The much-hyped realty TV show Australian Survivor kicked off on Sunday night, and is quickly gaining popularity with Channel Ten giving it an enormous push and the show trending worldwide on Twitter.
It seems that Australian sports betting sites are keen to cash in on the Australian Survivor wave with Sportsbet releasing a betting market on who will take down the title of sole survivor and the $500,000 top prize.
Kooky Kristie Bennett has been installed as a $3.50 favourite at Sportsbet, which does seem a little odd. Clearly Kristie is a little left of centre as evident from her antics on the show on Monday night. After misplacing her bag, she accused her tribe mates of deliberately hiding it and declared that they were all out to get her. Not exactly the words of a winner in our opinion.
Former pro cricketer Lee Carseldine is on the next line at $5.00 at Sportsbet. Lee is in superb physical shape and is clearly a genuine guy, but his declaration to play an honest game might end up counting against him in a game as ruthless as Survivor.
Remember that Survivor is a pre-recorded show, so unless Sportsbet know something that we don’t, the odds seem way too short for the two favourites which opens up some value if we look elsewhere.
Firefighter mum Kylie Evans received a lot of promos before the season started, and plenty of airtime in the first two episodes for someone who hasn’t had much to do so far. She’s got her work cut out for her against some of the younger tribe mates who have formed an alliance, but her physical strength in challenges, and friendly demeanour, should hold her in good stead to make a deep run. At odds of $16 at Sportsbet to win, she looks a good value bet.
Similar value can be found in lawyer Phoebe Timmins ($26 at Sportsbet) who will play a deceptively intelligent game, and while Brooke Jowett ($51 at Sportsbet) isn’t a big Survivor fan but she’s now in a good spot under the wing of Felicity “Flick” Egginton ($11 at Sportsbet) so they shouldn’t be going anywhere for a while yet.
For the guys, Magician Matt Tarrant ($7.50 at Sportsbet) and hardcore Survivor fan Nick Iadanza ($7.50 at Sportsbet) seem well placed to stay out of trouble early before using their game play knowledge later on. However for a bit more value Rohan Maclaren ($16 at Sportsbet) looks a better bet. Rohan is in good shape so he’ll compete well in challenges, he’s intelligent, and most importantly, he’s not too annoying. Definitely worth a nibble.
Betting on reality TV can be a fun way to have a bit of a sweat while you enjoy the season of Australian Survivor. Hopefully a couple of our picks can make a deep run!
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
