‘Godfather’ Werner lost his grip on his alliance for the first time this season and was voted out of the game within sniffing distance of the final, on the penultimate episode of "South Africa: Philipines" on Thursday night.
Long-time alliance member Jeanne – who Werner saved from certain elimination last week by handing his Hidden Immunity Idol to her – led the revolution, convincing Tom and Annalize that none of the trio had any chance of winning the R1 million prize and ‘Sole Survivor’ title if they were pitted against him in the final.
We caught up with Werner after his island exit:
Why did you decide to enter the show?
I started watching the America version in 2012 and I was hooked from the very first episode I watched. As I continued watching I just felt that I needed to do something like it as if I was made for the game of Survivor and I had the urge to conquer it. I am also a very active person so I wanted to be challenged.
How did you prepare for "Survivor South Africa: Philippines"?
I love sports, I have always played rugby and I have done things like the Cape Epic so I did not need a lot of physical preparation, I just played more rugby and a lot of board games to help with mental stimulation.
What was your strategy going into the game?
I did not want to be a dominant male, that I was sure of. I wanted to control the game without people even knowing I was in control, I also wanted to always make sure I was in a majority alliance and I did that. It helped that I was a pastor, and although I did not tell any of them, it helped because I deal with people all the time.
Was being a pastor on a show like "Survivor" difficult? You must have had many moments where your moral compass was tested?
Oh yes absolutely. In fact, that was worse than not having food. I just told the others I was Christian and most of them said they were too which was great, there was no judgement. However, as a pastor, I had to make sure I play the game with integrity because of my relationship with God.
What's the first thing you did when you got home?
I actually made a cup of coffee for my wife and me; I sat with her and my son and then asked them what they wanted to do for the rest of the day.
What did you learn from this experience?
By the third day on the island, I realised that when you are on that island you have no one but yourself. When you are there you are stripped of everything people use to mask themselves, cars, makeup, dinner dates and so much more and I learnt that it is okay to take your mask off.