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Steaming It Up With Survivor Africa's Anthony Oseyemi

Written by TVSA Team from the blog Interviews on 24 Aug 2006
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Yesterday afternoon I caught up with Survivor Africa's host Anthony Oseyemi to find out more about him and scoop out as much as I could about the show.

The announcement about his hosting happened on Tuesday past, his picture was released and I was determined to talk to him as pronto as possible. Of course I would have lurved to have sat directly across from him while sipping some sort of slinky beverage but the Jozi-Cape Town distance between us made it tricky.

Instead we chatted by phone and the silky tones of his Bob Marley inspired voice were plenty enough to imagine everything I needed to - which was added to by a sexy slight laughter in his tone.

Here's what he had to say:

Tashi: Hi Anthony – how are you? You’ve Surviived?
Anthony: Yes I have!

Tashi: Can you fill us in about how things have worked? Filming for Survivor Africa is over and the final two are currently waiting at Tribal Council to see who’s won. When did you get back from Panama?
Anthony: At the end July.

Tashi: Did you tell anybody in between then and now that you’re hosting Survivor or was it a secret?
Anthony: It was a secret until it was released via the press.

Tashi: So did anybody you know know?
Anthony: No.

Tashi: Not even your family?
Anthony: No they were like: “What are doing? Where’ve you been?” I sent my mom a text and an e-mail with all the details while I away.

Tashi: That must have been difficult not talking about it before.
Anthony: I didn’t mind actually I must be honest, I was very excited about the job and I wanted to do the job - I was very much like: “Right, don’t tell anybody – keep it to yourself.”

Tashi: I read that you detoxed and gymed for a month before you left for Panama.
Anthony: Yes ‘cos I was told about the weather – that there’s high humidity and lots of sweating so I wanted to put the weight on ‘cos I knew I’d lose quite a lot of weight naturally through dehydration.

We were advised to drink eight bottles of water a day. You couldn’t believe it – it was so hott. It’s the humidity coupled with the heat that gets you. It was hard to get myself into good shape but I wanted to be standing by the end of it.

Tashi: When you arrived what was the first thing you thought?
Anthony: Wow, this place is beautiful. It’s fantastic.

Tashi: Where did you stay?
Anthony: We were off the coast of Panama on an island called Contadora.

Tashi: Did you stay in a hotel?
Anthony: Yes.

Tashi: Was it fancy?
Anthony: No it wasn’t fancy but it was nice. All the production was there – everybody who was shooting - so there were like five other countries as well.

Tashi: Did you meet and chat?
Anthony: Yes, it was awesome – there was Greece, Sweden, Belgium, Holland – everybody’s doing Survivor.

Tashi: With Jeff having made the role of Survivor host so definitive people are gonna be wanting you to be him but also not. Was this something you were aware of? How did you handle this?
Anthony: I was aware if it but to be honest it’s Survivor Africa. It was about Survivor Africa so it was about what I did really. Jeff is Jeff and he has his way of doing things but this is Survivor Africa and a fantastic show.

Tashi: How did you go about preparing? Did you make decisions before in terms of your status and that kind of thing? How did you approach it?
Anthony: To go as myself. Obviously I was picked for the way I am in terms of my interaction and personality’s a huge part of it I think.

It’s not like getting into a role – it’s more about getting into a space where you’re gonna socialize and talk and engage with people because my job was to facilitate. To bring across to the audience what was happening to the contestants as well you seeing the reality of what’s happening.

My job was really to be a narrator to take you along the journey with the contestants. These are the first group these Africans and they’re trailblazers.

Tashi: What was the easiest thing?
Anthony: Standing in front of the camera.

Tashi: What was the most difficult?
Anthony: Learning as a host that sometimes a – what’s the word? You must maintain energy and sometimes it’s difficult to be impartial especially when you’re so close with the contestants and you’re seeing what they’re going through. You have to learn that “Okay, at this point I must step back and just offer my support, there’s only so much I can do ‘cos they’re the ones in the show competing.”

Tashi: Yes, that was a question I had – about impartiality – did you find you had favourites? People who’s side you were on more than others?
Anthony: There were people you enjoyed meeting and talking to but you could not show that ‘cos you were there as the host. As with everything, you have your favourite sweets – there are some energies that just click.

Tashi: Yes – sooo we could hear about a romance between you and one of the contestants after the show?
Anthony: I wouldn’t know – no I have no comment on that.

Tashi: How much contact did you have with them? When you quizzed them at Tribal Council how did you get a perspective on them?
Anthony: It was from the rushes, in terms of sitting down with the director and watching what they’d been through on a daily basis and then coming at things from that process.

Tashi: Were you very tough on them?
Anthony: No, I wouldn’t say I was very tough but a certain relationship was established. I wasn’t exactly their best friend but I was someone they could talk to on a serious level.

Tashi: Did you have any kind of contact with them in other way than when you were at Tribal Council and giving them tasks etc?
Anthony: No.

Tashi: They don’t talk to anyone else at all do they?
Anthony: They’re self-sufficient for the 21 days they’re on the island. They really are dealing with it.

Tashi: Do they take strain?
Anthony: Everybody takes strain. You’re on an island for 21 days, you’re building your own shelters, hunting for your own food.

Tashi: So they do suffer?
Anthony: They do.

Tashi: Are you a Survivor fan yourself?
Anthony: Yes I like to watch it.

Tashi: Looking back at previous Survivors who’s been your favourite?
Anthony: Definitely Gary.

Tashi: Gary Hoogebooom. Why?
Anthony: Because he was no nonsense. He was very straightforward.

Tashi: Who’s been your absolute worst?
Anthony: I don’t know, when I watch Survivor I don’t look at who I don’t like, I look at who I think I respect immediately. I don’t think there’s anybody I’ve ever thought: “Get off the screen.”

Tashi: Have you seen Jonny Fairplay?
Anthony: Noo.
Tashi: Argh – if you’d seen that season you’d have gone crazy. All of that would have gone out of the window. He was the devil himself – he lied about his grandmothers dying.

Anthony: Whaat? Come on, come on. You know what – he played the game though didn’t he?
Tashi: He did. If you were playing instead of hosting – what would your strategy have been?

Anthony: Do not be overbearing.
Tashi: Do you mean by way of not pushing your strengths or not being irritating?
Anthony: Everything. It’s a very subtle game. You must sometimes be aware that anonymity is positive in the early stages.

Tashi: I know there are all sorts of restrictions with contacts etc but can you tell us some piece of juicy something about the show that nobody else knows?
Anthony: Mmm some piece of juicy something ... there was a story I heard about the host – that they were busy filming and apparently he collapsed with sunstroke and was put on a drip.

Ends

How fab is that? He actually hotted himself out! He seems very suitable for the job methinks.



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