If you asked a young Jackson Goonrey of Cobar and Lottie Rae of Trangie if one day they would feature on TV in the show ‘Australian Survivor’ in Samoa, according to the pair, they would have laughed.

Fast forward to 2026 and the two country kids are front and centre in this year’s show ‘Survivor: Redemption’ and Western NSW is up for it and cheering them on.

Pro Wrestler Jackson Goonrey (aka Scott Green) is Cobar born and bred and describes himself as a ‘small-town country kid, living his dream and doing the best he can’, while Lottie Rae is an artist from Trangie, married to her husband Ned, a farmer, Lottie has two children (Ted and Jimmy) and a passion for art that has taken her places she never imagined.

Between the two, in real life and on the show, they encompass just what country kids are capable of, and that distance or life in the country is no handicap when it comes to living a big life.

Jackson Goonrey from Cobar says being on 'Survivor' is a country thing to do - get in and have a go. [Image Channel 10]

“Growing up in Cobar you either go to the mines to work, or you leave. I left,” said Jackson.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve always just wanted to chase my dreams and have a good time doing it.

“I became a Pro-wrestler and through that I made the connections and acquired the weird skills you’d need to be entertaining on TV, which landed me in a random jungle in the middle of Samoa, fighting for my life.

“It was never my plan to end up there, but I’m a big believer of just jumping at any fun opportunities and having a crack, I think that’s a very country thing to do, to just get in there and have a go.”

“That’s what really helped me on Survivor too, because it’s hard to meet 12 new people at once in an environment where you know everyone is kind of after you, but country people have a certain charm about them that you can dance through those situations.

“We also have a chip on our shoulder, everyone is always looking at the cities, they forget about the country, so we work harder to get noticed, sacrifice more to get what others take for granted and that makes resilient people.

“My advice to anyone out there that reckons they got a bit more than the farm or the mines in them. YOU DO YOU!

“If I can go do it, you can. It’s not easy, you have to work so so hard, but in the hard work you find purpose.

"I practically jump out of bed every morning these days and people always ask why I’m up early, and I just say ‘If you were going where I was going, you’d want to be there early too.

“Get out there and have a go. You don’t want to be 80 years old with no stories to tell. Go start livin,’ said Jackson.

Lottie Rae is out to prove that country kids CAN. [Image Channel 10]

Anyone who knows Lottie Rae will tell you she’s a typical country girl. Lottie is at home in any classy art gallery, pub, or rodeo. She is down to earth and quietly competitive.

A self-taught contemporary artist, Lottie works from a studio at her home, and while she says she can talk to anyone, she is not relying on her fitness and endurance to bring her the win, she says laughing.

Her character filled pieces of art combine Australian folklore with modern day Aussie culture of bush, Rodeo’s, beach, cowboys and cowgirls, bright and provocative they have caught the eye of insightful collectors across Australia and Internationally.

Lottie has formed collaborations in many arenas making her one of Australia’s most successful regional, rural creators, which led to her appearance on the first season of Portrait Artist of the Year Australia (ABC) where she won her heat after painting Ken Done, much to Lottie’s delight meeting her idol.

Lottie is out to prove that country kids CAN and hopes that her appearance will inspire other people to step out and have a go.

“I’m repping the little guy. I’m from a small town, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go big. And I’m going to prove it,” said Lottie.

Jackson and Lottie with other Survivor Cast members. [Image Channel 10]