For someone who recently had their heart broken, Woman’s Day finds Bree Tomasel in remarkably good spirits. But beneath her familiar smile, a pang of hurt still lingers.
“My honest, first initial feeling was, ‘Why are you leaving me?’” she reveals. “I said to him, ‘You could have just been honest and said you didn’t want to hang out any more.’”
A pained look crosses Bree’s face as she says, “I didn’t really understand it.”
Yes, the departure of Jayden Daniels as co-host on Celebrity Treasure Island hit everybody hard. Especially Bree, who likens their relationship to that of a married couple.
“We did two seasons together,” she explains. “We had our routine. After eliminations, he would come back to where we were staying and we’d debrief and get so passionate about it.
“On the nights he was working late, I’d cook him dinner and he’d make me food on nights I was working late. We had a really good bond and chemistry. I’ll miss him.”
There’s an almost disappointing lack of drama behind Jayden’s decision to vote himself off the island. The charismatic presenter was asked to star in a play and jumped at the chance to return to his true love – acting.
“Jayden’s passion is acting and he hadn’t done anything in that space for a little while,” Bree says. “So I understood and supported his decision.”
Of course, with one door closing, another opens, and Bree says she was actively engaged in the search for her new co-host. “I was quite involved and they let me have input,” she says.
Grinning, she adds, “And Lance was also one of my inputs. I’m super-excited he’s here.”
Sitting beside her is dancer, content creator and presenter Lance Savali. With his colourful hair styling and distinctive tattoos, he’ll be instantly recognisable to viewers of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Dancing With The Stars and, of course, two seasons of Celebrity Treasure Island.
A man of many talents, Lance has toured the world, dancing with superstars Chris Brown, Rihanna and also Jennifer Lopez.
Hearing Bree say he was one of her picks puts a big smile on his face. Woman’s Day asks how he feels and he beams, “Special. Grateful. Amazing. I was like, ‘This is a job that I would die to do.’”
Hopefully, things won’t go that far this season. But the newly paired-up duo definitely give off the impression that the traditional hosting formula is about to be shaken up.
Watching the playful way they interact gives off the vibe that they’ll be an extremely chaotic combo. We can’t help but think there’s an inkling they’re going to rib each other on and encourage the other to be a little bit naughty.
This observation causes the pair to howl with laughter.
“There’s no denying it,” Bree laughs. “I think you’re 100% right. You’re spot on the money.”
“Bree’s the OG,” Lance chuckles, passing the buck. “I’ll follow her lead.”
Turning serious, Bree adds, “Something that we both can agree and connect on is that we both love the game. When it comes down to the rules and decision-making, there won’t be any mucking around over that stuff.”
Lance agrees, saying, “We don’t want it to be jokes. We want it to feel intense. We want them to feel especially nervous and to feel like they’re on the line.”
The pair are eager to take off to the island, especially Lance, who is keen to utilise his first-hand knowledge of how the contestants will be feeling once the game gets underway.
“My experience from the other side and knowing what’s going through their heads, I’ll also be using that to our advantage in terms of how we can make it more exciting in the right ways,” he says.
Away from the island, they’re in different stages of life. Bree recently bought a home with her partner Sophia Gould and Lance is very much in his single era.
“It feels like a huge milestone and something that I actually never thought I would be able to do,” reflects Bree. “It comes from my humble beginnings and family, where we didn’t have much growing up. I never thought I’d be able to buy my own first home, so it’s very exciting.
“It’s a s**thole, but we’re renovating it,” she laughs.
As for Lance, his international lifestyle makes it difficult for him to find someone special. He’s been back and forth between home and the US, where he’s been working closely with Chris Brown.
“It just hasn’t happened,” Lance shrugs. “I’m not out here looking for love. I’m not out here looking for a girlfriend. If I meet someone and that organically happens, then I 100% welcome it. I’d love that.”
Then he smiles and says, “I’m definitely ready to give a relationship a crack.”
Celebrity Treasure Island is coming soon to TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
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