WEBVTT - Benjamin Law: Australian Survivor - Talent

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<v Speaker 1>It's in the news today, but it was actually on

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<v Speaker 1>TV Reload, the podcast last week thatirline. Welcome guys to

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<v Speaker 1>TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris, and this is

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<v Speaker 1>your podcast to get all the inside goss on the

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<v Speaker 1>popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably,

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<v Speaker 1>our TV sets are a major part of our home

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<v Speaker 1>entertainment and very little is known about how our favorite

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<v Speaker 1>shows get made. Each episode, I find guests that want

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<v Speaker 1>to dive just that little bit deeper into the shows

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<v Speaker 1>they're currently making, so you can hear all their exclusive

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<v Speaker 1>stories and gain access to the biggest names in television.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to

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<v Speaker 1>I'll make sure that you feel as included as possible

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<v Speaker 1>in the production of the show. This episode marks the

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<v Speaker 1>official start of twenty twenty three season of TV Reload,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm kicking off with Network ten's Australian Survivor Castaway,

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<v Speaker 1>Benjamin Law. Benjamin Law is an Australian author and journalist.

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<v Speaker 1>He is best known for his book The Family Law

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<v Speaker 1>and the TV series of the same name. He is

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<v Speaker 1>an activist and an LGBTI hero, and I'm so excited

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<v Speaker 1>to have a chat with him today. Benjamin Law is

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<v Speaker 1>certainly the unlikely casting we did not see coming, and

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<v Speaker 1>today we will find out why and how he said

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<v Speaker 1>yes to Australian Survivor.

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<v Speaker 2>I've been a fan of the show, both the American

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<v Speaker 2>and the Australian version, for a very very long time.

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<v Speaker 1>Was he worried to lose control of his narrative and

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<v Speaker 1>let produces show an unfiltered side of him?

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<v Speaker 2>Whatever edit I get, there's a very easy path for

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<v Speaker 2>them to give me a villains edit.

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<v Speaker 1>Is he worried that Australia's opinion might change after the show.

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<v Speaker 2>There will be moments where we're like, oh my god,

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<v Speaker 2>just let the earth swallow me whole right now.

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<v Speaker 1>We will find out what he thinks of Australian reality

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<v Speaker 1>TV in general.

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<v Speaker 2>There's really bad reality TV out there, and there's really

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<v Speaker 2>good reality TV, and I think Survivor is the cream

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<v Speaker 2>of the crop.

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<v Speaker 1>I will also ask if he would ever do this

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<v Speaker 1>kind of reality TV again.

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<v Speaker 2>Look give Australian Survivor called again, I would I would

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<v Speaker 2>consider it.

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<v Speaker 1>We will also get some pretty exclusive stories from Benjamin Law,

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<v Speaker 1>and I feel like this chat it's the perfect way

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<v Speaker 1>to kick off the twenty twenty three season of endemol

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<v Speaker 1>Shine Australia's Australian Survivor. However, we should probably get started

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<v Speaker 1>and bring Benjamin Laura into the podcast. And guys, I

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<v Speaker 1>hope you enjoyed this episode. Hi, Benjamin Law, how are you?

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<v Speaker 2>I'm good. Benjamin Morris, how are you?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm very well. And I'm kind of laughing because this

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<v Speaker 1>is a bit of a Benjamin Sandwich for us today,

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<v Speaker 1>isn't it.

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's a ben Lasagne, given how many bends

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<v Speaker 2>exist in our orbit. But that's another conversation for another time.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a different podcast. And you know, this is really

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<v Speaker 1>something that I didn't see coming. You know, someone told

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<v Speaker 1>me that Benjamin Law was doing Australian Survivor and I

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<v Speaker 1>was shocked to my very foundation. I mean, it's brilliant,

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<v Speaker 1>but honestly, it was a huge shock. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>When you say that sentence out loud, it doesn't sound correct,

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<v Speaker 2>does it. Like? I had this conversation with it with

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<v Speaker 2>a colleague early today in a meeting and she's like,

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<v Speaker 2>am I right in seeing and saying that you are

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<v Speaker 2>on the next season of Survivor because I've seen you

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<v Speaker 2>post about it, I've seen the ads, but my brain

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<v Speaker 2>still doesn't want to believe that's right. It feels like

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<v Speaker 2>a very elaborate prank. And I told her if that

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<v Speaker 2>was a prank, it would be the most elaborate prank

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<v Speaker 2>in history, flying me two small stage in the show.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a lot of moving parts with this particular prank.

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<v Speaker 1>How much did you need a free holiday to Fiji

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<v Speaker 1>to agree to doing something like this?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, previous seasons have been shot in Fiji, but this

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<v Speaker 2>season we're going back to where it all began because

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<v Speaker 2>Survivor officionados might remember that seasons one and two of

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<v Speaker 2>Australian Survivor were shot in Samoa and hasn't actually been

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<v Speaker 2>back there. And then the last two years, as we've

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<v Speaker 2>been muddling our way through a pandemic, the last two

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<v Speaker 2>seasons have been in the Australian Outback. So this is

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<v Speaker 2>actually not just a return to an overseas location, but

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<v Speaker 2>a return to beautiful Samoa. So you've got someone from

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<v Speaker 2>season one, Sammy Webb, who's like, I recognize that beach,

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<v Speaker 2>I recognize where this challenge is it's quite nice that

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<v Speaker 2>for this season, season eight, we've come full circle.

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<v Speaker 1>Are you happy of being that it's in wetter climates

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<v Speaker 1>as opposed to being in one of those seasons that

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<v Speaker 1>was in the desert.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's just say, I don't mind the wetness, but the

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<v Speaker 2>wetness that you'll see us in Dua was not expected

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<v Speaker 2>at least for how long that wetness lasted. Well, it

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<v Speaker 2>really sounds like we're just, you know, going on about

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<v Speaker 2>wetness a bit, which is really graphic, but we are

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<v Speaker 2>talking about the weather. It does very early on affect

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<v Speaker 2>our mood, our game, our ability to function. It's it's

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<v Speaker 2>actually quite funny in retrospect, but you'll kind of see

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<v Speaker 2>our brains and possibly our bodies rot as a result

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<v Speaker 2>of that weather, which is actually quite lovely. If you're

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<v Speaker 2>in Samoa with you know, a hotel, if you're in

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<v Speaker 2>a room, you don't get those things.

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<v Speaker 1>On Australians, how did this come about? I mean you

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<v Speaker 1>have to tell me, so you're at home the phone calls?

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<v Speaker 1>Did you apply? Everyone wants to know how does Benjamin

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<v Speaker 1>Law end up on Australian Survivor.

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<v Speaker 2>I've been a fan of the show, both the American

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<v Speaker 2>and the Australian version, for a very very long time,

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<v Speaker 2>to the point where sometimes when I talk to fellow

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<v Speaker 2>Survivor fans and I tell them the fact that I

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<v Speaker 2>got into the show in the single digit seasons, like

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<v Speaker 2>I'm talking, I think I got into it season four,

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<v Speaker 2>they look at me and they ask, how old are you?

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<v Speaker 2>That's a fair question, because, as it turns out, in

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<v Speaker 2>the Heroes tribe, after Jerry Gielch, I was the second

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<v Speaker 2>oldest member of our tribe. It's a young person's game,

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<v Speaker 2>and I'm not so young anymore. I was a huge

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<v Speaker 2>fan of the Australian version, really really loved seasons that say,

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<v Speaker 2>Pierre Miranda one and Haley Leek is obviously my queen.

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<v Speaker 2>But I was actually having conversations about possibly being on

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<v Speaker 2>a reality TV show and I was like, look, that's

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<v Speaker 2>not really up my alley. Respect that show, but not

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<v Speaker 2>quite for me. But hey, if Australian Survivors on the table,

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<v Speaker 2>I said, jokingly, get them to give me a call sometime.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think word got out and people thought the

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<v Speaker 2>idea was either so delicious or ridiculous or both that

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<v Speaker 2>eventually I did get a call and said, hey, are

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<v Speaker 2>you serious, because we might be able to make something happen.

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<v Speaker 2>And then I went through the whole interview and vetting

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<v Speaker 2>process that everyone goes through, and long story short, because

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<v Speaker 2>it was a long story. I had a few hiccups

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<v Speaker 2>there along the way, but then it all became official,

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<v Speaker 2>and I loved that I was able to do it

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<v Speaker 2>first season back in a tropical paradise.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, interestingly enough, you are a massive hero of mine,

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<v Speaker 1>and so this theme of heroes versus villains is just

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<v Speaker 1>so perfect for you. Your advocacy for the LGBTI community,

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<v Speaker 1>amongst other causes, is one hundred percent worthy of this

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<v Speaker 1>hero this hero title.

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<v Speaker 2>That's really nice of you to say. I'm not sure

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<v Speaker 2>if any of those skills necessarily translate to being on

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<v Speaker 2>an island and building shelter and fires from scratch when

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<v Speaker 2>you're doing really huge physical challenges up against elite athletes.

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<v Speaker 2>But after I watched Brains Versus Braun, which was two

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<v Speaker 2>seasons ago, also starring George and Haley, who are back

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<v Speaker 2>for this season, I realized, actually, this isn't a game

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<v Speaker 2>that's just about brute strength. Australian survivor probably has a

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<v Speaker 2>reputation for being more physical than say the American version

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<v Speaker 2>of the show, But I think over time it has

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<v Speaker 2>shown a way for people like your Pa. Miranda's like

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<v Speaker 2>your Hailey leaks to win. Haley's very physically capable, strong,

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<v Speaker 2>and has incredible endurance that you wouldn't expect as viewers

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<v Speaker 2>of her original season now know. But I do think

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<v Speaker 2>there was a pathway to victory, and I just thought,

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<v Speaker 2>I want to see what happens when you put someone

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<v Speaker 2>like me in that environment, and by that environment, I

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<v Speaker 2>mean a place that's completely not my natural habitat.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think the Australian Survivor community is going to

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<v Speaker 1>be surprised by your time on the show? Actually, will

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<v Speaker 1>all communities and audiences be surprised by what you bring

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<v Speaker 1>to this series?

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<v Speaker 2>I think there have been surprises all around, so say,

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<v Speaker 2>from communities in which I inhabit. I work in the

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<v Speaker 2>arts and the media. I have an academic past and

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<v Speaker 2>history as well, and I think some people who haven't

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<v Speaker 2>even really been exposed to that much reality TV in

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<v Speaker 2>my orbit think, oh my god, I've never watched that show?

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<v Speaker 2>Are you a part of that? I've seen the ads.

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<v Speaker 2>This might be the first season I watch and I'm like,

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<v Speaker 2>do watch it? Because there's really bad reality TV out there,

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<v Speaker 2>and there's really good reality TV, and I think Survivor

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<v Speaker 2>is the cream of the crop. It's not just about

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<v Speaker 2>physical prowess, although it does have a lot of that.

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<v Speaker 2>It's about politics, it's about strategy, it's about personality, and

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<v Speaker 2>it's about people and I love stuff like that. Then

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<v Speaker 2>there have been other people from say the Survivor community,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think they know that I've been a fan

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<v Speaker 2>for a while, so I think there seems to be

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<v Speaker 2>a bit of warmth there. There's another dimension of surprise

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<v Speaker 2>as well, which as I'm cast as a hero and

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<v Speaker 2>like you say, I guess for the work that I've

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<v Speaker 2>done with queer advocacy, people might see me in that way.

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<v Speaker 2>But the last promo that's come out a grab of

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<v Speaker 2>mine that's doing the rounds is I'll smile to your

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<v Speaker 2>face and I'll burn your house down while you sleep.

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<v Speaker 2>And I don't think that some people who might be

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<v Speaker 2>familiar with at least one aspect of my public persona

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<v Speaker 2>know that there's a little bit of a mercenary aspect

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<v Speaker 2>in me. But I think queer people know that in

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<v Speaker 2>order to survive in a world not built for us.

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<v Speaker 2>You do what you have to, don't you.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm really looking forward to watching you lean into that.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I love people who give themselves up to

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<v Speaker 1>this type of reality television. And you know, a good

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<v Speaker 1>question to ask you about reality TV is what's your

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<v Speaker 1>knowledge of it? I mean, are you a fan of

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<v Speaker 1>survivor you've a fan of all of these shows? I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>is this sort of pop culture something that you knew

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<v Speaker 1>a lot about?

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<v Speaker 2>So I feel like it's almost bad manners to mention

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<v Speaker 2>on this podcast that I co host a radio show

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<v Speaker 2>for ABC that comes out as a podcast too, and

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<v Speaker 2>that's about pop culture. It's called Stop Everything, and my

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<v Speaker 2>co hosts, Beverly Wang and I we do everything from

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<v Speaker 2>you know, an art house movie that's nominated for the Oscars,

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<v Speaker 2>right through to season seventeen fifty four of RuPaul's Drag Race.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think within the reality realm, there's stuff that

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<v Speaker 2>is arguably a little bit mindless. And I don't mean

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<v Speaker 2>that in a bad or pejorative way. I mean that's

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<v Speaker 2>it's light and you don't have to think too hard,

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<v Speaker 2>and there's a place for that. And I also think

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<v Speaker 2>there are reality TV shows that tell us about the

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<v Speaker 2>world that we live in. Survivor is an obvious example.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, sometimes I think there's not that much difference

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<v Speaker 2>between Australian Survivor and Australian Parliament. They're just wearing suits

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<v Speaker 2>and ties.

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<v Speaker 1>I just was wondering if you were worried about losing

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<v Speaker 1>control of your narrative because you're giving producers a lot

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<v Speaker 1>and going on reality TV can be really scary because

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<v Speaker 1>there is a lot of footage that's been shot and

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<v Speaker 1>you don't really know what they're going to choose to

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<v Speaker 1>show us. Were you worried about what we will see

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<v Speaker 1>and could this change the way that Australia has been

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<v Speaker 1>seeing you?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you're absolutely right. You don't have the final say

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<v Speaker 2>in what goes on the screen. And when the show

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<v Speaker 2>broadcasts on January the thirtieth, episode one, that will be

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<v Speaker 2>the first time that any of the contestants, that any

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<v Speaker 2>of the survivors have seen the audience is seeing. We're

0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:40.400
<v Speaker 2>all going to be seeing it at exactly the same time,

0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:43.160
<v Speaker 2>and I'm pretty sure that for all of us, every

0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:45.880
<v Speaker 2>single one of us, of the twenty four contestants, there

0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:48.440
<v Speaker 2>will be moments where we're like, oh, my God, just

0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:51.360
<v Speaker 2>let the earth swallow me whole right now. And I've

0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:55.120
<v Speaker 2>been joking with the others that I'm really looking forward

0:11:55.160 --> 0:11:58.000
<v Speaker 2>to just cringing our way through this with you. Like

0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:00.760
<v Speaker 2>the cringing that we're about to experience might be the

0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:03.640
<v Speaker 2>ultimate insurance test. And I think that's a way to

0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:06.360
<v Speaker 2>see it, because it might be karma coming back to

0:12:06.400 --> 0:12:10.080
<v Speaker 2>me in a way. Ben, Because I am a TV screenwriter,

0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:14.760
<v Speaker 2>I've been working as an executive producer. I make TV,

0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:17.160
<v Speaker 2>but usually on the scripted side of things, and I've

0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:21.080
<v Speaker 2>always thought it's particularly cruel that the actors with whom

0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:25.360
<v Speaker 2>we work are usually the last ones to see their performance.

0:12:25.520 --> 0:12:28.800
<v Speaker 2>They are like us. They will see their performance when

0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:30.800
<v Speaker 2>the rest of the audience see their performance. And I've

0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:33.920
<v Speaker 2>always got terribly about that. And so I came into

0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:38.080
<v Speaker 2>this TV Project's Australian Survivor knowing that you know, and

0:12:38.120 --> 0:12:41.400
<v Speaker 2>I thought, well, fair cop. Like they these people who

0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:45.160
<v Speaker 2>make year after year of amazing Australian reality TV. They

0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:47.720
<v Speaker 2>know what they're doing and we are here to give

0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:53.240
<v Speaker 2>them good material. And whether whatever edit I get, there's

0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.160
<v Speaker 2>a very easy path for them to give me a

0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.760
<v Speaker 2>villains edit. There's a very easy path for them to

0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:03.080
<v Speaker 2>give me A heroic edit, haarrassing edit, a hilarious edit.

0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:06.640
<v Speaker 2>I was shooting this almost in the back of my mind,

0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:10.480
<v Speaker 2>going oh that is so unhinged what just happened. But

0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.800
<v Speaker 2>you know what, that will be great TV. And I hope,

0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:18.880
<v Speaker 2>I hope they use just what happened. So I'm not naive,

0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:22.840
<v Speaker 2>but I am not relaxed either. But I am really

0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:26.800
<v Speaker 2>looking forward to seeing what they've done with so much material, Ben,

0:13:26.920 --> 0:13:29.319
<v Speaker 2>because they have cameras on us twenty four to seven

0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:32.280
<v Speaker 2>that there is literally someone shooting us as we sleep,

0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.520
<v Speaker 2>So yeah, you can make a lot of stories out

0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:37.160
<v Speaker 2>of that, and we're all here for stories, right.

0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:39.920
<v Speaker 1>Can you give me, on a scale of one to ten,

0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.640
<v Speaker 1>how nervous are you about what we are about to see?

0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:47.640
<v Speaker 2>Oh? It really depends on the day, and I think

0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.760
<v Speaker 2>like some days I'm like super relaxed, but then I wonder,

0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:54.280
<v Speaker 2>am I in denial? Am I gas lighting myself? And

0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:59.560
<v Speaker 2>I'm just like I'm just also sometimes like, oh God,

0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:01.640
<v Speaker 2>they are going to show that, aren't they. Like when

0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:03.680
<v Speaker 2>I was doing terribly in some of the physical challenges,

0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.280
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, yep, I would put that on TV because

0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:13.040
<v Speaker 2>that was embarrassingly hilarious, you know what I mean. But simultaneously,

0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:17.080
<v Speaker 2>if you've been online long enough, and you and I

0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:20.920
<v Speaker 2>have been, everyone will have their own opinions of you.

0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:24.880
<v Speaker 2>And I'm not terribly you know. That is not an

0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:29.320
<v Speaker 2>alien experience to me. So other people being in control

0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:34.160
<v Speaker 2>over your narrative, affirming set opinions about you, that's something

0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.840
<v Speaker 2>I'm used to. That's not me going through that for

0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:38.200
<v Speaker 2>the first time. I think for some of the other

0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:40.720
<v Speaker 2>survivors it will it will be their first time, but

0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:43.240
<v Speaker 2>of course half of the cast are returning players, and

0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:46.880
<v Speaker 2>they know that once it goes to air, feelings change,

0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:48.760
<v Speaker 2>and we're ready for that as well.

0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:51.360
<v Speaker 1>Well. I think that you are a trailblazer, and to

0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:54.320
<v Speaker 1>be a trailblazer you have to be comfortable standing outside

0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:57.880
<v Speaker 1>of the crowd and backing yourself. You know, you've witnessed

0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:01.560
<v Speaker 1>public scrutiny before and you've been able to defend yourself.

0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:03.400
<v Speaker 1>And I think if you do something that's kind of

0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:07.440
<v Speaker 1>nutsa and people apolarized by your behavior, I think again

0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:09.080
<v Speaker 1>you'll be able to defend yourself.

0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:13.280
<v Speaker 2>Hmmm. And I also think we contain multiple facets as well,

0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:15.720
<v Speaker 2>Like I think when I look back at my game.

0:15:16.560 --> 0:15:19.560
<v Speaker 2>There are heroic moments, there are villainous moments, and even

0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:22.000
<v Speaker 2>though this is heroes versus villains, I can tell you

0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:24.960
<v Speaker 2>right now we're going to see heroes doing villainous acts.

0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:26.760
<v Speaker 2>We are going to see people from the villain tribe

0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.520
<v Speaker 2>being absolutely heroic. And you know, the writer in me,

0:15:30.600 --> 0:15:33.880
<v Speaker 2>Ben rejects the binary. We contain multitudes as human beings.

0:15:33.880 --> 0:15:36.520
<v Speaker 2>But it might be a cliche to say, but I

0:15:36.560 --> 0:15:40.000
<v Speaker 2>think it's such a good theme this year because the

0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:44.800
<v Speaker 2>expectations versus the realities of who we are going into

0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:47.480
<v Speaker 2>this game are going to be toppled in very interesting

0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:49.440
<v Speaker 2>and fascinatingly human ways.

0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:52.440
<v Speaker 1>Can I just quickly backtrack a little bit? I think

0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:55.160
<v Speaker 1>audiences will be surprised. I didn't ask you this before,

0:15:55.520 --> 0:15:58.240
<v Speaker 1>but what was the reality show that you were originally

0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:00.840
<v Speaker 1>approached to be on? I mean allowed to tell me that.

0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:03.760
<v Speaker 2>Well, look, we can rule out Real Housewives of Melbourne.

0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:06.400
<v Speaker 2>I wouldn't have been cast on the same show as

0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:10.640
<v Speaker 2>Angelie Row for instance. I don't qualify for many reasons,

0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:12.440
<v Speaker 2>and that's just not coming from a place of low

0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:15.560
<v Speaker 2>self esteem people. But I am mindful that I don't

0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:17.240
<v Speaker 2>want to say the other show because it's a really

0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:19.320
<v Speaker 2>good show that a lot of my friends have actually

0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:23.000
<v Speaker 2>been on. It's a show I respect, but it's not

0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.320
<v Speaker 2>the kind of show that I would necessarily watch. And

0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:28.560
<v Speaker 2>that's kind of my rule nowadays. I say yes to

0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.440
<v Speaker 2>things that I'm already a fan of, which is why

0:16:31.480 --> 0:16:34.160
<v Speaker 2>I said yes, yes, that, yes to this thing that

0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:36.920
<v Speaker 2>has horrified a lot of people in my life. They're like,

0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:39.480
<v Speaker 2>what I did, just so he yes to that, especially

0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:41.560
<v Speaker 2>when I came back having lost a lot of weight

0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:42.200
<v Speaker 2>and dignity.

0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:45.000
<v Speaker 1>Did everyone in the cast know who you were? Because

0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:47.520
<v Speaker 1>to me, you're the biggest name in the cast, But

0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:49.880
<v Speaker 1>did all of the people know who you were? And

0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:51.280
<v Speaker 1>did that affect your gameplay?

0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:54.480
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely not? And this isn't coming from a place of

0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:58.080
<v Speaker 2>modesty or false modesty. Even I didn't expect them to either.

0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:02.800
<v Speaker 2>You know, Survivor always has its share of athletes and

0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:06.640
<v Speaker 2>jocks and people from a realm that I'm not necessarily

0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:09.240
<v Speaker 2>familiar with. So one of the biggest players this season

0:17:09.520 --> 0:17:13.200
<v Speaker 2>is David's a Hirakas who is you know, a god

0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:17.919
<v Speaker 2>on the AFL field. And I don't provoke my citizenship people,

0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.199
<v Speaker 2>but I don't watch that much AFL, So it was

0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:24.240
<v Speaker 2>a learning experience for me to be in David's orbit

0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:26.920
<v Speaker 2>and to learn about his realm. I stopped watching Home

0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:29.200
<v Speaker 2>and Away when I was a teenager, so I wasn't

0:17:29.200 --> 0:17:33.480
<v Speaker 2>familiar with Shannie Vincent and her work. Like she's really

0:17:33.480 --> 0:17:35.760
<v Speaker 2>well known here and abroad as well, not just for

0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:38.560
<v Speaker 2>her work on Home and Away but elsewhere, and I

0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:40.879
<v Speaker 2>wouldn't expect her to know my work. I mean, you

0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:43.960
<v Speaker 2>probably know me through my queer advocacy. But if you're

0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.679
<v Speaker 2>not really part of the queer community, if you're not

0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:51.399
<v Speaker 2>tapped into the Asian Australian community, if you're not you know,

0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:55.600
<v Speaker 2>a huge reader necessarily, or you haven't watched you know,

0:17:56.560 --> 0:17:59.679
<v Speaker 2>the family law on SBS like I have, I have

0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:02.120
<v Speaker 2>my thing gives him many pies, but that's not necessarily

0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:05.240
<v Speaker 2>always a mainstream pie. As I'm saying these words, they're

0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:08.320
<v Speaker 2>quite disgusting. Mainstream pie. What a disgusting phrase. But do

0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:12.480
<v Speaker 2>you know what I mean? Like everyone's everyone's a kind

0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:15.199
<v Speaker 2>of a fish in their own separate ponds. And I

0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.040
<v Speaker 2>think that's why the casting this year in particular has

0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:21.320
<v Speaker 2>been so good, which is what happens when you throw

0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:24.680
<v Speaker 2>a Jillarou, who has to drive two and a half

0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:28.800
<v Speaker 2>hours to her nearest grocery store, who lives in central Queensland,

0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:34.200
<v Speaker 2>alongside this inner city tertiary educated homosexual with a PhD,

0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:36.920
<v Speaker 2>who literally lives above a grocery store in the middle

0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:40.080
<v Speaker 2>of the city. And you know, I'm referring to Page there,

0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:44.200
<v Speaker 2>who's just the most remarkable human being. I've never met

0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:46.760
<v Speaker 2>anyone like her. When you see her, you would just think,

0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:50.000
<v Speaker 2>as we thought on the island constantly, a star is

0:18:50.080 --> 0:18:53.240
<v Speaker 2>born because there is no one else like Page. But

0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:55.720
<v Speaker 2>what happens when you put those two people together. We

0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:59.240
<v Speaker 2>have very few opportunities in life to be thrust into

0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:02.800
<v Speaker 2>a situation where we have to spend time with people

0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:05.960
<v Speaker 2>who are not people would necessarily choose to spend time with.

0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:10.720
<v Speaker 2>And what I love about Survivor is being surprised, both

0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:13.679
<v Speaker 2>as a viewer and now as a contestant as to

0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:18.840
<v Speaker 2>what happens when you throw these different creatures into a

0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:23.679
<v Speaker 2>very very stressful situation in intimate confines, you know, like

0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:28.359
<v Speaker 2>we were spooning each other strangers on night one, Like

0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:31.200
<v Speaker 2>what other situation compels you to do such a thing?

0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:34.000
<v Speaker 1>I love watching people from all walks of life, being

0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:36.919
<v Speaker 1>forced to be together and then seeing how they get along.

0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.960
<v Speaker 1>I mean, reality TV has been in Australia for over

0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:42.480
<v Speaker 1>two decades and when it started it was more of

0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:46.280
<v Speaker 1>a social experiment type of format. I think Australian Survivor,

0:19:46.320 --> 0:19:49.080
<v Speaker 1>in my mind, is one of the only few shows

0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:51.840
<v Speaker 1>that is still very much the human experiment, you know,

0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:54.560
<v Speaker 1>the real fly on the wall type of entertainment.

0:19:55.520 --> 0:19:59.080
<v Speaker 2>And I think you're absolutely on the money, because there

0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:02.080
<v Speaker 2>are some shows I watch sometimes on reality TV that

0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:06.639
<v Speaker 2>are so samy, not just in terms of you know, backgrounds,

0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:11.520
<v Speaker 2>but also in terms of temperament as well. You're casting

0:20:11.560 --> 0:20:14.280
<v Speaker 2>for the demographic that's just watching, so you can see

0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:16.679
<v Speaker 2>the kind of cogs turn. But when I think of

0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:21.200
<v Speaker 2>the casting on this show, We've got a former Real

0:20:21.240 --> 0:20:25.320
<v Speaker 2>Housewife of Melbourne. We've got a pilot who has saved

0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:29.120
<v Speaker 2>people's lives and has endured kind of, you know, many

0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:32.960
<v Speaker 2>many instances of personal tragedy. We've got a Golden Boy

0:20:33.400 --> 0:20:37.040
<v Speaker 2>surf life saver. This is very reductive, of course, because

0:20:37.359 --> 0:20:40.080
<v Speaker 2>you know, as even as I point out these people's

0:20:40.160 --> 0:20:44.320
<v Speaker 2>traits and perhaps their public brands, they almost seem cartoonish.

0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:47.919
<v Speaker 2>But it is a kind of a delicious entry into

0:20:48.040 --> 0:20:52.359
<v Speaker 2>people who are very complex, very surprising and when push

0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:55.320
<v Speaker 2>comes to shove, behave in very surprising ways.

0:20:55.760 --> 0:20:58.560
<v Speaker 1>What sort of physical training did you do? I mean,

0:20:58.960 --> 0:21:01.080
<v Speaker 1>if I was going to be doing and survivor, I

0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:03.880
<v Speaker 1>would be getting a personal trainer, I'd be beefing up.

0:21:04.320 --> 0:21:05.800
<v Speaker 1>Did you do that or did you want to go

0:21:05.880 --> 0:21:07.800
<v Speaker 1>in there just as you know yourself, like you've just

0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:10.439
<v Speaker 1>been plucked out of the everyday, you know world that

0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:10.959
<v Speaker 1>you live in.

0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:13.199
<v Speaker 2>We know this is a podcast, so it's not a

0:21:13.280 --> 0:21:16.199
<v Speaker 2>visual medium, but anyone who has seen me knows that

0:21:16.320 --> 0:21:19.320
<v Speaker 2>I am not the biggest guy in real life, Like

0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:28.359
<v Speaker 2>I'm short, Asian, pretty skinny, and compared to like Sammy Webb,

0:21:28.520 --> 0:21:33.359
<v Speaker 2>Matt Sharp, David Taharraka, Sean Hamson, especially these absolute gods

0:21:33.440 --> 0:21:37.960
<v Speaker 2>of physical prowess, the let's just say, the visual contrast

0:21:37.960 --> 0:21:41.120
<v Speaker 2>will be very, very funny. So coming into the show, Yeah,

0:21:41.160 --> 0:21:44.800
<v Speaker 2>there's a total montage sequence that exists of me getting

0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:48.560
<v Speaker 2>up at six am every morning working with a trainer

0:21:48.600 --> 0:21:53.159
<v Speaker 2>who is also my physical who's also my physiotherapist, and

0:21:53.240 --> 0:21:57.159
<v Speaker 2>he was I initially brought him on to help me

0:21:57.440 --> 0:22:00.359
<v Speaker 2>train in a way that didn't aggravate an inn injury,

0:22:00.920 --> 0:22:04.080
<v Speaker 2>but he got the sense that I was training for

0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:07.879
<v Speaker 2>something and got really really involved, and over that time

0:22:08.160 --> 0:22:11.000
<v Speaker 2>I put on a lot of weight. I was doing

0:22:11.040 --> 0:22:13.960
<v Speaker 2>protein shakes. My god, my trainer said, look, I'm going

0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:16.600
<v Speaker 2>to train you like an earlly athlete. My body's not

0:22:16.720 --> 0:22:18.520
<v Speaker 2>built for that stuff. But I did all the stuff

0:22:18.560 --> 0:22:20.600
<v Speaker 2>that athletes are supposed to, you know, put on good

0:22:20.600 --> 0:22:22.879
<v Speaker 2>weight because I knew I would lose it really fast

0:22:22.920 --> 0:22:25.679
<v Speaker 2>on the island. And what I discovered then is like

0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:28.360
<v Speaker 2>that life is not for me. But I went into

0:22:28.440 --> 0:22:31.480
<v Speaker 2>the show the biggest I've ever been, which when you

0:22:31.520 --> 0:22:34.240
<v Speaker 2>see me on screen you'll laugh because you're like, that's big,

0:22:34.440 --> 0:22:38.240
<v Speaker 2>What the hell? But it had afforded me to starve

0:22:38.280 --> 0:22:40.160
<v Speaker 2>a bit, which is what the show puts you through,

0:22:40.200 --> 0:22:42.439
<v Speaker 2>because we're only eating rice and beans and anything we

0:22:42.440 --> 0:22:45.080
<v Speaker 2>can forage off the island, which, as it turns out,

0:22:45.240 --> 0:22:47.400
<v Speaker 2>is not a huge light, although we were very lucky

0:22:47.400 --> 0:22:48.440
<v Speaker 2>to have coconuts out there.

0:22:48.560 --> 0:22:51.480
<v Speaker 1>I want people who are listening to this, who may

0:22:51.520 --> 0:22:53.199
<v Speaker 1>not necessarily know you, to get a bit of an

0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:57.400
<v Speaker 1>understanding of the magnitude of Benjamin Law. So I thought

0:22:57.400 --> 0:22:59.960
<v Speaker 1>I would ask you this question. You know, you've given

0:23:00.200 --> 0:23:03.600
<v Speaker 1>a voice to the LGBTI community for so long. What

0:23:03.680 --> 0:23:06.560
<v Speaker 1>do you think needs our attention the most at this point,

0:23:06.640 --> 0:23:08.840
<v Speaker 1>you know, looking off the back of say, the same

0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:10.320
<v Speaker 1>sex marriage equality.

0:23:09.880 --> 0:23:13.360
<v Speaker 2>Debate right now, I do get this sense that there

0:23:13.359 --> 0:23:18.680
<v Speaker 2>are people within and without the queer communities that think, oh,

0:23:18.800 --> 0:23:21.680
<v Speaker 2>same sex marriage was achieved, ding ding ding boss level.

0:23:21.680 --> 0:23:26.480
<v Speaker 2>Fight for LGBT rights is over, victory daylight comes in,

0:23:26.560 --> 0:23:30.080
<v Speaker 2>and everything's fine in the world of queer people and

0:23:30.160 --> 0:23:33.760
<v Speaker 2>queer rights. And when you talk to young people especially,

0:23:33.960 --> 0:23:38.720
<v Speaker 2>that's really not the case, and especially for young gender

0:23:38.760 --> 0:23:42.359
<v Speaker 2>diverse people. I think it's getting better for say, same

0:23:42.440 --> 0:23:46.160
<v Speaker 2>sex attracted young people, but even then, there are still

0:23:46.240 --> 0:23:50.920
<v Speaker 2>a lot of stories of non acceptance from families and

0:23:51.280 --> 0:23:55.160
<v Speaker 2>even schools. You know, there is still legislation state by

0:23:55.200 --> 0:24:01.080
<v Speaker 2>state that allows institutions like schools and for older people,

0:24:01.200 --> 0:24:04.240
<v Speaker 2>you know, hospitals and nursing homes to actually discriminate on

0:24:04.320 --> 0:24:07.359
<v Speaker 2>the basis of sexuality and gender. It even allows you

0:24:07.440 --> 0:24:10.600
<v Speaker 2>to discriminate on the basis of whether you're an employee

0:24:11.000 --> 0:24:13.960
<v Speaker 2>or not on the basis of your sexuality and gender.

0:24:14.280 --> 0:24:17.840
<v Speaker 2>I also worry about the culture wars that are swarming

0:24:17.880 --> 0:24:22.280
<v Speaker 2>around gender diverse, gender questioning, and transgender and non binary

0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:25.399
<v Speaker 2>kids and teenagers as well. Like one, I think it's

0:24:25.440 --> 0:24:28.919
<v Speaker 2>a little bit creepy for grown adults to be like, oh, like,

0:24:29.040 --> 0:24:32.000
<v Speaker 2>what's going on underneath their skirts and pants? Like their

0:24:32.080 --> 0:24:34.479
<v Speaker 2>kids and teenagers just leave them alone. I think what

0:24:34.520 --> 0:24:37.720
<v Speaker 2>we need to do is really support those people, and

0:24:38.040 --> 0:24:41.480
<v Speaker 2>I do feel hopeful that this country at least hasn't

0:24:41.520 --> 0:24:44.119
<v Speaker 2>fallen in a total trap like it has in the

0:24:44.280 --> 0:24:47.200
<v Speaker 2>US and the UK, where the wars over this sort

0:24:47.240 --> 0:24:50.960
<v Speaker 2>of stuff are really frothing. At the same time, you

0:24:50.960 --> 0:24:54.560
<v Speaker 2>know Minus eighteen, which is an amazing lgbtiq A plus

0:24:54.680 --> 0:25:00.760
<v Speaker 2>charity that really aims to support teenagers and kids from

0:25:00.880 --> 0:25:03.680
<v Speaker 2>quick communities. They had to shut down a social event

0:25:03.760 --> 0:25:07.000
<v Speaker 2>recently at the end of last year because it was

0:25:07.280 --> 0:25:11.639
<v Speaker 2>literally targeted by neo Nazis. So sometimes I think we

0:25:11.760 --> 0:25:14.480
<v Speaker 2>might want to think we're allowed to be relaxed, but

0:25:15.240 --> 0:25:19.680
<v Speaker 2>the twin of being relaxed is complacency. And if you're

0:25:19.680 --> 0:25:23.200
<v Speaker 2>complacent about the young people of our community, I think

0:25:23.240 --> 0:25:27.400
<v Speaker 2>that really really puts them at risk of damage. Those

0:25:27.400 --> 0:25:28.560
<v Speaker 2>are the people I worry about.

0:25:29.280 --> 0:25:31.199
<v Speaker 1>I think that's true. I think that's very true. And

0:25:31.240 --> 0:25:33.880
<v Speaker 1>I thought that you and Sally Rugg did an amazing

0:25:34.000 --> 0:25:37.040
<v Speaker 1>job during the plebiscite. Do you think that there was

0:25:37.080 --> 0:25:40.400
<v Speaker 1>any fatigue after that battle, you know, was finally won.

0:25:40.720 --> 0:25:42.840
<v Speaker 2>Well, first of all, Sally's such a dear friend of

0:25:42.880 --> 0:25:44.720
<v Speaker 2>mine and I wouldn't even put myself in the same

0:25:44.800 --> 0:25:47.120
<v Speaker 2>level of her. And again this isn't out of modesty,

0:25:47.560 --> 0:25:51.560
<v Speaker 2>but Sally was there actually agitating politicians and agitating for

0:25:51.800 --> 0:25:56.400
<v Speaker 2>legislative change as her job in her spare hours, whereas

0:25:56.440 --> 0:25:59.239
<v Speaker 2>I found myself kind of thrust into the spotlight. And

0:25:59.280 --> 0:26:01.919
<v Speaker 2>to be honest, on a personal level, coming into that campaign,

0:26:02.000 --> 0:26:04.320
<v Speaker 2>I was like, well, same sex marriage, I don't think

0:26:04.320 --> 0:26:07.200
<v Speaker 2>it's really for me, so maybe this isn't really my fight.

0:26:07.560 --> 0:26:12.680
<v Speaker 2>But as that debate raged and roared, I just found

0:26:12.760 --> 0:26:17.200
<v Speaker 2>myself so infuriated by the stuff that people were allowed

0:26:17.200 --> 0:26:19.760
<v Speaker 2>to say that they wouldn't have been able to say

0:26:19.800 --> 0:26:23.240
<v Speaker 2>if that debate didn't exist in the first place. And

0:26:23.520 --> 0:26:26.760
<v Speaker 2>you find yourself on the back foot, you find yourself

0:26:26.920 --> 0:26:30.440
<v Speaker 2>in a situation where you don't want to say anything wrong.

0:26:30.640 --> 0:26:34.320
<v Speaker 2>You know, you don't want to represent the community poorly.

0:26:34.520 --> 0:26:37.640
<v Speaker 2>It was a period where so many queer people were

0:26:37.640 --> 0:26:40.320
<v Speaker 2>stepping on eggshells, and at the same time I found

0:26:40.359 --> 0:26:44.160
<v Speaker 2>it really disheartening that the queer community couldn't represent ourselves

0:26:44.200 --> 0:26:47.119
<v Speaker 2>in the myriad ways in which we are. You know,

0:26:47.320 --> 0:26:51.840
<v Speaker 2>some people are polyamorous, some people are trans, some people

0:26:51.920 --> 0:26:56.520
<v Speaker 2>have relationships outside of same sex marriage. That it felt

0:26:56.520 --> 0:26:58.800
<v Speaker 2>like no one was allowed to talk about those things

0:26:58.880 --> 0:27:01.400
<v Speaker 2>because you had to put on the hat of respectability

0:27:01.560 --> 0:27:04.359
<v Speaker 2>so the straits and the cisgender people would accept you,

0:27:04.680 --> 0:27:07.240
<v Speaker 2>and I think that costs everyone.

0:27:07.720 --> 0:27:10.240
<v Speaker 1>I was kind of leading you to that question because

0:27:10.280 --> 0:27:14.240
<v Speaker 1>I wanted to ask you if we had that playbiscite again,

0:27:14.640 --> 0:27:16.439
<v Speaker 1>what do you think the public vote would look like.

0:27:16.480 --> 0:27:18.879
<v Speaker 1>Do you think the numbers would be up or do

0:27:18.920 --> 0:27:19.720
<v Speaker 1>you think they'd be down?

0:27:20.119 --> 0:27:22.840
<v Speaker 2>Oh, I think it would absolutely increase. And I think

0:27:22.960 --> 0:27:25.240
<v Speaker 2>the numbers I don't have them on top of hand,

0:27:25.760 --> 0:27:28.600
<v Speaker 2>have probably bear that out. Like now that same sex

0:27:28.600 --> 0:27:33.359
<v Speaker 2>marriage is legalized and the world didn't end, and the

0:27:33.400 --> 0:27:36.520
<v Speaker 2>world didn't end, and people didn't marry the Sydney Harbor

0:27:36.560 --> 0:27:40.320
<v Speaker 2>Bridge and you know, Tony Abbott didn't marry his bike

0:27:40.359 --> 0:27:42.560
<v Speaker 2>mates or whatever Kevin Andrews said was going to happen,

0:27:42.600 --> 0:27:47.200
<v Speaker 2>Like those absolutely ridiculous arguments proposed by Abbott and Abets

0:27:47.240 --> 0:27:50.440
<v Speaker 2>and Kevin Andrews, like they just haven't come to pass right,

0:27:50.880 --> 0:27:54.040
<v Speaker 2>And so I think people have moved on with their

0:27:54.119 --> 0:27:58.520
<v Speaker 2>lives if not attended same sex weddings or been ambiently

0:27:58.560 --> 0:28:01.280
<v Speaker 2>aware of same sex wedding and know that it's not

0:28:01.760 --> 0:28:02.400
<v Speaker 2>a big deal.

0:28:03.240 --> 0:28:06.560
<v Speaker 1>I think that we need a reality show about gay weddings.

0:28:06.600 --> 0:28:10.000
<v Speaker 1>They are just two fabulous and I feel like there's

0:28:10.040 --> 0:28:13.040
<v Speaker 1>just too much gold content to mine, you know, speaking

0:28:13.080 --> 0:28:16.720
<v Speaker 1>of reality television and shows in the future, after doing

0:28:16.760 --> 0:28:21.040
<v Speaker 1>Australian Survivor, would you ever think about doing another reality show?

0:28:21.200 --> 0:28:22.040
<v Speaker 1>Like you're addicted?

0:28:22.200 --> 0:28:26.200
<v Speaker 2>Oh look, if Australian Survivor called again, I would consider it,

0:28:26.280 --> 0:28:30.240
<v Speaker 2>even though my forty something bones have been wearied by

0:28:30.320 --> 0:28:33.480
<v Speaker 2>time and that experience. But it was the experience of

0:28:33.520 --> 0:28:35.800
<v Speaker 2>a lifetime and I have no regrets whatsoever. I think

0:28:36.080 --> 0:28:38.400
<v Speaker 2>the fun that we had on the island will will

0:28:38.440 --> 0:28:42.480
<v Speaker 2>definitely be on screen, the fun and the horror together.

0:28:43.440 --> 0:28:45.560
<v Speaker 2>And as for other reality TV shows, I think it's

0:28:45.640 --> 0:28:48.200
<v Speaker 2>less about the genre and more about the fact that

0:28:48.240 --> 0:28:51.680
<v Speaker 2>this was Australian Survivor, Like I really hold this particular

0:28:51.720 --> 0:28:54.320
<v Speaker 2>show close to my heart, so I'll go where my

0:28:54.360 --> 0:28:55.200
<v Speaker 2>heart wanders been.

0:28:55.480 --> 0:28:58.880
<v Speaker 1>I've heard people and producers say that reality television is

0:28:58.960 --> 0:29:02.000
<v Speaker 1>like crack cocaine, and you know, people can easily get

0:29:02.120 --> 0:29:04.800
<v Speaker 1>very addicted to it, even if the experience can be

0:29:04.920 --> 0:29:05.720
<v Speaker 1>quite painful.

0:29:05.960 --> 0:29:08.400
<v Speaker 2>I do wonder whether it's like childbirth. I'll never birth

0:29:08.400 --> 0:29:11.000
<v Speaker 2>a child myself, but you know, sometimes I've spoken to

0:29:11.160 --> 0:29:14.120
<v Speaker 2>my friends who had children. They were like, yeah, that

0:29:14.200 --> 0:29:17.480
<v Speaker 2>was an absolutely traumatizing experience. I've never been in so

0:29:17.600 --> 0:29:20.840
<v Speaker 2>much pain in my entire life. I'm considering having another one,

0:29:20.920 --> 0:29:23.960
<v Speaker 2>and it's like, where is this coming from. So as

0:29:24.000 --> 0:29:26.120
<v Speaker 2>I've come back and I'm telling my partner and my

0:29:26.200 --> 0:29:29.520
<v Speaker 2>family about stuff that happened to me and what it

0:29:29.600 --> 0:29:31.720
<v Speaker 2>put my body through, and then I'm like, yeah, and

0:29:31.800 --> 0:29:34.160
<v Speaker 2>if the opportunity came up again, I might consider it.

0:29:34.200 --> 0:29:37.160
<v Speaker 2>They're like, what are you talking about? Did you not

0:29:37.360 --> 0:29:41.160
<v Speaker 2>hear the story you just told about the time that

0:29:41.240 --> 0:29:44.680
<v Speaker 2>mosquitos attacked you to the point where you could basically

0:29:44.720 --> 0:29:49.160
<v Speaker 2>not function mentally anymore? Like horror, horror, horror, But there's

0:29:49.200 --> 0:29:53.280
<v Speaker 2>something about it. When you've been through such deprivation, you've

0:29:53.320 --> 0:29:58.560
<v Speaker 2>pushed yourself to the physical limit that is euphoric. I'm

0:29:58.560 --> 0:30:01.000
<v Speaker 2>actually doing a two kilometer chart pread swim for minus

0:30:01.040 --> 0:30:03.520
<v Speaker 2>eighteen soon and if anyone wants to donate to that,

0:30:03.680 --> 0:30:09.480
<v Speaker 2>just find the links on my Instagram account, mister Benjamin Law.

0:30:09.760 --> 0:30:14.080
<v Speaker 2>We'd love your donations. And I'm not a naturally great swimmer.

0:30:14.080 --> 0:30:16.200
<v Speaker 2>I was actually the worst swimmer in my entire year

0:30:16.280 --> 0:30:18.400
<v Speaker 2>level of two hundred and fifty when I was growing up.

0:30:19.000 --> 0:30:22.760
<v Speaker 2>But there is something euphoric about being able to push

0:30:22.760 --> 0:30:26.479
<v Speaker 2>your body to another limit that you didn't know it

0:30:26.560 --> 0:30:30.240
<v Speaker 2>was able to was able to do. And I think

0:30:30.360 --> 0:30:34.320
<v Speaker 2>Survivors similar you come out on a rush. As much

0:30:34.320 --> 0:30:38.280
<v Speaker 2>as you're traumatized, depleted and kind of violated, you do

0:30:38.360 --> 0:30:40.480
<v Speaker 2>come out on well, at least for me, a bit

0:30:40.480 --> 0:30:41.280
<v Speaker 2>of a high as well.

0:30:41.640 --> 0:30:43.720
<v Speaker 1>I'm so excited to watch you in this out. I

0:30:43.760 --> 0:30:46.760
<v Speaker 1>think this chat has only made me more excited. So

0:30:47.080 --> 0:30:50.240
<v Speaker 1>before you go, everyone who joins the podcast gets asked

0:30:50.240 --> 0:30:53.240
<v Speaker 1>this question, what is something from behind the scenes, something

0:30:53.240 --> 0:30:55.480
<v Speaker 1>that we won't see that's kind of like a behind

0:30:55.520 --> 0:30:58.400
<v Speaker 1>the scenes secret from filming Australian Survival.

0:30:58.880 --> 0:31:02.760
<v Speaker 2>What can I tell you about the production secrets of

0:31:02.800 --> 0:31:07.920
<v Speaker 2>Survivor without actually letting you know the production Secrets of Survivor. Yeah,

0:31:07.920 --> 0:31:10.560
<v Speaker 2>what I found interesting was like all the stills that

0:31:10.600 --> 0:31:13.560
<v Speaker 2>you see of us when they were taken, Like, there

0:31:13.600 --> 0:31:17.440
<v Speaker 2>are scenes of us that are quite dirty, that's oil

0:31:17.600 --> 0:31:21.200
<v Speaker 2>and dirt. And then later on I was just like, Wow,

0:31:21.240 --> 0:31:23.160
<v Speaker 2>they really didn't need to stage that, because we are

0:31:23.200 --> 0:31:25.280
<v Speaker 2>the filthiest we've ever been in our lives.

0:31:25.720 --> 0:31:28.360
<v Speaker 1>What about the heroes versus villains poses? I mean, I

0:31:28.360 --> 0:31:31.479
<v Speaker 1>can imagine being a villain would be easy because all

0:31:31.520 --> 0:31:33.640
<v Speaker 1>you need to do is look angry, But what about

0:31:33.680 --> 0:31:36.840
<v Speaker 1>the heroes posts did they say pretend to be Thor

0:31:37.000 --> 0:31:38.400
<v Speaker 1>or some other Marvel superhero.

0:31:38.800 --> 0:31:41.160
<v Speaker 2>No, we all have to like have what they call

0:31:41.280 --> 0:31:44.120
<v Speaker 2>game face on, and that's both for the stills cameras

0:31:44.160 --> 0:31:47.280
<v Speaker 2>and the moving cameras game face on. But to be honest,

0:31:47.320 --> 0:31:50.640
<v Speaker 2>we don't have to really stretch ourselves because our game

0:31:50.720 --> 0:31:54.360
<v Speaker 2>face is just constantly on. Once the game has started,

0:31:54.480 --> 0:31:56.880
<v Speaker 2>you were like, I have to get through this challenge

0:31:56.920 --> 0:32:00.200
<v Speaker 2>to the end. Alive would be a good bare minimum,

0:32:00.240 --> 0:32:03.880
<v Speaker 2>but winning would be really good as well. So I'm

0:32:03.880 --> 0:32:07.480
<v Speaker 2>not sure if I'm always expressing game face or deep constipation.

0:32:07.760 --> 0:32:10.120
<v Speaker 2>But if you sense constipation in some of the shots

0:32:10.160 --> 0:32:12.880
<v Speaker 2>of me on the show. It's probably because I am

0:32:13.160 --> 0:32:14.960
<v Speaker 2>Rice and Beans. It does a lot tepper guys.

0:32:15.080 --> 0:32:17.240
<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for coming on the podcast, and

0:32:17.400 --> 0:32:19.600
<v Speaker 1>I think this has been the perfect tease for the

0:32:19.640 --> 0:32:23.760
<v Speaker 1>Australian Survivor that twenty twenty three series. I hope audiences

0:32:24.000 --> 0:32:27.200
<v Speaker 1>love watching my special guest today, Benjamin, as he takes

0:32:27.440 --> 0:32:31.760
<v Speaker 1>center stage on the twenty twenty three series on Network ten. Ben,

0:32:32.000 --> 0:32:34.160
<v Speaker 1>thank you so much. I cannot wait to watch and

0:32:34.200 --> 0:32:36.080
<v Speaker 1>I will hopefully get a chance to chat to on

0:32:36.120 --> 0:32:36.800
<v Speaker 1>the other side of this.

0:32:37.160 --> 0:32:39.760
<v Speaker 2>Enjoy what is going to be the most chaotic, hectic

0:32:40.000 --> 0:32:42.680
<v Speaker 2>and hilarious season. I can say that with some authority.

0:32:42.840 --> 0:32:43.920
<v Speaker 2>Thanks mate, Thanks Ben.