During Deal or No Deal Island’s second season, the incredible reality show became one of Peacock’s best shows. Thanks to how great Joe Manganiello was as a host, Dr. Will Kirby boosting the show’s ratings, and the Survivor Hall of Famer Parvati Shallow, DONDI became a must-see. When David Genat wasn’t busy with his “golden gods” feud with Dr. Will that included an incredible confrontation, he seemed to spend most of his time with his two main allies.
Thanks to the fact that DONDI casts newbies, David and Parvati built a bond with a first-time reality show star named Dickson Wong. After the show ended, David told TheThings about how he really felt about Parvati and Dickson, who he was part of the alliance called “The Family” with.
Deal Or No Deal Island’s David Genat Revealed That He Cared Very Deeply About “The Family”
During Deal or No Deal Island Season 2, there was one alliance that dominated, “The Family.” While there were several people who were associated with “The Family,” the alliance’s core was Parvati Shallow, Dickson Wong, and the season’s winner, David Genat.
Throughout the history of reality TV, there have been endless examples of alliances that have had members who’ve spoken about how much they love each other. However, in many cases, those alliances have broken down, turned on each other, and the members have even viciously feuded against each other.
During Deal or No Deal Island, the members of “The Family” may not have turned on each other. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that “The Family” was as close as they seemed to be. With that in mind, it is fascinating to see what David told TheThings about how real his bond with Parvati and Dickson really was.
In March 2025, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas interviewed David Genat about his Deal or No Deal Island experience.
Which Celebrities Have Played Deal or No Deal Island | |
|---|---|
Claim To Fame | Celebrity |
Survivor Hall of Famer | “Boston” Rob Mariano |
The Real Housewives of Atlanta/The Celebrity Apprentice | Claudia Jordan |
Big Brother Icon | Dr. Will Kirby |
Survivor Hall of Famer | Parvati Shallow |
Australian Survivor Legend | David Genat |
Former Miss Indiana USA/Professional Wrestler | Alexis Lete |
During that interview, David was asked if he was really as “crazy close” with Parvati and Dickson as he seemed to be. In response, David instantly confirmed that he really did have a close bond with his “The Family” allies.
Yeah, man. We really did.
While continuing to discuss the bond he had with his top two allies, David made remarks that proved why he is such a great reality show star.
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In many cases, it seems like reality show alliances these days are based on convenience more than anything else. For example, Survivor players often seem to form alliances with the first players they get alone and vibe with.
In March 2025, Dickson Wong exclusively told TheThings about how close he really became with David Genat. “So the emotional stuff between me and David, it was 100% genuine.”
While talking exclusively to TheThings, David explained that he looks for the people he plays games with that he can bond with on a deeper level.
“I think anytime you’re playing a competitive social game, you’re looking for any kind of bond that’s a little bit bigger than just, ‘Oh, he’s a nice person.’ And I really work for that. That’s a big part of what I do in the games, especially if I’m playing Survivor.”
David went on to state that it was part of his strategy to find people he could bond with on such a deep level that they would want to ensure he remained in the game.
During Dickson Wong’s March 2025 TheThings interview, he revealed that David Genat and Parvati Shallow were there for him when he got very sick early in the game. “One thing [Deal or No Deal Island] doesn’t show is I had an allergic reaction during episode one, where David sat on the couch with me the entire night. I had IVs in me. I was so loopy, from the Benadryl, from everything. But the two things I remember are, one, David sat with me on the couch. And the second thing is that Parvati tucked me in bed, because I was just so out of it. I was laying there on my bed, basically dead, and Parvati walked in. I’m like, ‘No. No. No. I’m good. Just let me sleep.’ She’s like, ‘No. You gotta help you know, you gotta accept help from others. Let me help you.’ So she was very, very, very genuine about everything.
Furthermore, David explained to TheThings that creating tight bonds like that is the key to succeeding on Deal or No Deal Island.
“I try to make really, really close bonds so that people don’t wanna get rid of you. And that is so much more important on Deal or No Deal Island. The whole game hinges around people wanting to keep you around. So your social game is where it, like, really, really comes to the forefront. So I was working hard to, like, get the guys to like me.”
While that may make it seem like building “The Family” was strategy alone for David, he went on to explain it was a lot more than that.
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While speaking exclusively with TheThings, David expressed how fortunate he felt to have deep connections with Dickson and Parvati.
I just happened to really get great genuine connections with Dickson and with Parv.
David finished talking about “The Family” to TheThings by stating he owed winning the game to the strength of the alliance.
“Both of those guys are the reason I’m sitting here talking to you today. Like, I won the game because of them. They were just really open and down to work together, and we had a great time. And I think that I think that came through.”
Parvati Shallow Revealed How Genuine Her Bond With Dickson Wong And David Genat Were
In March 2025, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas interviewed Parvati Shallow about her Deal or No Deal Island experience. During that conversation, Parvati made it clear that she was playing to win Deal or No Deal Island and would have done what she had to beat David Genat and Dickson Wong. “I always wanna win. I always play to win. If I make real relationships and real bonds and friendships, I’m so happy about that because that doesn’t happen every time I play. But my goal is to win because I’m like, ‘There’s millions of dollars on the line.’ This is, like, a month away from my daughter. I have to set up a lot to be able to leave. It’s hard to leave my kid for a month without communication. She’s young. So I’m like, ‘I wanna make it count.’ So in the end, I would have definitely chosen myself to win over anybody.”
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While Parvati was very clear that she was there to win Deal or No Deal Island, Parvati told TheThings how happy she was to have real bonds with her allies.
“I would also have been happy if it was David or Dickson too because we were ‘The Family.’ Like, Dickson is coming here for the finale. He’s gonna stay at my house. We’re gonna go bowling with him and MG. I’m still close with them, which is rare and is so fun. It feels like an extra kind of gift from DONDI.”
Later during her TheThings interview, Parvati described how much she cares about Dickson. “Dickson, I loved him like he was my baby boy.” Parvati then explained that she felt like David was her biggest partner in the game.
“David was my male foil, like, my counterpart. If David’s not there, I’m not doing as well as I did in the game. You know?”
With those quotes in mind, it makes sense that Parvati said that if she was forced to choose, she would have picked David to win over Dickson.
