When Janine Allis signed on to appear on the fourth season of Australian Survivor she had one goal in mind: win at all costs. No doubt one of the strongest contenders we’ve seen to date, the Boost Juice founder has taken every seemingly insurmountable challenge and obstacle in her stride, proving she’s more than capable of taking out the title.
“It was a ridiculously horrible experience, but I loved every minute of it,” she told WHO of her time on the popular Network 10 series. “I went from living a comfortable life to starving myself on an island that was freezing cold.”
WATCH: Janine reveals the real reason why she joined Australian Survivor
Although the successful businesswoman did copious amounts of research before flying out— including arriving in Fiji a day early so a local could teach her how to crack coconuts and start fires— she believes nothing could’ve ever prepared her for how barbarous the conditions were.
“I watched enough of the show to understand what It would be like but nothing prepares you for a storm that’s coming in sideways at two in the morning and you’re starving, freezing cold and wet to the bone. Even watching it back now, you can’t get the full impact of just how horrific it was. It was wild.”
Despite the fact her time on the series was frightening, fraught with challenges and riddled with sleepless nights and rapid weight loss, the mum-of-four told WHO she’d reapply in a heartbeat, and would love to bring her 22-year-old son with her.
“My son actually applied last year but he was too late getting his application in. If they ran Survivor: Blood vs. Water next year, I would definitely consider signing up with him,” she said. “He’d do it in a second. He’s 22 and built like an absolute tank so he’d be perfect for it.”
Her only fear? He’d turn against her and vote her out!
“I think I would have to use my will as a method of bribery,” she said with a laugh. “I’d tell him if he didn’t vote for me, I’d remove him from the will! That’d keep him in check.”
Since returning home and regaining her strength, Janine—who recently teamed up with Vistaprint Australia to launch the ‘Why Factor’ campaign— told WHO she’s stayed in contact with many of her Survivor co-stars, revealing she formed an unbreakable bond with Looking For Alibrandi’s Pia Miranda.
“Pia quickly became my best friend, and she still is to this day,” said Janine, who has even considered starting a podcast with the popular actress. “She kept me sane. I trusted her with my life and she had my back no matter what. She was also my snuggle buddy!”
As for this year’s villain David Genat, Janine says that despite being “a real tool” on the show, she “fell madly in love with him”.
“When I first met David, I really liked him but when we started playing the game, his ego got in the way and he became a real tool,” she dished. “But after the show finished, he went back to being one of the funniest, wittiest, kindest humans I know. I fell madly in love with him. Since the show wrapped we’ve sent hundreds of texts back and forth just chatting about life.
“He’s a great person, but in that environment he was awful.”
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