While there’s no denying that Survivor hottie David Genat is one ridiculously good looking man, the 40-year-old hunk also has a softer side to him.
NW sat down with the All Stars villain to see what he thinks of the show’s new season, how he’s handling his growing public profile and why he decided to strip naked – and post about it all over the internet! – in the name of a good cause.
NW: How are you enjoying watching Survivor All Stars?
David: I’m loving it, because I’m in Australia this time, and so I’m seeing it in real time. I actually try and get to watch it with as many other Survivor contenders as possible when I can, it’s great.
I got to watch the Zach exit, that was really fun, it’s just a whole other experience being here for it.
.jpg?resize=380%2C285)
You’ve smashed it on social media during the show as well – and it really has kind of been the David show. Do the other players give you a hard time for how much air time you’re getting?
I’m not deliberately hogging it! I haven’t been copping too much flak because the other players know I’m not in control of the edit and they understand that…
I mean, we’re not complaining..
Look, I think it’s evening out a bit more now and they just can’t show everything that gets filmed, it would be impossible.
Everyone’s a hero in their own stories, it’s just a shame we can’t see more of what goes down…
David is one of the most revered competitors on Survivor.
(Image: Channel 10)So how is it going for you – signing a lot of autographs these days?
It’s been crazy, especially because I’ve just moved back to Perth and I’m trying to do stuff like meet with rental agents and they’re like ‘Are you that guy???’ and I’m also signing autographs and stuff at the shops.
Everyone for the most part is really great and so nice, and hey, I like posing for selfies and stuff. It’s actually very interesting to have my profile raised so suddenly.
But you’re using that profile for good … you’ve got for a very good cause right now. Or is just that you just like to get your kit off?
There’s that of course! But yes, we’re revisiting the Towel Challenge.
It all happened initially when I posted a photo of me taken by Mario Testino – he put it on his Instagram and he’s got billions of followers and then I reposted it and then John Eastoe from Survivor season 4 did that screen shot of him doing the towel alongside my pic.
I reposted that because I thought it was so hilarious, so then I asked other celebs and players to join in and it started going crazy.
I had a couple of thousand impressions on Insta and then I thought, ‘I should have some kind of cause for this, raise some money for something good’.
David posted this cheeky thirst-trap on Instagram to encourage people to take part in the #TowelChallenge.
(Image: Instagram)So how did you come to reboot the towel challenge in support of the Stroke Foundation?
I got really really close to Lee on the show which we didn’t really see much of that on TV, but we really bonded over a heap of stuff.
We both have boys around the same age too, he’s such an incredible man, a really impressive guy and then to have that happen to him – losing his mum while we were out there, was just heartbreaking.
So you got him on board..
Yeah, when the towel challenge first kicked off, I realised it was getting so much traction, so I said to him ‘How about we put it on hold as a fun thing and see if we can put a cause behind it?’ when the episode in which he lost his mum aired and I thought maybe we can raise some money and awareness for the Stroke foundation.
He was really keen and straight on board and so that’s what we did. We relaunched the challenge and called out celebrities from the show and then we shot this calendar which is available now to buy for $25.
You pulled it together quite quickly…
Yeah, I called in a lot of favours from my fashion friends, the photographers are friends of mine and that’s what we ended up with. It’s really about raising that awareness…
READ NEXT: Meet David Genat’s family
Ooft! Now we need to buy that calendar ASAP!
(Image: Instagram)
David shows off his incredible body on set at the photoshoot.
(Image: Instagram)
Survivor’s Janine Allis (second from right) took major convincing before she agreed to take part in the challenge.
(Image: Instagram)How hard was it for you to be around when Lee learned the news about his mum?
It was devastating. I think it was very brave of Lee to let it be shown and for Ten to show it as it happened. There was no movie magic around that, it aired as it happened and it was so hard.
We were all devastated. It was so horrible, so being able to try and turn that experience into a positive was a no brainer.
It’s a win win now, we get to look at all your hot pics, you’re raising money, it’s all good…
Ha, yes. I think I have a skewed idea of what’s acceptable when it comes to getting naked. I’ve been getting my kit off for so long for jobs so I was like ‘this will be fine!’
Did you have to twist anyone’s er, arm to take part?
Our friend Janine [Allis] … she said ‘I’ll do it when you’ve got a charity involved’. And so when we joined up with the Stroke Foundation I was like ‘Knock knock knock!’ It’s a body positive thing, because a stroke can remove a lot of body function and this is all about taking control back and celebrating all bodies.
WATCH BELOW: Survivor’s David Genat talks about his family. Story continues after video.
And how are you feeling about where you’re at on Survivor right now?
Top eight baby and I’ve still got two idols! I can’t complain. You can’t use idols in final five so one more person out and I’ve still got two idols and I’m loving life! Pulled off some good blindsides too. That’s some Survivor legend business!
We’ll have to see what happens though. Am I going to win? I couldn’t say, but I love where I’m sitting right now…
So, what’s next for Davey?
We’ve moved back to Australia, which is awesome. I’ve been here a lot for work anyway, but it’s so good to be back living here, closer to my boys and friends and family. We’re getting settled in…
And any more TV for you? Surely The Dave Show could be a thing
I don’t know about that, but I definitely hope to do more TV. There’s some exciting things in the pipeline, but I’m not allowed to talk about anything yet.
We’ll let you know as soon as I can. There’s some very cool stuff coming up…
The Stroke Foundation calendar is available towelchallenge.org.au
