Can Aussies handle ‘the jungle’?
You might have wondered what the hype over the reality series, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! that's being shot locally is all about and why parts of Swadini Nature Reserve are still closed.
SWADINI – You might have wondered what the hype over the reality series, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! that’s being shot locally is all about and why parts of Swadini Nature Reserve are still closed.
Lowvelder found that not many locals are familiar with this Australian reality series. Below is some background information that might clear the confusion.
The show has had 14 seasons and the first-ever episode in the UK was broadcast on ITV on August 26, 2002. There are about 350 crew members on the Australian series, including security, runners, producers, caterers and editors.
A huge amount of food has to be sourced to cater for the crew and celebrities. It’s anticipated the crew will get through 10 000 meals made up of 5 000 eggs, 500 kilograms of potatoes, 400 kilograms of steak and more than 100 kilograms of ice cream. And of course, the team is also likely to be snacking on some biltong, or beef jerky, as they know it.
There have been versions of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! produced for the UK, India, the United States, Germany, Hungary, France, Sweden and, now, Australia. Previous contestants in the UK seasons have included Samantha Fox, Uri Geller, Joe Bugner, Toyah, Kerry Katona, Katie Price, John (Johnny Rotten) Lydon, Janet Street-Porter and Carol Thatcher, the daughter of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher – to mention a few.
The winner of the first UK version was famed radio DJ Tony Blackburn. Australians who have appeared include pop star Peter Andre, actor Jason Donovan, actress Kimberley Davies and swimsuit model Emily Scott. There will be 14 edit suites working around the clock to produce the Australian show.
Kilometres of cables are being installed, with one kilometre of suspension bridges, 400 metres of bridges, six kilometres of rope, eight kilometres of steel cabling and 60 tonnes of scaffolding.
This is being done under the supervision of South African National Parks Environmental Impact consultants. The producers are providing hundreds of jobs and bringing millions of rand to the local economy for the duration of the series. After the cameras are wrapped and the crew have returned home, the producers have undertaken to rehabilitate and improve the area, leaving it in better shape than when they arrived. Two satellites send the program 10 500 kilometres to Australia for live broadcast. If one fails, the other kicks in, instantaneously rerouting the signal via another sector of the globe.
Up to half a million critters will join our celebrities in the jungle, with cockroaches, crickets and mealworms guest starring in the show. In the UK, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! has just finished its 14th season, premiering on ITV with 10,3 million viewers and a 42 per cent share of individuals. Peaking at 11,1 million, the reality show was the most-watched program on its opening weekend.
The show was also the most tweeted program of the opening weekend with 649 723 tweets. Reality star Gemma Collins (The Only Way Is Essex) generated the most attention with a massive 300 000 tweets. The show ended up with a 62 per cent Twitter audience share for the day.
Here are the celebrities that are currently at Swadini Game Reserve:
