Johannesburg – In a heartbreaking turn of events, international sporting legend Caster Semenya became the first celebrity contestant eliminated from Tropika Island Of Treasure: Réunion Island competition.
Caster’s elimination brought her island adventure to an unexpected end.
Competing as Team Orange alongside partner Thando Zwane, Caster found herself in an elimination challenge alongside Team Blueberry Cheesecake, made up of Leandie du Randt and Anke Coetzer, and Team Green Apple, Nadia Nakai and Andile Khuluse.
Following last week’s sunset ceremony, the three teams faced a challenge that demanded far more than physical strength.
Their task was to stack 21 Tropika bottles of different sizes on a wobbly wooden disc, with the added complication that each pair was tied together at the wrists and could only use one hand each.
Team Orange got off to a strong start and appeared to be in contention, but disaster struck when their disc came crashing down, forcing Caster and Thando to start again.
Despite a few more attempts, fumbles and plenty of pressure, the pair were unable to recover enough ground and were ultimately the last team to complete the challenge.
That meant the unthinkable: Caster Semenya and Thando Zwane were the first team eliminated from Tropika Island Of Treasure: Réunion Island.
For an athlete who has built her career on competing at the highest level, Caster admits that leaving the competition so early was not what she expected, but says the experience gave her a different perspective on what it means to compete.
Being the first celebrity eliminated from Tropika Island of Treasure Reunion Island must have been unexpected. What was going through your mind when you realised your journey had come to an end?
Caster: Look, nobody goes to an Island to compete and to leave first. But the moment it happened, I felt at peace.
I compete to win, always, but I also respect the game.
I was disappointed, yes, but more gratitude that I got to be there at all. In sport I have learnt: you do not always control the result; you control your response.
You entered the competition as an elite athlete, so did you feel that your sporting background gave you an advantage going into the challenges?
Caster: In some ways, yes. Discipline, endurance, mental toughness — those are my daily bread.
I know how to push through pain and stay focused under pressure. But Tropika is not the track.
It is not just physical; it’s puzzles, balance, patience, strategy. So my background helped, but it could not do everything for me.
How quickly did you and Thando find your rhythm as a team, and what do you think worked particularly well between you?
Caster: Thando and I clicked quickly. He is a calm, positive soul and very driven.
What worked was respect.
We listened to each other. I brought the competitive spirit, he brought creative thinking and good energy.
We didn’t have a lot of time to build chemistry, but in that short time, we became a real team.
What was going through your mind during the elimination challenge?
I was telling myself, “Steady, Caster, steady.”
It looks simple on TV, but that structure moves with every breath.
You need to be still in your mind first, then your hands follow. I was trying to control my breathing, communicate with Thando, and not rush.
That challenge required concentration, balance, and teamwork. Looking back, what do you think was the biggest factor that worked against you and Thando?
We wanted it too much, too quickly. Sometimes when you rush to fix a mistake, you create another one.
The structure punishes any sudden movement.
If we had slowed down even more and found a shared rhythm, maybe the outcome would have been different.
But that’s the game.
As someone who is used to competing at the highest level, how difficult was it to deal with a challenge where physical ability alone wasn’t necessarily enough to guarantee success?
Caster: Very humbling, and I needed that. On the track, if you train hard, you run fast.
In Tropika Island Of Treasure, you can be the strongest, but if you can’t balance, listen, and be patient, you fall.
It reminded me that success is not just about power; it’s about finesse and teamwork.
Was there a moment during the competition when you thought, ‘Okay, this is much harder than I expected’?
Caster: Yes, during that bottle challenge! You think, “It’s just bottles.”
Then you are standing there, the sun is hot, the thing is swinging, your partner is counting on you.
I said to myself, “Yo, this island is not playing around!”
What surprised you most about the Tropika Island of Treasure experience, the challenges, the pressure, the island environment or the relationships you formed?
Caster: The mental pressure.
Physically I was ready, but the emotional pressure, living with strangers, being away from family, the cameras, the time pressure, working with a partner, that is tough.
What surprised me positively was the love among the teams.
We compete hard, but off-camera we support each other. That humanity was beautiful.
You had the opportunity to experience Réunion Island while filming. Was there a particular moment or place that stood out for you away from the competition?
Caster: Réunion is powerful. It reminds me of home.
It has mountains, strong people, a beautiful energy, a volcano, the ocean, and the mix of cultures.
My favourite moment was early morning before challenges, when it was quiet, and you could hear the island breathing. It’s a place of strength.
Despite your early elimination, what is the biggest lesson or takeaway you are taking away from your time on the island?
Caster: That every ending is a beginning.
I left early, but I left with a new brother in Thando, with respect for different kinds of challenges, and with the reminder that a champion is not defined by winning every time, but by how you walk away.
I walked away proud, grateful, and a better person!
Caster may have left the competition earlier than expected, but her time on Réunion Island proved that Tropika Island Of Treasure is about much more than athletic ability.
With challenges designed to test balance, strategy, communication, patience and teamwork, even the strongest contestants can find themselves under pressure.
With seven duos remaining, the competition on Réunion Island is intensifying.
Catch Tropika Island Of Treasure every Wednesday at 21:00 on SABC 1, with a repeat every Thursday at 18:00 on S3.
