I can bring you the VERY FIRST exit interview with Survivor SA Santa Carolina celeb contestant Garth Collins who got voted out after suffering an injury in the first episode of the M-Net reality show earlier this evening.
You will be SHOCKED by how much weight he tells me he lost. I asked Garth about what contestant viewers should keep an eye on, how he feels about being voted out so early and why it wasn't a surprise to him. He tells me what happened that he didn't anticipated would happen in the show, and I find out if he would do it again if he got the chance.
For my full interview with Garth Collins, click on READ MORE below!
What has been the worst experience for you on the island?
There wasn’t anything that I can say that was bad, other than being voted off.
How did it feel to be voted out so early in the game?
Extremely disappointing. Especially due to the fact that I wasn't voted off under normal circumstances. I was voted off because of an injury and I wasn't able to contribute and that's why I was voted off and not because of ''normal'' reasons.
Was that unexpected for you to go so early?
Well, obviously to be laid low by something like an infection is possible but I didn't think it would be me. The tribe has spoken to me and said to me ''Garth, obviously due to you not being able to contribute we're going to need to vote you off tonight.'' So at the actual vote at tribal council – although I kind of did hope all the way through that somebody else might go – it wasn't a surprise, no.
What did you encounter in Survivor SA Santa Carolina that you didn't expect or didn't anticipate that it would be?
Well, I must admit I did expect it to be tough, it is Survivor after all. But I don't think that I thought it would be as tought as it actually was. We started off as a group on a monstrous hike – I think it was about a 4, or a 4 and a half hour hike – which depleted you completely physically. So by the time we finished the hike we were all physically exhausted at the end of it. So yes, the fact that it started off on such a killer. The fact that they depleted us completely before dumping us on the island.
We all know how you look – you're a big strong guy, how much weight have you lost? How did your body cope physically?
I was only there for a few days and in the few days I was there I dropped 7 kg. Since then I have continued to lose weight. My leg has taken a long time to heal, as we're talking now it still hasn't healed completely, there is still almost an open wound. So, I have managed to go back to training since I've been back in South Africa. I've lost in total 18 kg.
Wow, that's a lot.
I've lost about between 5 and 7 kg while I was on the island.
If with what you know now are approached to do it again, would you?
Like a shot. In fact if they do another one and I'm not approached I'm putting in an application.
Which contestant do you think viewers should be on the lookout for in terms of someone who might make it far or is going to cause a lot of trouble?
You know, there's a couple. Izak Davel is one who isn't showing too much. He manages to hide his abilities from the rest of the people. I think he'll go far. Then Okkert Brits has potential. Gys de Villiers is in his element on that island – he's like a local Rambo. He looks like he would live there permanently if they give him half a chance. And then on the girls' side Hanna Grobler and GiGi they just look like they could go far. Hanna Grobler kind of looks like she's on holiday.
What did you enjoy the most about the experience?
The whole thing was great to be part of. To be quite honest I don't think any of us the first few days were looking and taking in the beauty of our surroundings. It looks great when you look at aerial views but when you're down there you're thinking: ''I need to survive''. It was a good experience but with good and bad if you know what I mean. It was so short with a bad thing that happened for me. I would have loved to stay more and experience more of it.
