So far on this year’s Survivor Australia, the Champions have been winning Immunity Challenge after Immunity Challenge and camp is a pretty harmonious place.
But the cracks are beginning to show for AFL superstar, Brian Lake, who has been struggling to deal with his teammate, Commando Steve Willis. So is a feud bubbling under the surface?
The Champions tribe are bonding well, with one exception.
After seeing the former military man meditating, Brian confessed, “I still don’t get Steve.”
“He doesn’t talk too much but when he gets into a subject that he likes, the stuff he comes out with, I just…” he trailed off.
“I don’t know what’s happened to him. He doesn’t drink, so he can’t use that as an excuse.”
“You sort of gravitate to people that you’ve got common ground with. I have absolutely no common ground with him, the only thing I’ve got in common with him is we’re both male.”
READ MORE: Commando Steve and Mat Rogers’ Survivor Australia bromance
“The only thing I’ve got in common with him is we’re both male.”
Even Steve, who rose to fame as the formidable Commando on The Biggest Loser, says he has two different sides to his personality.
“As the Commando I was a brick wall, tough love, no excuses, but Steve Willis is a completely different guy.”
“I’m in my 40s, I’m a loving dad of four kids, bit goofy and just light-hearted. I consider myself to be quite empathetic and compassionate. I allow things to just transpire relatively organically and just enjoy the experience of life and what that throws your way.”
READ MORE: Commando Steve and Michelle Bridges’ love story.
The former Biggest Loser trainer is also a passionate advocate for mental health, which explains the meditating.
Speaking to news.com.au in 2017, he said, “I struggled as much as anybody over the years with dealing with my own head and certain things in life.”
“A lot of it is fear. I think a lot of guys unfortunately become caught up in it and go within their four walls and won’t allow anyone else in, even their loved ones.”
WATCH: Steve shares his workout below.
He also quoted some deep lines from philosophical text, the Tao Te Ching, saying, “Just being human is an element of enlightenment,”to which Brian replied, “There’s a nightclub in Vegas called ‘Tao’.”
Despite their differences, both Brian and Steve have backgrounds in fitness and physical strength, but believe it’s a mental game as well.
“I’m probably not at my peak fitness level, I’ve had 10 surgeries in my football career so I’m never going to be 100 percent, the one thing that is 100 percent is between the ears,” says Brian.
“In this experience with Survivor I think it’ll test me like it’ll test anybody else. I definitely think my social skills will be tested,” says Steve.
The question is, will these two put aside their differences and come together or will they end up going head to head?
Steve likes to keep things zen on the show and in real life.
