There are few more painful and unpleasant ways to exit Survivor South Africa: Philippines than being voted out with a Hidden Immunity Idol in your pocket.

One contestant, Palesa Tau, knows that feeling all too well.

Palesa, who was born and bred in Kagiso, suffered that fate after being blindsided by her Araw tribe mates. The episode of her being voted off aired on 12 July on M-Net and the News had the privilege of interviewing the outcast.

Palesa is the youngest of three sisters, is 29-years-old and the mother of 11-year-old Lwazi. When she’s not trying to survive the wilderness of the Philippines, she is a radio presenter/ producer, voice-over artist, MC and speaker, and was nominated for an award in the Liberty Radio Awards this year.

She attended Silverfields Primary School in Kenmare and went on to Town View High School after that.

“I was big on sports as a young girl – I was in the provincial athletics team and played netball as well. This prompted me to study for a degree in Sports Management at the University of Johannesburg,” she told the News.

The News asked Palesa some questions about her time on Survivor:

• Why did you initially enter Survivor?
I’m a very spontaneous person and immediately decided to enter Survivor after seeing a call to enter on my PC while at work. I love to challenge myself.
Living on the island took a lot of adjustment, from getting used to having very little to no food, sleeping on uncomfortable bamboo and even being wet on rainy nights. I took many moments though to appreciate the beauty of the island.

•Was it hard to get used to all the cameras around you?
There was so much happening from the beginning of the game that engage your survival instincts that I hardly paid attention to the cameras.

• I think what everyone wants to know is whether there are proper ablution facilities for the contestants
The only facilities on the island are those you have around you. The land and the sea.

• Tell us about what it’s like at first living on a remote island while competing in Survivor.
It was a strange experience having to get used to being out of your comfort zone, with little to no food, sleeping on bamboo and trying to keep warm on rainy nights. However, I always took a little time to appreciate the beauty of the island.

• Who was a bad bunk-buddy while you were on the island?
Tom and Vusi sometimes had the strangest dreams which got them kicking and shaking up the shelter and waking us all up.

• Apart from what we see on the show, which is only about 45 minutes, describe a typical day on the island … how do the contestants keep themselves busy?
We were paranoid about what was being said among the castaways, but in between we talked about mostly food because we were so hungry. We fix the shelter, collect wood and water during the day and tell stories at night.

• What type of game did you play, an emotional game or a strategic game … and please explain why.
I played a strategic game, by studying the personality traits of the other castaways and using that to make my move. I was also fortunate to find clues and idols and used my strategy to make those work in my favour. A good example is when I used a clue to convince Ace that I had an idol and vote with me.

• Who was your friend/ confidant in the game?
From the start of the game, Vusi became my confidant and ally, but I became quite close to Chané later in the game.

• Did you ever feel like giving up? If so, what kept you going?
I did have low moments in the game, however I never once thought of giving up. It’s just not in my nature. I can accredit that to my sportsmanship and mental strength.

• We all know you had a love-hate relationship with Tom. How did it feel when you found out he had lied to you when you asked him, before you were voted out, if your name was going to feature in tribal council?
I was never upset about that, I didn’t expect better from Tom given our relationship dynamic and don’t accredit my decision for not playing the idol to him.

• What was it like to share a bed with Tom after you won the rewards challenge and chose him to join in the spoils with you?
I gave him clear instructions to keep to his side of the bed, and he lay still all night. Sleeping on a bed after weeks of lying on bamboo was heaven.

• How did you feel after being voted off, while still having an immunity idol in your possession?
I was disappointed but not angry at myself. I took many risks in the game that paid off, this was a risk I took that didn’t pay off. I was proud of playing the game till the end.

• Who do you hope will ultimately win Survivor?
I have no favourites as I felt the majority alliance wasn’t playing the game but were following blindly. I hope to see them change and start playing harder.

• Describe your Survivor experience in five words.
An experience of a lifetime.

• Do you have any words of encouragements for future Survivor contestants?
Never quit, no matter how tough it gets.

• Lastly, if you could do Survivor all over again, what would you do differently?
I’d play my idol, of course. Yet, I’m proud of the game I played.

Catch Survivor on M-Net, DStv Channel 101 every Thursday at 7pm.

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