It is a terrible habit of TV producers – particularly those of the reality persuasion – to work backwards from a show’s name to its format. Naked and Afraid, Ladette to Lady, Milf Manor: all have instantly memorable pitches, but have produced mixed final results. The same, it feels, could be true of Celebrity Bear Hunt, a new Netflix show involving survivalist Bear Grylls and, as is necessary under the confines of the chosen title, a light amount of hunting.
The premise is simple and compelling: 12 celebrities are dropped into the Costa Rican jungle where they must survive on their wits while making their way to a checkpoint. The catch? They’re being hunted by TV’s piss-drinking wild man, Bear Grylls. That sounds easy enough to follow, except, actually, that’s not what Celebrity Bear Hunt is about. Instead, a dozen celebrities bed down for 18 days in a glamping cove. From there, they compete in extravagant daily tasks, after which a few will be sent, semi-randomly, to the “Bear Pit”, a local wilderness area into which Grylls will eventually parachute to chase them for an hour. And then some might be sent back to Blighty, while others will go back to their yurt. Oh, and, for some reason, Holly Willoughby is there, dressed like a colonial wife on safari.
