Grace Koh The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown 2016 Interview

Grace Koh The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown 2016 Interview

It's Australia Day and that means Smackdown time! This year the ABC3 presenters must tackle a series of grueling tests that will decide who is the fastest, strongest, smartest human! The prize? Their lives! An apocalyptic asteroid is heading for earth and only this year's winners will get to hide away in a protective bunker.

Is there something about the end of the world that Paul isn't telling them? Will Tim be able to tell Grace he has a crush on her in time? Will My Great Big Adventure's Nancy find a way to deal with apocalypse-based stress? Will James become a real doctor? Will Kayne and Bajo settle years of rivalry to try and save the planet? And most importantly, will Hex and Liv bake the ultimate dessert before it's the end of everything?

Might as well play to win, it's the end of the world, after all!

STARS Bajo, Grace, Hex, Ivy, James, Kayne, Liv, Nancy, Paul and Tim.

Interview with Grace Koh

Originally hailing from the little state of Tasmania, Grace Koh is an energy packed 19 year old taking on the big city life one giant leap at a time. With a background in ballet and a love for the stage, Grace is no stranger to performing and loves to entertain. After landing her dream gig co-hosting ABC3's Studio 3, Grace is ready to kick off more goals and make the most out of her exciting life.


Question: What is The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown 2016?

Grace Koh: This year The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown is quite different to the past years as it is an apocalypse; it is the end of the world and we are all fighting for essentially our lives – a place in a bunker that Paul has created. There are different sport challenges we have to go through. Of course there is drama between the contestants.


Question: How does it feel to feature in Smackdown?

Grace Koh: Awesome! I love Smackdown; this is my second year which made the experience like school camp as we were all reunited, like High School.


Question: Can you tell us about the gruelling tests featured in Smackdown?

Grace Koh: Challenges included finding who was the fastest, strongest and smartest competitor however all the tests are very wacky and almost seemed as if they were testing something completely different to what they were supposed to. It was a very interesting experience to film.


Question: Who did you work with on The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown 2016?

Grace Koh: Yes, this year we have Bajo, Hex, Kayne, Liv, Nancy, Paul and Tim; who are all so great to work with. Every single contestant is insane and our personalities seem to meld pretty well which makes it hilarious.


Question: What was the most difficult part about The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown 2016?

Grace Koh: The most difficult part of filming was when all of us were filming, together as it's a big mess. In scenes were we all feature the director and producers would have to fight for our attention and for us to quiet because we would cause havoc.


Question: What was the most enjoyable component of The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown 2016?

Grace Koh: The most enjoyable part of The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown was seeing all of the other competitors; every year when we come together it's so much fun because it's a great cast and crew and we all enjoy hanging out. This year during filming we all stayed at the same place, which was literally like school camp – we had the best time hanging out and telling stories on and off set. After hours we'd watch movies and just laugh.


Question: Where was The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown 2016 filmed?

Grace Koh: The Ultimate Survivor Smackdown 2016 was filmed at a YMCA-type school camp and this year we filmed in the middle of Winter; it was ridiculous as we were all freezing.

Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the television industry?

Grace Koh: Honestly I've always loved entertaining people; television was my dream job for such a long time. I could see everyone had so much fun on this channel which is what made me want to join and it is literally so much fun!


Question: How does it feel to see yourself on television?

Grace Koh: Seeing myself on television is something I'll never get used to, it is so weird and pretty ridiculous. I often forget that I am on television and I'll be approached by someone who says 'I saw you on televisions yesterday" and I'll think 'what?" It is funny when I am recognised, in public.


Question: What's a typical day like, for you?

Grace Koh: A typical day at work requires me to wake at 6am to arrive at the studio by 7:30am for hair and makeup; from there we will go through different links for the day. It's an awesome job and we have a very family feel which means we have fun all day, every day.


Question: What's next for you?

Grace Koh: Mostly ABC3's Studio 3 although the writers always have funny things coming up for us, so hopefully we'll have something exciting to share with everyone soon.


Interview by Brooke Hunter