After some fans had asked whether outdoor billboards for Survivor SA: Island of Secrets featured the real castaways from the show, M-Net confirmed that it was indeed some of the Survivors who signed up to outwit, outplay and outlast their tribe members in the beautiful Samoa. Mrs Cape Town, Lee-Anne van Reenen, was quickly identified as one of these contenders, whereafter M-Net verified that the other faces who looked a little familiar belonged to former Miss Namibia 2015, fitness model Steffi Brink (nee van Wyk), and Olympic athlete Rocco van Rooyen.
But who are the other Survivor SA billboard warriors who look more than ready for a good scrap?
You don’t want to mess with entrepreneur and “Biker Queen” Sepei Mashugane (40). She is a strong, no-nonsense single mother who has built a life for herself and her two children through grit and determination, after deciding that she wants them to have access to the absolute best education. If she puts her mind to something, consider it done. And, as she admits herself, it’s always her way or the highway. When she is not the driving force behind one of several business ventures, she revs it up on her Harley Davidson motorcycle on road trips across the country. As mobility, independence and emancipation are extremely important to Sepei, she also teaches women that biking holds a key to freedom. This iron lady has won several road challenges on her smokin' two-wheel chariot, but will she also lead the pack on the Survivor island?
The rules and restrictions of society were not made with Tania Copeland in mind. Or, actually, they were. It's just that Tania isn't going to pay any attention to them. Like Sepei she is a strong, independent woman, but that's where the similarities end. Tania is one of a kind, unlike anyone else who has played the game of Survivor. She may be slightly older than her competitors, but it won't hold her back. This colourful 51-year old immigration consultant is a self-proclaimed hedonist and an avid rock climber who loves all kinds of adventures in the outdoors. Tania, who has raised several kids, teaches English language to adults and knows that she’s always the heart and soul of a party – with our without her no-longer-guilty pleasure, a marijuana joint. In Survivor SA she wants to be part of what she calls Team Underdog – who show the big dogs how it's done. (Oh, by the way, her father was a bank robber).
If you wonder who the drop-dead gorgeous hunks with the six-packs on the billboards are, meet video producer Nathan Castle (25) and event photographer Robert Bentele (28).
Don’t be fooled by Nathan’s sculpted, tattooed body and flirty smile, however. He is a highly competitive young man who graduated with a law degree from the University of the Western Cape and he loves playing games that require mental and physical strength. This part-time personal trainer who recently became a partner at a Post Production Facility in Cape Town is also a sharp strategic thinker and a pro at playing mind games. He has Western Province colours in chess! Even though the confident, sociable all-rounder is ready to use his looks to advance his game, he acknowledges that his competitiveness sometimes comes with a bit of a temper – and that can be a risky combination.
Robert Bentele is the drop-dead gorgeous exotic Trevor Noah lookalike on the show. His dad is Austrian and his mother Zulu, and even though he grew up mainly in the Zulu culture, he embraces and celebrates his unique identity. He has been a bodybuilder and MMA fighter and has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, but for him "everything is about the energy". He is into Zen, meditation, peace, balance and spiritual enlightenment. Before he outwits, outplays and outlasts, his game strategy is to outcharm his teammates and rivals alike. “I’m a chameleon, I can be anything you want me to be,” Robert says. But is it possible to stay this cool and collected while others are aiming daggers at your back?
Sales consultant Felix Godlo (29), is another Survivor contestant known for going against the flow . Felix comes from a traditional Xhosa family, but was offered a sports scholarship at an Afrikaans high school. Today, he is married to his Afrikaans high school sweetheart and in October 2018 they welcomed a baby boy. Felix is not only a good husband and father, he is also a natural leader and talented sportsman who loves to make his dad, a military man, proud. While studying at the University of Technology in Pretoria, he played rugby for The Vikings and later he represented Old Selbournians in East London. Solid, in-control Felix sees Survivor as the ultimate social experiment and is over the moon to be part of it.
Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets will be on M-Net from Thursday 16 May at 19:00. For the latest updates on Survivor SA: Island of Secrets, go to mnet.tv/survivorsa You can also be part of the conversation on Twitter – especially if you spot some of the billboards – using #SurvivorSA.