After weeks of speculation from fans, former contestant David Genat, aka the “Golden God”, has been confirmed as the new host of Australian Survivor!
The announcement was made by 10 shortly after he was eliminated from the tribe in Survivor: Australia V The World, marking his third appearance in the reality series.
“I love Australian Survivor. It truly is the greatest game on earth so getting to come back as host after playing three times is such an honour.
“But Survivor is not about me; it’s about the incredible players who put everything on the line to outwit, outplay, and outlast.”
The model and presenter was rumoured to pick up the torch after seasoned host Jonathan LaPaglia announced his axing from the show after 10 years.
He stunned fans in an Instagram post that detailed his own “epic blindside” from the job, much to the dismay of fans.
“It has been one of the greatest adventures of my career to helm Australian Survivor, so it is without a doubt the hardest challenge of all to snuff my own torch…” he said in an emotional post.
During a follow-up interview with TV WEEK, Jonathan, 55, reiterated his love for the show, crew and the players.
“I love this game and I love being part of it so I’m really going to miss that,” he said. “I had so much fun on this 10-year journey.”
He also offered some sage advice for his would-be replacement.
“Buckle up!” he said. “This job is deceptively difficult. You can’t Google it. You can’t find a YouTube on it. It really is baptism by fire. But the advice I would give would be the role of host in Survivor shouldn’t be about the host. Don’t make it about you.”
For David, who is a father to two sons and a daughter, the transition from player to host could be his biggest challenge yet.
There are no idols (fake or real!), no alliances – just him. But as a reality TV showman, there’s no doubt he’ll bring some “Golden God” flare – and perhaps a new leather jacket – to tribal council!
“We’re there to make a television show at the end of the day,” David told TV WEEK after taking home the Survivor crown in 2020. “For me whatever makes that show more interesting; I try to give that to the fans.”
We can’t wait to see it.
