Australian Survivor star David Genat wins the biggest prize in US reality TV history as he walks away from Deal Or No Deal Island with millions: ‘I’m rich!’
David Genat has a knack for winning competitions – and that skill has made him an instant multimillionaire.
The Australian Survivor star, who won the All Stars series of the competition in 2020, had taken the crown on the USA show Deal Or No Deal Island.
The 45-year-old Aussie model walked away with a fortune from the NBC series, having won USD $5.8million, which comes in at a massive AUD $9.2million.
His previous top earnings were on Australian Survivor All Stars, from which he netted AUD $500,000.
‘I’m rich… I am the Golden God of Deal Or No Deal Island,’ he boasted to the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.
‘No one from Australia has done what I’ve done and no one from Australia has crossed over into American (reality) television, this is the first time it’s been done.’
David Genat (pictured) has a knack for winning competitions – and that skill has made him an instant multimillionaire. The Australian Survivor star, who won the All Stars series of the competition in 2020, had taken the crown on the USA show Deal Or No Deal Island
The 45-year-old Aussie model walked away with a fortune from the NBC series (pictured), having won USD $5.8million, which comes in at a massive AUD $9.2million
He added: ‘Not only have I crossed over, I’ve won the biggest amount of money ever on American reality television, so I hope it opens a lot of doors for Australian talent wanting to do what I’ve done.’
David, who said that the skills he learnt on Australian Survivor helped him win Deal Or No Deal Island, told NBC that he plans to spend the money on his four children, who he shares with wife Pearl Christensen.
‘I probably shouldn’t be saying this out loud because they’re gonna hold me to it, but like, all my kids are coming up to driving age,’ David said.
‘So I’m probably gonna have to buy a fleet of new vehicles. I mean, hey, that’s what I’m gonna do.’
He also had some plans for himself, disclosing, ‘I’m gonna buy myself a new motorcycle ’cause I love motorcycles. That’ll be my little fun spend.’
David first found fame in 2002 when he won the Search for a Supermodel contest after he’d taken a $50 bet.
Later he became successful across the world, and was featured in Vogue and Vanity Fair – most notably photographed by the iconic Mario Testino.
David returned to reality TV by starring in Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders in 2019.
David told NBC that he plans to spend the money on his four children, who he shares with wife Pearl Christensen
His previous top earnings were on Australian Survivor All Stars in 2020 (pictured), from which he netted AUD $500,000
He was the 14th castaway voted out, and then returned to the franchise the following season for Australian Survivor All Stars, which he won.
In 2021, he joined the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice, where he was fired in task 7.
In 2023, he expanded his career by hosting an adventure reality series for Channel Nine called Rush.
‘Are you ready for the rush of a lifetime? I know I am! Rush is an epic new travel adventure series. I am so excited to host this amazing series and can’t wait for you to see,’ he wrote.
After retiring from his distinguished modelling career over a decade ago, Genat also made a comeback to the catwalk.
He was inspired to return to modelling when he met fashion designer Camilla Franks on the Celebrity Apprentice, which aired on Channel Nine in 2021.
‘I had a long fashion career doing a lot of runway shows, but I probably hadn’t done one in about 10 years because I was a bit past my use-by date,’ he told 9Honey.
After Camilla and David formed a friendship based on their love of fashion, the famed designer asked him to open one of her fashion shows.
David first found fame in 2002 when he won the Search for a Supermodel contest after he’d taken a $50 bet. He returned to the catwalk in 2023 (pictured) after retiring
