Tropika Island of Treasure winners crowned!

Cape Town - In what has to be the most nail-biting finale of any Tropika Island of Treasure to date, Brendan Peyper and Lisanne Lazarus (#TeamRed) came out victorious in the final challenge, making them the winners of #TIOT8 and that coveted R1m prize! 

In Monday night’s final episode of the series, #TeamRed fought hard to beat Nay Maps and Rudi Witkowsky (#TeamYellow) for the title of #TIOT8 champions. 

Following a series of Slenda Twists throughout #TIOT8, 22-year-old Lazarus was chosen by 21-year-old Peyper to be his teammate on #TeamRed. It became evident by most celebs and contestants very early on in the season that #TeamRed would be a team to watch out for, with many teams noting them as their biggest threat to the R1m. And they were right.

Lazarus and Peyper proved to be a force to be reckoned with, and no one is more thrilled with the outcome than Lazarus. “When I found out I was going to be on the show, I obviously wanted to win but I didn’t expect it - only because I didn’t know who my competition would be and I didn’t know at the time who I’d be paired up with. In all honesty, I was just excited to go to the Maldives. After being paired with Brendan and looking at the other teams’ weightings, I felt very confident because I knew Brendan and I would complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well,” says Lazarus.

@brendan_peyper with Jesus we did it!! #TIOT8 WINNERS ????♥??? @mytropika

A post shared by Lisanne Lazarus ? (@lisannelazaruss) on Apr 30, 2018 at 11:20am PDT

Peyper is just as grateful for the team mate he found in Lazarus. “I truly had an incredible partner. We remained calm even though things sometimes went south, and we ensured that we kept the faith with God on our side - this was the most important aspect for us.”

Peyper notes that he never expected to win, but that he always had a vision with what he’d do with the money. “I told myself that if it’s God’s will for me to win I’d never waste the money, but invest where it is needed. When it came to challenges, I always went in feeling confident because from the start I told myself to just enjoy the amazing experience, and even though you didn’t win anything through the initial stages of the competition, it was about how you recover after you gave your best and still lost. It was important going into each challenge learning from your mistakes from past challenges”. And that approach certainly paid off for #TeamRed. 

I cannot believe this???? WE WON! Thank you so much @mytropika for this amazing experience, I will never forget this journey and what I’ve learned about myself and other people! Thank you @lisannelazaruss for being the perfect partner and teammate you showed me that nothing is impossible ????♥? Thank you to my family and friends who supported me every step of the way, thank you team yellow - @rudiwitkowsky & @naymaps for keeping us on our feet you deserve this just as much as we do and thank you to Team green - @lihlengubo & @moganekarabo Team blue - @sbahle_mpisane & @thenondu Team white - @ilovekhanya & @mpande_theefreshprinceofsa Team Coral - @melindabam & @kellygunnell Team orange - @markanthonybingham & @tumivoster you guys were awesome !???? #TIOT8 #overandout

A post shared by Brendan Peyper (@brendan_peyper) on Apr 30, 2018 at 11:46am PDT

Lazarus, who is graduating with a Cum Laude and Deans Merit in Broadcast Journalism and is currently the Digital Producer for East Coast Radio’s breakfast show, will use the majority of her share of the prize money to invest in property – and treat herself to a shopping spree.

Peyper, who was recently revealed as the lead to portray Buddy in the brand-new musical, BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story, will use his share of the prize money to purchase his first farm/property.