A cancelled challenge and Judge Dicko: The two seasons of Survivor they want you to forget.

If I asked you how many seasons of Australian Survivor there are, you'd probably tell me there are eight.

Well, you'd actually probably say, "I don't know, Adrienne - what kind of dumb question is that? Who counts seasons of reality TV?"

Well, I do. And other Survivor fanatics do. Granted, I'm not as well-versed on Network 10's Australian Survivor as I am on the American version - which started in 2000 and has had a whopping 43 amazing seasons - but I know enough. I'm very excited about the upcoming eighth season of Australian Survivor, titled Heroes vs Villains and shot in Samoa.

As host Jonathan LaPaglia says in the trailer, "We're back where it all began: Samoa!"

Except of course, it didn't begin in Samoa - it all began right here in Australia. And it isn't the eighth season of Australian Survivor, it's the 10th. Because there are two seasons you have forgotten all about... and like Alanis Morissette, I'm here to remind you of them.

Season one of Australian Survivor (2002).

Shot in Whaler's Way in South Australia, airing in 2002, and hosted by former 60 Minutes journalist Lincoln Howes, season one of Australian Survivor was a bit of a disaster. The Nine Network had the rights for the series at the time, and in order to keep the rights of the US Survivor, they were beholden to produce a local version.

Who are these people? Image: Nine Network.

The first challenge, which I remember watching and laughing at with my brother, was pure chaos. It involved the two tribes fetching logs out of a pond and carrying them up a hill, then using them as a ladder to get onto a platform. At the top of the platform were a number of torches, which needed to be lit. The torches then lit up a bonfire.

It sounded good in theory. Fire is a very important part of the show - without it, well, you are stuck with whatever you can find to eat in the trees - unless raw fish and uncooked rice is appealing (yuck).

But the wind was too strong that day, and the fires failed to catch, and after 40 minutes of waiting the challenge was cancelled.

I don't know if a challenge has EVER been cancelled. And it was the first-ever challenge for Australian Survivor.

I mean, I laughed a lot. So, thank you, Channel Nine, for that at least.

Anyway, after 39 days the sole survivor was Victorian man Robert "Rob" Dickson. He won $500,000 and a Ford V6 Escape, which was a fantastic prize by Australian reality TV standards. I mean, I think Love Island Australia people win $50,000? This is likely where all the production budget went.

This is Rob. Image: Nine Network.

The votes were read live at Melbourne's Crown Casino (!) and the 16 castaways were then interviewed by Eddie McGuire - yes, Nine was intent on using all their Nine talent - about their time on Survivor.

What a trip.

Anyhoo, that brings us to the second season of Australian Survivor that you forgot about.

Season two of Australian Survivor (2006).

This season was taken over from the Nine Network by the Seven Network. It was a celebrity version of Australian Survivor, titled Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu and shot in, well, Vanuatu. Australian Idol judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson was the host, and the prize was $100,000 for the winner's chosen charity.

Here are the 12 celebrities that took part: Kym Johnson, Benjamin "Ben" Wynn, Fiona Horne, Amber Petty, Wayne Gardner, Guy Leech, Elton Flatley, Justin Melvey, Gabrielle Richens, David Oldfield, Nicolle Dickson, and Imogen Bailey.

Look at how shiny these celebs are! Image: Seven Network.

The celebrities were split into two tribes and one tribe kept winning all the challenges - both immunity and reward - which meant the other tribe was hungry and miserable. Imogen was on the losing tribe and vomited from dizziness, likely due to hunger.

When the winning tribe won for the zillionth time, they actually gave some of their food to the losing tribe because they felt so sorry for them. That's how you know this was in the early days of reality TV - everyone was so nice. That would likely never happen in today's Australian Survivor. Can you imagine "villains" George from Bankstown or Shownee giving up their meals to the other tribe? Nope, nope, nope.

At the end of the 25 days - down from the usual 39 because they're celebrities, I guess? - Guy Leech was the sole survivor, beating out runner-up Justin Melvey. 

It wouldn't be until 10 years later that Network 10 would pick up the mantle of Australian Survivor and run with it. Hosted by LaPaglia since 2016, Survivor just keeps getting better each year. The contestants are becoming more ruthless like their American counterparts and the personalities, new and returning, are top-notch. Channel 10 did something that Nine and Seven couldn't: Create challenges that don't get cancelled by strong winds, provide an excellent host on par with US Survivor's Jeff Probst, and of course, bring in those all important eyeballs.

Long may Australian Survivor reign. 

And let's never talk again about those first two seasons.

Australian Survivor Heroes V Villains premieres tonight - Monday, January 30 - at 7.30pm on 10 and 10Play.

Feature Image: Nine Network/Seven Network.