WEBVTT - THE TRAITORS LOSS WITH NIGEL AND TERESA 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:01.720 It's in the news today, but it was actually on 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:04.600 TV Reload the podcast last week The Light and welcome 0:00:04.640 --> 0:00:07.560 back guys to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris, 0:00:07.560 --> 0:00:10.240 and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:13.760 the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:18.720 a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors, 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:21.239 and casting agents, plus the talent that we see on 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:24.480 our screens. TV Reload reloads the shows that we are 0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:27.400 all currently watching and gives you a better insight into 0:00:27.400 --> 0:00:31.520 our television industry and our streaming services. Today on the podcast, 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:34.160 I have Nigel and Theresa from The Traders, and while 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:37.360 both brought something different to the series, they certainly made 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:40.120 an impact in their own way. I have been lucky 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:42.800 enough to chat with many of the contestants as the 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:45.760 series went on, but I certainly have been looking forward 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:48.720 to having some time with both of today's guests. I 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:50.800 don't even think you need to have watched the show 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:53.840 to get something out of these chats today. Amazing insights 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:57.920 from Nigel and a great laugh from Terresa. Nigel's story 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:01.000 is quite familiar to many, as prior to his time 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:03.920 on The Traders, he was a photojournalist who was held 0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:07.280 hostage in Somalia for four hundred and sixty days. He 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:10.480 was held ransom until his family paid six hundred and 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:14.360 seventy five thousand US dollars to release him, and he 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:18.080 now works as an extortion response consultant. He joined The 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:21.720 Traders with a backstory like no other. Teresa is an 0:01:21.840 --> 0:01:24.720 MC who can command a crowd of ten thousand people. 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:28.920 She's a DJ, manages drag queens, runs netball clubs, is 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:32.160 a mum and took this opportunity to join The Traders 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:35.280 to prove something to herself and her community. We will 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:38.520 talk about Nigel's decision to join the show, what series 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:41.600 he was originally slated for, and we will talk about 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:44.560 his courage to overcome his harrowing story and how he 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:47.840 has managed to turn his life around. Then Teresa will 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:51.080 give us some hilarious insights into her life and her 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:54.080 time on the show. I certainly suggest you stick around 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:57.320 for her Tiger Watiti story, which we'll have you laughing 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:00.200 for days. However, let's get started with today's gat. Yes, 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:03.520 I'd like to welcome Nigel and Theresa from The Traders 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:04.640 to TV Reload. 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:08.480 Would you be interested in going on a reality TV show. 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:10.520 We've been sort of checking you out and we think 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:11.320 you'd be a good. 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:13.760 Fit previously on the Traders. 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:15.679 Coming out of that. If you don't make it that 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:17.520 that's your dreams on. 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:22.160 What you four guests descend it upon our mysterious hotel. 0:02:22.960 --> 0:02:26.239 I'm very aware that my backstory is. You know, certainly 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:29.680 it is quite juicy for a reality TV. 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:33.040 The faithful job is to banish who they think is 0:02:33.080 --> 0:02:33.560 a traitor. 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:36.040 You need to get rid of them so that you 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:37.040 could concentrate. 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:39.079 The point of it all is to be the last 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:41.880 person standing to win what could be And i've seen 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:44.200 amount of money in server bars. 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:47.600 Maybe in series two they try that so that there 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:50.679 is more engagement from a viewers point of view. 0:02:50.800 --> 0:02:54.040 Hi. Hi, everybody amazing because they get to talk to you. 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:56.359 Oh thanks, Mane. That's kind of him. 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:58.720 Let me just check some technical stuff, mate. 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:00.000 I wish I was talking to you in a couple 0:02:59.960 --> 0:03:02.079 of day time with two hundred and fifty km my 0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:02.800 back pocket. 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:05.600 I know, and I don't know if you've listened to me. 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:07.799 I've been interviewing a lot of the people coming off 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:11.720 the show and you, I mean, my favorite has changed, 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:14.040 but you were my current favorite. You were who I 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:17.440 wanted to win, and I'm I'm just I'm annoyed. 0:03:17.680 --> 0:03:19.800 Who was your original favorite? That's what I want to know. 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:22.480 If I wasn't there, if I wasn't the OG favorite, 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:24.240 then I'm disappointed. 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:24.560 Ben. 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:28.800 You know, you were always there. So like for me, 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:32.639 I liked Claire, did you? I did? And it's a 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:35.560 funny thing because she kind of reminds me a lot 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:37.800 of my friends in the sense that we wear our 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:41.120 emotion on our face, and I think that she Anyway, 0:03:41.120 --> 0:03:42.720 we're going to get into this in the podcast, so 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:45.840 we'll talk. Yeah, for sure, Sure we'll get into it. 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:49.160 It's fine. Hi, Nigel, how are you Ben? 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:50.000 Thanks for having me. 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:53.280 I am really shocked. I mean, I'm shocked to have 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:55.880 you here. What do you think went wrong? 0:03:56.440 --> 0:04:01.000 Ah, there was a myriad of things. I think I'm 0:04:01.040 --> 0:04:06.280 too loyal and I'm too honest, and. 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.080 My pinky promise got me in trouble. But you know. 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:11.800 It's it's my little boy and I pinky promise each 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:13.920 other things. And when you make a pinky promise, you 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:16.600 can't break it. And even my partner was like, it's 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:18.360 a game. You could have broken the pinky promise You're 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:19.760 still to love you if you had a broad hand 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:22.600 cutter on million dollars, And it's like yeah, but it's 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:24.960 the ethics behind it. It's like it's something that I 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:26.320 live by and I die by. 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:26.760 You know. 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:30.040 What's really interesting is that you're so popular amongst the 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:33.000 other contestants. I've been so lucky to talk to so 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:36.839 many of them, and everyone has spoken so well of you. 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:39.200 I want to know, though, why do you think that 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:41.440 people gravitate towards you so well? 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:44.640 Partially because of my experience obviously is a hostage I 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:48.560 think coming out of that experience and when you are 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:51.000 isolated from people for such a long period of time, 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:54.680 humans do not bode well being isolated from one another 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:57.520 because we are such social animals. And I think I love, 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:00.360 you know, meeting new people, and I like to make 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:04.000 people feel comfortable and relaxed. So going into the show, 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:07.360 it was really important, like in my kidnapping, you know, 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:11.880 with thirteen hostage takers, wanting them to see me as 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:15.359 a human being and someone who that they liked, so 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:17.719 it was harder for them to kill me, you know, 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:22.200 in that experience. I guess in this experience making them 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:24.040 like me so that they didn't banish me, because I 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:26.560 obviously couldn't be murdered once I was chosen as a trader. 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:33.000 But I really love people, and from my point of view, 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:36.799 I think we have something to learn from every single 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:39.480 person that comes into our life. And if you don't 0:05:39.520 --> 0:05:41.839 have that outlook in life, then you're going to miss 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:43.360 a really important lesson. 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.320 What I kept thinking about was do you think that 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:49.400 the experience in your kidnapping, you know, what happened in Somalia, 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.400 did that help you understand people more? Or was it 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:54.360 something that you already had. 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:57.159 I got to ask quite a lot of people say 0:05:57.200 --> 0:06:00.680 how did you Why do you think you survived experience? 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:03.000 And I said, well, look, there's a lot of things 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:05.839 I think. You know, I grew up on a large 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:09.480 broad acre farm in between Maury and Gunderlin in northwest 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:12.239 New South Wales, and I guess coming off the land 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:18.560 you learn to deal with I guess difficulties and things 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.040 don't always go to plan. You know, as a farmer, 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:23.679 you're reliant on the rain, so you have good seasons, 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:26.160 you have really bad seasons, but you just do with 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:28.840 what you get dealt I also think the fact that 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:31.920 I had two older brothers. But I also think then 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:34.440 going to boarding school, like I went to a country 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:36.640 boarding school in Abada because we were one hundred kilometers 0:06:36.680 --> 0:06:39.560 from the nearest high school. So having that separation from 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:42.960 my family was something that I had learned from a 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:45.279 young age to deal with, Like I went to boarding 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:48.200 school when I was twelve. So those sorts of things 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:52.240 I think allowed me to put me on I guess, 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:55.200 a path to survive my kidnapping. But I think also 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:57.280 because I have a love of trouble and a love 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.520 of culture, and you know, I guess when you get 0:06:59.520 --> 0:07:02.880 trawn into to a group of thirteen people that driven 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:07.680 by grades. For me, it was about trying to survive 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:10.000 that experience. And I can remember coming out of it 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:13.800 and talking to the psychologist from the ADF that the 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:18.000 Australian government had brought across to Kenny once I was released, 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:20.360 and he'd said, like, you know, what survival skills did 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:23.400 you put in? I was like, man zero, and he's like, well, 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:25.280 did you talk to your captains? I was like yeah, 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:27.600 of course. He's like, well, that's a survival skill. He's like, 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:29.080 did you share food with him? I was like yeah, 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:31.200 because I were hungry. He's like, so that's a survival skill. 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:34.360 He's like, did you convert to Islam's like yeah, and 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.320 he's like, well, there's a survival So he started telling 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:39.160 me all of those survival skills that I didn't even 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:43.480 realize that I had implemented. So I think as humans 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:47.800 were very adaptable if you're open to it as well, 0:07:48.160 --> 0:07:50.520 and I think for me, I would like to think 0:07:50.560 --> 0:07:53.320 that I'm a very open person, and you know, when 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:56.360 something new comes across my marado, I was like, well, 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:58.800 what is that, Let's investigate that and see what it is. 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:02.320 And you know, when thereportunity arose to go on Traders, 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:07.040 it was like absolutely like first series, no expectation, not 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:09.360 going to be able to take any gameplay in other 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:13.360 than our personalities. That was really exciting to sort of 0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:16.720 walk into a show knowing that we're going to be 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:20.320 you know, upwards of twenty other people, not really knowing 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:22.400 the rules of the game either. Until we'd sort of 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:24.960 all landed in Sydney and then we're given a rule 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:27.040 book two days before we actually went in. It was 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:29.760 just like, right, this is going to be mental. There's 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:31.840 going to be some carnage along the way and hopefully 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:34.160 I can just dodge some bullets at the start, and 0:08:34.240 --> 0:08:36.880 hopefully I can be picked as a trader, you know, 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:39.640 And that was one of my absolute goals, is I 0:08:39.800 --> 0:08:41.520 wanted to be one of the bad guys. 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:45.719 It's just such a role reversal. It means a lot 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:47.000 of things. I want to get into a little bit 0:08:47.000 --> 0:08:49.280 about why you said yes to doing the show in 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:51.560 a minute, but I also just wanted to say you've 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:54.360 been able to make a career out of a terrible, 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:58.400 terrible situation that gives That gave me pause for thought 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:00.240 on how we all need to get on the our 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:03.920 lives even when the most unthinkable things can happen to us. 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:06.800 Is that one of the reasons why you've been able 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:10.199 to share your story so easily is to encourage other 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:12.520 people to get on with their lives when sometimes we 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:14.600 all have something horrible things happen to us. 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:18.199 We all face traumas and that's just part of life. 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.680 And it's like, when I speak as a public speaker, 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:23.400 I talk about trauma in a way, it's like having 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:25.040 to eat a shit sandwich. All of us is going 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:26.520 to have to do it at some point in our lives, 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:28.320 whether it's a loss of the parent or a child, 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:31.920 or a job, or trauma affects us all differently, but 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:34.200 you can't run away from it. You have to face it. 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:36.440 You have to embrace it, and when you come out 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:39.720 the other side, you have the potential to grow from 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:43.000 that and grow in a great way. For me, you know, 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:45.839 I lost fifteen months of my life, a lot of 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:49.720 it's sitting in a room shackled like an animal. And 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:53.520 I came out of that experience and it was like, well, 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:55.680 I've really got two options here. I can have a 0:09:55.679 --> 0:09:58.240 pity party and sit in the corner and say, wow, 0:09:58.280 --> 0:10:01.160 it's made my life was parable, or it's like I 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:04.040 can actually just pull up my socks and say right, 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:06.120 let's get on with it, like I'm alive, I'm back 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:09.719 home with my family, Like, let's see what opportunities come 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:10.120 out of this. 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:12.800 I'm so glad that you took this opportunity to take 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:15.440 this story to another level and let more people hear 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:19.000 your story. I think that currency of sharing our experiences 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:21.960 is so important, it's so potent, and it can touch 0:10:22.000 --> 0:10:25.200 people in so many different ways. The Traders was probably 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:27.600 the last place that I was going to find something 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:30.160 that I needed in my life right now, which was 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:33.640 you just keep going. And I learned that from you, 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:35.839 which I want to say thank you for. And I'm 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:38.120 sure that there's plenty of people watching the show that 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:40.480 you know would feel the same way because you are 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:41.800 an inspirational survivor. 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:42.400 Thank you. 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:44.840 That's very kind of you look And it's weird, like 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:48.640 you know, coming into the show. For me, I guess 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:51.320 my kidnapping is a very defining thing in my life, 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:55.600 and going into the show, I didn't want that to 0:10:55.760 --> 0:11:00.359 be because it can overtake any sort of social situation 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:02.160 where people are like, oh my god, you've been kidnapped, 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:04.080 let's talk about it, and it's just for me. It 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:06.040 was like, I don't I don't want that in this experience. 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:08.080 What I want to do is to be able to 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:11.240 use that skill set that I've learned. If it is 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:13.880 a Hail Mary that I need, then I can pull 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:15.200 it out and pull it out. 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:15.800 Of my hat at the end. 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:19.600 But I didn't want that to be what this experience 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:21.480 was about. I wanted to sort of go in there 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:23.320 with a clean sheet, no one knowing who I was. 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:26.120 You know, obviously, if I was outed by someone that 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:28.280 recognized me. Then I was going to deal with it, 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:29.600 but it never happened. 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:32.680 Do you think if everyone had known your story, that 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:37.200 maybe empathy or maybe other emotions might have clouded their judgment. 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:39.520 I mean, and they might not have wanted to go 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:42.000 after you. I just wondered whether or not it might 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:44.199 have been a tactic that looking at it from a 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:45.480 different angle, that's all. 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:48.839 Look absolutely, And I thought about that, like, you know, 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:52.120 I could have I pulled the the poor me I was, 0:11:52.280 --> 0:11:54.320 you know, I was taken as a hostage in my family, 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:56.920 had to play six hundred and seventy five thousand US dollars. 0:11:56.960 --> 0:12:00.199 And the reason I'm coming on to the show is 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:04.440 to basically pay back some debts. It felt icky to 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:07.360 do that, so for me, it wasn't really and it 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:10.360 wasn't true like I've spent the last decade, you know, 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:13.280 working to pay back people that I felt that I 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:14.320 need it to pay back. 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:16.360 Did you apply for the show? What did they come 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:19.040 after you? I mean, your story lends so well and 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:22.240 is so fascinating and so interesting. For some reason, I 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:24.560 can't imagine you're sitting there on Facebook or seeing and 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:26.599 ad for this show and going, okay, I'm going to 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:29.680 do this to me, it seems like something that would 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:30.600 have been sought out. 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:34.360 Look two years ago, when I was I would call 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:37.840 it headhunted. I guess, so it was weird. I was 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:41.640 sitting in a ten day silent retreat for passner meditation, 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:44.280 which I quite like doing, and that's a good reboot 0:12:44.280 --> 0:12:46.400 for the body, mind and soul and your mind sort 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:48.120 of wonders, and I was like, I just imagine if 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:50.360 I went on Survivor and one of the challenges was like, 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:51.920 who can sit, meditate. 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:53.560 Not move for the longest. I was like, I would 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:55.040 smash that. I would crush it. 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.160 And about four days after coming out, I got a 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.760 phone call and they're like, Hi, is this Nigel. I 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:02.240 was like yeah, and they're like, hey, would you be 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.439 interested in going on a reality TV show? We've been 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:06.439 sort of checking you out and we think you'd be 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:09.040 a good fit. And I was like, oh, look, really 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:11.080 not my thing unless it was Survivor and they're like, 0:13:11.360 --> 0:13:14.360 that's what we're calling for. And that was the Brains 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:19.840 Versus Braun series and I had to obviously regretfully say 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:23.240 no because my partner had just given birth three months earlier, 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:25.960 and look, I kept in contact with Endemol was I 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:30.320 was really can to do another Survivor, you know series 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:34.280 if one came up, And then my contact at Endemol said, look, 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:37.439 Survivor's really tough because if you don't fit the theme, 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:41.559 it's very specific. So I'd actually applied for the Blood 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:44.199 Verst Water with my brother. You know, in hindsight, I 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:46.000 probably should have done it with my sister because she 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:48.319 was at the hostage and the negotiating. It would have 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:51.520 been great television. But they said, look, we're not sure 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:53.800 what the next series is, but there's another series that 0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:58.400 we're thinking about that we're about to basically buy and 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:01.000 going for it. And they said, look, have a look, 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:04.080 have a look at the application. If you're interested, then 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:06.640 you know, we'd certainly love to talk to you about it. 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:08.360 Looked at it, looked at the. 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:11.240 Application, threw some stuff together and sent it off to them, 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.199 and they said, look, we think you're going to be 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:16.600 brilliant at this. Your skill set and your story and look, 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:21.280 I'm very aware that my backstories you know, certainly is 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:25.400 quite juicy for reality TV. But you know, I'd like 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:28.160 to also think that what I brought to the Traders 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:30.600 was more than just my backstory, and I think I 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:32.040 sort of showed that in the show. 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:34.720 It didn't feel like it was being exploited either, which 0:14:34.760 --> 0:14:38.280 I thought was really well done by EndemolShine Australia, you know, 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:40.480 which I thought is really important to saying yes. But 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:43.840 I had wondered whether you being in a high pressure 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:46.640 situation might be too triggering for you. 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:52.480 Look, I don't really, I guess after my experience, I 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:55.520 did a lot of work and it was funny, like 0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:57.600 the only thing that I found triggering in the whole 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:02.360 thing was the swim challenge, you know, when when anger sort. 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:04.600 Of pulled me under, and not that it scared me, 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:05.240 but it. 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:08.040 Actually triggered me back to my childhood having two older brothers, 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:10.000 you know, on and above ground pool that used to 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:11.680 dunk you all the time and I hold. 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:12.520 You under water. 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.640 But look, I love I think when you put yourself 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:20.960 into high pressure situations, you really you know, it is 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:22.920 a sort of sink or swim situation. 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:24.040 You know. 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:27.360 I came out of my hostage experience and had sort 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:32.840 of three years to recover. And John Chase, who my 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:36.760 family ended up bringing on after twelve months of my 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:42.480 kidnapp ordeal, private kidnapp for ants some experts. I'd obviously 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:45.400 spent some time after my release with John and his 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:48.120 wife and had gone to the UK and so got 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:49.880 to meet his kids and stuff. And I rang John 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:52.600 and I said I want a job with you, and 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:54.040 he sort of laughed and he's like, what do you 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:55.560 mean you want a job? I said, well, I want 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:58.960 to be a hostage negotiator. And he's like, mate, it's 0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:01.000 just because you were taking and as a hostage doesn't 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:01.520 mean you can. 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:02.120 Do what I do. 0:16:02.720 --> 0:16:04.760 And he sort of laughed at me, and I said, well, 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:07.840 look at it the other way, like the knowledge that 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:12.720 I can bring and you know, going into an executive suite, 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:16.040 into a family and sort of saying well, look I've 0:16:16.080 --> 0:16:18.720 had an experience firsthand and I've survived fifteen months as 0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:24.440 a hostage could be absolutely amazing for the company. And 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:27.640 he sort of thought about it. He's like, actually, yeah, 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.040 I can see where you're coming from. And he said, look, 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:31.920 I'm going to put you through a fairly intense training 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:38.520 scenarios and if you come through that, then we'll look 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:41.400 at bringing you on board. And obviously past that and 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:44.080 John had sort of said to me, look, you know 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:46.760 we'll slowly bleed you in as a third responder and 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:48.560 then second responder, and we'll work you up to a 0:16:48.560 --> 0:16:49.400 first responder. 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:50.640 And I've got a. 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:53.720 Phone call a couple of months later and John said, 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:56.480 we've got a case. Are you're interested? And I was like, well, 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:58.920 what's the case and he said, well, it's a hostage 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:01.200 taken in Syria by Isis by the Beatles. 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:04.120 And it's just like, it's not a good news story, 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:04.600 is it, John? 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:07.200 He said, well, no, like the likelihood of survival is 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:10.119 pretty low, but what do you think And I was like, well, 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.240 it's it's pretty much a sink or swim, isn't it. 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:13.560 He said, well, yeah, if you don't take it, I 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:15.520 probably won't offer you again. And it was just like 0:17:15.720 --> 0:17:18.520 right out, well let's jump in. Let's you know, let's 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:21.960 put my skills set to work, and you know I 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:25.440 can learn stuff from John and from the first responder. 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:29.639 So I sort of basically slipped straight into a second 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:32.480 responder roll. And you know, worked on that case for 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:35.199 sixty days and it was it was intense, and you know, 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:37.320 we didn't get the outcome when we wanted, which is 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:41.520 the safe and timely release of the hostage and we 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:44.199 ended up losing the hostage. He was executed, which was 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:47.800 incredibly distressing for the family. 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:51.160 I mean, it takes a brave person to take their 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:53.600 situation and use it for the greater good, and I 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:56.040 think that's something that you've done. Just listening to that 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:59.600 story is just so moving. Like I just think, I 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:02.280 don't know how sometimes people have the courage and the 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:05.119 conviction to go and turn their bad situation into a 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.280 good situation. But it's something that you've done and something 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:10.119 that you've learned, something you'll probably be able to use again. 0:18:10.200 --> 0:18:12.800 But do you have enough gas in the tank to 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:15.240 go and do that sort of work again. 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:18.439 If I was called upon to do it, because I 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:20.040 do want to be able to give something back and 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:22.800 I want to be able to, you know, whether it's 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:26.520 a family or a corporate situation, sort of to be 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:30.840 able to make people feel that there is light at 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.520 the end of the tunnel. And you know, kidnapped for 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:37.359 ransom all sounds very mysterious, but the way the way 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:40.879 that you negotiate a kidnap is actually quite simple. You know, 0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:43.360