"You use whatever you have at your disposal"- Deal or No Deal Island's David Genat chimes in on flirting with Sydnee

Deal or No Deal Island season 2 epsiode 1 premiered on NBC on January 7, 2025. In the episode, Australian Survivor: All Stars alum David Genat teamed up with Luke Olejniczak Seychelle Cordero to head for the elusive red cases, which later put them at risk of elimination.

Sydnee Peck ended up with the highest amount in her case and decided to send Luke to the temple instead of David, whom fans believed she was attracted to. Ultimately, Luke was eliminated after getting the case with the lowest amount, and David was, in a way, saved by Sydnee.

In an interview with Parade on January 7, 2025, David reflected on his connection with Sydnee, expressing that he enjoys forming relationships like theirs. He added that he often plays a "flirty game" as part of his strategy.

He explained that in shows like Deal or No Deal Island, which involved establishing social bonds, contestants need to use whatever they can to advance.

"I think in these shows, establishing those social bonds, you use whatever you have at your disposal. And Sydnee and I got along really well. And I thought, 'Oh, I flirt with her a little bit, see how this plays out.' And she really went in. So I was like, 'Whoa! Okay, here we go,'" he said.

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Deal or No Deal Island star David Genat reflects on his castmate being unaware of his Survivor background and alliance with Parvati Shallow

David Genat was part of Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders in 2019 and Australian Survivor: All Stars in 2020 which he ultimately won.

In his interview with Parade, David Genat shared that he had hoped his fellow Deal or No Deal Island castmates would recognize him from his time on Survivor. However, he was disappointed when only Parvati Shallow, a fellow Survivor alum, was able to recognize him.

"I was really upset they didn't recognize me. I was furious! It was very upsetting. [Laughs.] I mean, I know my profile is different here compared to Australia. So, in Australia, it would have been a really big problem. But out here, I thought maybe there'll be a super fan that recognizes me," he said.

David shared that he planned to use his Survivor fame as a strategic advantage if anyone recognized him, even jokingly saying they could "blackmail" him. He hoped at least three or four people would have recognized him, but none did.

In the end, only Parvati was able to recognize him. She approached him in the Deal or No Deal Island season 2 premiere episode and had a private discussion about teaming up to move ahead on the reality show.

Reflecting on the incident, David noted that while Parvati recognized him from Survivor and understood his capabilities, the feeling was mutual. He realized he also learned a lot about her abilities and strengths, given that she was also an alum of the show.

"So I thought, 'I'm giving someone this really big piece in my game,'nand that was super, super scary. But the thing for me is that, and what I've experienced in Australia as a returning player coming back, is you are the target. People want to make a name off of you, and Parvati has experienced that in all her shows," he continued.

The Deal or No Deal Island star further explained that considering Parvati was the "greatest Survivor player of all time" she was in a situation where people wanted to "make a name off of her". So David knew he could trust Parvati as she needed someone to trust her in return.

"Even though there's that thing of she knows what I do, I know what she does, we kind of probably play pretty similar games. So it was dangerous. But I knew working with her that we could potentially have something good going," he concluded.

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Deal or No Deal Island season 2 episode premieres every Tuesday on NBC.