Australian Survivor Host Jonathan LaPaglia Says Getting Axed After Nearly 10 Years Is the ‘Craziest’ Blindside: ‘It Hurts Like a Bitch’

Australian Survivor is switching things up in the hosting department.

Jonathan LaPaglia, who has hosted the reality competition series for nearly a decade since joining in season 3 in 2016, reacted to the news of his axing in a heartfelt Instagram post shared Sunday, June 29, calling it the “craziest” blindside.

“Australian Survivor has seen some of the most epic blindsides over the last 10 years, but this one might just be the craziest of them all…because it happened to me,” he began.

LaPaglia explained that he received a call from Network 10, the network which airs Australian Survivor, during which he was thanked “for all my hard work and dedication to the show,” only for them to then tell him they were “going in a different direction” next season.

“Ratings had dipped a bit recently and they wanted to do something drastic to shake things up,” he said.

LaPaglia, 55, made light of the situation by making jokes using terminology fans of the show would recognize. For instance, he said that instead of the show doing a tribe swap they were doing a “host swap” and that, without a hidden immunity idol, he was being voted out and sent home.

He also got genuinely sentimental about the news.

“I have loved and will dearly miss the immensely talented crew, all the crafty players and our loyal sassy audience. I’m a huge fan of this incredible game, always have been, always will be,” he wrote. “It has been one of the greatest adventures of my career to helm Australian Survivor, so it is without a doubt the hardest challenge of all to snuff my own torch but here goes; ‘JLP…the tribe has spoken.'”

“Whoever said a blindside is the most humane way to put someone down is an idiot,” he added. “It hurts like a bitch!”

The official Instagram accounts for Network 10 and Australian Survivor confirmed LaPaglia’s exit.

“JLP has brought a unique blend of authority, intelligence and empathy to his role as host of Australian Survivor over the last 10 years,” the joint post read. “Acting as referee and managing the intense pressure of the game while also acknowledging the human drama unfolding, JLP has been a compelling and memorable figure in the world of Survivor.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

“We extend our sincere gratitude to JLP for his outstanding contribution over 10 years on Survivor,” it continued. “We wish him continued success in his acting and presenting career.”

While LaPaglia is out as host of Australian Survivor, fans will get to see him one last time as he hosts the upcoming season Australia V The World.

The 13th season of the Australian Survivor franchise includes players from Down Under — including David Genat, who won Australia’s all-star season as well as recently took home $5 million on Deal or No Deal Island — as well as versions of Survivor from around the globe.

Competing from the U.S. version of Survivor are Cirie Fields, Parvati Shallow and Tony Vlachos.

In his post, LaPaglia called this season “probably our best season EVER!”