Last Wednesday night student Lisa Atkinson was eventually snuffed out of Survivor after having spent seven episodes lying around Malaysia doing nothing.
I caught up with her at 10am in the morning and was surprised to find her up and about instead of blobbing out somewhere. Obviously I had one specific question to ask her for us. Here's what she to outwit, outplay, outlazzze:
Tashi: What’s up with being so lazy?
Liza: Oh, it was a very bad first impression that I gave everyone. I was completely thrown into Survivor. I got phoned saying : “You’re one of the contestants,” then you fly out and you can’t prepare yourself physically, emotionally whatever and I’ve never been camping before. I’m not a very outdoorsy kind of girl and it took me a while to adjust. As you saw, as I started adjusting and started becoming myself, work ethic wasn’t that much of an issue. I think the whole thing came down to a general disliking at the end.
Tashi: But why? Because it was what you'd set up at the start?
Liza: It was a great life lesson to learn, you know, first impressions last. Lorette and Mandla didn’t think I deserved to be there and whether I worked or not around camp, they just didn’t really dig me.
Tashi: The thing that freaked us out so much was the fact that they told you: “You must work, you’re giving a bad impression,” and yet you still didn’t.
Liza: I did start working as things started going by but I mean it is, it’s a whole like adjusting kind of thing. I hated it you know, there’s Lorette who’s being a superintendent the whole time and you’re being told what to do the whole time and just don’t want to do it.
Then you go over to Bajau and I’m not getting told what to do and it’s so easy - you fall into place and I also enjoyed the fact that Hein was the king of the jungle and he actually knew what was going on. At Iban Lorette was the one kind of in charge and she actually knew nothing compared to Hein.
Tashi: You’ve said you’re such a fan of Survivor so how could you not have known that those who don’t do anything right from the start
always get voted off?
Liza: I just think I was overwhelmed by everything. I know how the game works but it’s such a different story when you’re on that island. I was pinching myself even probably after the first week, going: “You’re really doing this, you’re really on Survivor. You’re really doing it. ” It felt like I was in a dream for the first few days.
Tashi: Are you watching Cook Islands?
Billy who got voted off second -
Liza: The one who fell in love with that one girl?
Tashi: Yes, I definitely think he was so overwhelmed at being on Survivor he just sat there for like five days. Did the same thing happen to you?
Liza: Ja, I was completely overwhelmed, I couldn’t actually believe that I was on Survivor. If I had more time to try to properly prepare myself for the situation things could have been different but I don’t want to regret anything I did. I don’t think it’s cool having regrets hanging over your head – so I’m just pleased I got to take part in the experience, it was lifechanging really.
Tashi: So when you watched and saw how lazy you were what did you think?
Liza: Absolutely hilarious because I know who I am and my friends and family know who Lisa really is in real life and everyone was cracking up - there’s Lisa frolicking in the water with the music playing.
Tashi: Grant obviously had an alliance with you because he knew that if you both got to the final two you’d never win. Do you agree?
Lisa: Oh ja definitely. That’s the thing with Mandla and Lorette voting, I’m not too sure how clever they were being about it because at the end of the day you don’t want someone like Hein sitting next to you - you want someone like me if you want to win the game. I got on well with Grant, he played the game so well.
Tashi: Talk us through the alliances you had.
Lisa: I got on well with Angie, she was a young girl we had a lot of common and we just kind of clicked and obviously Grant. When I went over to Bajau I got friendly with Angela because I went across with Lorette and she’s older and Angela was 23 so we had a lot more in common.
Tashi: What about the alliance you had with Viwe?
Lisa: Ja but that’s the thing with Survivor, you can’t trust anyone. You don’t know who’s telling you the truth, what’s going on. Initially Viwe was like “Hey whatever,” and I was like: “Okay sweets,” and then we got to the first Tribal Council and my name came up and someone says: “I heard it from Viwe,” and I said “Viwe what’s going on there?” and he was like “No you can trust me.” I felt like I could trust Grant more than Viwe so I stuck more with Grant and Angie.
Tashi: Who would you like to see to see win?
Lisa: Guess. It’s so obvious - Grant.
Tashi: Who do you think will win?
Lisa: Grant.
Tashi: Who would you definitely not like to see win?
Lisa: Lorette.
Tashi: Who would you like to see as the runner-up so they get close and yet so far?
Lisa: I’d say Lorette.
Tashi: Who surprised you the most?
Lisa: Elsie of course. I didn’t really get to know her so when I saw her in Episode 2 I was like : “Jeez girl, I can’t get over this” and then when I got to see her on Go she was sweet. That’s the thing, you start judging people from the moment you see them and then when you see them in real life they’re different.
Tashi: Do you think the island brings out the inner Pig in Survivors?
Lisa: It definitely brings out the nasty qualities in people because it’s a bit of a nasty game, you’ve got to be conniving and stuff. It’s a really hard game to play because you never what the truth is, what’s not the truth.
Tashi: Do you think people would go mad if it lasted for three months?
Lisa: Yes, definitely, probably - as the series goes on you can see - everyone, the lack of food, everyone’s bickering - if it carried on everyone would probably want to kill each other.
You become a bit animal-like if that makes sense. Your sense of smell gets so much better - like when I was leaving, you’re like: “Oh someone’s got After 8 on their lips.” Your eye-sight in the evenings gets so much better. I was a hygiene freak - I am like that in real life but you get there and there are flies swarming on a piece of fish and you just grab it and gobble it up.
Tashi: Who’s surprised you the most watching the show?
Lisa: Grant. I love watching him play the game.
Tashi: So you were a spectator watching what he was up to.
Lisa: I love watching it on TV, you get see what everyone was really thinking - it’s divine watching Grant because everyone’s so oblivious to him having 17 alliances with everyone. He’s such a sneaky little guy and how he enjoys Hein being the leader so he doesn’t stand out. I didn’t realize how well he was playing the game when I was there, I’m only realizing it now. I’ve been like :”Gee, he was playing the game from the moment we jumped off the boat.”
Tashi: Who’s your fave Survivor across all seasons?
Lisa: I think everyone loves Rupert - he’s like a Hein, the provider, like Mzi. I think everyone loves those kind of people because they‘re deserving, because they are the real Survivors but those type of people don’t usually win. Like Tom the fighter pilot - he was so mentally strong and all that kind of stuff and won all the challenges yet he didn’t win.
Tashi: Who’s your most loathed?
Lisa: I think everyone has to hate
Jonny Fairplay. Tashi: Yes have you seen he got into a tussle with a retro TV star who punched out three of his ribs - he lost three teeth.
Lisa: Ja I didn’t really like him too much and that
Rob guy - he was so like sneaky and stuff, which Grant’s kind of doing in an undercover way. Again I think that’s the way Survivor’s supposed to be played.
Tashi: Well time’s going tell if he can keep it under wraps - that was Rob’s problem - when they found out what he’d been up to they wouldn’t give him credit for it.
Lisa: That’s the thing - people take it too personally, I think you’ve got to take it with a pinch of salt.
Tashi: That whatever gets said about you is all part of it.
Lisa: I’m actually just looking at you
saying: “when Lisa got zapped she looked even more shiny and proud of herself.”
Tashi: Yes that’s what I thought - you seemed so pleased with yourself - were you?
Lisa: I’m such a happy girl and I smile all the time and that’s just part of really me. I think I was also like, I’m part of one of the 16 people who’s been chosen from everyone in South Africa that entered, I feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world to be able to partake in the experience.
Tashi: Did you have the drive to win or did you just want to go and be on Survivor?
Lisa: I think winning’s an added bonus - a million rand in your back pocket when you’re 21 is pretty cool but the whole experience is so awesome. You learn so much about yourself and you appreciate things so much. At the end of day I got past half way, I learnt so much, I’m just so satisfied with everything.
I’ve been cocooned in my life, I went to boarding school then been down to ‘varsity so I didn’t have the life experience everyone else had yet from Survivor I feel independent and feel like I can take anything life throws at me, I have the confidence for it.
EndsMy first impression on it all -
major crush on Grant's tattoo's methinks.