If Sandra Diaz-Twine is the Queen of Survivor, then that makes her daughter, Nina Twine, the princess. Nina competed in two back-to-back seasons of Survivor Australia, and now, she’s getting ready to claim a new kingdom on USA Network’s new show, The Anonymous.
Produced by the creators of The Circle and The Traitors, The Anonymous is an all-new show where contestants play part of their game in real life, and the other half in “anonymous mode.” It’s a lot of strategy, a little bit of lying, and a whole lot of talking to a mysterious AI character called DANI. On paper, it’s a lot to take in, but it was nothing for an experienced gamer like Nina.
During a chat with Reality Tea, Nina dished about the debut season of The Anonymous and the brilliant advice her legendary mother shared as she ventured into this new game.
Once a gamer, always a gamer
Signing up for a new reality TV competition wasn’t a tough choice for Nina. It’s basically the family business. Plus, who wouldn’t want to take a shot at $100,000?
“Once you get a taste of the competition game shows, you’re always wanting more. For it to be the first season of a competition was really really intriguing to me, and I just couldn’t say no,” she explained.
Nina described The Anonymous as a “complex, hybrid of a lot of amazing games.” And, unlike, Survivor, she didn’t have to get her hands dirty — at least not in the physical sense. On The Anonymous, there’s no sleeping outside or struggling for food. It’s nonstop gameplay.
“I was really excited because I’m not going to be sitting there thinking about food. I’m not going to be sitting there, dying for a shower,” Nina explained.
“All of these things can sometimes create a fog over your plans. I don’t have to worry about them. I can fully pay attention, to the best of my abilities, to all of the people around me,” she added.
Nina’s strategy for the game
Coming into The Anonymous, Nina wasn’t the only cast member with reality TV experience. Xavier Prather, the winner of Big Brother 23, is also competing. That left Nina with some mixed feelings. Game recognizes game, and he knows what he’s doing.
“My first thought: Holy crap please don’t say anything about me because I want to keep my cards close to my chest,” Nina said of her first reaction to seeing Xavier.
She continued, “If I reveal anything, I want to reveal it and not somebody else. I hope he doesn’t know my mom because winners know winners.”
Nina recognized that Xavier’s presence in the game could either be a huge asset or a major threat. It depended on how he played the game. So, Nina said her initial mindset was to observe him. She wanted to watch and see how he blended in with the rest of the cast. Would he be a leader, or would he try to lurk in the shadows making quiet moves?
“We’re just going to have to see how that individual chooses to play their game,” Nina teased.
Taking mom’s advice
Of course, listening to your mom’s advice is never fun, but when your mom is a Survivor legend and you’re about to do a reality competition show, you kind of have to listen. For Nina, that meant being ready to talk gameplay strategy non-stop.
“She’s so passionate about competition shows that she’s just a treasure trove of information and advice, and while I can appreciate it, I find it very overwhelming,” Nina admitted.
Ultimately, Nina said some of the realest advice she got from her mom was about the filming conditions. After Survivor, Nina was ready for anything, but her mom helped prepare her to compete in a more stable living environment.
“Going from being on an island, what was it like being in a house?” Nina recalled asking her mom.
She explained, “One of the differences is The Traitors had a lot of rooms, so it was really difficult to keep track of who was talking to who. That was her biggest thing was really watching how people go off on their own.”
Nina said her mom also reminded her of the small things that you wouldn’t normally think of, like dressing to compete and managing your day-to-day comfort. Most importantly, watch what you eat.
“She was like, ‘Watch what you eat. Don’t eat anything crazy for breakfast lunch and dinner because when you’re sitting there having conversations and your stomach hurts, you’re going to miss out on a lot of stuff,'” Nina remembered with a laugh.
“So I’m like eating bread and eggs with a little bit of coffee,” Nina continued. “If I see something for lunch and I’m like, ‘I Haven’t eaten something like that in forever, I’m good. I’m not eating that. Give me the bread.'”
You can watch Nina in action when The Anonymous debuts its three-episode premiere. It all kicks off Monday, August 19th at 11/10c on the USA Network.
TELL US – ARE YOU PLANNING ON WATCHING THE ANONYMOUS? DO YOU THINK NINA HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN?
