by Jan-Hendrik Botha

Who plans on being crowned South Africa's Boston Rob? Who is determined to play a game unique to their own? We spoke to this year's male castaways to find out which survivor, locally or internationally, will be influencing their gameplay.  

Anela: 
This charming rugby coach from Johannesburg considers Russell Hantz as one of his Survivor idols. “He was slightly more rash and direct than what I would be, but what I love about him is that he played the game, and he played it hard from day one.” That is how Anela plans on competing in Survivor SA. “I don’t plan on being a passenger carried around by someone or being at the bottom of an alliance,” he says. “And if there’s an idol out there, I’m going to find it.” 

Meet Anela below:  



Chappies:
The 30-year-old Chappies from Centurion aspires to play Tony Vlachos’ game. Tony is the sole survivor of Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Winners at War, and also competed in Survivor: Game Changer. According to Chappies, Tony has the flare and enthusiasm one needs to win the game of Survivor. “He played the game and enjoyed every moment of it, and it was incredible to watch people hang on his lips to hear what he’s going to say next.” 

Get to know him below:

Paul: 
Paul, an aftercare teacher from Johannesburg, says Rob Mariano is his Survivor spirit-animal. Rob, also known as Boston Rob, is the sole survivor of Survivor: Redemption Island. He also competed in Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and Survivor: Winners at War. According to Paul, Rob was able to manoeuvre his way through the game. “I’ve studied the way that he has played the game, and I look to do the same thing in this season.” 

Introducing Paul:

Dino: 
Dino, the charming superfan from Johannesburg, has many castaways he looks up to, and for different reasons. According to him, Rick Devins from Survivor: Edge of Extinction played a fantastic social game. “I loved the character and humour that he brought to the show.”  

Locally, he finds inspiration in the way Ashley Haden (aka Queen Ash) played the game of Survivor. Ashley is a previous castaway from Survivor SA: Santa Carolina, and according to Dino, she was ahead of the pack in her gameplay.  

Introducing Dino:



Kiran: 
Durban born and bred Strategy Consultant, Kiran currently resides in Johannesburg. He finds Yo Kwam’s gameplay inspiring. Yul won Survivor: Cook Islands and later competed in Survivor: Winners at War. “Just like me, he was also a strategy consultant and an all round beast,” says Kiran.  

Get to know Kiren below:



Jason: 
Johannesburg Survivor fanatic Jason has great respect for the Survivor veterans Joe Anglim (Survivor: Worlds Apart, Survivor: Cambodia and Survivor: Edge of Extinction) and Ozzy Lusth (Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: South Pacific and Survivor: Game Changers). According to Jason, these two castaways made for memorable Survivor moments, and he plans on doing the same. “The amount of energy they have put into this game has made it memorable, and I’d like to honour them by doing the same.” 

Meet Jason below:

Mike: 
Mike, the quick-witted Advocate from Johannesburg, plans on mirroring Zeke Smith (Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X and Survivor Game Changers). Zeke is best known for his progressive strategy and flamboyant personality. “It’s that combination of moustache, Hawaiian shirt and confidence that I find fascinating, but I also like his type of gameplay,” says Mike. The combination of playing a strategic game and being a genuinely nice person is what Mike finds appealing. 

Meet Mike below:



Tyson: 
“I feel like this is going to be the best season of Survivor, because I’m involved.” Tyson is a creative director who is originally from Durban, and currently resides in Johannesburg. Tyson plans on bringing something different to the game of Survivor, “something this game hasn’t seen before”. Therefore doesn’t plan on being influenced by any previous castaway’s gameplay.  

Find out more about Tyson below:

Renier: 
Our Survivor superfan Renier, a chemical engineer from Secunda, relates to three specific castaways: Firstly Tom Westman, (Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Heroes vs Villains), secondly Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor Heroes vs. Villains and Survivor: Winners at War) and lastly, Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X and Survivor: Winners at War)  

“I can see myself playing a game like Tom, although I know that in a modern Survivor, that will be a death sentence, so I’ll need to underplay the Tom inside of me,” explains Renier.  

“Parvati was a machine in building alliances. Her social game was incredible, getting people to love her while at the same time being able to manipulate a social game.  

“Initially, I didn’t like Adam, but I definitely see a lot of him in myself and can see myself portrayed like him in this season.” 

Watch the video below to get to know Renier:



Shaun: 
Shaun, an IT Business Owner from Johannesburg, says David Ganat will inspire his gameplay. “David is the golden god of Australian Survivor because he played an immense game, especially during Australian Survivor: All-Stars.” David also competed in Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders, and is infamously known for exchanging a fake hidden immunity idol for a real one. “I think if I can mirror his gameplay, I’ll do very well,” says Shaun. 

Get to know Shaun a 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.