Shaun Wilson’s 11th-hour olive branch to Santoni failed to win the double-agent’s vote, sending him crashing out of "Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island“ last night (July 29).
Unable to still play on the ground, the IT entrepreneur was still grateful to land himself on the jury.
“I just played the greatest game on earth. It’s very frustrating, I would have rather stayed in the rain and been miserable and cold than go home.
“It sucks, but thankfully, it’s not over. I get to be part of the jury and I still get to have one more moment at tribal council,” said Wilson.
He said the overall “Survivor” experience was unbelievable and he only realised the reality of it when he actually stood on the mat in front of show host Nico Panagio in the first episode.
“It’s hard to explain, you have to live that moment to appreciate it because it is very surreal until it actually happens,” Wilson said.
Although Wilson said he thought he had a game plan going onto the island, it quickly disappeared as he began to see the contestants in their rawest form.
“When I got there I said to myself that I’m going to be mischievous, naughty, I’m going to cause some problems and then the elements kind of take over and you see everyone in their rawest moments and it’s really hard to ignore that.
“So I went from wanting to play this naughty, mischievous game to turning into this dad around camp. I didn’t really expect it, but it did help my game a bit because people would confide in me,” he said.
Ultimately he said being a part of the game gave him a new found zest for life.
“It’s the harsh painful moments that allow you to reflect on who you are in your life.
“There were times when I questioned my sanity, it was raining, we had no fire and it was windy, but then you get past it and learn so much about yourself,” he said.
“It is definitely a soul changing experience because it makes you value the small things in life that we never take time to appreciate,” he said
“Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island” airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101) on Thursday at 7.30pm.