Everything you need to know about Survivor NZ

This Sunday, New Zealand will get its first look at the cast of 16 brave Kiwis battling it out in the season premiere of Survivor New Zealand.

There’s sure to be plenty of drama ahead as the competitors put it all on the line to outwit, outplay and outlast each other – and in case you miss any of the action, Survivor superfans Matt McLean and Alice Snedden will be on hand to recap it all on their Little Survivor special, available to stream from Monday, May 8 on tvnz.co.nz/survivornz.

We sat down with the pair to talk through their favourite Survivor moments in history, who they’ve picked to win and what their strategy would be if they were on the show.

Who is your favourite Survivor hero and villain?

Matty: At first glance, Hero is Georgia. I’m a sucker for a strong, independent woman. Villain is Michael. Anyone with abs like that has way too much intensity for me.

Alice: My Survivor hero is Matt, the host. He’s never lost a challenge and he’s never been voted off. To be fair, he’s also never done a challenge or been in a tribe. But his record is still unbeatable. My favourite villain is mother nature. She ruthless and all powerful.

Who is your pick out of the Survivor NZ cast to win, and why?

Matty: Here’s the thing…there’s no blueprint to who can win Survivor. Different people from different walks of life have won in the past. But in saying that, I have a good feeling about Tom. I think I’m probably just distracted by his beautiful face.

Alice: I pick Tony will win the hearts of the nation and the final prize will be shared equally amongst the group. I’m getting a strong “redistribution of wealth” vibe from them.

If you were on the show, what would your winning strategy be?

Matty: I’d like to think I’d be a quiet manipulator, slowly planting the seeds to win in the background. But chances are I’d be way too excited, come in hot on day one, piss everyone off and get voted off first episode.

Alice: My strategy would definitely be to sleep as much as possible. It’s important to be well rested in this game. I also think napping is adorable, so I think they’d keep me around for that.

Why are you such a big fan of Survivor, and what’s your favourite part of the show?

Matty: I still remember the year 2000. Y2K turned out to be BS. Destiny’s Child released “Say My Name” (still a 10/10 banger), and Survivor started airing on television. Since then I’ve seen every episode of every US season. I’m obsessed. I don’t know much about much, but I know everything there is to know about Survivor. I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally see a New Zealand version. The show premise itself is incredibly entertaining and dramatic. Plus, we love to see ourselves reflected on TV, right? It’s pretty cool to see Kiwis competing onscreen.

Alice: I’d more describe myself as “a person who watched Survivor as a child, but because they were only allowed to watch half an hour of TV a day never finished an episode”. I’m technically still making my way through season one. No spoilers please.

If you could change the Survivor tagline, what would your motto be instead of outwit, outplay and outlast?

Matty: Did it hurt when your back fell on my knife?

Alice: Survivor: Remember this is all recorded and your family will be watching.

Survivor NZ premieres Sunday, May 7 on TVNZ2 and continues Monday at 7.30pm.