Earlier this week, viewers of the Deal Or No Deal Island witnessed a historical network TV moment not only on the 2025 TV schedule but of all time when Australian Survivor vet David Genat won $5.8 million during the jaw-dropping finale. The massive prize is the most money ever given away on network television, making Genat the biggest winner in the medium, too. However, fellow reality TV legend Boston Rob Mariano doesn’t think he played the game smartly.
On the finale episode, Genat went round after round of opening cases and saying no to deals from the banker, original briefcase model Chrissy Teigen. The Australian Survivor winner turned down $1.5 million, then $1.98 million and then $2.9 million and even $3.87 million to go to the final round with just three cases in play, one of which had just $75 and another with $12 million. The nail-biting game finally ended when he took Chrissy’s deal of $5.8 million. In Genat’s words post-finale:
So I had dinner with Boston Rob and Joe a couple nights ago, and Rob's a real numbers guy. He does have a bit of a spiritual side. He does believe in some things and I don't think he really talks about that, but he's really like, 'Dude, the odds of this happening? You are so dumb. You were so dumb to not take these deals.' And I'm like, 'Was I though, Rob?'
David Genat took a string of huge gambles with really solid deals, because he truly believed in his picks and had his spirituality on his side. He made the best deal he could have, considering the amount in his case ended up being $75, too.
However, as Boston Rob pointed out to them when they recently commiserated, he turned down a lot of good deals, and ultimately won on very good luck, as Genat continued saying to EW:
Had it worked out the other way, we'd be sitting here having a very different conversation. But I don’t know what it was in that moment. I mean, you were there, man. I just felt like I couldn't lose. I just felt like my father who passed a few years ago was there with me, guiding me, and it was just a very special moment.
David Genat won the game alongside some steep competition from other major reality TV stars like Survivor’s Parvati Shallow -- who wasn’t eliminated until episode 11 after “fairy dusting men” on the show -- and Big Brother legend Dr. Will, who lasted until the seventh episode. While it’s easy for others to judge on the outside about how well Genat did, the facts are that he played the most lucrative game TV has ever seen. Boston Rob, who allegedly has a net worth of between $1.3 and $2 million, pales in comparison to Genat’s dollar signs.
However, in Genat’s latest interview, which occurred seven months after the season was filmed, he said he hasn’t received the money yet but has “already started spending it.” The Australian Survivor does recall signing a document saying he’ll get the money he won, so it doesn’t sound like he’s sweating it.
So, I imagine he’s still living life in absolute disbelief of the finale and earnings he pulled off.
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