crazed Dame Susan Devoy playing Wordle in the sand<\/a>). Here\u2019s what they chose, with expert gameplay analysis from books editor and author Claire Mabey.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe homegrown heroes<\/p>\n
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\u201cOne of my favourite books ever is A Little Life, but that\u2019s pretty heavy on a desert island,\u201d explained Ria Vandervis, best known for playing Harper on Shortland Street. \u201cSo instead I\u2019d take Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly.\u201d The winner of Best First Book of Fiction at the Ockhams in 2022, Greta & Valdin is a choice which Mabey says reveals \u201choned decision-making skills, common sense, and someone who could potentially get everyone settled round the fireplace for readings from this Aotearoa classic and make some sweet alliances.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vinnie Bennett, an actor you\u2019ll recognise from Testify, F9 and the upcoming Sgt. Haane, also went local. \u201cI\u2019d take I Thought We\u2019d be Famous, it\u2019s a poetry book by Dominic Hoey,\u201d he told The Spinoff above a pristine white sand beach. While commending this for being the only poetry offering to make the list, Mabey also made note of what the collection represents. \u201cHoey rails against the man, the system, and makes art shake the bars of oppression. Here, reader, we have an underdog who, if they\u2019re following in Hoey\u2019s shoes, will go very far indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fantasy fans<\/p>\n
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Perhaps fitting given her otherworldly career in rugby, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe describes herself as \u201ca huge fantasy person, I just love it\u201d. When we spoke on the island, she was in the middle of reading Sarah J Maas\u2019 Throne of Glass series, so decided she would take that along. \u201cJust a casual novel about upending a corrupt kingdom,\u201d assessed Mabey. \u201cDon\u2019t let the \u2018big fantasy person\u2019 fool you. This is someone who revels in the machinations of politics, power and rebellion and who\u2019s in it for the long, long game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joining Woodman-Wickliffe in the fantasy corner is actor Te Ao O Hinepehinga (Chief of War), who said she would take Patrick Rothfuss\u2019 Kingkiller Chronicle. \u201cI think my favorite part was that each character had this independent hero\u2019s journey that could intersect, but it wasn\u2019t just \u2018I\u2019m a warrior\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019m the romantic interest\u2019,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is depth to all of the characters and substance to the story that just makes you want to read it so many times.\u201d While Mabey loved the values behind this answer, she feared for what it could mean in the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis dear heart might not have the ruthless streak they may need to take this game out, but they\u2019re going to win over hearts if not also minds and dragons as they go,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Randy for romance<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s nothing like a bodice-busting, heart-stopping romantic romp to keep you warm on those cool island nights. \u201cI might do something really trashy, actually, like a Mills and Boon,\u201d said ex-broadcaster Polly Gillespie. \u201cI want something to get totally lost in, just total floof.\u201d Mabey applauded the invention of a new genre \u2013 \u201ctotal floof\u201d \u2013 while also respecting the self-care on display here. \u201cWhen under immense pressure and on the third day of recycling the same pair of undergruts, there\u2019s nothing a contestant needs more than a steamy, floofy escape.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zion Dayal, sports reporter at TVNZ, also opted for a title synonymous with the romance genre. \u201cOut of pure curiosity, I\u2019d take Fifty Shades of Grey,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t really know what it\u2019s about\u2026 I mean I do a little bit.\u201d Mabey suspects there may be some gameplay afoot already here. \u201cHere\u2019s a contestant who\u2019ll play the curious innocent until the last minute when they\u2019ll reveal their expertise and nail some fools,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mad for memoir<\/p>\n
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Frank Bunce revealed to The Spinoff that he tends to gravitate to biographies, and recently bought three of Jacinda Ardern\u2019s books at once. \u201cCould I bring all three of those?\u201d he pleaded. \u201cWait, am I bringing them to read or to burn?\u201d The Spinoff advised he could do whatever he wanted with the book, which led to a moment\u2019s pause and then: \u201cI\u2019ll probably just go with Nelson Mandela\u2019s biography.\u201d An \u201cabsolute wildcard\u201d offering from the All Blacks legend, said Mabey. \u201cIf we spot a book smouldering in a fire pit, we\u2019ll know who to blame.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon Barnett reckoned Open by Andre Agassi is the best book he\u2019s ever read. \u201cIt\u2019s just an amazing story about a guy that reached the pinnacle of success, but was totally riddled with insecurities and fear,\u201d he said. \u201cI remember reading a bit from the night before the US Open, when he had a wig, and it was just all he could focus on.\u201d Mabey honed in on this wig detail. \u201cThis contestant is schooling up on disguise and obfuscation, like how in the Hunger Games when Peta made himself look like a rock to avoid being stabbed to death,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bestseller besties<\/p>\n
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The Edge radio host Harrison Keefe told The Spinoff he has been prioritising reading in the last couple of months and it has been paying dividends. \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to turn my life around \u2013 reading is very fun,\u201d he said. One such fun read has been The Housemaid, the psychological thriller adapted into a film last year. Mabey commended Keefe\u2019s honest commitment to the cause. \u201cSo much truth, so much intrigue,\u201d she said. \u201cThis contestant is going to be a stealth operator: someone who will quietly observe, learn, and then unleash.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musician Georgia Lines chose Emily Habeck\u2019s Shark Heart, which follows a couple whose material bliss ruptures when the husband starts to turn into a shark. \u201cThe premise sounds really ridiculous, but I sobbed my eyes out,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very sad book. But do I want to be sad on my island?\u201d Not one to be swayed by shark and\/or crocodile tears, Mabey immediately flagged \u201cmy island\u201d as a tell. \u201cBehind those teary eyes it\u2019s all subconscious thoughts of world\/island domination,\u201d she said. \u201cThis contestant is going to go far, my shark-sense can feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Shortland Street\u2019s Ben Barrington went for either The Secret History by Donna Tartt or Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, both books he has re-read several times. With Blood Meridian described as the \u201cbrutally violent\u201d story of a runaway who joins a \u201csadistic gang\u201d, and The Secret History following eccentric college misfits lead down \u201ca dangerous path beyond human constructs of morality,\u201d Mabey is concerned for Barrington\u2019s strategic vision. \u201cCannot wait to see what kind of \u2018rituals\u2019 this contestant insists on everyone taking part in, \u2018for fun\u2019,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last in the bestselling classics category is former Miss New Zealand Sammi Poole, who said \u201cI love reading, so this is really hard.\u201d After a few moments of thoughtful deliberation in true pageant queen style, she made her decision: \u201cI\u2019d take Harry Potter and the Philosopher\u2019s Stone because it reminds me of my childhood.\u201d A nostalgia pick to feed one\u2019s inner child on the island, and one that left Mabey with just one wish: \u201chere\u2019s hoping this contestant is more Hermione than Harry, quite frankly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nuts for non-fiction<\/p>\n
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Despite being a TikTok sensation, Louis Davis revealed he\u2019s not one to use his phone on the bog, but will instead reach for a classic fact-packed toilet book. \u201cYou grab it, you don\u2019t think about the other family members touching the pages, and just enjoy random facts like \u2018popcorn kernels have the highest markup of any product\u2019.\u201d Bog readers are \u201cfearless, curious, and agile\u201d people who might get easily bored, noted Mabey. \u201cThis contestant is going to operate in stealth mode: \u2018quirky\u2019 exterior thinly disguising a compelling lack of boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also trying to expand his mind on the island is comedian David Correos, who chose to take Jerry Corley\u2019s comedy theory book Breaking Comedy\u2019s DNA. \u201cIt\u2019s just a grinding book, you always gotta keep fresh,\u201d he said. While Mabey questioned the function of a \u2018grinding\u2019 book \u2013 \u201cthe image that sprang to mind isn\u2019t fit for such wholesome content\u201d \u2013 she commended Correos for his commitment to his craft. \u201cAt least this contestant will have some fresh gags to go along with whatever it is they mean to do to this book.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Best known for her frank and surprising revelations online, Nix Adams\u2019 book of choice was no different. \u201cI\u2019m a crime junkie, so maybe something about Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, someone like that,\u201d she said, adding \u201cI could think of how I could use their strategic illegal activities to my advantage,\u201d before raucously cracking up. \u201cWhat a way to psych out your fellow contestants,\u201d said Mabey. \u201cI only hope that the \u2018cracking up\u2019 is in the style of wholesome guffaw and not Dr Evil or that ginger creep from The Simpsons who wants to murder Bart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Closing out the non-fiction fans is Liv Parker, younger sister of previous CTI winner Chris Parker, who said she would use her time on the island to brush up on some self-development. \u201cThis one year, Mum bought me all these self-help books for Christmas and my birthday that all had the vibe like \u2018it\u2019s OK not to be perfect\u2019,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve never read any of them in my life, but maybe one of those would be helpful.\u201d After shouting out Mama Parker for well-meaning gift of self-help, Mabey just had one more hope for Parker in the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully one of the books is something along the lines of How to Survive on a Desert Island.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Celebrity Treasure Island starts Monday April 27 on TVNZ2 and TVNZ+.<\/p>\n