Published by Mason Oldridge, 11 December 2023
CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Following on from the All-Stars spin-off in the spring, Ant & Dec are back to Australia for another year of the main series of the survival reality show.
After last year’s decision to include a controversial right-wing politician (Matt Hancock), this was replicated again, this time with the charismatic Brexit pioneer Nigel Farage. Reportedly the highest paid contestant ever, it could be believed that he would be the talk of the jungle this year. However, it soon became apparent that someone else would become the one to dominate the series: internet personality Nella Rose.
The campmates were still adjusting to camp life when the first conflict arose. First Dates star Fred Sirieux innocently told Nella he was old enough to be her father to which she bewilderingly took offence due to her deceased parents, rejecting his apology as insincere and opting to avoid contact with him moving forward. This began the online backlash against her, even seeing #PoorFred trending that night. Furthermore, she started a confrontational argument with Nigel on the topic of immigration and assigned Fred to washing up after his criticism of her washing efforts out of sheer pettiness. All of this was in addition to inhabiting a lazy lifestyle and an antagonistic attitude as opposed to the teamworking approach of the rest. She was eliminated second.
The other talking point of the series was the cooking conflict between Fred and This Morning team member Josie. The maître d' was the natural choice of chef due to his background but when the roles were reassigned and Josie became the new camp cook, Fred struggled to sit back and not intervene, consistently commenting and watching over her, making her uncomfortable.
Other notable moments include Nigel’s incredible performances in the eating, drinking and snake coffin trials he faced, the development of actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears from struggling emotionally to proving herself worthy in a suspended-in-the-air trial, and the blossoming bromance between the top two finalists reality star Sam Thompson and boxer Tony Bellow. Tony was likely popular due to his dry wit and sarcastic outbursts whereas Sam was the life and soul of the camp. The excitable manchild was living out his childhood dream appearing on the show and went on to be crowned King of the Jungle.
Despite the format staying the same, camp conflict, interesting conversations and hilarious moments made for another good year.
9/10