BEAR GRYLLS has done everything from drinking his own urine to eating the heart of a moose in the name of survival.
So I was not surprised to hear that the pampered stars taking on his challenges in new adventure show, Celebrity Bear Hunt, crumbled. But the extent of their struggle can now be revealed.
Tennis ace Boris Becker with Mel B and Big Zhou[/caption]
Singer Una Healy and Strictly’s Shirley Ballas share an embrace[/caption]
Boris Becker was forced to withdraw on medical grounds, while Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen feared he was having a heart attack.
The programme sees 12 celebrities dropped into the Costa Rican jungle, where they must fend for themselves and avoid capture by super-skilled Bear.
Conditions are so savage Netflix bosses had a team of survival experts and ambulances on standby, plus anti-venom injections in case contestants were attacked by poisonous snakes.
Stars including Mel B, Danny Cipriani and Big Zuu join Laurence and troubled tennis legend Boris, who was hoping to reignite his career following a stint behind bars for bankruptcy offences.
Speaking before joining the show, which is also hosted by Holly Willoughby, he bragged: “I survived prison.
“I wanna compare that to the wild.
“It is about overcoming and not falling down.”
The debut series of Celebrity Bear Hunt is hosted by Holly Willoughby[/caption]
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen feared he was having a heart attack[/caption]
Boris Becker’s time on the show was cut short when he picked up an injury[/caption]
But Boris’s time on the show was cut short when he picked up an injury on the first day.
Executive producer Ben Mitchell revealed: “Boris, after years of playing tennis, as you’d expect, he’s kind of ravaged by injury, so his mobility was impaired.
“He jarred his knee and we didn’t want him to risk causing any kind of further damage so he was shipped out, which was a real shame.”
In another shocking moment, interior designer Laurence feared he was suffering a heart attack while in the sea and had to be saved by Bear.
Ben added: “There was a very scary moment with Laurence.
“One of our challenges is on the sea.
“It’s called Rescue Rafts.
“The celebs had to jump off a moving speedboat SAS-style.
“I think he had quite a hard landing and was a bit shocked in the water.
“He thought he was having a heart attack.
“It was quite dramatic as Bear was the first responder because he was closest.
“Laurence got rescued and taken to shore.
“He had oxygen on and it was all quite dramatic.
“He wasn’t having a heart attack, it was a panic attack.”
Pit gives show taste of hunger
THE show’s format of stars battling for survival in the jungle has seen it compared to ITV’s long-running I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here!
But the Netflix series’ boss reckons trying to complete tasks in the Bear Pit makes it more like dystopian murder thriller, The Hunger Games.
Celebs must win challenges to avoid being plunged into the danger zone – where they are hunted by Grylls.
Ben revealed: “The Bear Pit is this Hunger Games-esque natural arena where Bear will mercilessly hunt them down.
“The celebrities he catches will face elimination, basically. Bear is judge, jury and executioner.
“He gets to judge how people are doing and, if he wants to, he could give somebody a pass from the Bear Pit if they have done something particularly well in the challenge.
“There’s no prize for the winner – just bragging rights.”
Wild about jungle glampsite
Stars were treated to real beds in the Bear Hunt Camp[/caption]
CONTESTANTS who have slummed it on I’m A Celebrity will be green with envy when they see the Bear Hunt camp.
Forget the dingy dunny, hammocks and meals of rice and beans – these stars were treated to a fully stocked kitchen, booze, a yoga room, real beds, luxury showers and a proper loo.
A show insider said: “The camp is what you’d expect if a celebrity went glamping.
“There were all the creature comforts – even a secret smoking area round the back where all the real gossiping took place away from the cameras.”
That doesn’t mean the A-listers weren’t up against it elsewhere, though, especially in the Bear Pit.
Ben explained: “There are wild animals, venomous snakes, scorpions, crocodiles, but it’s about managing that risk.
“Going around in the Bear Pit, at a distance, there’s somebody from the health and safety team.
“We know where all the anti-venoms are, we’ve got routes to hospitals, we’ve got ambulances on standby everywhere.”
Jungle love in
OTHER big reality shows that Celebrity Bear Hunt has been likened to include SAS: Who Dares Wins, Man Vs Wild and Survivor.
But in a surprising twist, I can reveal that there’s a little dash of Love Island in there, too.
Stars in Costa Rica were given their own water bottles with their names on, just like on the ITV2 dating show.
Presumably there was no time to crack on with another star in the jungle, though.
Lots of tears and truths
Lottie Moss reveals all about her addiction battles as stars open up in emotional scenes[/caption]
EXPECT tears and tantrums as the stars crack under the pressure of the Costa Rican jungle.
But it’s not just the 40C heat that’s getting them hot under the collar.
There are also plenty of bust-ups as egos clash.
And in emotional scenes, several celebs open up about their deepest secrets, including model Lottie Moss, who reveals all about her addiction battles.
Boss Ben said: “This is a competition, so naturally there are bits of friction.
“There are some big, big personalities, big egos, in there.
“They’re obviously taking the competition seriously and want to win.
“It’s a pressure cooker, but they do open up about their private lives.
“We’ve got some really interesting people, like Lottie, who’ve been through their own difficult times just prior to coming out here.
“So everybody, as you’d expect, has got their story to tell – and they’ve sort of been a shoulder to cry on for each other.”
THE debut series of Celebrity Bear Hunt, with Bear Grylls and Holly Willoughby, drops on Netflix on Wednesday, February 5, with all eight episodes available to stream instantly.
So maybe book Thursday off work?
