WHEN he’s not out shopping for offal, pig’s blood, cow eyeballs or dead cockroaches, Trent Pattison is finetuning his next confronting and often disgusting challenge to torment a group of stars.
He’s a key part of the I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! production, coordinating each of the daily trials that the 10 personalities taking part in the reality series must face.
And he reckons it’s the best job in the world.
CELEBRITY ROLLER-COASTER: Episode eight recap
Master manipulator … Trent Pattison is the challenge co-ordinator on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! and comes up with ways to test the stars. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
“I could be counting boxes in a warehouse somewhere but instead I’m in South Africa hanging out with a bunch of like-minded people who like screwing with people’s heads,” Pattison said.
So far, the celebs have faced everything from eating gross animal bits to coming face-to-face with deadly animals, scaling grand heights and plunging to creepy depths by being buried alive with rats.
He has worked on most seasons of the original UK version of the show and travelled with it for various incarnations around the world.
“I’ve done this in Costa Rica, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia (for the UK series) and now South Africa. I’ve seen lots of locations but they’re all pretty much green. This place, the environment is stunning. I can’t wait for the challenges coming up. I’m quite excited.”
Going under … The Brady Bunch star Maureen McCormick dunks herself in a pool of stinking elephant poo as part of a Tucker Trial. Picture: Supplied Source: Channel 10
While it’s all a bit of fun, there are numerous logistical difficulties involved. After all, where can you get a few dozen kilos of fish guts at short notice when you’re hundreds of kilometres from the sea?
“You need to think outside the square a lot,” Pattison said.
“I need to contact people early and get them to start putting lots of stuff away for me. There are lots of funny conversations. It’s sometimes quite challenging.
“I remember in Australia for the UK series, I went to the local Coles to buy every tube of KY Jelly they had for a certain challenge we were doing. It was a very awkward moment.”
Creepy crawlies … many of the challenges involve local dangerous wildlife, like the snakes and spiders Joel Creasey got up close to. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
And if it doesn’t all come off when the cameras start rolling, the strength of the show could be at risk.
The daily Tucker Trials, in which the celebs can win food, and the Celebrity Chest challenges, which offer a range of rewards, are a key part of the format.
Without them, producers could be left scrambling to find dramatic content from a basic jungle camp environment that lends itself to lots of sleeping and mundane conversation.
“We take our jobs pretty seriously. That’s why we carefully test every challenge to make sure it works and works well.”
Disgust-ation … Maureen downs a mouthful of bugs as part of a Tucker Trial. Picture: Supplied Source: Channel 10
That means doing exactly what the stars are asked to — stomach-churning eating challenges and all.
“There’s nothing that we get the celebrities to do that we don’t do ourselves, right down to the eating trials. The worms, the testicles, blood and pig’s milk — it’s something we have to do.
“We do a full rehearsal to figure out rules, timings and any loopholes the celebs could discover.”
When they’re not preparing for the next show, the challenge department could be found in an hours-long brainstorming session, coming up with new ways of tormenting the celebs.
“That’s a creative and fun environment. A lot of ideas grow out of that. They’re long sessions but a lot of fun.
“Given the show has been running for so long elsewhere in the world, we’ve got a big catalogue to pick and choose from.”
Hard yakka … some of the challenges the celebs encounter are physical in nature, inspired by the local landscape. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
Although Pattison said Australian audiences tend to be a little less “hungry for blood” than their British counterparts.
That means a slightly less nasty tone and more of a comedic confrontational one. So far, it has gone down a treat with viewers.
“It has been great so far but the best is yet to come,” he said.
I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 6.30pm on Network Ten.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét