David Genat Won Deal or No Deal Island Thanks to "Signs" & "Visions" from His Dad – or God
"When I showed up, I just believed [I could win] straight off the bat," David told NBC Insider.
Season 2 of Deal or No Deal Island has crowned David Genat as its champion, and after the Aussie reality TV star delivered a masterclass in gameplay and made primetime TV history, David is proud of his game.
David was a frontrunner from the start; as the Golden God of Survivor Australia, he's well-versed in stealthy island gameplay — but his competition didn't need to know that. Entering the game undercover as an obscure YouTube personality, David managed to conceal his Survivor status from rivals until the eleventh hour. Along the way, David tackled each Excursion with gusto, securing safety numerous times. When he wasn't safe, David's steel-tight alliances kept him confident. As one of the leaders of The Family alliance alongside fellow Survivor star Parvati Shallow, David emerged as a top-level threat, and no one could stop him as he emerged victorious in the final Excursion to score that coveted game against the Season 2 Banker Chrissy Teigen.
Sticking true to his fearless gameplay, David played all the way until the final round, where he accepted a historic offer of $5.8 million. Many a player would have ducked out at the $1.5 million deal or even the $3 million deal, but David Genat didn't just shoot for victory — he went big, shattering primetime records.
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NBC Insider chatted with David Genat following his mind-blowing DONDI win, and he revealed that he wasn't playing alone during that historic game against the Banker.
David Genat credits "visions" from his late father for his DONDI win
There wasn't a dull moment during David's final game against Banker Chrissy Teigen as the Season 2 players joined him at Temple to see if the Golden God would take home the gold. The game reached a fever pitch after David began turning down $1 million, $2 million, and even $3 million Banker Offers. After playing to the final round, David finally hedged his odds and accepted a Good Deal of $5.8 million, the most money anyone has ever won on primetime TV.
So what was going through David's head when he saw that final number?
"I'll tell you exactly what happened. I was closing my eyes. I was like praying, I was like meditating, and the cases I was supposed to pick were flashing, like Mission: Impossible. I would get this little light thing," David shared. "So I was getting signs, and whether that was from God or from my dad — my dad, who passed a few years ago — I don't know where it was coming from. But I was getting these signs."
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The tides of the game began to turn after David heard that $5.8 million offer. With the odds increasingly against him, David was relying on those trusted signs from the universe.
"Up until that moment, I would close my eyes, and the case I was picking would light up... And when the 5.8 came out, I was like, 'Oh boy, that is so, so much money,'" David recalled. "So I kind of did the same thing. You see me [in the episode], I was like, closing my eyes, and I was just kind of focusing and trying to channel some energy and see what would happen.
"And instead of getting that case lighting up, visiony thing that I was having, I was getting some jumbled numbers in my head," David revealed. "And I was kind of like, 'You know what, I think maybe 5.8 million is what I'm meant to have.' I felt really sure about where that 12 [million case] was, but I just think what was meant for me was meant for me."
"I never felt like I was at risk": David Genat's "undercover agent" gameplay
David's performance on Banker's Island was a masterclass in both manifestation and manipulation; David believed he could do it, so he did.
"When I showed up, I just believed [I could win] straight off the bat," David said, adding that he always shoots for victory when approaching reality competitions. "I will visualize everything that's gonna happen in the game... And I do that from the very beginning... And I really felt like I was going to win that one from the start."
When asked if there was ever any moment when he felt his game was at risk, David maintained that sunny confidence.
"This is gonna sound messed up, but like, I never felt like I was at risk," David admitted. "I felt comfortable the whole way through the game. I think even when people were playing the Banker, and I potentially could go home, I had great relationships. My social game is the greatest. Like, I'm the best at that. It's like what I really excel at. I make genuine connections with people, and then, obviously, I have to pepper it with a little bit of mistruth, shall we say."
David is of course referring to his decision to navigate the game undercover as a former Survivor winner. The ruse was especially hard after people began panicking about his ally, Parvati, winning the same show, leading him to play the "Dumb Guy" card on several occasions. But having Parvati as his confidante helped keep him focused on the mission at hand. Parvati isn't afraid to be sneaky, and she inspired David to stick to the plan.
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"I was like, misrepresenting myself a lot, like what I did for work and my financial status and all that kind of stuff. And I had to wipe out like the last seven years of my life, like television altogether," David explained. "And you're having really deep chats with people, so it does wear on you, you know. Like you're like an undercover agent, and you start to get like, 'Oh, I don't know if I can keep doing this.' But Parv would always be there to be like, 'No, you can.'"
David talks sticking to his guns despite the outcry
As a winner of Survivor Australia, David knows that he's a threat, but managed to leverage that paranoia to his advantage. While keeping his Survivor status a secret from his DONDI competition, David sailed through the competition alongside Parvati and their alliance, The Family.
"I felt pretty confident the whole way through, and that's why I felt so confident, like playing with Parv," David said. "Because it just opened these avenues for me ... I could see it from the start. Like the second we connected, I was like, 'Oh man, we're going the whole way.'"
David figured that if the other players were going to target him and Parvati for being a perceived threat, they'd lean into that. Why fight it?
"So let's go big. Let's be a big target. You're either with us, or we're gonna run you over," David explained. "And the people who were with us, we took them pretty deep, or as deep as we could. And then the people who weren't, we just bulldozed."
It's David's fearlessness and confidence that led to that jaw-dropping game against the Banker, even if his DONDI colleagues would have played it safer. While many players begged David to take the money and run with each increasing million-dollar offer, David stuck with his gut and turned down deal after deal until landing his final Banker Offer of $5.8 million. As he aced each round, the players watching at Temple were blown away by David's mystifying odds. His maniacal gameplay even had Banker Chrissy Teigen rolling on the floor in her exasperation.
"I also had this thing where like, I want to make good TV," David said, laughing. "So in a way, them being like, 'Take the deal,' I was like, 'Say it more. Say it more. No Deal!'"
David confessed that he secretly hoped his chaotic gameplay would inspire a last-minute sparring match with his DONDI rival, Big Brother star Dr. Will Kirby.
"That was one of the things that surprised me about Will," David admitted. "Because I was like, really wanting Will to be like, 'Take the deal, David, don't do it!' [Just] so I could be like, 'Oh really, Will? No Deal.' But then he got on my side. I was like, 'This guy's got huge balls.'"
When asked if he'd ever return to Banker's Island for a hypothetical DONDI All-Stars season, David delivered a response fitting for someone who just took home over $5 million: "We'll see. Maybe I'll be the Banker now. I'm pretty minted."
Watch Deal or No Deal Island on Peacock.
