Warning: This article contains spoilers about the Deal or No Deal Island season 2 finale.

Drinks are on David Genat, everyone! At least they better be, because the Australian Survivor champion emerged with his first stateside reality competition victory on the Deal or No Deal Island finale. And he didn’t just win, he won BIG.

The now-reality TV legend shocked fellow contestants, crew members, host Joe Manganiello, Banker Chrissy Teigen, and this reporter (who happened to be there watching) by turning down seven different offers of guaranteed money (including ones for $1,520,000, $1,980,000, $2,900,000, and $3,870,018) even though it meant there was a very strong chance he could leave with less than $100. But fortune smiled on David and he kept advancing before finally — FINALLY! — accepting a deal and the $5.8 million that came with it.

Even more insane? It did not make the final cut of the show, but had he not taken the deal, David’s plan was to switch his number 18 case for the number 7 one, and he would have taken home whatever amount was in that case. And what amount was that? $12,232,001. While he ended up leaving more than $6 million on the table by accepting the Banker’s final deal, David still nabbed the highest prize amount in broadcast television history. We spoke to the newly minted multimillionaire on the Banker’s Temple set shortly after his life was forever changed. (Also make sure to check out everything that did not make it to air, as well as our interview with runner-up Alexis Lete.)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, it’s a stupid question, but how does it feel to win $5.8 million?

DAVID GENAT: I mean, to try and put it into words is hard, but I feel warm, mate. Inside, my body is humming. Absolutely humming — just this energy vibrating off me, and I think people in here can feel it. There was just something happening tonight and it’s like a warm blanket over your body. You just feel so elated, so comfortable, everything is going to be fine. And it was.

The money is worlds apart, but how does the feeling compare to that moment when you won Survivor?

This is apples and oranges, just because this is so much money. Survivor was a big accomplishment for me, don’t get me wrong, I put myself through hell on that show. You really do suffer for your heart out there. Whereas here, the flip side is you are comfortable, they’re feeding you, and you’re in comfortable surroundings.

Yeah, the excursions are tough, but it’s really the social dynamic that is unmatched with DONDI. Trying to social engineer this game is not impossible. I managed to do it a bit, but there were still so many times where I thought, “Oh, I’ve got this sorted,” and it just didn’t work out in my favor. So really the key is to be able to roll through and always adapt your strategy. And that’s something I had in Survivor and that’s something I brought in here — just being able to read people.

What was your strategy coming into the Temple? How did you want to handle tonight’s game?

So coming in to Temple tonight, I wanted huge stakes for people watching. I really wanted to just create an environment where people were on the edge of their seat and that’s why I get put in these situations, because I know I can do that. And to come in here and maybe half-ass this game was never going to happen. I was going to ride that thing as far as I could with the amount of risk I was taking. And, man, to come out and actually win on the other side, it’s pretty good.

I was watching you and you were just hanging out by the podium for the first part of the game and pretty still. And then right around when you turned down the $1.5 million, you start pacing back and forth, and it seemed like you went into a different place. What was going on?

Yeah, I was pacing. For me, the level of adrenaline in your body during that — I’ve never felt anything like it before. And I ride motorcycles, so I do crazy stuff. That’s my jam. I love doing those kinds of things. There was just so much adrenaline, and where do you put it? So the only thing I could think of do was pace because it was just bleeding off me at that point and I was like, “I need to contain myself, I need to keep breathing and I need to think clearly.” I didn’t want adrenaline clouding my thought process. So the only way I could think of to shed some of that was to pace, and it helped a little. But yeah, it was really just being able to quiet my mind and read the signs that I was seeing and doing that. That got me through.

You came over by where we were sitting, and I’m not sure if you were talking to yourself or talking to a crew member, but you were l like, “I live for this! I live for this!” Were you pumping yourself up there or what?

Yeah, a hundred percent. Pumping yourself up. And I do live for this, I live for these moments. I love big moments and I love being in them. I think for someone in my position getting to do this, that was the biggest moment possible. So why would I shrink when the moment is presented to me, I wanted to expand, not shrink, and psych myself up.

But I love connecting with people and I love connecting with the people who are around the show and who make this show because I know they work their ass off and I want them to be a part of that moment and want me to win with them. So it’s not just for the people at home, it’s not for the cast, it’s really for the crew that makes this show. I just love that feeling of being supported and surrounded by people who want this to be the greatest show on earth. And it is.

How close did you come to taking a deal at $3.8 million, or even before then at $2.9 million?

I mean, once the numbers were matching up where I kind of wanted them to be and it started happening in the way I thought it would, I had never considered taking a deal until I did. So it was either then or I was switching the cases. And I have been blindsided with an idol before because of hubris. So it seemed like the right time to do it. I knew I had it in me to win the whole amount, but I also am very, very happy with $5.8 million

So had you not taken the deal, you were going to swap cases with number 7, and you would have won $12.2 million.

I was always going to swap that case. Seven is my number and I knew I wanted to swap it. There’s also a theory on having three cases, and if you open one, you’ve got better odds of swapping the case anyway. So I had that in my brain and I knew I wanted 7, it was just my number. So seeing the $12.2 million, there’s definitely part of me where I’m like, “Oh, I left six and change on the bench. But 5.8 can turn into 12 very, very easily. Maybe I’ll go to the casino.”

What made you take the deal at $5.8 million? You turned down all the other deals. Why did you take that one?

I just thought it was irresponsible of me to gamble that much money when it was sitting right there. And I knew by that point I’d done my job. I got us to the end with $5.8 million. I can never not be happy with that.

I’m laughing at how you say that would’ve been irresponsible. As if turning $3.8 million down wasn’t irresponsible? I mean, what are you talking about?

Well, at 3.8, people will enjoy the risk a little bit. They’re like, “This dude’s a madman.” But at 5.8, they’re like, “You’re suicidal. Why would you even turn that down?”

What would you be feeling like right now if I’m talking to you and you’d ended up with $75?

I would be so low. It would be the opposite feeling of this. But again, I knew I would’ve come in and delivered on my promise to go big or go home. So there would’ve been some satisfaction, but it would’ve absolutely shattered me. Absolutely shattered me. I don’t even want to think about that, Dalton.

You kept kissing the necklace at big moments. Talk about the necklace.

The necklace is for my family. They kissed one side of it and my wife kissed a small one on the other side. I’m with them, they’re with me, so I kiss ’em back. I like kissing my kids every day, I like kissing my wife every day, and I just don’t get to spend that amount of time with them. So I do it in my own way to bring ’em in. They’re on my chest, they’re right by my heart, and I just want to love them as much as I can.

There was a lot of bonkers stuff going on in that Temple talk before you played [that did not even make it to air]. And you’re just standing there with Joe watching the show.

I love that I live in that realm and I didn’t even really have to participate. They just were imploding on themselves. So there’s very much two versions that happen with these shows, and one is what the players experience on the beach, and then it’s what they’ll experience when it gets played back. So I know this is just a drop in the ocean when it comes to what drama’s going to come out when the show actually airs. But I love seeing people air it out. I think we had such a great cast this year. They were a really unique cast of characters, total lunatics — but they all bought this amazing energy and element and so to see their real energy at the end was incredible. I love stuff like that.

How surprised were you when Phillip gave you the big case to win you the final excursion?

Look, I want to say surprised, but I actually wasn’t surprised at all. Phillip is a really standup guy. He’s gone through so much in his life, so many different things, and he shared a lot of his experiences with me. And knowing what he’s been through and how he’s been able to lift himself up and become such a positive influence on people’s lives — there was no way in hell he was going to do something negative to my game. I just knew he wouldn’t, and not for nothing. But you can read Phil like a book. He was just so excited about that case when he pointed to it, and then I kind of held it for a second, looked at him again, he couldn’t help it. I’m good at reading, and he’s not a good poker player — I can tell you that.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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