Part 1: Meet the familiar faces returning for a new season of Survivor SA

Following the announcement that Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts (Survivor SA) will air this July, set against the backdrop of the staggering beauty of the rugged Eastern Cape coast with four episodes a week, M-Net can finally reveal which of the fan favourites will be returning to compete. 

Dubbed “the world’s greatest game”, Survivor SA is set to return to M-Net on Monday 18 July with plenty of familiar faces. This is because 20 former castaways will compete in the game once again “to right wrongs” of the Survivor SA past. 

“Back in the game are a mixture of strategists, schemers, risk-takers and record-breakers from five previous Survivor South Africa seasons who’ll do anything to avoid having their torches snuffed for a second time, over a bumper four episodes a week,” said M-Net in a statement. 

However, according to executive and creative producer Leroux Botha; “This isn’t an ‘All Stars’ season – in fact, it’s a totally unique concept.”

“All of the Castaways returning to the game this season have demons to lay to rest, with the added challenge of everyone knowing exactly how everyone else played their game, before,” added Botha. 

So, which outcasts are returning? 

1. Chappies Chapman, 31, from Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island (S8)

This entrepreneur from Centurion is “addicted to growth” and has a strong strive to improve in all aspects of his life, most notably in fitness, which he takes very seriously. He lives in Centurion with his wife and son and is involved in various online businesses, real estate and in the motivational speaking space.

Since becoming a father, Chappies has a renewed lease on life and is in constant pursuit of purpose. He is calmer and more at peace than before, partly due to his son’s arrival – but also because he no longer feels the need to prove his worth as a Survivor player.

From his previous experience, he learned to think before he speaks, to avoid alienating people. That was his pattern at the start of his season – which ultimately put him on the back foot because he couldn’t reconcile with them when he needed to work with them.

2. Danté de Villiers, 31, from Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (S7)

Loner Danté has travelled the world, living in Thailand and Israel – but has now returned home to the Cape West Coast, where he grew up. The outdoorsy ocean lover believes he can provide for his tribe and excel in the physical challenges – putting him in a winning position.

Having previously owned and operated a coffee shop in Velddrif, he now hosts a podcast dedicated to interesting outlier personalities who are making a difference in the world, however big or small.

In his previous season, he felt like he didn’t have the words to convince people to believe him. That meant he struggled to befriend other Castaways, putting him on the back foot and forcing him to play a defensive game. This time, he’ll be looking to give himself more personal time and space in the early mornings, so that he can recharge to participate more in the social game at camp, during the day.

3. Dino Paulo, 31, from Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island (S8)

Charming and likeable Dino’s infectious, child-like enthusiasm belies a powerful tenacity. He has been in a relationship with his lawyer girlfriend – now fiancé – Kirsten for 11 years.

An escape game franchise co-owner, he was forced to pivot during lockdown like so many South Africans and successfully took the concept online. His work is a perfect match for his competitive nature, which has also made him the perfect team player in sports like soccer and rowing – while skydiving fuels his insatiable need for adrenaline.

ALSO READ: Survivor SA returns with new season and four episodes a week

From his previous Survivor experience, he has learned to rely more on his game knowledge and instinct and to curb his paranoia. He feels that since he has nothing to lose, there’s less pressure on him this time around – so he’ll be playing with more freedom.

4. Felix Godlo, 32, from Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (S7)

A proud Xhosa man from a very traditional family, Felix is married with two children and is devoted to being a good father and role model.

He considers himself a natural leader and great sportsperson and lists his mission in life as the need to succeed to provide for his family and make them proud of him.

Having been humbled by his early exit in his previous season, he did a lot of introspection and has grown, personally. He feels that he had a strategy for the game but didn’t execute it because he wasn’t in the right state of mind to play the game. Suppressing his natural leadership instincts led to him growing frustrated and acting out of character – so this time he’s aiming to communicate better and working on connecting with his fellow Castaways on a deeper level.

5. Killarney Jones, 51, from Survivor South Africa: Champions (S5)

Killarney has competed in martial arts internationally from a young age and has black belts in various disciplines. She’s climbed Kilimanjaro and has a degree in Fine Arts.

She grew up in a tight-knit family who travelled extensively throughout Africa. Killarney is tough and talkative, determined and dedicated, and will fight to the bitter end.

When she competed in her previous season, she didn’t understand the game well and expected to power through on the back of her physical prowess – and was duly brought down by her neglect of the social and strategic aspects of the game. This time around, she understands the concept better and will still be looking to compete physically but will be bringing a softer touch to the social side of the game.

6. Marian de Vos, 32, from  Survivor South Africa: Champions (S5)

Marian studied Fashion at the College of Fashion Design in Cape Town and now works as a buyer in the retail industry. She grew up in a big family and is the youngest of five siblings.

Marian is probably the biggest Survivor fan in South Africa. She’s followed each season closely and has been a particularly vocal commentator about the show, online. She knows the game inside and out, but still struggled on her season when the addition of Captains put her off her game.

ALSO READ: The Survivor SA contestants only stink for the first two weeks

Despite that, she still made her mark on the game as Survivor SA’s first true female villain – confident that she had a better grasp of the game than her fellow castaways and was more astute than them. Her biggest challenge this season will be adapting to the way the game has changed in the eight years since she played.

7. Meryl Szolkiewicz, 31, from Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets (S7)

Meryl studied toward a musical theatre degree and started her career as a musician and performer, but that fell away after she met and married her husband, and they had their three sons.

She saw her chance to appear on her season of Survivor SA as a chance to hit the reset button – which she duly did, rediscovering her strength and a newfound joy that has permeated all aspects of her life.

She is a big Survivor fan but understood after her season that she is not the biggest – despite Survivor being an institution in her household. This time around, she’s looking to play a more rooted game, be careful with her empathetic nature – and just have fun.

8. Palesa Tau, 31, from Survivor South Africa: Philippines (S6)

Palesa works as a radio presenter and producer, hosting her own health talk show and is also a voice-over artist. She comes from a close-knit family and spends a lot of time with her sister and mother.

Her appearance on Survivor South Africa: Philippines boosted her confidence personally and professionally, seeing her nominated for a number of radio industry awards over the last few years.

Palesa came into her season of Survivor South Africa without much knowledge of the game – with no pre-determined strategy, preferring to play instinctively. This time around, she’s aiming to be more social and try to be more intentional and proactive.

9. Phil Dickson, 40, from Survivor SA: Champions (S5)

Phil is a firefighter and paramedic, originally from KZN, but now working as a fire risk assessment manager in Johannesburg. He has two young children with his wife. Before graduating in the Top 5 of his firefighting class, Phil lived in the USA for a while, where he was part of a popular church band. He counts fishing, running, and training among his hobbies and studied game theory to prepare for Survivor.

Phil is a likeable guy with a mischievous streak. Although he is now a dedicated husband and father, he still resembles that naughty trickster he was more than a decade ago in Survivor SA: Champions.

Phil says that you cannot compare the Survivor game of S5 to the current version of it. He feels that on previous seasons, the Castaways had a lot to learn about gameplay – which meant he was unprepared for the game and struggled at first to adapt.

10. Pinty Nkanjeni, 30, from Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island (S8)

Pinty grew up in the small rural town of Hogsback in the Eastern Cape, a magical town in the Amathole Mountains. After leaving school at 15, she moved to Cape Town and built herself up from scratch, receiving a scholarship to study UX design as well as getting her Divemaster certification.

After her work as a Rope Access Technician was interrupted by lockdown, she got involved with a NPO that aims to unite hospitality businesses with healthcare workers at the frontline of the fight against Covid-19 to help them stay closer to where they are working – work in which she has found a lot of meaning.

She feels she has grown a lot in the few months since her season of Survivor, growing more self-aware and identifying and addressing her character flaws. She had a strong work ethic around camp and was equally valuable in challenges, but her lack of social finesse and confrontational behaviour tripped up her game.

Click here for part two of the Survivor SA castaways list.

Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcasts premieres on M-Net on 18 July, with episodes airing Monday to Thursday every week until the sole Survivor is named on 25 August.