On Sunday evening Marsha Wessels (44) who's been with the South African National Defence Force for 22 years was voted out of Survivor South Africa: Champions on M-Net as the second contestant to be let go.
TV with Thinus caught up with her, as Marsha Wessels reveals only to me what she really said and to whom when she turned back around after her torch got snuffed, what the reaction has been since she's back home, what she really thinks of Zavion Kotze who lied to her, and what she appreciates most since she's back in South Africa.
Why did you say in the episode that you know you're "at the bottom of the food chain at the moment"?
I felt that I was strong and that suddenly I was in a much weaker position after Ashleigh was voted out because out alliance was weaker. I knew the rest were not going to aim directly for the other two out of the three who were in an alliance of our own in the first place.
After your torch got snuffed, you turned back and said "Good luck jhgjhgkjh", but I couldn't make out whether you said "Zavion" or said "Everybody".
No, I will tell you straight up I definitely didn't say "Good luck, everybody" when I turned back. Its for Zavion Kotze and for Corne Krige because I really believed that we have a strong bond. So I was definitely speaking to them.
And what do you think of Zavion Kotze? At the end he lied to you and said your name didn't come up, knowing full well everyone will be voting for you.
I think he ... we had a bond. I believed we had a bond. And I still believe that. He just had to put his game plan hat on and had to think about himself and moving forward in the game.
Who do you hold responsible for being voted out?
Do I really have to answer that? Definitely Graham's great game. The episode clearly showed that he made up a story but its okay.
What was everybody's reaction since they've seen you on the show and your back home with your family?
My family and friends and the entire South African army are ecstatic. I definitely flew the flag high and they're all very, very proud of me and what I've managed to do while I was on the island.
What was the most difficult thing for you?
The difficult part for me was to constantly think of how am I going to play the game. There's constantly stories, and chatting, and rumours. Its very, very difficult for me. I couldn't lie. And maybe ... I should have put another hat on.
So looking back now, what would you have done differently?
I would definitely, definitely have been strong. I wouldn't have hidden how strong I am and can be. I'm very, very competitive. I was probably a bit ignorant and naive in a sense in that I was so happy and glad that there was a captain. Corne Krige. I hid away a bit under that.
In the army you have a leader and you follow the orders of the leader. I didn't need to step up to be the leader. I could be a bit more under the radar. What would I have done differently? I would have been more observant. I think it blinded me a bit.
Which tribe member of members did you like? Or do you still like?
I definitely liked Zavion. We had a connection. I liked Ashleigh a lot. We shared the same stories about our kids. And definitely Moira. We also had a connection. Those are the three with whom I could definitely connect on the island.
What around the show and the experience surprised you the most?
I think ... I'm a big Survivor fan and I've watched every single episode on television. I think its amazing that I was able to be there. That I could have done it in my own shoes. And that M-Net made that dream possible for me. The crew was amazing. It was such an experience.
Okay, so its not going to be you, but who would you like to see win?
There's definitely two people who are playing the game. If Graham continues to make up stories and play that kind of thing he might come out tops. And the other one is Shane in Utara. They have the same type of a game plan, so any one of the two of them could come out tops.
What do you appreciate more back in civilisation?
Oh wow. I appreciate the smell and the taste of coffee. The smell of my kids and my husband around me. I appreciate them so much more around me.
We go away a lot as army people in the National Defence Force. But every time you return home after any experience in life, you just have renewed appreciation of your family around you and what they mean in your life.
