Leah and Dan from Brekky were joined by former Australian Survivor, now Australian Survivor Redemption host, David Genat. He began by talking about the transition from contestant to host.

“With Survivor being such a big part of my life, like getting to be the host is unbelievable. It’s like a dream come true. I feel very, very blessed to be in the role. And it changed my life the first time I played Survivor. Like without Survivor, I don’t do Island. I don’t do Celebrity Apprentice, any of my shows. It really kickstarted things for me. So, it’s a full circle moment to come back and host.

Hard Act to Follow

David talked about his predecessors, Jonathon LaPaglia and Jeff Probst who paved the way for him.

“So Jeff was the first. I mean, amazing. You stand on the shoulders of giants. He did it. And then Jonathan kind of did what he did and tried to emulate that and then made his spin. And then I just get to evolve it.”

A Player’s Perspective

“I’ve gotten to play the game so many times and I’ve seen it from so many different angles and I can empathize with what the guys are going through. It’s a really big, hard undertaking,” he said.

David said there have been times where he wanted to speak into a player’s decision but he wasn’t able to as host.

“I’m thinking, why did you do that? You’ve just tanked your game. But that’s kind of the fun, like I have the best seat in the house. So I get the front row for all the gameplay. I get to be there and laugh internally at like mistakes or funny things.”

Survivor in Samoa

David compared his experience in Samoa to filming in Fiji.

It’s intense. Samoa to me feels like a harsher environment. Most of my seasons were Fiji. where the beach feels very bountiful. There’s a lot of coconuts you can find, like bananas, mangoes if you’re lucky.

He said the weather also plays a character on the show.

“One second, you’re sitting on the beach and it’s nice and warm, the next you’re soaking wet for 36 hours and freezing. So Samoa can just shift on a dime like that. And it really has an impact on how the game gets played because of the weather.”

Favourite Challenge

David detailed his most memorable moments as a contestant.

“It’s the obstacle courses… when I was out there playing, I felt like a big kid.”

As a host, it now looks different for him.

“Now the insurance requirements are a little bit different. There are things I’m not allowed to do. They’d be like, ‘Get down off there’, trying to stop me from climbing up on the things and swinging on the ropes.”

He said the work that goes into the props is amazing.

“Our art department’s amazing. They’re working three months ahead of time, building these big, amazing props and obstacles that can handle like 12 people’s weight and you’ve got to jump, lift and swing. It’s just the best. And they all tear it down in like 24 hours after it’s done.”

Survivor Redemption

David explained the message behind Survivor Redemption.

“In a biblical sense, it’s a big thing, right? In our game sense, I think it’s a chance for people to feel like they get to correct some mistakes. Even for our new players, like redemption for them was like almost getting to the end and then getting a second chance at it. And I think in life, I love getting a second chance at things.”

He continued, “Redemption is something I think we’re all looking for in life. And relative to our show, it just makes the guys really play hard. Trying to prove themselves and just get that redemption was really, really fun for this season.”

He concluded by encouraging all to tune in on Monday night.

“I would not say this lightly. I’ve played a lot of Survivor. I’ve watched a lot of Survivor. I think we have the best season of Australian Survivor coming up starting Monday night at 7:30. And I just, yeah, I’d love people to turn it on and watch it. I’m a Perth boy, so I’d love our Perth crew to just switch your TVs on and switch it to 10 if you can. And it’s such a good show this season. You’ll really love it.”

Watch Survivor Redemption on Monday nights from February 23rd.

Check out the full chat with David Genat below.