Why former Miss Universe Australia Monika Radulovic has got what it takes to survive
FORMER Miss Universe Australia Monika Radulovic is headed for a world of grime and grit to take part in this year’s Australian Survivor. But it’s not the first time she’s had to fight to survive.
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AS FAR as honeymoons go, being stranded on an island with no shelter, no fire and a handful of rice to eat isn’t exactly a romantic escape for a new bride. It’s even worse if you’ve left your new husband — and everyone you know — behind.
But just five weeks after marrying artist Alesandro Ljubicic, former Miss Universe Australia Monika Radulovic shipped off on a solo trip to Fiji’s Savusavu to tackle Survivor, the world’s toughest reality show.
On first impressions — and by her own admission — the 27-year-old looks like a “just another ditzy airhead”.
But her secret weapon is that Radulovic comes from a family of true survivors. Her parents fled war-torn Bosnia as refugees with just the shirts on their backs when she was one.
After leaving their extended family behind, they sought refuge in Denmark, living there for nearly two years before being granted residency in Australia.
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Radulovic says she has inherited that grit and will to survive, and thrive, from her parents, something that will stand her in good stead as lines up as one of the 12 “champions” of Australian society competing against 12 everyday “contenders”.
“My parents are so brave and I think their resilience and positive outlook on life will help me through the tough times on the island,” she tells BW Magazine.
“I’ve already mentally prepared myself that if I do have down moments or I’m stressing out, I just think back to my parents and what they went through, having to flee their country with nothing except their baby and having no idea if they were even going to survive.
“At the end of the day this is a game, I still have my life at home and it’s about putting things into perspective. Their grit, conviction and perseverance has really instilled in me those values so I’m going to take all of that into camp.”
While her parents largely sheltered her from their refugee experience — something she says she is grateful for because it gave her a “normal, happy childhood” — she does have memories of doing it tough.
“One of the earliest memories I have is that when we first came to Australia — we went to the Salvation Army to get all our things and there was a church close by that would come and give me toys and things like that,” she says.
“My mum gave birth to my brother three weeks after we came to Australia and the whole time I was like, ‘Dad, can we go to the church?’ because it was Christmas Day and they promised me gifts on Christmas Day. So that to me was the best place.”
A visit to her extended family in Bosnia, as a 20-year-old, with younger brother Stefan, reinforced just how different life could have been.
“My parents thought it was really important for my brother to meet our extended family and see where we came from,” Radulovic says.
“Being there grounds you so much. You see where you could have remained and what’s become of (Bosnia).
“My beautiful extended family are so positive and work so hard and really look at the brighter side of things.
“But compared to Australia and the opportunities I’ve been given, it’s sad that they’re still struggling in many ways.”
Radulovic will have some serious competition in her Champions tribe from celebrities such as Steve “Commando” Willis. After leaving The Biggest Loser in 2015, Willis wasn’t sure he wanted to return to TV. But his mantra of “walking the talk” was at the back of his mind when Survivor came calling and he wants to show audiences there’s more to him than just a fitness superstar.
“It’s important to show my vulnerabilities, weaknesses and suffering and give permission to other everyday Aussies that it’s all right, too,” he tells BW Magazine.
“If the Commando can do this, people might think, ‘I can do that, too,’ and that’s something I’ve really made my life about over these past couple of years.”
And while roughing it and pushing his body to its limit might sound like a breeze for the former CrossFit champion, the real challenge will comer from being apart from partner Michelle Bridges and his kids Brianna, 19, Ella, 10, Jack, 6, and Axel, 2. “I love my family more than anything,” the 41-year-old says. “Not having contact with them is going to be very, very tough.”
Rugby dual international Mat Rogers will be another tough competitor and he’ll also be living a longtime dream.
“This took no convincing at all,” Rogers says. “I got a phone call and I said ‘yes’ straight away. I didn’t even check the calendar, I just knew I’d make it work out so I could do this show.”
Rogers, who says he’s watched almost every series of Survivor, says his late mum Carol came to mind when he signed on. “I used to have Survivor nights at my mum’s place when she was really sick and it was just before she died in 2001,” he said.
“It was her thing, she loved the show and we would go and have dinner and it blows my mind that I’m now here doing it. I feel all warm and fuzzy being here knowing that she would be so rapt, she would be loving the fact that I’m on this show. I’m stoked.”
Joining the Survivor Australia cast may have been a no-brainer for Rogers but it was one of the hardest decisions AFLW star Moana Hope has ever had to make.
One of 14 kids, Hope struggles with being away from her sister Lavinia who suffers from a very rare neurological disorder, Moebius syndrome, which typically paralyses a sufferer’s face and eyes completely.
“I’ve never spent time away from her,” Hope says.
“Even when I’m playing footy I take her with me. I take her basically everywhere I go. This was the hardest decision I’ve made.”
Hope says going without modern comforts should be easy for her.
“I should be pretty sweet with that stuff,” she says. “When I was growing up there were times when I slept on the floor and we couldn’t afford to eat and we didn’t have money for new clothes, all that kind of stuff. So that’s not out of my comfort zone — the only challenge I will have is being away from Lavinia.”
Roughing it might just prove a little tougher for Radulovic. “I’m not going to say I’m comfortable with roughing it because I’ve never had to do it,” she says.
“I’m so used to a completely luxurious life, relative to where I’m about to go. But at the same time, I think people will be surprised that I’m not a princess and I think my natural state is more like Survivor than Miss Universe. So it doesn’t faze me that I can’t wash my hair or shave my legs.”
As a model, and a recent bride, however, she doesn’t have much weight to lose in her time in the tropics.
“I’m at a very healthy weight at the moment and hopefully I won’t lose too much,” she says.
“It’s not like I’m stick thin and if I do lose any weight when I come home, my mother-in-law especially has got my favourite dish ready to go. I’ve told her what it is so I reckon in a week or two tops they’ll fatten me right back up.”
While many people are wary of the reality TV machine, Radulovic insists Survivor isn’t just another opportunity to get her mug on TV.
“Every piece of my energy I have has gone into preparing for this,” she says,
“It’s so important for me to give everything I've got because this is huge. I’m not coming here to get voted off first and get my face on television. I’m here to win the game.”
She may talk up her determination but Radulovic has ridden a “huge wave of mixed emotions” to get here.
“The first wave I had was terror because I was like, ‘Can I actually do this,’ ” she says.
“I was a pageant queen, studied psychology. This is so far out of my league, I’ve never been camping, I've never slept outside but I’m willing to give it a go and prove to myself that I can do it.
“My whole thing in life and the reason I did Miss Universe was to be a positive role model and set a good example for younger women. So if I’m saying, ‘I can’t do this,’ what sort of message does it send to other women? So I’m doing it for all of us women to show we can do anything we want.”
* Survivor: Champions v Contenders: Wednesday, 7.30pm on TEN.