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.ย ย
Anela:ย
This charming rugby coach from Johannesburg considers Russell Hantz as one of hisย Survivorย idols. โHe 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.โ That is how Anela plans on competing inย Survivor SA. โI donโt plan on being a passenger carried around by someone or being at the bottom of an alliance,โ he says. โAnd if thereโs an idol out there, Iโm going to find it.โย
Meet Anela below:ย ย
Chappies:
The 30-year-old Chappies from Centurion aspires to play Tony Vlachosโ game. Tony is the sole survivor ofย Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Winners at War,ย and also competed inย Survivor: Game Changer.ย According to Chappies, Tony has the flare and enthusiasm one needs to win the game of Survivor. โHe played the game and enjoyed every moment of it, and it was incredible to watch people hang on his lips to hear what heโs going to say next.โย
Get to know him below:
Paul:ย
Paul, an aftercare teacher from Johannesburg, says Rob Mariano is his Survivor spirit-animal. Rob, also known as Boston Rob, is the sole survivor ofย Survivor: Redemption Island. He also competed inย Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villainsย andย Survivor: Winners at War.ย According to Paul, Rob was able to manoeuvre his way through the game. โIโve studied the way that he has played the game, and I look to do the same thing in this season.โย
Introducing Paul:
Dino:ย
Dino, the charming superfan from Johannesburg, has many castaways he looks up to, and for different reasons. According to him, Rick Devins fromย Survivor: Edge of Extinctionย played a fantastic social game. โI loved the character and humour that he brought to the show.โย ย
Locally, he finds inspiration in the way Ashley Haden (aka Queen Ash) played the game ofย Survivor. Ashley is a previous castaway fromย Survivor SA: Santa Carolina, and according to Dino, she was ahead of the pack in her gameplay.ย ย
Introducing Dino:
Kiran:ย
Durban born and bred Strategy Consultant, Kiran currently resides in Johannesburg. He finds Yo Kwamโs gameplay inspiring. Yul wonย Survivor: Cook Islandsย and later competed inย Survivor: Winners at War.ย โJust like me, he was also a strategy consultant and an all round beast,โ says Kiran.ย ย
Get to know Kiren below:
Jason:ย
Johannesburgย Survivorย fanatic Jason has great respect for theย Survivorย veterans Joe Anglim (Survivor: Worlds Apart, Survivor: Cambodiaย andย Survivor: Edge of Extinction) and Ozzy Lusthย (Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: South Pacificย andย Survivor: Game Changers). According to Jason, these two castaways made for memorable Survivor moments, and he plans on doing the same. โThe amount of energy they have put into this game has made it memorable, and Iโd like to honour them by doing the same.โย
Meet Jason below:
Mike:ย
Mike, the quick-witted Advocate from Johannesburg, plans on mirroring Zeke Smith (Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen Xย andย Survivor Game Changers). Zeke is best known for his progressive strategy and flamboyant personality. โItโs that combination of moustache, Hawaiian shirt and confidence that I find fascinating, but I also like his type of gameplay,โ says Mike. The combination of playing a strategic game and being a genuinely nice person is what Mike finds appealing.ย
Meet Mikeย below:
Tyson:ย
โI feel like this is going to be the best season ofย Survivor, because Iโm involved.โ Tyson is a creativeย director who is originally from Durban, and currently resides in Johannesburg. Tyson plans on bringing something different to the game of Survivor, โsomething this game hasnโt seen beforeโ. Therefore doesnโt plan on being influenced by any previous castawayโs gameplay.ย ย
Find out more about Tyson below:
Renier:ย
Ourย Survivorย 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. Villainsย andย Survivor: Winners at War) and lastly, Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs Gen Xย andย Survivor: Winners at War)ย ย
โI can see myself playing a game like Tom, although I know that in a modernย Survivor, that will be a death sentence, so Iโll need to underplay the Tom inside of me,โ explains Renier.ย ย
โParvati 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.ย ย
โInitially, I didnโt like Adam, but I definitely see a lot of him in myself and can see myself portrayed like him in this season.โย
Watch the video below to get to know Renier:
Shaun:ย
Shaun, an IT Business Owner from Johannesburg, says David Ganat will inspire his gameplay. โDavid is the golden god of Australianย Survivorย because he played an immense game, especially duringย Australian Survivor: All-Stars.โ David also competed inย Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders,ย and is infamously known for exchanging a fake hidden immunity idol for a real one. โI think if I can mirror his gameplay, Iโll do very well,โ says Shaun.ย
Get to know Shaun a below:
Who will outwit, outplay and outlast and become the sole Survivor ofย Survivor SA: Immunity Island? Tune in to find out!ย
Survivor SA: Immunity Island airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101), Thursdays at 19:00. Join the conversation onย Twitter,ย Instagramย or theย Survivor Facebook Pageย by using the hashtag #SurvivorSA.ย