Paul

Surname: Smulders
Age: 54
Occupation: Real Estate Agent
From: Ruimsig, Johannesburg

Sa’ula goes to Tribal Council for the second time – and blindsides Paul!

Alliances and loyalty are seldom, if ever, to be trusted without reservation in a game of skill, cunning and tactics such as Survivor. That’s the hard lesson estate agent Paul Smulders (54) learnt at this week’s Tribal Council on Survivor SA: Island of Secrets. Paul got the boot despite sharing his Hidden Immunity Clue with his tribe mates last week and giving Rob the Immunity Idol to save him from leaving the Tribe. To top it off, he was voted out while last week’s target, bossy Seipei, was still around and when Nathan was struggling with an injury that he said caused “excruciating pain”.

When the defeated warriors from Sa’ula arrived at Tribal Council for the second time in a row after losing three consecutive challenges, it would have made sense to keep the physically strong and fit Paul. Unfortunately, he made a small mistake in a conversation, which squandered the trust of besties Steffi and Nicole. He had earlier canvassed each of them separately to approach the other with a view to a “tight-three” alliance, but when they were together and Steffi and Nicole brought it up, Paul seemed to backtrack, thereby sealing his own fate.

Paul was clearly surprised and hurt by the outcome of the vote. “Well played, guys,” he said sarcastically, before walking away in defeat.

Confident, smooth talker Paul may be a little older than the other guys in his tribe, but he is in good shape. As he says himself, “I am a 54-year-old with a body that is 35-years-old,”. Paul is also a motivated and positive real estate agent who has negotiated countless property transactions and is highly respected in his field. When Paul doesn’t clinch deals, he loves being “the entertainer”, playing pranks or churning out corny comments. This divorced father of two sons, is no pushover, though! Even though Paul wants to bring some fun to the island, he is ready to play hard, proving that he can measure up to the young guns.