Things are heating up in Te Waipounamu with the remaining contestants on Celebrity Treasure Island plotting, scheming, and creating alliances quicker than host Jayden Daniels can yell "Tīmata!", writes Breakfast host and former Celebrity Treasure Island winner Matty McLean.
Megan Alatini's reality TV history runs deep.
In 1999, at the age of 22, Megan Cassie as she was known then, won a coveted spot in girl group TrueBliss on the television show Popstars. Originating here in New Zealand, the show went on to have international success, and became the precursor for the reality formats we’ve come to know and love.
But times have changed in the ensuing 24 years, and it took Alatini by surprise.
"It was intense from the get-go," she tells me.
"I went in there easy-breezy, 'let’s just see how things go, I’ll take it day by day'. But obviously that didn’t fricken work out for me well, did it now?!”
It didn’t quite, as the singer became the second contestant eliminated after an intense balancing challenge against radio personality Mel Homer.
"Maybe I should’ve gone in there with a game plan, with some strategy. But I didn’t," she laughs.
"Straight away, you know that you’re with big personality people. You’ve got your Mary Lambies, your Jordan Vandermades, your Miriama Smiths, Eli Matthewson – and that’s just from your own damn team, let alone the other team.
"The sneaky-sneaky does happen very early on."
Indeed, we’re only three episodes in and already strategy is running rampant.
Captain Matilda Green has had to make the tough calls, deciding who’s gone up in both elimination battles this first week. Comedian Eli Matthewson and mental health advocate Jazz Thornton have solidified a strong day-two alliance. And Kārearea’s Jordan Vandermade – well, if I had pearls, I’d be clutching them very tightly after tonight’s episode.
Facing off against each other, four members of each team were tasked with holding a taut rope with a trough of water hanging above them. The remaining members had to toss buckets of water into the opposing trough to fill it up.
The team that could keep the trough steady without spilling the water the longest would win.
But before long, team captain Vandermade makes a decision so shocking, it’s sure to create ripples throughout the rest of the season.
"I deal with losing pretty badly," he admits to camera.
Well that’s an understatement.
The television presenter decides he’s not getting anywhere tossing the water into the opposition team’s trough, so instead decided to toss it directly into their faces.
Yeah.
Host Bree Tomasel can’t believe her eyes. "That is ruthless from Jordan Vandermade!" she exclaims.
"Made me hate him more," snarls comedian James Mustapic.
But the final word in the matter has to go to Tāme Iti. The 71-year-old, who’s admitted to being fearful of water, took a hammering from Vandermade.
"He’s a dumbass," the activist laughs.
In the end, it didn’t matter – Vandermade’s team Kārearea lost, and it was up to Tohorā to choose the pair to go face-to-face in the elimination battle.
In an intense game, Alatini and Homer were required to build a tower of blocks while balancing on a seesaw.
It was close, but Homer had the steadier hand.
But Alatini is philosophical.
"I feel like I was in the game long enough to make some really beautiful connections. I walk away with my head still held up high," she tells me.
As she should – although one of the earlier exits from the show, she still managed to walk away with $5k for her charity after winning an earlier charity challenge.
"It was my absolute honour to be be able to represent Women’s Refuge," she says, "and as much as I want to highlight and congratulate them for the safe haven they give other women, what I’m really interested in is actually asking how is it that we tackle these horrific domestic violence statistics that we have here in New Zealand? It’s ridiculous and it’s not on."
Although she says she would obviously have loved to go further, she’s still got that trademark Alatini positivity about the whole thing.
"I most certainly didn’t win, and I went into this wanting to do the best that I can, but at least I don’t have too much egg on my face, and I can walk out there and say I did all I could on the day."
Matty McLean is a former winner of Celebrity Treasure Island, and will be interviewing the eliminated contestants for 1news.co.nz
You can watch the current season Monday-Wednesday at 7.30pm on TVNZ2 or TVNZ+
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