Sam & Mark ‘Our marriage is stronger than ever’
Returning to reality TV wasn’t an easy decision for this power couple
Samantha Gash and Mark Wales thought Australian Survivor was behind them. Having fallen in love during the 2017 season of the reality TV series, they had moved on with their lives by getting married and having their son Harry, who’s now three. Life was good!
“We’ve been pretty much by each other’s side since we met,” says Sam. “We’re a partnership in everything. We both run our own businesses and pursue independent goals, but we have the backing of each other to do it. We have a foundation of family, love and connection.”
Adds Mark, “Our values are pretty similar. We both like to work hard. We both love our friends and family.”
When the couple were invited to return to play in this year’s Blood V Water season, however, it was too good an offer to refuse. “If it wasn’t for Survivor, I wouldn’t have this life,” says Sam. “This game means a lot to us – it’s why we’re passionate about it.”
THEIR BEST SHOT
That’s not to say there weren’t major considerations – most significantly, leaving Harry behind with Sam’s family.
“The first thing was excitement,” she says. “The second thing was, ‘Can we actually logistically and mentally do this because we’ll both be away from Harry?’”
Mark agrees, “Being separated from Harry was a big one for us and it really consolidated my resolve to want to play hard – let’s do our best.”
Indeed, the couple was adamant that if they were going to up-end their family, it had to count and they hoped to make up for both being eliminated relatively early in their original season.
“We put so much preparation into giving ourselves the best chance to have that redemption story,” Sam tells. “We thought, ‘Let’s give this everything we have.’ We treated it like work.”
The fact that both Sam, 37, and Mark, 42, were determined to play strong games meant they didn’t always see eye to eye on strategy.
PLAYING THE GAME
“We’re husband and wife, but we’re also very different people,” explains Sam. “Coming into the merge, I was like, ‘Our vision of how to get to the end is significantly different based on the people we want to keep around. One of us is going to have to yield.’ And what you see is us having pretty heated conversations.”
“I think the fact that we were arguing about it meant we both had pretty strong individual games,” says Mark.
“But I was thinking, ‘It’s actually not a bad thing if people think we’re not on the same page.’”
The same can be said for that pivotal moment during tribe swap when Mark chose to join a different tribe instead of being reunited with his wife.
“It was emotionally tricky because I did want to be with Sam,” says Mark. “But Sam and I had talked about it, and our aim was to stay separate as long as possible. It means you’re covering more of the tribe, you’re getting more intelligence and you’re building more trust.”
Adds Sam, “You’re also not constantly reinforcing to your tribemates that your relationship is paramount. Of course it is, but perception is a lot. When Mark chose not to be with me, the response where I was shocked was genuine, but it probably took 30 seconds before I realised,
‘Let’s give this everything we have. We treated it like work’
‘Oh, we planned this.’”
While it remains to be seen how far Mark and Sam’s premeditated strategy will allow them to progress in the game, they both agree the experience has only solidified what they have as a couple.
“We’ve shared another experience – one that is incredibly immersive and raw – and we got to do it side by side,” enthuses Sam. “Every time you put yourself into that scenario with your loved one, you do build a deeper connection.” Australian Survivor: Blood V Water screens Mondays and Tuesdays on TVNZ 2.
It was an unspeakable crime that shocked the world when former South African track star Oscar Pistorius shot dead his 29-year-old girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp as she cowered behind a locked bathroom door.
Charged with murder and sentenced to 15 years behind bars for killing the talented paralegal and model in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, Woman’s Day can now reveal the disgraced Paralympian has reached out to Reeva’s parents to beg for forgiveness.
Pistorius, 35, could be released on parole as early as February next year and this bold move is his first major step towards redemption. The convicted killer, who shot Reeva four times with a 9mm handgun, has always maintained he mistakenly killed his girlfriend of three months, believing she was an intruder. However, the prosecution alleged that Pistorius was in a fit of jealous rage at the time.
For devastated mum June, it is likely she will never face the man who robbed them of their only child. Dad Barry, 79, who has had serious health issues since Reeva’s death, agreed to meet with the fallen sprint star for what is known in South African law as a “victimoffender dialogue”. This
‘You have stolen her life... We loved her with all our hearts’
process allows victims of crimes a chance to meet with offenders before they are eligible for parole.
On June 22 this year, at the St Alban’s Correctional Centre in the South African city of
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), an inconsolable Pistorius made his way under heavy guard to a private room in the high-security jail to meet with Barry. There, he reportedly dropped to his knees and wept through an emotionally charged apology, pleading with Reeva’s dad for mercy.
In an explosive new three-part documentary titled
My Name Is Reeva,
Barry reveals how distressing it was to face his daughter’s killer and how he left without getting what he ultimately came for – the truth. “This was a very difficult, traumatic hour or two that we spent,” the shattered father says through tears. “He gave me his truth, but I didn’t get my truth. That’s all. He came in, he went on his knees, and he took my hand and shook it. He thanked me, and told me how sorry he was and how he can’t stop thinking about that moment. I didn’t say, ‘I forgive you.’
I just said, ‘Thank you.’”
With just months before his fate is decided, the former sprint champ – who lost his feet at 11 months due to a congenital condition – has completed a series of rehab programmes. Supervisors assess him as low risk for reoffending.
And for mum June, now 75, writing a letter to her daughter’s killer, which is featured in the documentary, and knowing it was read to him by a social worker, has given her the strength to carry on.