The merge is in full swing and the atmosphere in the Australian Survivor camp is seriously starting to heat up – not least for former rugby league and union star Mat Rogers.
“Things changed much quicker than I thought they would,” he tells TV WEEK.
“I started to think I couldn’t trust Sam. I love the guy – he’s a good dude – but when it got down to it, he flipped pretty quickly. It hurt me pretty bad.”
While Mat hints at a shake-up in his alliance, he remained confident Steve “Commando” Willis would continue to have his back.
“I had 100 per cent faith in Steve from day one,” the 42-year-old says. “We were as solid as they come.”
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Mat (right) says he lost trust in Sam.
Another person Mat felt he could trust was Shane Gould – but he claims some of his fellow “Champions” weren’t as keen to include the 1972 Olympics swimming star.
“I felt bad for her,” Mat says. “She’s such a nice lady, and a few of the Champions were quite rude to her. It really pissed me off. They would be condescending to her when she was trying to talk.”
Mat’s temperament and trustworthy nature have earnt him the title of “The Godfather” on the show.
“It’s not hard to be nice,” the father-of-four says. “I like to think I can influence people for the better in whatever they’re trying to achieve.
“If you want a group to succeed, you have to push in one direction and everyone has to buy in. If there’s no sense of strong leadership, it can be hard.”
Mat and Steve bonded in the Champions tribe.
Aside from the emotional challenges of the game, it’s obvious Mat felt the strain physically too.
“I lost over 11kg on the show,” he admits. “I’ve always been quite lean, but I was pretty skinny. It didn’t take me long to put it all back on, though!”
Australian Survivor airs Monday and Tuesday, 7:30pm, on Network Ten.
