The Anonymouswas an entirely new concept, and though the game was strategically intense,Nina Twine took the win during the final face-off, securing an $80,000 payout.Nina, daughter ofSurvivorlegendandThe Traitorsseason 2 icon Sandra Diaz-Twine, has been a reality TV threat in her own right prior to competing on the USA Network competition. Having gotten her hands dirty on two seasons ofAustralian Survivor,Nina did her best to keep her reality TV background a secret while playing the game of deception.
Created by Studio Lambert, the minds behindThe TraitorsandSquid Game: The Challenge,The Anonymouspushed its participants to compete in two different modes. Interacting in aBig Brotherstyle scenario in real life mode, the competitors had to switch things up when they turned on anonymous mode and spoke under the disguise of a handle. Competing with text-based chats,The Anonymous’all-star cast of playersgot the opportunity to voice their real opinions on others and attempt to stay completely anonymous in order to move forward in the game.
WhileNina worked hard to competewith some of the most strategic minds, it was clear from early on that she had strategies that would run circles around others. Throughout the season, Nina used her incredible reads on her competitors to make sound strategic choices that carried her forward in the game.Her natural charisma and charm transferred over to her chat with Screen Rant, where she talked about how she navigated the endgame ofThe Anonymousand what her next challenge is.
I don’t think this is the last time you’ll see me.
Screen Rant: Congratulations, Nina! I was so happy to see you become the first winner of The Anonymous. When I talked to you at the beginning of the season, we discussed building a resume in a competition of your own, and you mentioned carrying on the legacy your mother [Sandra Diaz-Twine of Survivor fame] started - how does it feel to be the first winner of such an intensely strategic competition?
Nina Twine: It feels amazing to be the first winner ofThe Anonymous!It’s a brand-new series, no one’s set the stage, so I was able to forge my own path and do it effectively throughout the season. I’m so happy, I’m so honored, and I just want to say thank you to me[laughs]you know, a lot of people say,“I want to say thank you to me!”Because Nina’s here. Nina’s here, Nina knew what she had to do, and she had the confidence to say, go ahead girl, do your thing.
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Screen Rant: You did such a wonderful job, it was a joy to watch.
Nina Twine: Thank you!
Screen Rant: We also discussed the strategies you had going into the game during our first chat - I’m curious about how your strategy changed as the game dwindled down. How did you stay anonymous with so few players left in the game?
Nina Twine: You know, my strategy overall didn’t really change - but my approach changed. You know, instead of saying let me have a quick chat with everyone, kind of keep it moving, be observant - I said, no. You need to hone in on these people because whoever’s going to be at the end, I don’t care - but I need to have a read on them in some way, shape, or form. I can’t do that with a quick five-minute conversation. Let me sit with them a little bit longer, and let me get to know them a little better without giving too much of myself away.
Screen Rant: Smart - that being said, I want to talk about the endgame. In the final face-off, Marcel [Cunningham] allowed you to take the third spot when selecting your box. What was your strategy behind wanting to go third, and were you surprised that he gave it to you so quickly?
Nina Twine: Yeah, I actually had a conversation with him earlier in the game where we were just [casually talking] and we were talking about [face-off] placement. I was like, I don’t care who’s there, I just want to be third if it’s four, or fourth if it’s five because we don’t know. When it came down to it and he found out he got to choose, I was like, hey! I wouldn’t mind being third, just throwing it out there - don’t know if you remember that conversation. I was very surprised he allowed me to do it, but at the same time, not really - because you know, when tough decisions like that come up, when somebody [gives you their request] it makes it just a little bit easier for you. I’m very much grateful that he did, obviously.
I wanted to go third for a few reasons - one, I knew he was going to go last. Two, when it comes to Andy [King] and Christopher [Shulstead], I wanted to really have time to process what they were doing and saying, and I can’t do that if I’m first. I also don’t have as much movement as I like [if I’m earlier]. I wanted to have as many options as possible, so that was taking Christopher’s box, Andy’s box, or a new box. That doesn’t happen if I’m in first or second, so I wanted to have as many opportunities as possible. In all honesty, I didn’t want to go last – I know the way my brain works and I know if I was last, the pressure probably would’ve gotten to me and I would’ve missed something. Third was exactly where I wanted to be, and I knew that.
Screen Rant: And it worked out!What led you to choose to take Andy’s box?
Nina Twine: What led me to take Andy’s box was a previous experience I had with him in another face-off. Andy is a very charismatic person, both vocally and physically – that was something I paid attention to with everyone. Every face-off I was in, I made sure to pay attention to how everyone moved, and if that changes significantly, that’s something that you can pick up on. You can even hear me say in the episode, I think he’s duping me – I think he’s trying to confuse me. In another face-off we were in, he told me straight up, don’t take this box, you don’t want it. He said that with a lot of conviction – and so he went from[dramatic] “don’t take this box,”to[monotone] “don’t take this box,”so it was a red flag for me. I knew we were at the end [so he could’ve been nervous], but I wanted to trust my intuition, I wanted to trust the research I’d done about body language, and I was right.
Screen Rant: What was running through your head when you opened that blue box and it said “win” inside? How did you keep yourself in check through Marcel’s final choice?
Nina Twine: What was going through my mind was,please be right,and then when I saw it, I thought to myself,you’re able to’t react.It almost didn’t feel real, because it could still be taken away from me. So I was like, I don’t want to be over-expressive because I don’t want it to be taken away, but also because I know it can be, so let’s be calm, try to look a little disappointed, and see if it works. And it did!
Screen Rant: In the finale, Marcel really seemed like he felt like you weren’t a threat to him. He was much more threatened by Andy – what do you think was the difference in your gameplay that kept your threat level down? You’re both games, albeit from different backgrounds, so how did you mist him so thoroughly that you didn’t seem threatening?
Nina Twine: No one really found me threatening throughout the entire season, and I think that’s because of the way I navigated those relationships. I did have strategic conversations, I did have more forthcoming and honest conversations, but I never had them in a way that made you go, whoa, what’s going on, she’s on another level. I kept it simple, I kept it forward, and I kept it as brief as possible. There are other players who are more blunt, Marcel being one of those individuals. He said it to Bismah [Ahmed], “hug me in the front, stab me in the back,” -I would never say anything like that!
Of course, each and every player is going to come into the game and play it differently. I think what differentiated me from others was navigating each conversation I had with each player differently. There were some players I was straight up, strategic, and forward with, but there were other players where it was fluff conversations where I just wanted to get a feel for what they were thinking. There were other players, too, where I knew they just wanted to have their points heard, so I allowed them to talk and guide the conversations. I adapted to each individual, where a lot of people don’t do that - they just stay one note for everyone. Not everyone gravitates toward that. We also saw a lot of that throughout the season – not everyone gets along, but I get along with everyone.
Screen Rant: Incredible, well done. Last question: now you’ve wonThe Anonymous,what’s next? I would love to see you onThe Traitors,personally – but what’s next for you?
Nina Twine: Everything’s next for me! I’m not going to stop – Nina’s here, y’all see what I can do.The Traitors,I’m just waiting for that call. We can both manifest that, but I don’t think this is the last time you’ll see me. I’m open to anything, I love a challenge – I have natural charisma that allows people to gravitate toward me and you all have seen what I can do with that. I can use all those relationships to my advantage, so yeah – I’m open for any and everything.
The Anonymous
Cast
The Anonymous is a 2024 film exploring a strategic competition where players navigate both the real and digital worlds. In the virtual realm, known as Anonymous Mode, participants communicate anonymously to gain power and eliminate rivals, blending elements of perception and deception as they vie for victory.
