by Thinus Ferreira
Immunity idol queen Santoni Engelbrecht (39) finally saw her luck run out when the business owner from Strand had her torch snuffed in Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island on M-Net (DStv 101) after she couldn't pull another idol out of her bag.
How well do you swim and if you can't swim, why do you think the producers let you on the show?
Santoni Engelbrecht: Well, I actually can swim. I have a swimming pool. But I mean, a swimming pool versus a river in the Wild Coast is kind of not the same.
I think it was more so that whether I can swim or can't swim, it was just so scary. I think my fear just took over. I never thought I was such a bad swimmer, but when you're thrown into the deep end, you realise your strengths and your weaknesses.
I actually thought I could swim and I still think I can. It's just that the anxiety took over.
So that anxiety you got or post-traumatic stress, was that then the first time that it happened?
Santoni Engelbrecht: Yes, because I really thought I was going to drown that first time. I really thought I was going to drown.
If it wasn't for Chappies - I know there are lifeguards - but in my little world, I really thought I was going to drown. When it came to the second time we had to swim, I really didn't think that I'd be able to do it - especially since Chappies was in the other tribe. It really took over. All the emotions.
Has anyone ever found so many immunity idols - you're the immunity idol queen. Most people would just sit in the hut and wait for the time to go by but you actively searched and found idol after idol. Why did you so actively look for idols?
Santoni Engelbrecht: Honestly, I think an idol can sometimes be a curse in the game because you might tell the wrong person.
For me, an idol is not necessarily always such a good thing. I'm a massive Survivor fan so I always would have looked - there's no doubt.
And when you saw that Kiran had found the one at the family get-together, were you upset that you didn't think that there might be a hidden idol?
Santoni Engelbrecht: I did look on that day but no, I didn't kick myself.
You can see in the episode that when I hear from Anela that Kiran got an idol that I was like "yeah, I'm so happy for him" because Kiran is such a massive fan and for a fan to get an idol - I was just happy for him.
Your relationship with Chappies just kept growing and several castaways said to me Chappies was scared of Santoni and would just not vote or do anything differently than what Santoni told him. How did your bond start?
Santoni Engelbrecht: That's actually a beautiful story. Within the first 5 minutes when we got to our Vuna tribe, we had a quick chat and we realised that we had both grew up in Witbank and we actually grew up 500metres from each other but we never met each other.
Also, we both lost someone very close to us to suicide. There was just that instant bond because of that shared trauma that we went through and Chappies was my guy from that moment. If I'm loyal to you, I'm loyal to you.
It was never a case of Chappies being scared of me. We had a really good relationship where each person had a say that was balanced. And Chappies listened and I listened and then we came to a conclusion so I don't agree that he was scared of me.
Did you think the remaining castaways were going to vote you out in the last episode?
Santoni Engelbrecht: When Kiran went off like that I sort of realised but I did not expect Anela to flip from the 2-2-2 plan and him also voting for me was a big shock because I really thought we had that plan locked in. I didn't see it coming at all.
Because there are so many Survivor superfans in Survivor SA this season the show is on steroids regarding gameplay, why did you enter?
Santoni Engelbrecht: Ooh, I entered 4 times. I've always been a fan of the show and it was always on my bucket list.
One of the biggest reasons I entered, and it's going to sound like a beauty pageant answer, but I really wanted to experience what the majority of South Africans actually experience daily: Being cold, being hungry, being in danger.
That's something that I wanted to get just a little glimpse of even though it's just a short time and it's a TV show. I walked out with even more empathy.
What did you learn about people through this experience?
Santoni Engelbrecht: Some people lie a lot, and some people can lie very well with a straight face.
When it comes to humanity - look at the Wardah situation: her swimming and saving me, and Chappies. And just the support that we gave each other. It was going to war together. You see the side of people when they're at their worst and how they react.
A jury member said "oh, she can make fire". It looked as if you were going to win the fire-making challenge at tribal. Couldn't you have moved the kindling if you saw how the wind was blowing?
Santoni Engelbrecht: Everything happened so fast.
Before that moment I've never been able to make fire with a flint. I practised before the show. I was so nervous that I wouldn't even get a bit of smoke and then all of a sudden there was a flame. You can see I'm trying to stop the wind.
That moment was so overwhelming when there was this fire. I surpassed all my expectations when the fire actually happened for me.
What did you not expect this game of Survivor SA to be?
Santoni Engelbrecht: When I was in my first tribe, I always knew that I was going to be the most unfit and probably the biggest girl, the most Afrikaans, the most crazy, whatever. But I never thought I was going to be the oldest.
I was the oldest in that Vuna tribe when we got there. That was quite an adjustment because no one wanted to talk to me so I really had to work them hard.
They saw me as a "tannie". So that was tough, and then the other one is how lonely you actually feel in Survivor SA.
You're surrounded by so many people but it's actually quite lonely because there's no one you can really trust so those are the two things I didn't really anticipate.
It's not family, not people you've known before, but sooner or later you have to have difficult conversations and very tense and conflict-level interactions. How hard is it to have these one-on-one verbal fights?
Santoni Engelbrecht: I love conflict, so I never shied away from that. After about 3 days you are as close as family so you do talk to each other like brothers and sisters.
The conflict - you have to sort it out because you have to sleep next to that person tonight to keep you warm. So ja, you must sort it out like family members.
In the previous episode Chappies at tribal whispered to you "Santoni calm down" but for most of the time you were very strategic when other people fought or lashed out at tribal to let that blow up without getting involved. How methodical were you in terms of when you thought to speak at tribal?
Santoni Engelbrecht: I was always very conscious because I know Nico Panagio asks those questions for a reason. So I was always super-quiet at tribal. I didn't ever want to step in it because Nico can drag stuff out of you.
That night, that night, Santoni the little redhead fighter came out. What Chappies said I needed to do but. Ja. That I must say was a moment that I do think back on.
I should just have kept quiet. But again, you're tired and you don't think straight at that point.
What surprised you looking back that you didn't know?
Santoni Engelbrecht: I was surprised by the Amy and Renier bond because Amy and I were very close and she never told me about that alliance.
Then I was also very surprised with Kiran. Kiran you would never have guessed that he was so strategic. We knew he was strategic but he was just such a smooth operator. I never knew he had such a dislike for me at times. But that's what makes it so good.
How did you feel immediately after your torch got snuffed and what did you do at Ponderosa?
Santoni Engelbrecht: I knew it happened for a reason, I was so blessed that I went out in flames. So I was just happy.
I was so chuffed to get a plate of food, I got weighed - I lost 12kg. And when I got to Ponderosa, the reception was very nice - that's all I can say!
Survivor SA: Immunity Island is on M-Net (DStv 101) on Thursdays at 19:30
