Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn II contestant Ally Kettle has the words “thirty thousand” tattooed on her left hand. It’s a personal reminder the average person gets about 30,000 days on this planet and to make the most of them.
“When you break it down, that’s not a lot,” says the energetic Aussie-born, New Zealand-based teacher, 32. “I’ve got about 18,304 days left and I’m going to make every one count.”
That’s why she signed up for Survivor, despite having never watched an episode.
“After the producers selected me, I thought I’d better watch the show, so I binged a few seasons. Boy, what a shock! I thought, ‘Jeez, Louise, what have I signed up for?!’ But I was already shin-deep, so I thought I may as well be neck-deep.”
The timing couldn’t have been better. Ally had recently quit her Queenstown teaching job to care for her mum Kim for eight months as she recovered from surgery.
“I was also looking after her North Queensland farm and a pet kangaroo!” tells Ally. “My mum is a strong, independent women who raised three kids alone – the epitome of strength.
“She’s my role model. In any tough challenge on Survivor, I’d think, ‘What would Mum do?’ But I’m as clumsy as an emu with no legs. The first night I burnt three toes from cooking rice and someone called a medic.”
However, Ally’s rural upbringing set her in good stead for the tough challenges. Her uncle even taught her how to start a fire, pulling a shoelace out of his boot and sitting with her for over six hours until she mastered the art over a couple of whiskeys.
“My biggest win was teaching my tribe how to start a fire,” admits Ally. “We hadn’t eaten in two days and if there’s one driving force to get you to make fire, it’s hunger. I don’t like hugging or people hugging me, but I definitely hugged some humans when we got that ember going. I also taught my tribe to tell the time by the stars. It was something we used when we went out mustering with my grandad.”
Before heading to Samoa for season 12 of Survivor, Ally strategically dropped back her exercise and ate more than usual. She put on five kilos to give herself some “reserves”. Despite that, she came back from Survivor 11kg lighter. She says that as tough as the experience looks on TV, it’s worse in real life.
“It’s abso-bloody-lutely harder! They don’t show the hours when you’re just lying awake, shivering on the sand, being attacked by crabs and sand mites, surviving mostly on rice and sometimes beans. Samoa is so beautiful, but when it’s 2am and you’re freezing your tits off, it’s a different ballgame.”
Sleep deprivation was the biggest shock for Ally.
She explains, “I completely underestimated the impact. I couldn’t think clearly due to no sleep, no food, the intensity of challenges, injuries, who was talking to you and who wasn’t… The paranoia that seeps in is mindboggling! There’s no flight or fight – I was in fight mode every single second and having no sleep really ramps it up.”
The best part of the experience was the lifelong friendships Ally made, including her special bond with Indy Saleh, who was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer after filming.
“Your relationships get deep fast because by day two, everyone has seen you in your underwear, hangry and wanting a coffee. You don’t have a choice but to be yourself.”
Ally, who has three degrees, felt pleased to be representing the teaching profession on the “Brains” team. She’s currently working in Auckland, after years in her “second home” of Queenstown, where her dad George has lived for decades, and in South Korea before that.
It was no surprise to Ally when, at 28, doctors diagnosed her with ADHD. She laughs, “I knew there was something there – I mean, who does two masters and a four-year bachelor? No one normal!”
For the past two years, Ally has been in a long-distance relationship with Sean, who’s in the New Zealand Defence Force. They met while sight-seeing in a Korean palace.
“He was on a three-week holiday and we crossed paths,” she smiles. “We remained in contact and have been solid ever since. He’s an absolutely amazing man – we’re very in love – but he thinks I’m bat-s**t insane to go on Survivor. He’s watching the show thinking, ‘Oh, my good God, what is wrong with you?!’”
Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn II screens 7.30pm Monday to Wednesday on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ+.
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