How Australian Survivor’s David Genat Went 'Undercover' on 'Deal or No Deal Island'

David Genat, winner of Australian Survivor: All Stars, is back on our TV screens — this time competing alongside a few other reality TV legends on NBC's Deal or No Deal Island season 2. 

Known for his strategic prowess, Genat is set to play against fellow Survivor winner Parvati Shallow and Big Brother winner Dr. Will Kirby in a twist on the classic game of “Deal or No Deal.” Briefcases of different values – with a total of up to $200 million in prize money – are hidden around the island. Each night, a player is chosen to play and if that player makes a “bad deal,” they are immediately sent packing. If that person makes a “good deal,” they get to choose who to eliminate.

The winnings from each game will be added to a group prize pot with the last player standing facing the Banker to win as much money as they can.

For Genat, the million-dollar-plus prize money was the main allure. "I had seen bits and pieces of season 1," David exclusively tells Men's Journal. "I hadn't watched the whole thing through, but obviously I'm a huge Boston Rob [Mariano] fan just because of the Survivor history, and when the call came through, I just think that the amount of money that they were dealing with on the first season, it was a complete no brainer. It was insane. ...You don't ever hear sums of money thrown around like that in my line of work. So it was a pretty easy yes, if I'm being honest."

So, Genat took some notes from Rob and then came up with his own plan of action. "I studied it. Obviously. I think I'm pretty opinionated when it comes to strategy and social gameplay stuff, so I like to come up with my own stuff, but you can't do that if you haven't seen how the mechanic of the show works," he says. "So I really spent a lot of time watching each of the episodes, looking at the dynamic. Obviously, Rob is writing blueprints as he did in his previous shows, and then I kind of took bits and pieces that I liked about what Rob did and what some of the other players were doing. And then, yeah, came up with my own strategy."

While Genat won the all-star season of Australian Survivor, he recognizes he doesn't have the stateside star power that Survivor: Micronesia winner Shallow has – and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "I don't have the same profile here as I do in Australia, which I thought was going to be to my advantage," he explains, adding with a laugh, "I thought maybe there would be a couple of superfans in there that might recognize me, and then when there wasn't, I was kind of furious about that. ...But then Parvati recognizing me obviously was amazing because I think we put Survivor on a pedestal – the Australian players – because they've done a lot of stuff we're trying to do and elaborate on."

He immediately wanted to work with Shallow, who has also competed on Peacock's The Traitors, and is known for being a cutthroat and savvy player: "She has a big reputation, so I was like, what am I going to do here? I noticed she was on the boat immediately. ...But that first initial push was more me figuring out does she know who I am? And then when that became apparent, I was like,'Oh, a hundred percent, I want to play with Parvati.' As a fan of these shows, that's a dream come true for me. But also, I understand being a veteran of these shows, how hard it is to maneuver with people who aren't in the same situation as you. So for Parv, she's always going to have this huge target on her no matter what, because people come in and they're like, 'Well, I can make a name for myself by taking out Parv.'"

He can relate, telling MJ, "And they do the same thing to me in Australia. So any of the shows I do, because you already have the reputation, you're already up on the totem pole. People want to be like, 'That's my target.' It's really hard to maneuver through games. So when Parv and I met, we had to trust each other, and it was great we could do it like that. You'll see how it plays out. But we have so much in common, and she recognized me, and we were ready to play." 

Not being the biggest star on the cast had its upsides too. "I do feel a tiny bit bad," Genat says about keeping his reality TV history a secret while Shallow was taking shots. "I'm a nice person outside the shows, I promise. But she was getting so much heat off the bat. ...But for me, it was awesome to see because I could really go undercover even more because she was catching so much heat and then Will was catching so much heat."

Speaking of Kirby, who hasn't competed on a reality show since 2006, he brought his larger than life personality to the island too. "The guy comes in a tuxedo on a speedboat like Captain Morgan with his leg up fully on the bow of the thing," Genat explains. "I knew we were going to be in for total pandemonium. I obviously was not super familiar with Will just because I'd been back and forth from the States, but I did recognize him. And just his presence when he comes in, you're like, 'Oh, OK. Here we go.' But it was a bomb being dropped on the show when he came in because this ecosystem started."

He continues, "So when you have someone like Will come in, who is wearing a mask and probably won't take it off, it's very unsettling. I mean, he's a magician. He's really, really good at what he does. And I've never seen anything like it. I've done a lot of shows. I've done six shows now, and Will was, I've never met anyone like Will. Dr. Will is one of a kind, as you probably know."

As for what he thinks is the optimal strategy to win, Genat tells MJ, "I think you have to have a plan going into the game. I think you've got to be like water. What is that Bruce Lee quote? 'You have to flow with the rocks around them. If you try to crash into 'em, you're going to be in trouble.' But I think you have to have a strategy because so much stuff is coming at you."

And he wasn't afraid to face the Banker. "I know Rob's strategy from the first season was, like, you either want to play the Banker or you want your ally playing the Banker. So he had some really specific ideas about it," he says. "But I think just the way the immunity challenges go, if you can be really good in challenges, you potentially could avoid playing the Banker, but is that what you want? I kind of wanted to play the Banker. And I think if you go all the way through and haven't played, it's going to put you in a bit of a tricky spot. You want to have an impact on the game, and that's the best way to have an impact on the game."

The game seemingly had an impact on him in return. "This was the greatest experience of my life," Genat says. "You're in luxury accommodations. You're getting to see Joe Manganiello every day, and we are playing for so much money. It was incredible. It felt like I was living a dream from day one. 

Deal or No Deal Island season 2 premieres Tuesday, January 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. The series will move to its regular time slot at 9 p.m. ET/PT on January 14. All episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.