A former real estate agent hung up his fancy ties and shirts to bring Survivor to the Cape Flats.
Yesterday, dozens of laaities donned their tribes’ bandanas to outwit, outlast and outplay each other.
The colourful obstacle courses were made by Richard Marthinus, 50, of Ottery, and his wife Desiree, 48.
Richard entered the TV contest Survivor South Africa a few years ago.
He only made it to the interview stage, and believes this was because producers could see he was just too good.
“They gave me the directions to the secret location and I went as far as the interview stage but I guess they could see I was a bush navigator,” he laughs.
“I love outdoors, I still cycle and I love the mountain and bush life.”
Last year Richard, a dad of two kids aged 24 and 13, and oupa to a seven-year-old girl, gave up his job as a real estate agent to become a full-time fitness trainer.
This year the idea of a “Survivor Boot Camp” for kids took hold, and the first three-day event kicked off yesterday.
The Ottery Ferness Sportsfield was a colourful spectacle yesterday as the excited kids, with their parents cheering them on from the side, tackled the course.
The kids, aged six to 14, were divided into two tribes, The Wild Ones and The Warriors.
And just like Survivor host Jeff Probst, Richard was there to hand out immunity idols and rewards.
The obstacle course is made up of old tyres, ropes and nets, and “Survivors”, dressed in headbands and face paint, must crawl and jump their way to the end.
Richard says: “I used to live in Hanover Park and that is where it began. I used to play games with the children to keep them busy and safe especially during the school holidays. I would do baseball and even dancing classes.
“Last year I decided to start a boot camp for adults and they could bring their children along for free. Then I decided to make a Survivor theme for kids during the holidays.
“I had one of the parents tell me after a session that she could see her son was different because he was an introvert and he was so excited to be on the field. The main aim is to have fun with games and team building.”
Survivor Boot Camp for Kids will be back in September.
For more information, call Richard on 081 841 3264.