While other players were getting to know each other’s names and deciding where to build their shelters, Nash was digging for an Idol, finding one and becoming the earliest person to find a hidden immunity idol in Australian Survivor history.

Unimpressed with simply holding that record, Nash boldly walked back into camp with the idol around his neck, throwing the Brawn tribe into chaos, a word which perfectly encapsulates the style of game Nash would play until his final Tribal Council.

“I went into the experience because I weigh in at 125 kilos, I’ve been a big bloke my whole life which I’m very confident about and I just wanted to prove you can go up against the fittest and best, people who are athletic and super strong,” Nash told 10 Play.

“Your weight shouldn’t matter when it comes to who you want to be and when you want to achieve something. I wanted to prove to my family and friends that I could do this,” he continued.

“I wanted to show Australia that size doesn’t matter, you can achieve your dreams, just be confident and believe in yourself.”

Nash also watched two friends of his compete on the show, King George of Bankstown, and Feras Basal – winner of last year’s Titans V Rebels. With two greats on his side, Nash admitted that both Feras and George gave him tips on how to play the game.

“Did I follow their tips? Definitely not,” the salesman laughed.

“Everyone thinks they’ll play the game one way but you don’t know who you’ll be up against, how you’re feeling, the environment. Your whole game changes and you’ve got to make interesting moves.”

His ethos of ‘interesting moves’ kicked off on day one when he found his idol. With the game barely in its first hours, Nash found the idol while hunting with Zen - who he had formed a friendship with but still had no idea if he could trust him or if Zen would tell the others what Nash had found before he had a chance to.

“I took the risk and thought, let’s see what Brawn is about. I wanted to see which players were willing to really play the game and say, you know what? I want to work with this guy. He’s bold, he’s ready to take risks and not just sit back and see where things go,” Nash explained.

With safety around his neck, Nash then made his second ‘interesting move’, and during the first immunity challenge, he positioned himself at the puzzle, a perfect place to throw the challenge and guarantee Brawn would go to Tribal Council.

“I wanted to see who was willing to come and work with me,” he explained. Nash hoped that, by forcing the tribe into their first vote, he could suss out who was aligned with who, and who actually wanted to work with him. “I knew I was safe, I just wanted to know where the alliances were,” he added.

“It’s not something you should really do this early in the game but I came to play from day dot, and to make an impact. I’m not here for a holiday.”

Nash also dictated the first vote, picking model Candy as a potential target, and moving people off his ally of Ursula. “Everyone had formed little groups and alliances so I was like, who haven’t I connected with socially? Candy was the immediate person that stood out to me,” he explained.

And while his plan worked, Nash still played his idol, unsure if his tribe had completely come on-side with his bold gameplay. Without the idol, Nash was still insulated by his alliances – until Zen injured his hand during a reward challenge and had to be taken out of the game.

“I was fighting for my life as soon as Zen left,” Nash admitted. “It screwed my game up completely. I was in tears obviously because of his injury but also I was a number down which really did burn my success moving forward.”

Although Zen wrote Nash’s name down during the first tribal, Nash still firmly believed that he and Zen had some grand plans and big moves they could enact.

Without Zen, Nash said he knew his time was up and it was only a matter of time before they returned to Tribal Council where all the waves he made in the game, like flashing the idol and throwing the challenge, were used as evidence against him. With one final big move, Nash bluffed a second idol find. Refusing to show if he did indeed have a second idol, his tribe put him in the hot seat.

“It was brutal,” Nash said. “I didn’t cry or get upset, I backed myself the whole way until I walked out.. I think they were just too scared to play with my moves. People were too scared to play the game straight away and, as Noonan said, I forced them to play straight away.

“People expect to make friendships and cruise but you gotta play from day dot. It’s Survivor. You have 47 days, blindsides happen. You just don’t know how safe you are in the game so, when you walk in, you’ve started the game.

Looking back on his explosive time in the game, Nash said if he had his time again, with or without an idol, he’d consider doing things a little differently, “But going in strong? I’d always go in strong. It’s who I am!

“I cherished every moment, and I made it as memorable as I could. I hope Australia can see that this guy went in hard, he was confident, and he was great to watch on TV.

“I just wanted to show that big people out there can do this. We can go against the best. I’m not afraid of my size. I don’t have a six-pack but just be confident in yourself and you will get respect. You’ll make friends and be that person that someone wants to connect with.”

Australian Survivor Brains V Brawn II continues Monday - Tuesday at 7.30 pm and Sundays at 7pm on 10 and 10 Play