I’M A SURVIVOR
HOW THE GOLDEN GOD BOUNCED BACK AFTER TOUGH REALITY TV STINTS
After two back-to-back stints on Australian Survivor – including his win on All Stars which aired earlier this year – Perth-based model David Genat, 40, tells WHO his body was “smashed”. And while the global pandemic has caused Genat to press pause on his postSurvivor TV career plans for now, he has spent the time physically and mentally repairing – and keeping himself busy with the launch of his podcast The Golden Godcast. “It’s a deep dive into all things Survivor,” he says. “Even now, six months after the show wrapped, people stop me to talk about the show; I get messages from fans overseas, it’s crazy.” Guests so far have included Pia Miranda, Guy Leech and Mat Rogers as well as other celebrity friends.
“The podcast started out as a fun thing to do in lockdown,” Genat says. “It ended up proving to be a really good creative outlet too. “
It’s almost six months since you became the Sole Survivor – what’s life been like since that win?
Pretty crazy, like it has for all of us. Personally myself and my family have been through a lot of changes. My wife, Pearl, our daughter, Rei, and I moved back to Australia. I’d lived in Brooklyn, New York, for 17 years. We arrived in Perth just as COVID-19 hit. That has forced me to take my time in planning my next move, work-wise, because everything in entertainment is on hold right now. But that’s meant I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with my family [including sons from a previous relationship, Winston and Hugo.] I needed to heal after Survivor too; I was wrecked.
How were you affected physically?
Well, I went through two gigantic weight losses which are hard to pull back from – especially as I’m now an old man of 40! I lost 11kg on Champions V Contenders, then I bulked up, and lost 15kg on All Stars. It really took a toll on me so I’ve been getting my health back on track. Mentally I was pretty exhausted too – Survivor is brutal.
How are you settling back in at home?
We’re absolutely loving it. The contrast between New York and Perth is pretty big and figuring out stuff, for my wife, like, which brands she likes in the supermarket has been a bit of a challenge [laughs.] The kids are settled in school though and we found a great apartment so it’s all good. We just feel so fortunate to be here though while there’s a pandemic happening.
We loved your bromance with Luke Toki during Survivor Champions V Contenders season in 2019. Are you still close?
Luke and I are very close; we see each other a lot. I ran in to him randomly in the city the other day too, that’s how small Perth is. At the moment I catch up with the Western Australian Survivors whenever we can. I think everyone is really looking forward to travel opening up again because I haven’t been able to see many of the east coast Survivors yet. Your friend Locky Gilbert is the next Bachelor. How do you think he’ll go?
It’s going to be so good. I got a chance to see him briefly while he was on a break from filming the show. Did I poke fun at him? Of course! The guy is the Bachelor. It’s hilarious. I actually think he’s going to be a great Bachelor. The thing about Locky is, he has this alpha male, big, brash side but he’s actually genuinely a sensitive guy. He’s out for love.
Is there more Survivor in your future – would you do the US version of the show?
Despite nearly killing myself on two seasons of the show, I would love to do the US version. I was pretty gung-ho about doing that but their production is on hold too so we’ll have to wait and see. I’m just working on my podcast; I’ve signed with a really great talent agency here and I’ve got to say, the beginning of a global pandemic was a really great time to win Survivor All Stars’ half a million bucks
– talk about a stress reliever!