The first episode of the new season of Survivor South Africa: Philippines was one hell of a rollercoaster.
Not only did we meet the contestants, we immediately got to see who the manipulative ones are, who would lie cheat and steal, who would sit around doing nothing and who would work all day at camp and probably in challenges too.
READ: Accepting the ‘Survivor’ challenge
When Luzon, lost the immunity challenge to Mindanao, the claws came out ahead of the season's first tribal council, but it was master manipulator, Seamus Holmes who was shocked the most when he was voted out by his tribemates.
Being an unapologetic villain, strategist and super fan of the Survivor worldwide franchise, Seamus planned to tell lies and orchestrate blindsides aplenty. Little did he know how his fellow Survivors would turn his craving for chaos into his own demise. Seamus had mobilised his alliance members to vote out Tom because Tom was “too nice and would be a threat”.
However, Ace, who was also on the chopping block because of his inability to help make a fire during the challenge, changed things with an ‘ace’ up his sleeve. He got his tribemates to vote Seamus out and did not get a single vote, talk about a 360 turn around. It was the perfect blindside.
While the Luzon tribe was plotting and scheming before their first tribal council, life was just as eventful at tribe Mindanao. One castaway killed a snake, another told all kinds of untruths and the search for a hidden immunity idol began immediately.
Following his shocking exit and after lasting just 3 days on the island, Seamus spoke to us.
Why did you decide to enter Survivor South Africa?
It’s the greatest game ever played and the greatest game ever made and I have always been a fan of it, a super-fan in fact, so when I knew it was coming back for a new season, I had to enter and I really wanted to be a part of it. It tests the human ability and I love that.
How did you prepare for Survivor SA?
I wanted to be physically fit so I did a lot of sprint training because with most challenges on Survivor, you need a burst of energy. I also ate a lot of food to gain some weight but that was a terrible idea because I just put on weight in my stomach and as soon as I got on the island I was very hungry. I also decided to sleep as little as I could, so I would sleep for 3 to 4 hours a night leading up to the game. You also have no idea where you are going to who you will be with so you need to prepare mentally for it.
What was your strategy going into the game?
I think having a strategy even before you get to the destination is a bit reckless, I had a general idea of how I wanted to play the game but not a real strategy. I only started putting together a strategy when we were on the boat based on what people looked like and I was very aware of what people did and how they answered the questions Nico asked to see whether they were nervous, confident or scared.
You spent only three days on the island, did you learning anything?
The pressure is intense and it is very chaotic but I was so happy to be there and I learnt that I enjoy chaotic environments with little margin for errors.
Any regrets?
Absolutely, I regret being the first person voted off. I would definitely do a few things differently. The rules of life don’t apply to the rules of Survivor. You are playing for money and you need to do anything to win it, whether that’s lying or being a villian, of course I hope people don’t think of me as a bad person from watching the show but yes I would have been a lot more careful with who I spoke to and how aggressive I was with getting my way.
What was the first thing you did when you got home?
I had a shower and a cigarette.