The Inheritance - Matt

Matt
Age: 51
Location: Somerset
Occupation: Coach company owner

Why did you apply to take part in The Inheritance?
I like the fact that it's not a show that I've seen before. I don't know anything about it; I'm completely in the dark and I like that. That's what really piqued my interest at the start. I like the fact that it's going to be new to me, new to everybody and I'm looking forward to seeing how I react to that. Am I going to fall apart because I'm in a situation that's unfamiliar? I don't know, but I'm really looking forward to finding out. This is more about analysing myself, testing myself. It’s more about that than showbusiness, fame or fortune for me.

What do you think you're going to bring to the game?
All I know is, I'm going to be in an atmosphere with different individuals of varying backgrounds. So, I think it will be interesting and I’m looking forward to it.

Would you call yourself a team player?
It’s difficult to say, because I do have my own business so there's only one man at the table, which is me! That said, I need a team and I'm only as good as my team. Ultimately, I know how to motivate people, to encourage people into achieving targets I’ve set and for them to feel they want to do it for me, as opposed to having to. I've been doing that for 25 years. It's kind of gone okay so far, and I want to see if that's something that I can bring to this situation.

What would you say your powers of persuasion are like?
I like to look at people's traits, see what makes them tick and try and work on that. I’ll see if I can get a reaction from certain questions that I may ask, or reactions to things that we have to do. I might look upon these reactions as a way of determining a strength or weakness in an individual and see how I might play on those to my advantage.

What are you like when you're playing games with friends and family? Would you say you're quite competitive?
In my business, I have umpteen challenges every day. It just happens because it's the nature of the business, it’s transport and things break, things fall apart and so on, so you have to be super reactive. You've got to be able to think on your feet really quickly. You can't just say, well, it's somebody else's job when the buck stops with you. I know ultimately that I have to make things happen so I can't fail. It is a winning mentality, I guess, and that does make you competitive because I would look at that failure and think, well, we could have done something about that. I'd always try and think of myself as doing my utmost to win and not because it's about winning but because I don't like failure.

If you do succeed and walk away with a large amount of money from this, what would you do with that?
My motivation was never about money, so I really haven't given that any thought. I'm really content with where I am, and I don't think any amount of money could make that better. It might improve material things around me, but my family, my life and my wellbeing I am perfectly content with.