The seventh season of Network 10's Australian Survivor has crowned its winner: author and former SAS commander Mark Wales. Mark was one of four returning players on the season, joining fellow Aussies Sam Gash and Andy Meldrum, as well as American Survivor legend Sandra Diaz-Twine. Mark originally played in season 2 of Australian Survivor in 2017, but he was eliminated early because he was perceived as a threat by his tribe due to his physical strength and budding relationship with Sam.
After meeting on Survivor, Mark and Sam's romance blossomed, and the two married and started a family shortly after their time on the show. They joined the cast of Australian Survivor season 7, a Blood V Water season and dominated the game together. They joined forces after the merge to decimate their competitors, becoming the final loved ones pair left in the game before Sam was voted out in eighth place. Mark then went on to win a unanimous jury vote against Shay Lajoie and Chrissy Zaremba.
Though he didn't play the flashiest game in Blood V Water, Mark pulled off one the most dominant victories in Australian Survivor history. He ranks very highly among winners in terms of the overall control and skill he exhibited on his path to the Sole Survivor title. Despite his imposing physique and previous Survivor experience, he deftly managed his threat level throughout the game and made strong bonds with his tribemates, constantly positioning himself behind other threats to avoid elimination. Mark found a Hidden Immunity Idol along the way, and when his wife, Sam, obtained another idol in one of the show's most ruthless and iconic blindsides, Mark convinced many of his fellow castaways that the second idol was a fabrication. They bought his lie, to their detriment, as he continued to gather power in the game on his journey to victory.
Mark's only major hiccups came when he wasn't able to save Sam from elimination without sacrificing an idol and when he misplayed the second idol at the final six. As he played the idol, he made a flashy show of the moment that could've rubbed some jurors the wrong way. He didn't cop any votes at that Tribal Council, so he also unnecessarily burned an idol that could've automatically sent him to the final five. On the other hand, Mark showed great resilience when he overcame a major twist that could've spelled disaster for his game. The "Purgatory" non-elimination wrinkle sent three of Mark's opponents back into the game after Mark's alliance voted them out, but Mark persevered and maneuvered his way through the hurdle before being justly rewarded by the jury.
Although many fans were frustrated by the season, in large part due to the show's intense focus on Mark and Sam and the predictability of Mark's win, it's hard to fault Mark himself for the season's flat storytelling. He did what he had to do to win the game, and he arguably played the second strongest winning game of Australian Survivor. Only All Stars champ David Genat, one of the greatest Survivor players ever, outranks Mark as a winner. Unlike David, though, Mark and Sam aren't likely to win any fan-voted popularity contests any time soon, but they're probably happy with that arrangement given the hefty cash prize they landed from Mark's impressive Australian Survivor win.