Seen as theBoston Rob MarianoofAustralian Survivor,David Genatcame toDeal or No Deal IslandSeason 2 to win.
This life-changing moment has meant everything to him.
Trying to make a television career for myself.
A character for myself.
David Explains How ‘DONDI’
DAVID GENET:Michael, look at that backdrop!
COLLIDER: So fun, I wish I could be there.
COLLIDER: I’m here for it.
Add another reality show victory to your resume.
It’s the Golden God, David.
How does it feel being a winner?
It’s just the sheer sum of money that I have won.
Because it’s so overwhelming.
It’s so epic.
Every time you win, it’s great.
What could you do for us?"
And I was like, “I will do something you have never seen before on this show.”
They were like, “Okay, dude.”
And they gave me a shot, and I think I did that.
Michael, what do you think?
COLLIDER: I think you did.
Well, let’s start simple.
If you could describe your experience in three words, what would they be?
DAVID: Spiritual, insanity, and luxury.
COLLIDER: Which game is harder,SurvivororDONDI?
I didn’t 50 days, bro.
I lost like 16 kgs.
I came out ofDONDIlooking like a million bucks.
I think I actually put on a couple pounds of muscle.
What was that diet?"
Was there ever a moment that you truly felt vulnerable of being eliminated?
DAVID: Yeah, look, there was a couple of Temples.
Luke and I had a great relationship.
I had done a lot of work with him so that he wouldn’t send me home.
I just felt very comfortable socially.
And I know they talked about getting me out, but it’s one thing to talk about.
It’s another thing to do it, you know?
COLLIDER: How did concealing your identity help you get to the end?
DAVID: Oh, man.
There was a real anti-Survivorsentiment about Parvati.
But I was like, “What isSurvivor?Who is Parvati?”
They’d be like, “Oh, she’s rich.
She won a million dollars,” and it became this real spiral thing.
They did not want her winning money again.
I was like, “Guys, that was 20 years ago.
I don’t know, a million bucks doesn’t really go that far.
They would tell me about it, and then I could avoid those same pitfalls.
So it was a huge, huge advantage for me to keep a secret.
But to keep a secret like that, I wiped out seven years of my life, bro.
I was fully undercover, you know?
COLLIDER: Had the cast known about yourSurvivorpast, how would you have adjusted your game?
DAVID: I just would have been like, look, everyone kind of had these little micro-secrets.
So Lete had been a WWE wrestler, andLa Shell [Wooten]had a secret about her age.
Even with CK,Will [Kirby]was trying to guess what she actually did.
He’d be like, “If you reallyarea doctor, Courtney Kim.”
He’d be doing these reveals on her real job.
I was keeping this a secret.
Of course, I wanted to do that.”
I don’t know, man, I’m really good at cleaning up messes.
That’s what makes me so good at competitive reality.
It was all about The Family this season.
Why was forming the family your best path forward?
I’m pretty good athletically.
I can’t hide.
So I need visible alliances, and I need people to know that people are playing with me.
This guy is got to go."
I’m a big do, man.
I’m, 6'3", 230 pounds.
I’m not hiding, playing under the radar ever.
We’ve got this big alliance, get on board or get out the way.
And Parv was like the only shield I could have in the game, really.
So the second we started kind of playing a bit visible together was perfect for me.
And my whole thing was, you know, faking it.
And they’d be like, “You know what she does, right?
She’s the Black Widow, right?
She’s going to cut your throat after a thing.”
And I’d be like, “Really, oh, no, we’ll get her first.
We’ll get her first, I promise.”
And yeah, we just kind of pushed it through, trucked it through.
COLLIDER: You had a fun rivalry with Dr Will.
What was it like being out there with him?
DAVID: It was great.
It was really great.
When we’re filming, it was horrible.
I couldn’t stand him, but after that, I love Will.
Like what Will can do for television and television moments.
And Will is great at creating TV moments.
So I would see those happening and be like, “Amazing.
I’m not having to make it happen.
Will’s making it happen.
That’s good.”
And you’re able to jump at those opportunities.
because that’s what’s hard, and I think that’s the advantage vets have.
They’re like, “Okay, here’s 10 cases.
Who wants the red one?”
When you’re a vet, you gotta be like, “I’ll have it.
Like, for better or worse, I’ll take it.
Oh, you want someone to volunteer for the challenge?
I’ll do it.”
And Will was able to do that and come in and cause a ruckus.
But, yeah, actually playing with him in the game?
Fun to watch back, though.
Fun to watch back.
You had excellent relationships with everyone in the game.
Why was having a strong social game necessary for success?
Now, you should probably give them a reason to want to keep you.
You have to have a really strong social game.
Far stronger than what you need inSurvivor.Because onSurvivor, you need a couple of close ones.
And just being able to really have good social skills and give people what they need in those moments.
On that final challenge, people wanted validation.
They wanted their game to be validated, to be a part of the finale.
And that’s what I do well.
It’s like validating people and making them a part of my win.
I had good energy going to that.
I need those high cases, make them feel good.
And I think I managed to do that.
Did you think it was going to be as close as it was between you and Lete?
I was like, “Oh, I’ve done this before.
So this is right up my alley.”
But the case decisions really came down to relationships and being able to read people.
La Shell didn’t tell me which case, right?
I hovered my hand, and once she just gave me this tiny little smile.
So I’ve got the ability to do those relationships.
Now, I knew CK was going to be in for hell.
That whole thing had really shifted against her at the end of the game.
But social pressure really shifts.
And the social pressure had really shifted against CK.
And it was really easy to kind of stoke that fire and perpetuate that thing.
And again, CK was pretty open about having money, right?
So Will was doing the same thing.
And people don’t like that in this game, you know?
They were like, “Oh, Parvati’s rich.”
Pav won a million bucks 20 years ago.
But you know, you had to play it.
Phillip talks about his breakout season ‘Deal Or No Deal Island’ Season 2.
DAVID: I mean, everything, man.
Trying to make a television career for myself.
A character for myself.
And it felt amazing.
COLLIDER: Chrissy Teigen seemed to have a lot of fun as the Banker.
What was it like?
DAVID: So fun.
Chrissy is so nice.
She’s like, so, so nice.
And I felt like the banker, you know, is supposed to be staunch.
You know, “You’re an idiot for making that move.”
She’d be like, “Oh, that’s too mean.
I shouldn’t say that.”
I’m like, “Do it!”
She’s just so nice, man.
And she just played the role really, really perfectly.
So she looked like such a baddie up on that chair.
COLLIDER: Talk to me about this battle.
You left it to the last two cases.
You were driven by numbers.
Were you always going to leave it to the last two cases, or did the offers sway you?
DAVID: Oh, man.
It was like an out-of-body experience.
I don’t know how to explain it was like some kind of supernatural thing.
I just felt confident the whole time.
I knew where I was going, what cases I was picking.
COLLIDER: You stressed out the peanut gallery.
Did you hear them as you were going through it?
Or, or were they just background fodder?
DAVID: No, I definitely did.
I was looking to my friends out there.
La Shell had been a really good support base for me.
Obviously, Parv had been such a good support base for me.
Especially when you’re playing for real money.
She has that real presence about her.
Believe in what’s going on.
Believe in the moment and what’s happening."
And I just kind of pushed through it from there.
And I’d be like, “No deal!”
You’re supposed to be the villain.
I’m the hero this time!"
COLLIDER: Well, it was so much fun watching you.
I don’t know.
Maybe there’s the DONDI toThe Traitorspipeline for you next.
I don’t know, but I can’t wait to see what happens for you.
DAVID: I’d be a great Faithful, Michael.
COLLIDER: You sure would.
I think it would be an amazing watch.
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