After playing the game, winning sole survivor and copping a hefty nine million cash prize on Deal or No Deal Island, David Genat is now hanging up the torch and picking up the snuffer by becoming Australian Survivor host. And according to the Golden God, the gig was a couple of years in the making.
After he was brutally voted off Australia Survivor: Australia V The World, Network 10 sent shockwaves through the fanbase, confirming that Genat would be taking on the hosting reins after the legend, Jonathan LaPaglia, was axed as head honcho ahead of the season’s premiere.
With Australia V The World officially marking LaPaglia’s last moment as host, Genat revealed to PEDESTRIAN.TV that he “didn’t know” about the hosting gig while competing on the reality TV icon’s last season.
“I had an audition for it in 2020 during COVID, when some stuff was going down, they weren’t sure if Jonathan was going to fly,” Genat told P.TV.
“That was the first time it came on my radar [that] there was even a possibility there might be something I could do. But my screen test that led to me getting the job was after Australia V The World.”
Previously speaking to Stellar, Genat revealed there had been auditions and screen tests for LaPaglia’s position for at least five years before he was officially confirmed as the new game master.
David Genat reveals he auditioned to host The Traitors
When asked about the audition process, Genat dished that he’d “screen tested three times” and “only auditioned three times” throughout the five years the network was looking for a replacement.
“I was a model and then I became an actor, and I was auditioning through that whole process. Like, I auditioned to host other [shows]. I auditioned to host The Traitors,” he spilled to P.TV.
“So it came to me a couple of times, because, you know, you just never know what’s going to happen in the entertainment industry.
“Sometimes people’s contracts run out, sometimes they don’t want to do it anymore and there’s a lot that goes into the preparation of the show. So it was just a timing thing this time. And yeah, John’s time was done, and they auditioned me, and I got it.”
While this is an exciting time for both Genat and the Australian Survivor universe (new era things, ya know?), the new host admits the rollout of the announcement was “unfortunate”.
You see, fans weren’t too happy with the change, and LaPaglia himself admitted that his firing felt like a “blindside” and that the whole situation was “disappointing”. Alongside LaPaglia’s statement, and fans catching him liking shady comments about Genat, rumours of a feud began to simmer.
However, Genat insists that he had no clue what happened on LaPaglia’s side of things when he landed the role.
“It was unfortunate the way things kind of went with the announcement. But again, I had nothing to do with that, and that was all kind of coming out around the time we were going away for filming,” the Golden God said.
“It was a bit of a mixed thing. And I didn’t understand, or I wasn’t aware of what was happening on Jonathan’s side of things. I just knew I had the job.
“I was happy, but Jonathan was incredible. He was such a great host, and he did so much for the legacy of Survivor, for the show in Australia and I’m just glad I got a chance to do the job.”
Aussies will officially get to see Genat as host on Australian Survivor: Redemption on Monday, February 23. And while this might be a big adjustment for fans who’ve been following the show day dot, it’ll be extremely interesting to see what this Golden God will bring to the table as host.
