by Jan-Hendrik Botha
The twenty South Africans taking part in Survivor SA: Immunity Island has recently been announced. In their quest to win a million rand, we asked the ten female castaways which previous castaway’s gameplay, locally or internationally, they relate to. This is what they had to say:
Thoriso:
Thoriso, a single mother and Marketing Officer from Uitenhage, finds inspiration from Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Island, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor Game Changer, Survivor: Winners and Survivor: Island of the Idols) and Cirie Fields (Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and Survivor: Game Changers). She says that Cirie Fields knew how to tackle the game and was brilliant to watch at Tribal Council. According to Thoriso, Sandra had her finger on the pulse throughout her gameplay and understood the people she was playing with.
Meet Thoriso below:
Amy:
Amy describes herself as “a genuine person, slightly bossy” with “a good heart”. This bombshell attorney from Johannesburg says she relates with the confident and graceful Nicole Capper from Survivor SA: Island of Secrets. Internationally, Amy finds Kelly Wentworth’s gameplay appealing. Kelly was of course a castaway on Survivor: San Juan del Sur and Survivor: Edge of Extinction. According to Amy both these beautiful blondes “rocked it” and she plans on doing so herself.
Get to know her below:
Pintee:
Noleen, aka Pintee, is a farm girl turned Capetonian. Her gameplay will be based on the Survivor veteran Ben Driebergen, as well as Werner Joubert, aka Werries from Survivor SA: Philippines. She thinks Werries played an immaculate game but adds anyone willing to play Survivor is amazing. “I look up to all the previous contestants because this game isn’t easy!”
Introducing Pintee:
Carla:
“If you go in too hard and too strong, and you look at the castle, you’ll get dethroned quite quickly,” says Carla, a corporate entrepreneur from Cape Town. She brands herself as a “multipotentialite”, interested in excelling in a variety of fields. She has many favourite castaways from previous seasons, but her all-time favourite is David Genat, the sole survivor of Australian Survivor: All-Stars and previous castaway from Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders. He is best known for exchanging a fake idol for a real one and having the ability to dismantle a strong alliance. Carla wishes to take a branch from his strategy and apply it to her own. According to her, he had people eating out of his hands.
Others influencing her gameplay include Boston Rob and Rick Devens. She, however, plans on staying humble throughout the game and playing a far less devious game than all three.
Meet Carla below:
Wardah:
Wardah is a happily married fit mom with a five-year-old son. She says Wendell Holland is her Survivor spirit-animal. Wendell is the sole survivor of Survivor: Ghost Island, and later competed on Survivor: Winners at War. Wardah says that Wendel wasn’t perceived as a threat at first, but came from behind and used a good social game when he needed to play the game of Survivor. She says she plans on playing just as good a social and physical game as him.
Get to know Wardah below:
Marisha:
She’s happily married and a mother of two: Marisha, a bodybuilder and guesthouse owner living on a farm in Tulbagh, plans on echoing Steffi Brink’s gameplay. According to Marisha, Steffi, a previous castaway on Survivor SA: Island of Secrets, is fit, driven and motivated to play the game hard. Marisha plans on giving it her all in every challenge. Marisha says that Steffi had been an outright castaway that had rules, and Marisha hopes to live up to these standards.
Come and meet Marisha below:
Qieän:
Qieän, a Taiwanese born and South African raised entrepreneur and volunteer firefighter from Cape Town has great respect for Yul Kwon. “Yes, it’s ironic, I know.” Yul, the kind-hearted castaway who won Survivor: Cook Islands later competed in Survivor: Winners at War. “He is kind, compassionate and understanding, and he listens,” Qieän says. According to her, Yul’s diplomacy will inspire her gameplay.
Watch the video below to get to know Qieän:
Nicole:
The vibrant Nicole, a digital guru from Stellenbosch, finds Elaine Stott appealing. “What a laugh she was,” Nicole says. Though Elaine played a very good social game, she was perceived as a threat from the very start. Eventually, she destroyed one of the biggest alliances in Survivor: Island of the Idols. Nicole also finds inspiration from Zavion Kotze’s gameplay, a Survivor SA: Champions alumnus. According to Nicole, he is entertaining, funny and incredible to watch.
Get to know Nicole a bit better:
Anesu:
Anesu is a non-practising doctor, avid yogi and small business owner. This Majozi from Jozi feels that her gameplay will be unique and uninfluenced. Anesu acknowledges that she will be emulating the idol hunting of Russel Hantz, Russel is a castaway from Survivor: Samoa, Survivor Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Redemption Island and Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders. He is known as a notorious villain, creating chaos wherever he went. Though Anesu makes it very clear that she will not be playing Russel’s devious game, she plans on channelling his determination.
Get to know season eight's yogi, Anesu, below:
Santoni:
This flaming redhead from Cape Town is a Survivor superfan. She admires Jacques Burger, a castaway from Survivor SA: Island of Secrets. Just like Jacques, Santoni feels that she might say things that will be misinterpreted, causing her to be completely alienated. She also enjoyed Werner Joubert’s gameplay. She says that the way he tried to “master” the game of Survivor was truly inspiring to watch. Tom Swartz from Survivor SA: Phillippines will also inspire her gameplay. According to Santoni, Tom’s "what you see is what you get-attitude" will be applied to her game. Finally, she finds David Genat's ability to change fellow castaways' strategies inspiring (Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders and Australian Survivor: All Stars).
Find out more about Santoni below:
Who will outwit, outplay and outlast and become the sole Survivor of Survivor SA: Immunity Island? Tune in to find out!
Survivor SA: Immunity Island airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101), Thursdays at 19:00. Join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram or the Survivor Facebook Page by using the hashtag #SurvivorSA.