Survivor stars eye $250k prize
Donations to charities and paying off mortgages are among the priorities for the finalists.
Donations to charities and paying off mortgages are among the spending priorities of the three Survivor New Zealand contestants battling it out for the show’s $250,000 prize.
After 40 days holed up in remote wilderness in Thailand, Tess Fahey, Lisa Stranger and Dave Lipanovic made it through to the final three who will feature in tonight’s live grand finale.
Just who will win the $250,000 will be decided by the seven-strong jury of contestants ejected from the show.
The prize is the biggest guaranteed payment offered by a New Zealand reality TV show and giving to charities features in the plans of all three contenders.
“A huge chunk of the money will go to my family, who deserve more than I could put a price on,” Fahey told the Herald on Sunday.
“Another portion will go to charitable organisations that help children. And the rest will go towards my studies and help me to follow my heart and my dreams.”
The 24-year-old Christchurch office manager added that “winning the money is second best to the immense pride of being titled Sole Survivor”.
Charity and helping family also features prominently in the priorities of phamacist Lipanovic, 26.
If he is crowned Survivor New Zealand champion he intends to “donate $25,000 to Starship [children’s hospital], help pay off my parents’ mortgage, pay off my student loan and use whatever is left to go travelling”.
But Lipanovic is facing an uphill battle to earn enough votes from the show’s jury after clashing with several fellow contestants. And any ill-feelings are likely to be magnified after jury member Matt Hancock revealed in the penultimate show that he and Lipanovic had kept their long friendship secret.
Stranger — a 38-year-old Christchurch librarian — revealed that, if she won, the $250,000 would go on her mortage, travel with her son and much-needed library items. “Trying to get up-to-date books about technology into school libraries,” she said.
She was the big mover of the final month of the show — including being instrumental in the blindside elimination of previous show favourite Hancock.
Fahey arguably has the most supporters on the jury.
She avoided elimination at the final two tribal councils after winning individual immunity in successive weeks.
“The best experience was without doubt winning the last individual immunity challenge,” Fahey said.
“I was in excruciating pain and knew that everyone wanted me to lose. With my back against the wall, and everything against me, I pulled through. It was a magical moment that I’ll always cherish.”
Fahey said knowing that “everybody wants you gone” was the worst experience of the show.
“You’re isolated from the rest, but I know that this has only made me stronger.”
Stranger said her best Survivor New Zealand experience had been meeting her castmates. Her worst experience was falling sick halfway through.
“I thought about quitting but stuck it out and then the next day I felt so much better and had one of my best days out there with the merge and feast,” she said.
Lipanovic said his highlight was being shown a video of family back home, saying it “was such an incredible feeling to see my loved ones after being isolated in this crazy game”. His worst experience? “Hunger. If you watched the show, I think my facials explain it all. I struggled without food.”
The live final will air tonight on TVNZ 2 from 7pm.
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Survivor New Zealand