Host David Genat demystifies the Challenges, revealing, “Really you’re commentating for the edit.”

Two of the key duties of Australian Survivor host David Genat are hosting Tribal Council, and commentating Challenges.

While Tribal Council can film for a long time and edit down for the best drama and jeopardy, Challenges involve live commentating from its host -a new skill for the contestant-turned-host.

“There’s different ways to call the challenges, because they all have their own elements,” he told TV Tonight.

“But you’re calling those challenges for the editing team. You’re not really doing it in real time for the players. There is an element of that to add pressure to them. If they’re doing something delicate with a puzzle, you can be commentating just to put the pressure up a little bit and make the stakes higher.

“But really you’re commentating for the edit. So if it’s an obstacle course you’re doing it as a horse race, for example.”

Some of his calling of challenges can even be done in post-production.

“If I’m commentating a horse race, I can’t always see what’s going on at the back. Sometimes the person coming last is the person who is the most important one on the beach that night. So if we need to pick any stuff up, we pick it up. But for the most part, it’s all just done there,” he continued.

“We have this amazing editor, Toby, who’s in charge of the whole thing, and he just kind of went through a bunch of stuff with me beforehand, saying ‘This is what we’re looking for when we’re editing it together.’

“You need to have comments on the front runners and there’s ‘beats’ you have to hit. There’s a script I learn before we go into the challenge.

“I was there for pre production for a week. We ran through a bunch of challenges which gave me a chance to practice, figure out camera positions and blocking and all that kind of stuff.

“So I just was working with my team, and trusted the team. We’ve got a fantastic director, fantastic EPs, and it just went really well.

“I think they make one of the best shows in television.”

Australian Survivor screens Sunday, Monday and Wednesday this week on 10.