The Locky Gilbert viewers see on Australian Survivor, the tall, competitive bloke with his shirt off - that's the real Locky.
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"My friends and family, when they see me on TV they're like yeah, that's exactly who I am," he said.
"Unless you're Henry (Nicholson, another contestant), trying to fake being a yoga instructor, it's pretty hard to hide who you are.
"I'm very competitive, I'm very loud, I like to be the leader - that's just who I am, and I like being the way I am."
The reality show contestant and Bali-based adventure tour guide visited his home town of Murray Bridge this week to catch up with family and visit his old school, Unity College, without giving too much away about the show being played out on Australia's TV screens.
Australian Survivor: All Stars was filmed in Fiji in August and September, and Mr Gilbert has had to stay tight-lipped since then, to the point that even his mum didn't know he featured on the show until she saw him in an advertisement.
He had previously appeared on its fourth season in 2017 and said he jumped at the chance to play "the best game in the world" one more time.
"As soon as I got called up I was like 'yep, sign me up'," he said.
"The whole idea behind it - living on an island, building a shelter, competing in challenges - screams what I love."
Despite having little food, shelter or comfort, tribal politics were the most mentally taxing part of the show, he said.
"The thing you don't see, watching it on TV, is we're talking 24 hours a day: you sleep about three hours a night, you get up and then you're just talking, strategising," he said.
"There's never really a point where you're like 'oh yeah, I'm sweet'.
"When you've had a conversation with someone, for the next five minutes you're like 'was that real, are they faking, are they playing me?'"
It had been hard to keep the show's conclusion a secret, he said.
However, he promised it would get more and more exciting as the season went on.
Asked whether he would like to catch up with Australian Community Media again when he got eliminated, he flashed a grin: "If I do," he said.
Australian Survivor: All Stars airs at 7.30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Network 10.