David Genat is reality TV royalty in Australia. Or, what’s higher than royalty? Perhaps being… a holy entity? That’s right, folks, the Golden God himself is returning to our screens, this time as the host of Rush Australia, Nine’s newest travel and adventure-based competition reality show.
Previously, David competed on Australian Survivor: Champions Vs Contenders 2, before returning for Australian Survivor: All Stars, which he won. In 2021, he competed on Celebrity Apprentice to raise money and awareness for the Garvan Institute. Now, he’s ready for a new Rush.
Chatting to The Latch over the phone ahead of Rush Australia‘s Sunday, July 2 premiere, David said that making the the jump from competitor to host has been “very, very exciting”.
From Competitor to Host: Turning the Tables
Given that David is a seasoned professional when it comes to competing on reality, David said that he was “definitely” excited to make the jump to hosting duties for Rush Australia.
“But by the same token, it kind of gave me this weird empathy that some other hosts don’t have,” he said. “You know what it’s like on the other side, so I could kind of lend that experience to the guys.”
Calling reality TV “a rollercoaster ride”, David said that “no matter how amazing and immersive” a competition is, there will always be “highs and lows”, and he used his past experiences to encourage the contestants to persevere.
“There were definitely times where I could talk to them after we’d filmed some spots and be like, ‘hang in there, another day, and you’ll head back up on the rollercoaster’,” he said. “I think it gave me some kind of unique insight into that side of things.”
What David Genat Learned From Watching Jonathan LaPaglia
Having been on Australian Survivor twice before, we wanted to know whether David had borrowed any tips or tricks from host Jonathan LaPaglia when he went into Rush, or whether he was just going to be the Golden God through and through.
He laughed.
“You know I have to say I’m a Golden God through and through!” David exclaimed.
“No, I consider Jonathan one of the greats, one of the best to ever do it,” he continued. “So to see him do his thing, two times, was incredible.”
David went on to say that he “definitely tried to pick up” some of JLP’s skills, particularly in regards to “how he handles things” and “the impact he has on the contestants”, especially when “they’re already coming in with that nervous energy”.
“He just handles it so well,” David said, adding that “you’d be silly not to” try to borrow from JLP.
“But I wanted to give it my unique spin,” he added, “so I gave it my own twist on how I thought I would do it. I hope the kids like it!”
On Life Behind-the-Scenes When You’re Not Competing
When you’re competing on a reality competition series, you’re being filmed all the time. While the viewers don’t get to see all of that, we have a better idea of what the contestants are doing, throughout the day. But what does the host of a show like Rush Australia get up to when he’s not in front of the camera?
“Well, I was relaxing at the pool!” David exclaimed, laughing. “I did my time!”
Noting that “it was very different” from his experiences competing on Australian Survivor and Celebrity Apprentice, David went on to say that he “was trying to be as involved with the show’s production as possible”.
“I followed everything that was being done,” he said. “I was following the production threads and the notes, and just trying to be a part of it behind-the-scenes as much as I could, because when the guys came to me or found me in a location, I wanted to know what they’d been doing. So I was in it the whole time.”
Admittedly, it’s “a different schedule” for David than the contestants, but he said that he was “with them the whole time, in a way”.
“I didn’t wanna miss any of it, I just wanted to be a part of everything,” he said.
David’s Favourite Rush Australia Filming Location
Rush Australia takes its contestants all over the world, dropping them in some of the world’s most bustling hot spots. From Brazil to India, Thailand and France, filming Rush was a round-the-world adventure. But which country was David’s favourite?
“It’s hard to say,” he began, “because they were all really amazing and really unique. But I’d never been to Jordan before, and Jordan was just really eye-opening.”
Calling it “so different and incredible”, David noted that “the desert was amazing”, before laughing.
“The contestants saw a lot more of the desert than I did!”
As someone who travelled so much for work during his years in the modelling industry, David said that when he travels, he’s “looking for unique experiences”, which is why Jordan topped his list.
“I’m not trying to Google search what the most popular destination in Jordan is, I want to find something that other people haven’t found,” he explained. “I want that adventure, and that’s what we got to do in Jordan, and I just found that incredible.”
Would David Return to Survivor?
It seems like every year, there are more calls for an international version of Survivor: All Stars, and David Genat is often listen among those who fans would want to see competing against the US Survivor greats. But would he do it? Or has he moved on?
David laughed.
“We’d have to see what it looked like,” he began. “I think it might be unrealistic to see an international Survivor version — I think there’s probably too many licensing issues, I know that comes up a lot.”
While a return to Survivor isn’t off the cards, David said that he’s “kind of in a different place now, with hosting”.
“Rush feels like my baby, so I need to nurture it for a couple of seasons, and then once we’re off and running, maybe I’d look at that again,” he explained.
“It’s not that I wouldn’t go again! You know, money talks!” he laughed. “So, we’ll see how bad they want the Golden God!”
As for the players who would sway him to join a hypothetical All Stars season?
“I’m a big fan of the classics, so it’s always like, Boston Rob, or Tyson, or Parvarti, or someone like that,” he said. “That’s what drew me to Survivor, were those original cast members, so to compete with those guys would be kind of amazing.”
He added: “But I mean, I think we’ve got so many good Australian contestants now. I mean… it would be interesting! It would be interesting!”
What’s Next for David
One thing about David Genat? He’s booked and busy. Outside of hosting Rush Australia, he also has Season 2 of Free Rider, the series he does with Harley Davidson coming up, which will be launching later this year, “around August”.
“It’s the 120th anniversary for Harley, which is pretty cool, and the 40th anniversary of the HOG group, so we’re working on a bunch of exciting stuff with those guys for that,” David said.
Meanwhile, he’s also teaming up with two new charities, in The Difference and Every Daughter Matters.
“The Difference is a platform for making small change donations which is really, really amazing,” David explained. “You can elect your charity in the app, and if your coffee is $3.95, you can round that to $4 and give them five cents every time you buy a coffee, until whatever value you assign to it.”
Every Daughter Matters, meanwhile, is “an anti-trafficking organisation that works in Nepal”.
Rush Australia airs at 7.30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, only on 9 and 9Now. Missed an episode? Catch up on 9Now.
Want more Rush Australia? Read all our content here, and check out the stories below:
- Rush Through All of These Rush Details, Before It’s Too Late
- Bamboozled About When and Where to Watch Rush? We’ve Got You Sorted
- Meet Michelle, the Admin Behind Reality TV’s Favourite Facebook Groups
- Who Will Be the Diamond in the Rush? Meet the Cast of Rush Australia
- David Genat Conquered ‘Australian Survivor’ — Now He’s Ready for a ‘Rush’
- Stan These Adventurers: Here’s Where to Follow the ‘Rush’ Cast on the ‘Gram
- Will Greatness Coach Tommy Achieve Greatness on ‘Rush Australia’?
- Will Country Boy Tylen Charm His Way to the Win on ‘Rush Australia’?
- Sofia Is Trading Van Life for the ‘Rush’ of a Lifetime
- Madeline Is Ready for the Adventure of a Lifetime on ‘Rush Australia’
- Everyone We’ve Said Goodbye to on ‘Rush Australia’
- Nine Mystery Locations: Where ‘Rush Australia’ Was Filmed
- Adam Is Ready to Broaden His Horizons on ‘Rush Australia’
- Hamish Is a Thrill Seeker, But Is He Ready for a ‘Rush’?
- Fiona Is Ready to Conquer the Unknown on ‘Rush Australia’
- CK Is a Strategy Manager Who’s Ready for a ‘Rush’
- Saxon Has Found His Dream Job, and Now, He’s Ready for a ‘Rush’
- Lola Loves Adventure, and Is Determined to Win ‘Rush Australia’
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.
