Nadia Nakai’s journey on Tropika Island Of Treasurehas come to an end, bringing her time on Réunion Island to a close after weeks of demanding challenges, unexpected twists and plenty of pressure.
Competing alongside her Smoooth Fan partner, Andile Khuluse, as Team Green Apple, Nadia experienced first-hand just how challenging the competition can be.
After finding themselves vulnerable alongside Team Mango Peach at the Mystery Box swap, Team Green Apple faced a surprise multi-team shake-up when previously eliminated contestants returned to the beach for a second chance at the game. Despite fighting through multiple gruelling elimination battles across the season, Nadia and Andile were officially eliminated as a brand-new Team Orange (Caster Semenya and Ashay Sewlall) entered the competition.
From navigating physically demanding tasks to managing the emotional highs and lows of the game, the experience pushed her in ways she hadn’t anticipated.
Looking back on her time in the competition, Nadia reflects on what she learned about teamwork, the importance of keeping her emotions in check and discovering a different side to her competitive nature.
Nadia, your Tropika Island Of Treasure journey has been quite an adventure! How would you sum up your experience, and what has the entire journey meant to you?
I think I underestimated Tropika Island Of Treasure. You watch the games and think they look so simple, but when you’re under pressure and trying to win a challenge, it becomes quite daunting. I think the experience taught me about teamwork and the importance of not letting my emotions get the better of me.
Going into the competition, what were your expectations, and how different was the actual experience from what you imagined?
When you’re watching the show, you look at the games and think, “Oh, I can do that. That’s not that hard.” When you actually get onto Tropika Island Of Treasure, you realise how much more difficult it is. Something that looks so simple isn’t necessarily simple at all. There’s also the pressure of trying to win a challenge, stay high on the leaderboard and work within the time you’re given to complete a task. There are so many different elements that come into play, which make the challenges a lot more complicated than they look.
Tell us about working with Andile as your partner. What did you enjoy most about having him by your side throughout the competition?
He really was amazing at helping me get my head back in the game. There were quite a few times when I felt like I wanted to give up, but he never let me. He was such a good motivator and someone who could immediately get me back on track, which I really appreciated.
What do you think you and Andile brought out in each other as teammates, and where did you complement one another best?
I think I brought more of the strategic planning when it came to the challenges. Andile, on the other hand, gave me the tenacity to keep going and focus on completing the goal. It wasn’t necessarily about rushing to get things done, but rather making sure we did them properly. I think that was something really valuable that he brought out in me.
How did you enjoy Réunion Island? What was it like experiencing such a beautiful destination while competing in some seriously demanding challenges?
I actually didn’t realise how close Réunion Island was to South Africa, and the fact that it’s part of France was also very interesting to me. It’s a gorgeous place and, to be honest, it reminds me a lot of Cape Town. The beaches are beautiful, the food was amazing and the hotel we stayed at was so opulent. It was lovely to experience the island, and I was also relieved to find that there aren’t many venomous or dangerous animals there! I’m always a little worried when travelling outside South Africa because you hear about all the different things you need to be careful of in other countries. Réunion is actually quite a safe island to visit. It’s also a beautiful wedding destination.
The competition tested contestants in so many different ways. What would you say was your biggest personal challenge during your time on the island?
I think my biggest personal challenge was how triggering the experience could be. It reminded me of high school, particularly because I wasn’t necessarily the popular girl back then. It brought up some of those emotions, which was quite surprising because, at the end of the day, it’s a competition. But it definitely brought out some unexpected feelings.
You’ve had quite a tough time in the competition, and being up for elimination three times is no small feat! How did you manage the pressure and keep yourself mentally in the game?
It was defeating to keep having a Safe Token and then lose it, and it was also disheartening to constantly find ourselves in the elimination rounds. Even though we always managed to survive, which was reassuring and made us tougher, having to face elimination almost every week was heartbreaking. It was really tough. At the end of the day, we entered the competition hoping to win the prize, so we had to stay focused on that rather than on the fact that we kept ending up in the elimination round. But I won’t lie, it does take a knock on your self-esteem and confidence.
Which challenge pushed you the hardest, and was there a particular moment when you surprised yourself with what you were capable of?
The challenge that pushed me the hardest was the water challenge with the balls, where we had to swim underwater to collect them, come back up and swim to drop them into a hoop before repeating the process. That was quite challenging for me. I tried to push myself as hard as I could, but it was a difficult one. The challenge that surprised me the most was the puzzle challenge. We actually came first, which I was really proud of. I also thought the head-balancing challenge was quite interesting, and I was proud of how I did in that one too.
What did you discover about yourself through this experience? Did it reveal a side of Nadia that you perhaps hadn’t seen before?
I’ve always known that I’m competitive. I just didn’t realise how emotional I could become when I’m competing. In music and in the industry, my competitive side usually lights a fire in me. It gives me determination and inspiration. With this competition, it was much more emotional. You really don’t want to let your partner down, you want to perform well and you want to look good while doing the challenges. Then you come up against something that you thought would be simple, and it completely stumps you. That can be frustrating. I realised that my competitiveness can actually be driven by different things, depending on the situation.
With the competition dynamic completely reshuffled, the battle for the R1 million grand prize reaches new heights. Catch Tropika Island Of Treasure every Wednesday at 21:00 on SABC 1, with a repeat every Thursday at 18:00 on S3.