Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains may have only just started but already we’ve seen battle lines drawn, and a perfect storm of bad luck for Anjali, who became the first castaway voted out, but it didn’t have to be that way.

Initially nestled between pro poker player Jackie and King George himself, Anjali was in a perfect position to settle into the game. But during the first Immunity Challenge both George and Jackie were injured, and both needed medical attention requiring them to be removed from the game for further evaluation.

“I knew it was goodnight Vienna for me as soon as my two protectors had the sheer audacity to end up in the hospital,” Anjali told 10 Play following her elimination. “It just left me standing there in front of everybody basically with no knickers on.

“Also, because they are big personalities, George and Jackie, and they have been so successful in the game before, their absence was this visceral emptiness after they left,” Anjali continued.

Despite initially feeling vulnerable, Anjali was lulled into a false sense of security by her fellow Villains, who convinced her that she had nothing to worry about. Their actual plan was to pin votes on Jackie if she was to return to the game, with Anjali as a plan B.

“A bunch of them told me that I was absolutely safe and didn’t need to worry about anything and, what it comes down to is that we’re Villains and they’re a bunch of treacherous little ferrets,” she laughed, adding, “I still do love them though.”

Still, Anjali could have been saved when Jonathan revealed the unfortunate news that Jackie had fractured her collarbone and would not be able to return to the game. Jonathan then gave the Villains the option to not reveal the votes and for everyone to return to camp, or they could go ahead and lose another member of the tribe.

With George still under observation and his future in the game up in the air, there was a chance that in just one night the Villains could lose three members of their tribe. Ultimately, Anjali became one of the more vocal Villains, convincing the tribe to continue with the vote, unintentionally signing her own death warrant in the game.

“It wasn’t that I wanted someone to go,” she explained, “I think playing it safe and going, ‘Oh no, let’s all go home into the sunset’, that’s for the Heroes. Do it the safe boring way. I felt like, come on! We’re Villains! Let’s make some damn drama.”

Coming into the season, Anjali said being on the Villains tribe was exactly where she was born to be. “I said don’t you dare make me a Hero, how boring! What am I going to do with this accent? I’m obviously a Villain.”

Anjali also said you could almost immediately see how the two tribes leaned into their identities as Heroes and Villains from the get-go.

“Everyone on the Heroes truck when they were all being shipped off at the same time we were, they just thought they were so special. ‘Oh look, we’re a truck full of heroes’,” she said mockingly.

“All the Villains looked at each other like we’re going to have some fun. We’re going to make some drama. We’re going to make some damn good TV!”

And while the vote didn’t go her way, Anjali still wants a Villain to be crowned Sole Survivor at the end of the season. She’s also not mad to be the first torch snuffed in the season.

“I’d rather be voted off first than anything else — other than winning — because the biggest numbers, the biggest ratings, are for the first episode and the last episode,” she said, laughing.

“Nobody remembers who gets voted off second, third, fourth, twenty-third, but they remember first! That’s how I’m explaining it to myself anyway.”

Describing her short but sweet Survivor experience simply as “batsh*t crazy”, Anjali never once considered applying for the show until she was approached.

“I did Real Housewives and I never thought for one moment I’d do that either,” she added. “I’m somebody that, when presented with an opportunity, even though I might be terrified at the thought of it I'd rather do it terrified than not do it at all.

“I'm so glad that I did Survivor and, to be honest, it's a total honour to be considered and asked to play because I never would have thought of myself in that situation but other people did. It means a huge amount to me.”

Australian Survivor: Heroes V Villains airs Sunday - Wednesday at 7.30 on Network 10 and 10 Play on demand