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Jungle Celebrities: British TV's Top Show
Aired February 09, 2004 - 15:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The new reality TV rage in Britain takes viewers down under. It's called "I'm a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here." B-list celebrities get dawn and dirty in the Australian outback to win a grand title.
CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Good lord. It's a double D-sized, royal-watching, estranged footballer's wife singing pop songs and eating maggots in the Australian outback. Not one, but a team of twittering has-beens and wannabes out to win in the reality TV stakes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I think I deserve to win because I had to do lots more really humiliating things, and you're probably all enjoy watching me be covered in god knows what. And it will probably give the queen a jolly good giggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How's the experienced changed me? Not at all. I'll be taken out of here in a straight jacket I expect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bit lively this morning. There's one reason why I should win this. And I don't think I will. So, if that's a plea -- that's a plea, isn't it?
SWEENEY: It's compulsive viewing for, at last count, 11 million people. Watching B-list celebrities squirming among the creepy crawlies as they undertake the notorious Bush Tucker (ph) trials to win food for the camp. The third series of the ratings sensation is attracting acres of coverage in the British tabloids and celebrity magazines.
So why is the show so popular?
MARK FRITH, EDITOR, "HEAT" MAGAZINE: They have the star list. They have the people who do their makeup. They have the expensive wardrobes, the entourage.
When you're in a rain forest, without any of that, without even any makeup, you can see people how they really are. And that fascinates us. We're living in a celebrity obsessed age.
SWEENEY: Program bosses say viewer participation is the key, as well as the bizarre cast, including the unlikely combination of a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) aristocrat, a scantily-clad model, one-time pop star, athlete and ex-royal reporter. Several contestants have been voted out already. Their reaction to gobbling bugs or crawling through eels and cockroaches obviously not compelling enough.
The foul-mouthed former Sex Pistol, Johnny Lydon, walked on his own accord, forced to utter the catch phrase, "Get me out of here." Those remaining in camp have just days to prove they are the king or queen of the jungle.
Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 9, 2004 - 15:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The new reality TV rage in Britain takes viewers down under. It's called "I'm a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here." B-list celebrities get dawn and dirty in the Australian outback to win a grand title.
CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Good lord. It's a double D-sized, royal-watching, estranged footballer's wife singing pop songs and eating maggots in the Australian outback. Not one, but a team of twittering has-beens and wannabes out to win in the reality TV stakes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I think I deserve to win because I had to do lots more really humiliating things, and you're probably all enjoy watching me be covered in god knows what. And it will probably give the queen a jolly good giggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How's the experienced changed me? Not at all. I'll be taken out of here in a straight jacket I expect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bit lively this morning. There's one reason why I should win this. And I don't think I will. So, if that's a plea -- that's a plea, isn't it?
SWEENEY: It's compulsive viewing for, at last count, 11 million people. Watching B-list celebrities squirming among the creepy crawlies as they undertake the notorious Bush Tucker (ph) trials to win food for the camp. The third series of the ratings sensation is attracting acres of coverage in the British tabloids and celebrity magazines.
So why is the show so popular?
MARK FRITH, EDITOR, "HEAT" MAGAZINE: They have the star list. They have the people who do their makeup. They have the expensive wardrobes, the entourage.
When you're in a rain forest, without any of that, without even any makeup, you can see people how they really are. And that fascinates us. We're living in a celebrity obsessed age.
SWEENEY: Program bosses say viewer participation is the key, as well as the bizarre cast, including the unlikely combination of a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) aristocrat, a scantily-clad model, one-time pop star, athlete and ex-royal reporter. Several contestants have been voted out already. Their reaction to gobbling bugs or crawling through eels and cockroaches obviously not compelling enough.
The foul-mouthed former Sex Pistol, Johnny Lydon, walked on his own accord, forced to utter the catch phrase, "Get me out of here." Those remaining in camp have just days to prove they are the king or queen of the jungle.
Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
