Earlier this week, viewers of the Deal Or No Deal Island witnessed a historic community TV second not solely on the 2025 TV schedule however of all time when Australian Survivor vet David Genat received $5.8 million in the course of the jaw-dropping finale. The huge prize is essentially the most cash ever given away on community tv, making Genat the most important winner within the medium, too. Nonetheless, fellow actuality TV legend Boston Rob Mariano doesn’t assume he performed the sport neatly.
On the finale episode, Genat went spherical after spherical of opening instances and saying no to offers from the banker, authentic briefcase mannequin Chrissy Teigen. The Australian Survivor winner turned down $1.5 million, then $1.98 million after which $2.9 million and even $3.87 million to go to the ultimate spherical with simply three instances in play, considered one of which had simply $75 and one other with $12 million. The nail-biting recreation lastly ended when he took Chrissy’s deal of $5.8 million. In Genat’s phrases post-finale:
So I had dinner with Boston Rob and Joe a pair nights in the past, and Rob’s an actual numbers man. He does have a little bit of a non secular facet. He does consider in some issues and I do not assume he actually talks about that, however he is actually like, ‘Dude, the percentages of this occurring? You’re so dumb. You had been so dumb to not take these offers.’ And I am like, ‘Was I although, Rob?’
David Genat took a string of big gambles with actually stable offers, as a result of he actually believed in his picks and had his spirituality on his facet. He made one of the best deal he might have, contemplating the quantity in his case ended up being $75, too.
Nonetheless, as Boston Rob identified to them after they not too long ago commiserated, he turned down a variety of good offers, and in the end received on very good luck, as Genat continued saying to EW:
Had it labored out the opposite method, we would be sitting right here having a really completely different dialog. However I don’t know what it was in that second. I imply, you had been there, man. I simply felt like I could not lose. I simply felt like my father who handed a number of years in the past was there with me, guiding me, and it was only a very particular second.
David Genat received the sport alongside some steep competitors from different main actuality TV stars like Survivor’s Parvati Shallow — who wasn’t eradicated till episode 11 after “fairy dusting males” on the present — and Huge Brother legend Dr. Will, who lasted till the seventh episode. Whereas it’s simple for others to guage on the surface about how properly Genat did, the details are that he performed essentially the most profitable recreation TV has ever seen. Boston Rob, who allegedly has a internet value of between $1.3 and $2 million, pales compared to Genat’s greenback indicators.
Nonetheless, in Genat’s newest interview, which occurred seven months after the season was filmed, he mentioned he hasn’t acquired the cash but however has “already began spending it.” The Australian Survivor does recall signing a doc saying he’ll get the cash he received, so it doesn’t sound like he’s sweating it.
So, I think about he’s nonetheless residing life in absolute disbelief of the finale and earnings he pulled off.