JONATHAN LAPAGLIA

The Australian Survivor host on surviving Hollywood.

For its third season, Australian

Survivor is mixing things up. A tribe of Champions comprised of footy legends, Olympic medallists and the like will be pitted against the Contenders tribe: 12 everyday Aussies. Host Jonathan Lapaglia, 48, is confident the show’s fanbase will love the format. “This is our most eclectic mix of contestants so far,” he says.

Outside the competition, viewers will also be on the lookout for potential romances. Several relationships blossomed over the past two seasons, and in March, former contestants Samantha Gash and Mark Wales welcomed the first Australian Survivor baby with the birth of their son. But Lapaglia has bad news for those hoping for flirtation: “There aren’t many singles this season, so there’s not a lot of hanky-panky!” he says.

Though the show’s contestants are doing it tough, Lapaglia says both he and the crew are equally under pressure. “It’s a really tight schedule—even tighter this year,” he says. “It pummels the hell out of you, it really does. You come home and just fall into a heap.”

Home for him is Los Angeles with his wife, actress Ursula Brooks, and daughter Tilly, 13. He’s been based there for the past 24 years, and this year marks the couple’s 20th year of marriage. When we mention that fact to Lapaglia, he pauses, clearly shocked. “I hadn’t even thought about it!” he gasps. “You figured it out before me. Damn it, I’m going to be in the doghouse for that!”

While his own wedding is a distant memory, a few months ago, older brother Anthony, 59, married his partner of three years, Alexandra Henkel, 29, during a surprise wedding in Hawaii. Lapaglia missed the occasion due to work commitments. “I couldn’t make it unfortunately. I was in Fiji filming,” he says.

Lapaglia’s brother made the move to the US at the age of 21 and had been carving out a living in Hollywood when his younger sibling arrived more than a decade later. Despite having an older brother to call on for advice, nothing could prepare the fledgling actor for the brutally “disposable” nature of the industry. “I learnt that the hard way!” Lapaglia says. “One minute you have ‘ heat’ and everyone wants you, but as quickly as that happens, it disappears, and there’s no rhyme or reason. It often has no bearing on your talent or how much work you put in, it’s just this arbitrary thing that’s very trend-driven. The industry marches forward; they don’t stop for you. You have to have thick skin.”

After almost three decades working in America and Australia, Lapaglia is once again doing the rounds. “I’m auditioning for stuff, looking for my next project. I have directed before and I’d love to get into that again, but so does everyone else in Hollywood. So I’m starting from ground zero to make it happen. It’s all up to me.” Australian Survivor starts Wed., Aug. 1, 7.30 PM on Ten

“I’m going to be in the doghouse for that!”