Winning The Traitors NZ would reignite Utah Mann's 2028 Olympic wrestling dreams.
Winning The Traitors NZ would reignite Utah Mann's 2028 Olympic wrestling dreams.
Globe-trotting wrestler Utah Mann explains why he “decided to play calm” and what he’d do with the prize money.
Utah Mann is one to watch on The Traitors NZ and if he takes out the $100,000 prize money, he would book a flight to Europe to propose to the love of his life, Chloe Francis, there.
Winning would also reignite his 2028 Olympic wrestling dreams and the marketing and tech expert is using all his skills, so far, playing a game with a calm demeanour.
Mann, 28, who is proudly of Tongan, Māori and Samoan descent, was born in South Auckland but grew up in San Diego, California.
“From 2013 to 2020, I lived in six cities across three continents, a journey that took me from a religious mission in Nicaragua to university in Utah, and then to living with my partner in East London,” Mann tells Spy.
The pandemic brought his family back to Aotearoa and Mann extended his marketing background into tech, starting his own digital marketing agency UTAK Digital.
Mann is currently the marketing and communications manager at Golf New Zealand. Sport has been a big part of his lineage while wrestling is his lifelong passion. He says it was a lifesaver when he started it at age 13 in San Diego, as a refuge from bullying.
“It gave me the confidence and skills to stand up for myself.
“Despite a tough start, I went from losing nearly every match in my first year, to becoming the top-ranked wrestler in Southern California four years later.
He explains wrestling is more than just self-defence; it’s a demanding and humbling sport that teaches resilience. Traits, Spy thinks, that are making him aTraitors contestant to watch.
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Two years ago, Mann rediscovered wrestling through the New Zealand and Tongan Olympic Style Wrestling Teams.
“Last year I became the top 97kg and heavyweight wrestler in New Zealand, tied for bronze at the Oceania Championships, and was the first wrestler to represent Tonga at the World Wrestling Championships in Serbia,” he explains.
“Though I didn’t qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, my journey isn’t over.
“I’m committed to another four years, with goals to become the New Zealand Champion and to win Tonga’s first gold medal in wrestling.”
Mann and Francis met through Instagram five years ago and he says they are a fairytale come true.
“Our relationship blossomed through countless DMs and FaceTime calls,” Mann reveals.
“Eventually, Chloe suggested we meet in person. At the time, she was living in London, so I booked a $220 return flight from LAX to Heathrow. Just eight hours after landing, we boarded a train to Paris and had our first date under the Eiffel Tower.”
Mann is surprised how timid he is coming across on the show.
Xavier Horan has been shouting out to his nephew for his game on social media. Photo / Ted Baghurst
“I’m actually loud and a bit of a cocky bastard. I’m super energetic and lean into being an extrovert, especially in anxious situations like The Traitors.
“Coming on to the show and meeting the other players, I quickly realised I was the fittest, so I decided to play calm and somewhat adorably ignorant to avoid being seen as a threat.”
Mann, who is a “faithful” on the show says, so far, he thinks he is playing a brilliant game and points out “traitor” Jane Massey as another one to watch.
“Jane is befriending ‘faithfuls’ and acting like one herself,” says Mann.
“That’s the key to the game -realising that the person you like least could be a fellow ‘faithful’ and the one you trust most could be your biggest enemy.”
