches. It's all kind of self-taught. I had to figure things out trial and error. It's been a really good combination being able to push myself. Q: Any area you need to improve that you consider a weakness? A: I wish I liked to work out (laugh). My cardiovascular, I've noticed it more and more as I'm getting older, where I'm slowing down not because I'm full, it's because I haven't been hitting the gym like I should. If I'm running more, if I'm cycling more, if I'm lifting weights more, I can push my body harder. I'm so jealous of people that love to get up early and work every day. That's life. Some people don't like the feeling of being bloated after eating, and I don't mind that. I hate running, even though I have great respect for it. Q: Do you like it hot on July Fourth? A: No, I don't like it hot, Jesus! Oh my god, I'm nervous, I've been seeing the weather you guys are having over there, and I'm like, 'Dang it.' The last time I made a record it was 75 degrees, and it was like a perfect day. When it's warmer, my body just runs out of steam towards the end. I'm really hoping a cold front comes in. And you know whatever happens, I'm gonna eat like a beast. Q: When do you get to New York? A: I get in [July 1]. 11 Joey Chestnut and Livvy Dunne compete in Raising Canes Chicken Finger Eating Contest during Fanatics Fest NYC at the Javits Center on June 20, 2025 in New York City. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock Q: Who are you coming in with? A: My fiancée, two sisters are coming out, one of my buddies. Q: Does your fiancée, Brie, cook for you? A: Of course (laugh). She loves to cook, and she's great. I'm super, super lucky. It worked out perfect. Q: How did you meet her? A: I was at a bar drinking in San Francisco and this guy sees me from outside as he's walking by, and he comes in and starts talking to me. And we were talking for like 20 minutes and then all of a sudden the girl and a dog come in — 'Hey, you left me outside.' So I was like, 'You left her outside?' The guy was an idiot. So then I went out and took a picture with her, and met the dog, Zeus, and a year later we matched on Tinder. Q: How does she feel about your career? A: She knows I love it a lot (laugh). She knows it's me. When I'm in training, we do all these little low-carb meals. … She has all these homemade salad dressings. She's awesome. She works with my crazy diet so that I can keep doing it. Q: Any marriage plans? A: It'll happen. We're both in our 40s. No children, we just got dogs, and a garden. Eventually just get a little courthouse wedding and have a party maybe. Q: Did you watch the event last year, when you were banned because of a sponsorship conflict? A: Yeah, I watched it. I told people I didn't, but I watched it (laugh). It was hard, but it was good practice 'cause I know one of these days I'm gonna be either older or somebody's gonna be beating me, and I'm gonna have to retire. It was good practice for when that day comes. It made me appreciate that … if I can do it, I want to be there. Q: As you've gotten older, have you made any changes to your training? A: Definitely, I train a little bit less. It takes me a little more time to get back to my normal weight. When I was younger, I could just be a beast, like practicing every third day. Now it's like every five or six days, maybe even a week between them. It takes a little more time to recover. You gotta find a way to do it. There's no other option. Q: Do you eat hot dogs when you're not competing? A: Yeah! Baseball games, and at home. If I'm going on my diet, I actually have a lot of willpower not to get a hot dog 11 Joey Chestnut on his way to eating 57 hotdogs in five minutes at the Pop Goes the Fort eating contest on Fort Bliss, Texas on July 4, 2024. Justin Hamel for the NY Post Q: Do you put mustard, relish or ketchup on your hot dog? A: Always mustard. I definitely put raw onions on. Baseball games, I usually want to get mustard. At home, I put everything on it. Q: Growing up, did your parents put hot dogs on the grill? A: My dad was big on hot dogs. He called them tube steaks (laugh). Q: What is the biggest adversity you had to overcome? A: I remember when I had that broken leg. There were infections, it healed crooked, now it's about a half an inch shorter than the other leg, but I'm finally walking without pain. Q: Three dinner guests? A: My mom; Babe Ruth — hot dogs, he had a good time; Winston Churchill. Q: Favorite movie? A: 'Inglorious Basterds.' 11 Druski, DJ Khaled, CEO of Fanatics Michael Rubin, Joey Chestnut, and Livvy Dunne compete in Raising Canes Chicken Finger Eating Contest during Fanatics Fest NYC at the Javits Center on June 20, 2025. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock Q: Favorite actor? A: Leonardo DiCaprio. Q: Favorite actress? A: Nicole Kidman. Q: Favorite singer/entertainer? A: One of my biggest regrets, had a chance to go see Tom Petty live, and I had to go to a burrito contest that day. Q: Favorite meal? A: I get cravings — some days it's prime rib, if I'm at a baseball game, I love hot dogs. I get a lot of cravings for tacos. Q: Do you have a favorite team to watch? A: I live in [Westfield] Indiana, so I go to this minor league team in Indianapolis, and this year I went to Opening Day in Cincinnati. 11 Joey Chestnut walks the blue carpet at JAY-Z's Iconic The 40/40 Club in partnership with Fanatics Sportsbook at the center of Fanatics Fest NYC at Javits Center on June 20, 2025. Getty Images for Fanatics Q: Are you recognized by the hot dog vendors? A: I'm sure they do, but the baseball fans recognize me like crazy. Throughout the game, I'm eating hot dogs and chugging beers with baseball fans, which is not a bad deal. Q: What's your second-favorite competition? A: I haven't done a rib contest in a while. I'm craving a rib contest. A good rib contest, where they're cooked right, I have a really great technique. I lost this one recently, last couple of years in Buffalo, there's wing fest, I really love that contest. Buffalo's a great city. Hopefully, this year I can go to that contest and get the win. That city is an amazing city. It's one of the most underrated cities. It's open till 4 a.m., all the bars have great food. I overdo it a little bit. Q: Boyhood idol? A: Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, the Bash Brothers. Q: You didn't play baseball, did you? A: Just Little League. My dad made me try the marching band in high school. 11 Joey Chestnut Champion hotdog eater attends the Mystics against the Fever game on June 3, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. NBAE via Getty Images Q: What did you play? A: Trumpet. Q: Boyhood dream? A: I remember I was playing with a fire engine, and my mom asked me if I want to be a firefighter when I grew up. I was like, 'No, I want to be the dog on the back of the fire engine (laugh).' Q: What drives you? A: I think I have perspective. I know how lucky I am. I used to have a normal job in construction management, and now I get to travel, eat, make other people happy, meet people. It's a really good gig, and as long as I'm healthy and having fun, I'm gonna keep doing it. Q: How long do you want to do this? A: I think Tom Brady won his last Super Bowl when he was [43], right? Getting older and pushing your body it gets harder, but it's really satisfying if you can still do it. Q: Goals? A: Stay healthy and treat people the way I want to be treated. Q: What are you most proud of about your career? A: Really that first victory. People said it couldn't be done. Q: Why did they think it couldn't be done? A: Kobayashi had such a lock. He had everybody convinced that he was special. I refused to believe it. That's why it's so important for me to convince myself and convince the other people. Once everybody's convinced, it's hard for the other eaters to convince themselves. Q: Broadway Joe Namath guaranteed a Super Bowl. Will you guarantee a victory on July Fourth? A: I can't guarantee it, but I can guarantee it's gonna be really, really hard for somebody to beat me. If somebody beats me, they will have had to earn it. I can guarantee if my body works for me even 80 percent, I'm gonna blow everybody away.
Business Insider
19 hours ago
- Business Insider
Disney and Coca-Cola Stock Look to Strike Back with Star Wars Push
Coca-Cola (KO) and Disney (DIS) aren't just celebrating 70 years of partnership, they're reigniting two of the most recognizable brands on Earth at a time when both could use a bit of magic in their stock stories. The launch of Coca-Cola's new Star Wars -themed campaign, 'Refresh Your Galaxy,' isn't just a fizzy nostalgia play. It's a calculated brand offensive with shareholder implications. Confident Investing Starts Here: Brand Equity Goes Galactic At first glance, it's collectible cans and hologram gimmicks. But zoom out. You've got 30 limited-edition Coke designs hitting shelves in global markets from Asia to the Americas. It's not just about fans collecting, it's about reigniting emotional loyalty with one of the most commercially powerful fanbases in history. For Coca-Cola, this kind of cross-generational marketing doesn't just spike short-term sales. It builds long-term equity. We're talking retail uplift, social media engagement, and maybe most importantly: pricing power. Limited edition packaging gives Coke a reason to flex its premium branding muscle in an increasingly competitive beverage landscape. And yes, collectors will buy more than one. Disney's Content Flywheel Gets New Fuel On the other side of the can: Disney (DIS). The House of Mouse is juicing the Star Wars IP across platforms. From cinema ads to in-park exclusives, this campaign is a masterclass in ecosystem monetization. Theme park traffic? Boosted. Coke's exclusive designs are only available at Disney parks in Florida and California. That's incremental spend on-site, plus food, merch, and everything else that comes with a theme park visit. Disney also wins from eyeballs. The ad spot, a crowd of cosplayers using Coke bottles as lightsabers in a theater screening A New Hope, is engineered to go viral. Viral means reach, and reach means more subscriptions, more merch, more ticket sales. The Impact on Disney and Coca-Cola Stock For Coca-Cola, this isn't just brand theater. It's a margin story. Limited editions help drive volume, but more importantly, they support pricing in an inflation-heavy environment where differentiation matters. If the campaign drives even a modest increase in global sales velocity, it could meaningfully impact earnings, particularly in emerging markets where brand-led growth is key. For Disney, the campaign is a reminder that Star Wars remains a crown jewel, and a lever that can pull revenue across theme parks, streaming, merchandise, and more. In a year when Disney's streaming margins are under scrutiny and parks face post-COVID normalization, multi-channel campaigns like this offer synergistic upside. Is Coca-Cola a Good Stock to Buy? According to 16 Wall Street analysts, Coca-Cola is firmly in 'Strong Buy' territory. The consensus includes 15 Buy ratings and one Hold, with zero Sell recommendations in sight. The average 12-month KO price target is $79.53, a healthy 14.2% upside from its current level of $69.64. Why it matters? A global campaign tied to Star Wars nostalgia and AR-driven social engagement doesn't just move hearts, it moves units. If this cross-promotional campaign lands well (and early signs suggest it will), it could drive volume, especially in international markets where brand saturation still has room to grow. Is Disney a Good Stock to Buy? Meanwhile, Disney isn't far behind in analyst confidence. Out of 19 ratings, 15 are Buys, four are Holds, and, again, zero Sells. The average 12-month DIS price target of $125.12 suggests 3% upside from the current price of $121.61. Star Wars continues to be one of Disney's most monetizable IPs, from box office and streaming to parks and now partnerships. The AR campaign with Coca-Cola amplifies that flywheel, driving engagement in a way that touches nearly every corner of Disney's ecosystem, from Disney+ subscribers to theme park foot traffic.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
‘M3GAN' director reveals if he'd do a third film after ‘challenging' experience making the sequel
M3GAN is just getting started. Gerard Johnstone, the director of the horror franchise starring Allison Williams, has confirmed that there are already conversations about making 'M3GAN 3.0.' 'Yes, absolutely. It makes sense for there to be more of these movies,' Johnstone exclusively told the Post. 'To what extent I'll be involved in, I don't know.' 7 Gerard Johnstone attends the 'M3GAN 2.0' premiere in New York Universal Pictures and Blumhouse But Johnstone noted that he needs a break from work before he tackles a potential third film. 'I'm really looking forward to a holiday, quite frankly,' the filmmaker shared, admitting that making 'M3GAN 2.0' was 'really challenging' for him. 7 M3GAN (voice: Amie Donald) in 'M3GAN 2.0.' ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 'It was like two years of really intense work and I put everything I had into this movie,' he said of the sequel. 'So it's hard for me to think of anything beyond this moment. But I hope that the movie is good enough that people will really want to see more of her in the future.' 7 Gerard Johnstone in his interview with The Post. While 'M3GAN 3.0' has yet to be officially announced, Universal Pictures is making a spinoff, 'SOULM8TE.' The project, set for release in 2026, is about a man who buys an android to cope with his wife's death. Kate Dolan is directing while Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, Claudia Doumit and Oliver Cooper are set to star. Johnstone confirmed that he's not involved in the spinoff. 7 Violet McGraw, M3gan (voice: Jenna Davis and Allison Williams in the first film. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 'I haven't actually seen it yet to be quite honest, so no, I'm not involved,' he stated. 'But yeah, it's hugely gratifying to be part of a movie that generates spin-offs.' Johnstone also wants the 'M3GAN' franchise to include a TV show eventually. 7 Gerard Johnstone speaks at the 'M3GAN 2.0' premiere on June Universal Pictures and Blumhouse 'I'd love to see a Japanese 'M3GAN' anime series,' he told the Post. 'And then you're sort of not bound by the limits of technology. I think it would be really fun to see.' 'M3GAN 2.0,' the follow-up to the 2023 original, follows the iconic robot being rebuilt to help Gemma (Williams) and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) defeat a dangerous humanoid military robot. 7 Gerard Johnstone on the set of 'M3GAN 2.0.' AP Johnstone gushed over Williams, 37, to The Post, calling her 'a very talented actress' and 'a very intelligent person.' 'She is very knowledgeable on things and well researched and so she kind of brings that to her character,' the director said. 'She really is the perfect person to play Gemma in that way. You believe that even though she's the toy creator, she is smart enough to have also cracked more of X Paradox and figured out how to make this incredible robot that has all AI capabilities.' 7 Violet McGraw, Allison Williams in 'M3GAN 2.0.' AP 'She's a great teammate and colleague and as a producer of the film, she really gets involved in all the nitty-gritty creative problem solving things,' Johnstone continued. 'She has complete trust in me and my tone and where I'm going, so she's a really great collaborator.' 'M3GAN 2.0' is in theaters now.
