![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvtonight.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/20170831_23460395_M-1.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAfter winning the series alongside Nicole Trunfio he resided in the US in an era when Travis Fimmel reigned. Life was busy and exciting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I won that show it meant that I had agents around the globe for the next three years, or so. I was based in New York, just flying all over the place, modelling,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy claim to fame at the start was I had Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren at the time when they were competitors. It was a big modelling scandal. It was hilarious, and they were very upset with my agent. But then it led to me getting on contract with Ralph Lauren. I was with them for about seven years. Had a really good run with those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acting classes and a pursuit of theatre however was a slower, longer target, so when a friend who had appeared on Australian Survivor told him about the show it became a new pursuit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were looking for male modelling talent that had a good profile, my agent just put me forward, and then they wanted to meet me. I flew to Sydney and met with Endemol Shine and the rest is history. I think that was in 2018 that meeting happened. I met the amazing (producer) Amelia Fisk, and I gave her the American sell at this point. I\u2019d been living in America saying \u2018I\u2019m gonna do this, I\u2019m gonna do that, and I\u2019m so great. \u2018 She was like, \u2018Well let\u2019s see.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahead of his first appearance (there have now been three), he crammed episodes of the American series, and some of the Australian version.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to be a villain on the show. I was piecing together all these characters, like Boston Rob and Parvati and Tyson. I watched their seasons\u2026 I thought \u2018Let me try and be the male Parvati.\u2019 I wanted to really play up that character side of things, to be a villain on television, to see if it could get some career going with TV,\u201d says Genat.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy plan was to play that first season, not worry about winning, but just do the craziest stuff I could and really get the audience on board, or hating me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He became known as an Immunity Idol magnet, earning him the \u201cGolden God\u201d tagline. He admits it was a name he gave himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original Golden God clip came about because I found this little skull and I crafted a fake Immunity Idol,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was 3am on the beach and I was trying to do it with no one seeing it. When I finished it, (a producer asked) \u2018How does that feel? And I was like, \u2018I feel like a Golden God right now!\u2019 \u2026then they just started calling me \u2018Golden God\u2019 in interviews. So then I started using it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But in Champions v Contenders II he was blindsided, leaving the tribe with an Idol in his bag. Producers, excited by his gameplay immediately hauled him in with another idea. Would he return in 6 weeks time to film Australian Survivor: All Stars? This time he won the series.<\/p>\n
When the pandemic then swept the world, he pivoted into Celebrity Apprentice for Nine, who subsequently gave him guest hosting spots on Getaway before a series hosting role on Rush. The travel adventure series, produced by Endemol Shine, only ran for one season before being dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cNine had gambled on two new formats, The Summit, and Rush, and both rated about the same. I didn\u2019t think the ratings were lighting the world on fire, but they were quite good, and it was just a big financial commitment,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they came back to green light shows, I don\u2019t think they wanted to run them both\u2026.I\u2019d signed on for three seasons of that , so it was pretty upsetting when it got cancelled.\u201d<\/p>\n But he had also been seen by US producers who invited him to compete on Deal or No Deal Island.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought, \u2018That sounds so ridiculous\u2019 And then they said, \u2018The last season,someone was playing for $14m bucks.\u2019 I thought, \u2018Alright I\u2019m in!’\u201d<\/p>\n The series put him alongside Survivor\u2018s Parvati who had also been invited to do Australian Survivor: Australia vs the World prior. Despite winning over AU$9m on Deal or No Deal he agreed to his third Survivor tour of duty. It would be the final time he appeared alongside Jonathan LaPaglia whom he would unexpectedly succeed.<\/p>\n The two spoke briefly following the new host announcement by Network 10.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n