Alone Australia season three winner sets massive show record to claim whopping $250,000 prize money
In a true testament to grit and survival, professional trapper Shay Williamson has been crowned the winner of Alone Australia season three – outlasting nine competitors to set a new record for the brutal reality show.
The 30-year-old New Zealand man braved the unforgiving wilds of Tasmania 's rugged West Coast Ranges for an astonishing 76 days, taking home the season's $250,000 prize.
Viewers were on the edge of their seats during Wednesday's nail-biting finale as Shay, who had endured over two and a half months in isolation, finally hit the ultimate jackpot.
After a gruelling period subsisting on a truly unique diet, he managed to bag a pademelon – a small marsupial – securing him a much-needed substantial feed and cementing his place as the ultimate survivor.
Shay's remarkable endurance was fuelled by an incredibly resourceful and unconventional menu.
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His impressive tally of provisions included 23 trout, 13 eels, two whitebait and freshwater shrimp, and a staggering 1100-plus worms.
Not to mention a brave foray into consuming grubs and moth pupae, which he valiantly attempted to make more appealing by dubbing them 'cheese fries.'
'I tasted hard times and joyful times as I clawed out the other side and figured out where I could fit in, sustainably live, even forever out there, if need be,' Shay said in a statement released by SBS on Thursday.
'I'll always be grateful for the opportunity to help my family in this way, doing what I love for the people I love.'
Shay's first meal upon returning to civilisation was 'KFC at the airport,' and he said strangers were smiling at him and giving him the 'thumbs up'.
His victory marks a new benchmark for Alone Australia, with the season delivering a ratings bonanza for the public service broadcaster.
More than 3.5million Australians tuned in to the finale, with 41 per cent watching via SBS On Demand.
This multi-platform success is proof Australian audiences have a real appetite for under- produced and genuinely unscripted reality TV, in addition to glossy formats like Married at First Sight.
In a heart-warming moment that had viewers reaching for the tissues, Shay was delivered the news of his win by his wife, Abby.
What Shay believed was a routine medical check-up in the rugged Tasmanian bush turned into the surprise of a lifetime.
He had vowed before the season began to last a staggering '300 days' in the wilderness if necessary to secure the win.
As Abby emerged, the shock on his face quickly turned to joyous realisation that he had outlasted all the other competitors.
Continuing in his statement, Shay revealed his lifelong connection to the land was his secret weapon.
'Living in the bush and off the land has been my life's passion since I was a kid,' he said.
'I built my life around the bush back home and became intimately connected to the land I come from, learning how our ancestors gathered food and lived in nature.'
He added, 'I got the opportunity out there to put all that to the test, in a completely foreign environment.'
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