Why Parvati Shallow Avoided "Arrogant" Dr. Will on Deal or No Deal Island
"Arrogant men who want to come in and make everything about them bother me so much," Parvati told NBC Insider about the Big Brother alum.
Thanks to memorable stints on both Survivor and Traitors, Parvati Shallow has carved out a reality television legacy that's all her own. She never backs down from a risk, making her one of the biggest threats in any game she plays. Right now, that's Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 (airing Tuesdays on NBC). We're only a few episodes in, and Parvati's already shown her aptitude for strategy, forming an alliance with Survivor Australia winner David Genat called The Family. At this point, Parvati is an undeniable frontrunner in the competition, but really, did we expect anything less from a four-time Survivor castaway?
Below, Parvati catches up with NBC Insider about her time on DONDI and so much more. Read on!
NBC Insider: What excited you most about joining Deal Or No Deal Island Season 2?
Parvati Shallow: Well, I loved watching [Boston] Rob play Season 1. I liked it all: the glamping, the luxury, the food, the beds. You know, just basic life stuff, like showers and being able to brush your teeth, is pretty exciting for me... I've never had that before. I loved how luck is like another component of the game, kind of like this element of the competition that doesn't necessarily weigh so heavily in any of the other games that I've played.
NBC Insider: How did DONDI's gameplay vary from your time on Survivor or Traitors?
Parvati: Usually, the games that I play, you can show up with a strategy and have some control over your fate in the game. But with Deal Or No Deal, there's so much luck that's involved. It was a challenge to surrender more fully for me. And just be really present in the moment. And then navigate from a place of complete presence.
I can get really in my head with strategy. When I play Survivor, I dream about Survivor. I dream about who I'm 'gonna take out or who I'm 'gonna work with and how I'm 'gonna align and get the numbers and what's 'gonna happen. With Deal or No Deal, you can't really plan anything. Until the challenge happens, and you see how the challenge shakes out 'cause the challenges change every time. And maybe there's two people safe, or maybe there's 10 people safe. So it's like, I don't know how this is 'gonna go. So I just have to be fully in my body in a very different way than I have in any other game.
NBC Insider: Which fellow DONDI player did you connect with most during the game? Either as an ally or a friend?
Parvati: David and I have very similar backgrounds. So we instantly clicked. He's super fun. And funny. [Him] coming from Survivor Australia — I was preparing to play Australian Survivor — so I was really curious and wanted to get to know him instantly. Philip [Solomon] was so funny. I loved how fast his mind worked, and he's just really sharp-witted. Dickson's so sweet. Dickson actually comes off as very sweet, but he's got a little bit of an edge, so keep your eye on that guy. C.K. was super intense. The personalities for the cast, it was the most wildly unique and different group of people that I've ever been on a cast with. I really loved a lot of them.
Dr. Will is the kind of personality that I just cannot be around. I can't be quiet around them. I can't let them do their thing and hold everyone hostage without saying something. Normally when I play, I'm like live and let live. I have a very high tolerance for different personalities and different types of people. But arrogant men who want to come in and make everything about them bother me so much [Laughter]. So I had a problem with Will.
NBC Insider: How do you stay motivated during a more grueling excursion? Especially on a show like DONDI?
Parvati: I'll do anything as far as excursions go. I just know there's always an end. So I'm like, I'm not gonna sign up to do that show alone. I'm not 'gonna, like, go to the Alaskan wilderness and survive by myself. But an excursion on Deal Or No Deal is, like, I can handle it.
The thing that made the excursions challenging was the not knowing beforehand how many people would be safe. How to set myself up for success. And we had to figure that out on the fly in a really short amount of time. The excursions were maybe intense, like people who were afraid of heights or whatever, but I don't know, I just really trust myself. I know I can get through hard stuff. So I just tell myself we can do hard things.
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NBC Insider: Does the strategy talk ever stop when you're on a show like DONDI?
Parvati: Yes. There actually is a lot of time that is not game-focused or excursion-focused for me on Deal or No Deal, because the challenges really informed the game. I didn't really want to spend my time strategizing before a challenge. 'Cause I didn't think it mattered. And I didn't want to say too much ahead of time and put my foot in my mouth or set up some alliance that wasn't 'gonna be viable after a challenge because the challenge went differently. Before the challenge you're having breakfast, you're chilling, you're going for a swim in the ocean, maybe doing some snorkeling, maybe a little yoga. I'm not doing a bunch of strategizing before a challenge. And we had a lot of time to hang.
But then, after the challenge, that's when it was [snaps], like, game on. And that time period was very compressed. 'Cause the challenges took a long time to get done. So then, sometimes, we only had 20 minutes after a challenge to strategize, figure out the gameplay and also do your hair and makeup and take a shower and get ready for Temple where you, like, look decent. That was difficult. That's why I felt like it was a lot of sit back, surrender, be present. Take the breaks while you can, rest while you can. Enjoy people's company while you can. Then, be ready to shift into gameplay instantly and throttle back. There were some people who couldn't turn that off.
NBC Insider: What is scarier to you when faced with elimination, playing the Banker head-on or watching on the sidelines to see if you'll be out?
Parvati: I would not want to watch on the sidelines to see if I'd be out. I would rather take my chances. I like to go to Vegas. I like to play Craps and Blackjack. Like, I'm gonna go up and take the risk.
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NBC Insider: Let's say you're facing the Banker and had the honor of choosing two loved ones to open the briefcases during your game. Who would those two people be?
Parvati: Oh, my daughter, for sure. I would love to watch her open the case... I would probably have my mom [for the second person] because when I played Survivor, I had my dad come out to the family visit twice. And my mom came on Micronesia, and she had a tough go because people were mad at me at that time when she came for the family visit. So she just watched me kind of be decimated, and it wasn't a good experience for her. So, I'd have her come and open the case as an offering.
NBC Insider: Do you have any advice you would give viewers watching at home who may want to compete in a future season of DONDI?
Parvati: I think, first of all, do it. Because it is the most fun game I've ever played. It was so fun. If you're going to play this game to win, then you want to just have a very strong nervous system that can handle uncertainty. Like, build up your capacity to handle the unknown. Build up your trust in yourself so that you can handle whatever life throws at you. And you're going to do very well.
Watch Deal or No Deal Island on Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
— Reporting by Stephanie Gomulka
