You're reading it here first.
I can bring you the VERY FIRST independent exit interview with Survivor SA Santa Carolina celebitant Louw Venter who became the next one voted off the island, after fellow (and original tribesmate) and celebitant Izak Davel cast a vote for Louw.
I spoke with Louw Venter who told me he had no idea that we was next to go. Find out what he's never done in his life before . . . that he did on the island! See what questions I asked him that he didn't want to answer! See what he says when I asked him about his worst island experience, whether he's really so happy as we saw him, and his answer when I asked him what he missed the most.
For my full interview with Louw Venter, click on READ MORE below!
Hi Louw. You came across right from the beginning as SUCH a strong physical contestant, a fisherman, and you looked so comfortable in the extreme environment. Is it something you're used to, like camping and to survive in the wilderness?
No, ha ha. Not at all. As a little boy on the farm with my dad I played around in the Magalies mountains. But I improvised. For me it was an adventure.
But you were obviously much better at it than most of the others.
Mmm. Maybe. With some things. I don't know. With catching fish for instance . . I've never done that in my life. But I wanted too very much so. I think in that situation in Survivor SA you want to try out some new stuff and then you do. That was basically what happened. I wanted to try some things and that's what happened.
Was it what you expected it to be? Was it worse or not as bad?
It wasn't really different from what I imagined it would turn out to be. I've always thought it would be difficult and you're going to get hungry. In a sense it was more fun to me that what I thought it would be. And it was also a pleasant surprise to me. I really had a lot of fun. I think on TV it might come across as if I was stressed - and of course you are - but actually I had a lot of fun.
Did you have any idea that you're being voted for next?
No. Not really. Ha ha. I think you expect the whole time that it could be you and that it could happen. I've been watching Survivor for years and its really like that: you never know exactly where you're standing with people. I didn't know but at the same time it wasn't much of a surprise when it happened.
Did some of the contestants' behaviour changed towards you in the last while when you look back now? Did they change in the way they approached you?
I didn't see it coming at all. At the end of the day it happened exactly as I thought it would. It was just that one surprise [Izak Davel voting for him] that made the difference which I didn't see coming. At that point, the votes went the way I thought it would go.
Why do you think you were targeted as the next contestant to be voted out after Hanna Grobler?
Mainly I would say because I was strong. In terms of catching fish and that type of thing, I was very valuable. Ironically in Survivor, when you're valuable, you become a target. I took it as a given that I would be targeted by the other tribe. It was the usual thing: if you stand out and stick your head out you become a target because people get scared and they don't want to compete with you towards the end.
You came across as very optimistic and funny and jovial even when things were difficult. Is that how your personality is naturally or how you wanted to seem in the game?
It's how I'm in real life. I'm a very optimistic and positive guy. It's how I make my way in the world. I'm someone who created a career for myself. I haven't studied anything and it's my way of operating. It's how you survive as a freelance artists in South Africa - by having a positive attitude. Otherwise you will sink because nobody else is going to motivate you. I'm a very emotional guy and I become very emotionally involved with things. It's how I keep going. I think the majority of people's strategy is to fly under the radar, but I am what I am.
What was your strategy to try and win?
I've thought about it a lot. It was twofold. The one part was to try and be a wallflower. I didn't want to stick out. That was the one part of the strategy I could never really master because there were too many practical and survival things to do. The other part was also specific, but eventually it failed because you don't know what's going on in people's minds. My strategy was to make some alliances as fast as possible and keep that for the end but in the end it didn't work out that way.
Who did you like the most?
Ha ha. Man, I can't really tell you because I'm scared that you'll get a sense of . . . - there's lots of people that I can tell you, who I became friends with in real life. And it's a very valuable experience that I took away from Survivor SA.
Who didn't you like at all?
Ha ha. Ha ha. Mmmm. I don't think I can tell you. I'll rather stay away from all of that.
What was the worst island experience for you?
I think the bad part of it all is that you build friendships and team work and what really got me was the fact that you have to lie and cheat and then secondly, that you can't trust your friends. I don't think that's how life really works. For some people it does, but definitely not for me. I want to be able to trust people. I trust people. And that is something that's valuable to me. And to play against that is against my personality. I want to work with people that I'm friends with. I don't like to play games with people. I'm honest with people and I want them to be honest and upfront with me. That type of double play is what made me uncomfortable.
What did you miss the most on the island?
My kids and my wife. Because you don't have any contact at all! I usually travel a lot, but at least you can still phone. As a parent it's very, very hard not to know what's going on with your kids. And you can't tell them that you'll be home soon or know that something is wrong. It's that doubt and nagging questions that's the worst. The physical stuff is nothing really. That was like a detox. And the stress was fine. But in terms of missing stuff . . . definitely my family.
What did you enjoy the most?
Definitely the survival aspect of it all. I enjoyed it immensely to catch fish and to build a shelter and that type of stuff. Our modern lives are so far removed from the earth and plants and animals. So the environment and the interaction with our environment was absolutely priceless.
What contestants would you tell readers are the ones who will still bring it far in the game?
Mmm. I can't tell you. I have my own theory. But I can't tell you more because it's going to mislead people or give them wrong ideas.
Okay, but then if I can ask you this: do you think the men or the women are playing the game better at this point?
. . . at this point? . . . (sigh) . . .difficult to say. I would say the women in a way are safer. I think the men at this point in the game are becoming targets easier because they can physically do things like catch fish and that type of thing. Strategically that makes it more difficult for the men to blend in.
We'll see you again in the Survivor SA Santa Carolina live finale on 21 April. What else are you working on?
Later this month I'm in a role in the Ingrid Jonker movie being filmed in Cape Town called Black Butterflies. I'm also doing my stage show The Best Man Speech in Cape Town in May and June and then I'm going to Grahamstown with Corne and Twakkie. I'm busy working on the next Sandra Prinsloo movie. She's busy with the development of that. I've also sold the rights to The Best Man Speech and I'm busy writing the script. We hope to bring that in production before the end of the year.
Survivor SA Santa Carolina, Wednesdays, M-Net, 19:30
