{"id":472275,"date":"2026-02-11T06:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T06:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/472275\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T06:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T06:34:15","slug":"david-genat-on-the-sacking-of-jonathan-lapaglia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/472275\/","title":{"rendered":"David Genat on the sacking of Jonathan LaPaglia"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When David Genat was announced as the new host of Australian Survivor<\/a> in August last year, after the sacking of long-time host Jonathan LaPaglia<\/a> in June, the reaction from fans was swift.<\/p>\n

Comments on social media immediately deplored the decision, saying they would never watch the reality show, which LaPaglia hosted for 10 years, ever again.<\/p>\n

Genat, though, is not bothered.<\/p>\n

\u201cHas there been a negative reaction?\u201d he says, cheekily. \u201cWere people upset?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid Genat has appeared on Australian Survivor three times, winning once. <\/p>\n

Genatis in Sydney, having finished filming his first season as host of Australian Survivor in Samoa. The new season is subtitled Redemption \u2013 the righting of past wrongs, the need to make a mark \u2013 and Genat, a former winner of the show, is keen to set the record straight about his elevation to host.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not looking to change Jonathan\u2019s legacy at all,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to do my own thing and do the best job I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

In person, Genat is ridiculously tall and charming \u2013 they don\u2019t call him the \u201cGolden God\u201d for nothing \u2013 and it\u2019s easy to see why the 45-year-old has thrived on reality TV ever since he made his debut on Foxtel\u2019s Search for a Supermodel in 2002. He is open and frank with his answers, even when there\u2019s a lot he\u2019s not saying \u2013 mainly due to the Network Ten publicist standing nearby.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Australian Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia, who was replaced by David Genat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think with any show, there\u2019s an evolution of change,\u201d he says. \u201cI think Jonathan does an amazing job. He\u2019s a great host. But, I mean, I\u2019ve been in the entertainment business a long time, long-term gigs don\u2019t really exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Michael<\/a><\/p>\n

So, what happened? When LaPaglia was sacked, Network Ten wouldn\u2019t comment on the reasons for his departure, only saying in a statement that LaPaglia was a \u201ccompelling and memorable figure in the world of Survivor\u201d.<\/p>\n

LaPaglia then posted a passionate statement on Instagram, writing that he had been \u201cblindsided\u201d by the news. \u201cI received a call from the Network thanking me for all my hard work and dedication to the show but for next season they are \u2018going in a different direction\u2019,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Calling it a \u201chost swap\u201d, LaPaglia added \u201cWhoever said a blindside is the most humane way to put someone down is an idiot. It hurts like a bitch!\u201d<\/p>\n

Two months later Genat, who had long been rumoured for the role, was publicly confirmed as the new host. According to Genat, however, the removal of LaPaglia was not a \u201cblindside\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not my understanding of how things happened,\u201d he says. \u201cI know conversations were definitely had. Calls were made. It wasn\u2019t, like, an email thing \u2026 There was no malice in it. I think it was just time for change. That\u2019s the way showbusiness goes. I\u2019m not sure why people get super upset when millionaires lose their jobs, but he\u2019s gonna be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Genat says he auditioned for the role twice before he was appointed. First, in 2020, when it was thought LaPaglia may not have been able to travel from the US because of COVID-19 restrictions, and again in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it was something that was on the radar,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then after I won Deal or No Deal [Island], there were some discussions going on. And I screen tested, probably, I want to say of December [2024].\u201d<\/p>\n

Did he speak to LaPaglia after the announcement?<\/p>\n

\u201cJonathan\u2019s a great guy,\u201d he says. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say we\u2019re close friends, [we\u2019re] colleagues, we work together, and I wanted to be able to talk to him when it was announced. So I said, \u2018As soon as he\u2019s been called, let me know.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI reached out to him, and I just was like, \u2018Listen\u2026\u2019 I can\u2019t touch Jonathan\u2019s legacy. He\u2019s been so good. I can just pay respects, and that\u2019s what I said to him. I was like, \u2018You\u2019ve been so good with this role, I\u2019m not trying to be you or change what you did. I just want to pay respect to what you\u2019ve done\u2019 \u2026 He\u2019s been integral to the franchise and to the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid Genat describes his hosting style as \u201cnon-interventionist\u201d.Steven Siewert<\/p>\n

And he was OK, when you had a chat to him?<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d he says. \u201cYou understand that\u2019s the business. Actors get replaced. Like, it hasn\u2019t been the same Batman for 20 years, that\u2019s kind of what happens in these jobs. I know it\u2019s sad, and people go, \u2018Oh, you know, Christian Bale is the best Batman\u2019 \u2013 he actually is, Michael Keaton was pretty soft \u2013 but it\u2019s just the evolution of our work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"What<\/a><\/p>\n

That evolution is something Genat knows well. He\u2019s been around the TV business since he was about 20, when he appeared on season three of Search for a Supermodel after he was dared by a mate in Perth to do a Zoolander impression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe only had Big Brother back then,\u201d he says. \u201cSearch for a Supermodel was one of the only other [reality shows]. I did it as a joke \u2026 and the rest was history. I just went down to [the auditions] to make him laugh, and evidently turned it into a career, which is somewhat ironic.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole career has been a little bit like that. I didn\u2019t go back to reality for a long time because I think , at the time, reality TV was a bit dirty. It wasn\u2019t like it is now, where it\u2019s a staple of the industry supporting so much scripted stuff. Back then, they were like, \u2018Reality, yuck\u2019, it wasn\u2019t really taken that serious. Talk-show hosts didn\u2019t want to have us on as guests, we got a bit pooh-pooh-ed, so I stayed away from it for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he did get back to it, though \u2013 after 20 years of living and working in New York and overseas as a high-profile model \u2013 it was in a big way. He has appeared in three seasons of Australian Survivor \u2013 winning All Stars in 2020 \u2013 as well as appearing on Celebrity Apprentice Australia. Last year, he made history on the US series Deal orNo Deal Island<\/a>, when he won a record-breaking $US5.8 million ($9.2 million).<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid Genat in episode one of Australian Survivor: Redemption.\"SomeSome of the cast of Australian Survivor: Redemption, including Lottie (second from right), who appeared on the ABC\u2019s Portrait Artist of the Year, and (far left) Hannah Reilly, who also appeared on the ABC with her sister Hannah in the show Growing Up Gracefully.<\/p>\n

His first two stints on Survivor were legendary among fans, where he became known for his daring gameplay and slightly mad personality (he was voted out first in last year\u2019s Australia v the World season). During his first season, Champion v Contenders II in 2019, he lost 12 kilograms, which isn\u2019t bad considering he put on 14 kilograms before he entered the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m coming from a modelling career where I\u2019ve never had an unrestricted diet,\u201d he says. \u201cI was shovelling food in my face for like, six weeks, and then lost 16 [kilograms in total]. The weight loss swings were insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

But how does Genat manage the psychological side of the game? Sure, it\u2019s a contest largely built on deceit, but he\u2019s also a father of four, with kids watching him lie to people\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just have to remind yourself you\u2019re in a game the whole time,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the morning, I would do a big meditation. I would just remind myself about family and trust no one. And then I do a little checklist of all the backstories and lies I\u2019d been telling in the morning. And I\u2019d be like, \u2018All right, remember to check it with this and that and that.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you have to play it like it\u2019s a game because there\u2019s only one person that\u2019s gonna win that money. And you meet 24 people, you bond so fast with them, and there is that feeling of like, \u2018Oh, we\u2019re actually friends\u2019, but at the end of the day, you\u2019re not. You\u2019re playing for people back home \u2026 You just have to remember [these other people] are gonna stab you in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid Genat, known as the Golden God, is the new host of Australian Survivor.<\/p>\n

Now, that he\u2019s in the host\u2019s seat, Genat can take a bigger view of the game. In episode one, the only episode available to preview, he isn\u2019t doing too much to rock the boat. His long hair is tied back, he\u2019s wearing the show\u2019s signature host uniform \u2013 shorts for challenges and a button-up for Tribal Council \u2013 and his voice goes deep for the opening voiceovers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my serious look for the show,\u201d he jokes about his hair. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to shock the kids too much, \u2018Who is this guy?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s playful with the contestants, who are a mix of returning players \u2013 one of which, Harry, who Genat has played with twice on Survivor before \u2013 and newbies, including a pastor, an MMA fighter, a home-schooling mum of five and a painter who also appeared on the ABC\u2019s Portrait Artist of the Year.<\/p>\n

Genat handles them all with ease. He describes his hosting style as non-interventionist, and that he\u2019s all about tough love.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Editor’s pick\"David<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been there and I\u2019ve done it, and I like to keep people accountable for their actions and what they\u2019re doing,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a big deal if you\u2019re gonna vote someone out. I don\u2019t want fluff. I want to hear real reasons. I want to hear real gameplay. I want to see real strategy and I want that to be unpacked in a way that pays tribute to the person that\u2019s about to be sacrificed for this fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty serious, because a lot of people want to be in that seat and I want to make sure that you were worthy to have sat [there] and to have played. I want people to feel like, \u2018Yeah, sure, I got voted out \u2013 but, man, I went out in such a good way\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making sure the contestant leaves with a bit of dignity is also a big part of Genat\u2019s job. As host, it\u2019s his responsibility to snuff the departing contestant\u2019s torch and utter the iconic lines: \u201cThe tribe has spoken. It\u2019s time to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sounds simple, right? Not so much.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, so I\u2019ll give you a little inside information on this,\u201d he says. \u201cThe most intense thing to do the first time was to snuff the torch. I was like, \u2018Do not mess this up.\u2019 It\u2019s such a big moment for that person walking up. So they walked up, I looked them in the eyes, and I was like, \u2018The tribe has spoken\u2019 and it didn\u2019t go out. I had to do two more attempts \u2026 They\u2019ll never show that in the edit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australian Survivor: Redemption premieres at 7.30pm on Monday, February 23, on Ten. <\/p>\n

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472276,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,427],"class_list":["post-472275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}