As the contestants all assembled at the luxury lodge, game host Paul Henry offered them the chance to get rich quick and never come back, saying there would be “no harm and no recriminations”.
Revealing he’d set aside $10,000 in silver bars from the total $70,000 prize pot in a nearby field, Henry said if they wanted, they could run to get the money and leave the game richer but not play on.
As the moments passed, it seemed like no one would be bolting for the money.
Then, out of the blue, E-Blacks captain and professional gamer Sam ‘Fury’ Johnson shocked the 18 other contestants by running to get the money in the field. He was the only one of the group to make the move.
“This will be the biggest pay cheque I ever see in my life,” Johnson said in the episode.
“Probably about 150 different scenarios ran through my head in a few seconds. And I decided, ‘screw it’. I would love to play the whole game, but I work for minimum wage.”
Speaking to Newshub after Johnson left the game, Henry said it was a “bold move”.
“It’s a big call and there was a lot of pressure on them all,” Henry said.