Australian Survivor Contestant George Mladenov Comes Out As Gay

Australian Survivor contestant George Mladenov, known popularly as ‘King of Bankstown’ or ‘King George’, has publicly come out as gay.

Mladenov came out on the Kyle and Jackie O show on Friday, after one of the hosts asked him directly about his sexuality. 

The self-described “political spin doctor” and President of the Bankstown Labor Party, was a contestant in the Australian Survivor: Brains vs Brawn season in 2021.

The 32–year-old returned for the Australian Survivor: Heroes vs Villains season in January 2023, but was evacuated in the very first episode after an accident during a challenge. He returned in the second episode.

Did You Get Outed?

Radio host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson asked Mladenov if he had been outed on the show when fellow contestant Shonee Bowtell let slip his sexuality in the first episode.

‘George, did you get outed on the show the other day when Shonee said, “Oh, I can’t lose my only gay? Why did she say that? Are you gay?” 

Mladenov responded: “Of course,”. He added that he thought it was “public knowledge” and denied that Shonee had outed him. He joked that he should probably get his sexual orientation tattooed on his body. 

The hosts then asked him if he had a boyfriend. “Not yet. Still looking,” said Mladenov. 

They then asked him: “Is it hard when you’ve been on Survivor or easier?

“No, I just don’t think it’s something that I’ve been prioritising right now,” replied Mladenov, adding that he was “enjoying” his single status.

Sydney WorldPride

Live on 10 and 10 Play literally right now 📺 #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/lpiBD5UnID

— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) February 5, 2023

With less than a fortnight to go for Sydney WorldPride, Kyle and Jackie O wanted to know if Mladenov was attending or participating in any of the events. 

“I’ll be doing some stuff,” said Mladenov. “I’m going to enjoy the festivities. It’s a great thing that’s happening. Here in Sydney and hopefully everyone’s gonna have a good time.”

Mladenov also revealed that he had resigned from the NSW Labor Party and was open to running as an Independent in the next elections.

“When you live in Bankstown and you don’t have access to government services, you need a local MP who can actually understand the issues to advocate on your behalf,” Mladenov told the radio hosts.