Spy: Battle for host of Survivor NZ begins

Survivor Caramoan Tribal Council.

Auditions for the hotly contested role of host of TVNZ's Survivor NZ are under way and Spy hears one action man is a keen contender - former TV host Clarke Gayford.

The series, in which Kiwis will battle it out on a deserted island until the last survivor standing wins a huge cash prize, goes to air later this year.

But the battle begins well before then - former bachelorette Chrystal Chenery also wants the host role. Spy reckons it will be a great contest.

Gayford may have been off our screens for a while, but the popular DJ and partner of Labour MP Jacinda Ardern has his action man side.

He has been working with shark man Mike Bhana, whose Shark Man Tv won best documentary TV series at the WorldFest International Film Festival in Houston last month. And he has his own TV series - Fish of the Day won best lifestyle documentary series at WorldFest and has been sold to more than 20 countries.

Gayford has already been a contestant on the Kiwi version of Treasure Island and was among 16 global finalists for the "best job in the world", a caretaker based in the islands of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Gayford did not give too much away about his audition but told Spy it would be a dream gig he'd "totally be into".

Chenery has also made no secret of the fact she wants the hosting role - she declared she had the job after the series was announced, forcing TVNZ to issue a denial.