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UPDATE: GiGi has won Survivor SA: Santa Carolina
Not many people would have imagined that these 40-something ladies would beat out the likes of Olympian Okkert Britz and manly-man Gys de Villiers. They have proved that with the right strategy and tenacity, you don't need brawn to survive in the bundus. Ashley says that she had a point to prove by choosing GiGi to go through to the final with her, "I wanted to show that women mean business; it was important for me to level out the playing field by having two women in the final."
While GiGi was obviously pleased that Ashley chose her, she was nervous because Ashley hasn't always been the most reliable ally. "Ashley kept her promise and that's why I'm in the final two" says the exotic dancer and businesswoman. It was also important for GiGi to prove to the public that she's just a woman, not someone who's going to take her clothes off and seduce men in order to win in the game.
However, don't be fooled into thinking there's any love lost between these two. When questioned as to her and Ashley's relationship now since leaving the island, all GiGi had to say was "There are a lot of differences between Ashley and I. She's a mother, I'm not; ons is nie kwaai vriende nie". Maybe they're not ripping each other's hair out, but GiGi also went on to say she wouldn't invite Ashley over for a braai. Well, they're competing against each other for a whole lot of money, so rivalry is to be expected.
Ashley is very much aware that GiGi is well liked among the jury as she only really upset Sade, while Ashley turned on numerous contestants. What does count in Ashley's favour is her strength in the immunity challenges. So will the jury vote emotionally or physically? Ashley hopes the judges will understand that she did what she needed to do for her charity, The Homestead. "It always surprises me that once someone joins the jury, there's this moral high-ground!" Ashley explains that there were three moments in the competition that kept her surviving until the end. Firstly, when she told her husband Charlie that she was scared to leave him and the kids for a whole month, he replied "Oh don't worry, you won't be there for long". This motivated her to prove him wrong. Secondly, she received a letter from The Homestead about the plight of street children. She saw that there were so many parallels between their lives and life on the island, and this gave her the strength to carry on. And lastly, when she hit her head, started bleeding and sustained a black eye, she thought "If I can survive this, I can make it till the end."
GiGi's low-lying game may not have won her any challenges, but it kept her safe from elimination. She insists that she's "Baas van my eie plaas (my own boss)", but she wants it known that it wasn't her intention to turn on Sade. "We thought there would three people in the final, and we had decided it would be the three girls. But when we found out it was only two, we had to vote Sade out because she was very strong in the challenges." It's becoming obvious that you either have to win or lose outright to survive in this game.
Who deserves the title, and more importantly, who's going to take home the money? As much as they both want it, they've both already won to some degree. Each will receive a certain amount of money for their charity and both have had the opportunity to trump up some publicity for it as well. Ashley says "If I don't win, I'll be the Adam Lambert of Survivor!"
Survivor SA: Santa Carolina 90 minute Finale airs on M-Net on Wednesday 21 April at 19h30.
