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Parvati Shallow is very selective when it comes to how she crafts her reality TV legacy.
“I don’t wanna do every reality show. I just wanna do the ones that seem really fun to me,” the Survivor winner, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting season 2 of Deal or No Deal Island. “I think I’m doing a good job picking.”
Shallow explained that she “turned down” opportunities to be on E!’s House of Villains, Celebrity Big Brother and The Goat, which premiered on Amazon Prime in May 2024. She added there was “a bunch” she said no to.
While not every program has called out to her, there were a couple series that piqued her interest, including The Traitors, Deal or No Deal Island and Australian Survivor. Following her stint on The Traitors, Shallow declared that she was retiring from reality competition series. However, she decided to reverse her decision when the right offer came along.
“I unretired double time because I did Deal or No Deal Island and I did Australian Survivor vs. the World in one summer, back-to-back,” she confessed. “There’s something that gets in my blood about these reality competition games — their peak experiences, their life-changing experiences and who gets the opportunity to play them more than once? It feels like a blessing and a curse.”
One reason why she decided to join Deal or No Deal Island season 2, she told Us, was because she thoroughly enjoyed watching her friend — and fellow Survivor winner — Boston Rob Mariano compete in its inaugural season.
“I enjoyed watching it. I loved watching Rob play. It was so fun. And then Joe Manganiello is the host. He’s perfect for the role,” she gushed. “It’s on an exotic private island. It’s got a little Charlie’s Angels, a little Austin Powers, a little Survivor. A little game of intrigue. I was like, I gotta play this game.”
Deal or No Deal Island features a group of contestants facing off in physical challenges to obtain briefcases containing cash values before taking on the “Banker’s Challenge,” which is a classic game of Deal or No Deal. Whatever amount the players earn in the Deal or No Deal game, gets added to the total prize fund.
While the competitors are made up of reality TV newbies, Shallow isn’t the only legend on the season 2 cast. In addition to Shallow, Big Brother’s Dr. Will Kirby and Australian Survivor legend David Genat — aka “The Golden God” — are competing for the Banker’s prize.
In addition to Deal or No Deal Island, Shallow will be appearing on the 11th season of Australian Survivor — which will premiere later this year. She will be joined by fellow Survivor alums, Tony Vlachos and Cirie Fields. While Shallow equated her upcoming appearance on the international version of Survivor as an “all-stars” version, she doesn’t see herself returning to the CBS version anytime soon.
“It’s the Olympics of Survivor. I’m done. I checked that box. All done,” Shallow told Us of the upcoming Australian Survivor season.
However, if an all-returning season of Deal or No Deal Island or The Traitors was in the works, Shallow would consider the offers.
“Deal or No Deal is so much fun. I would probably say yes to that. Instantly,” she said. “Traitors would take me a little bit of time to work through it, but I’m sure I would also say yes to it because I’m like a glutton for punishment.”
Deal or No Deal Island airs on NBC on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and is available to stream on Peacock the next day.
With reporting by Sarah Hearon
