Djamila Rowe failed in the final jungle test, did not get any of the possible five stars and still sat on the throne with the crown at the end of the final evening. Anyone who was surprised by this should know the show poorly.
Because the jungle camp is not about exams, the best performance or the greatest fame. But about authenticity and humanity. For 16 seasons, the RTL show has proven that no star manages to keep up its facade in the camp. Anyone who pretends, boasts, or does not undergo any development has a bad hand. Lucas Cordalis is just the latest example of this.
Season five, in which Sarah “Dingens” Knappik made enemies in the camp, is still legendary in the jungle story. The fans in front of the TV sets witnessed how the much older and experienced actor Mathieu Carrière pathetically begged the young model to leave the camp, how a large part of the residents gathered in the jungle telephone to give the producers a choice : either we go, or they.
And the “Ibes” fans could watch live how an individual developed into a moral authority and did not jump on the Sarah thing bashing train: Peer Kusmagk. In the end, of course, Kusmagk won. Today he probably doesn’t even know how many stars he earned in advance. And it’s also completely irrelevant. The 47-year-old became a hero. He helped the show explore what happens when a group of self-promoters get together.
Djamila Rowe did not distinguish herself through boasting or particularly good exam performance. On the contrary, she could not win very many stars. But she was honest. With herself, her co-stars and also the audience. Rowe opened her heart when she opened up about her traumatic childhood and revealed that she wanted to win for her children. She showed humor when addressing her failed plastic surgeries. And she showed what real team spirit looks like by completing two night watches in a row. It was not without reason that runner-up Gigi Birofio was genuinely happy with the new queen.
The triumph of the somewhat tragic figure Djamila is symbolic of the jungle camp. Since the first season, the show has shown how supposed trash TV works. Dirk Bach, Sonja Zietlow’s first co-moderator, who died in 2012, played a major role in this. The show still lives from his spirit today, from the tone he set with his love for the weird but real guys.
Not condescending and arrogant, but with clever wit and respect – that’s what jungle moderation has always been about. Bach and Zietlow gave the jungle camp the heart that still beats today. It is not uncommon for Zietlow to have tears of emotion on the show. Even the professional moderator cannot hide her sincere sympathy for some candidates. But she doesn’t have to. Because all of that is part of this special show. With Jan Köppen, the broadcaster has not only found a worthy successor to Daniel Hartwich, but also someone who has internalized the jungle spirit from the first episode.
With her prize money of 100,000 euros, Djamila Rowe not only wants to buy a new printer, but also to enable her daughter to get an education. There is probably no one who would not begrudge her that. Even more important for Rowe is that she gained new fans thanks to the camp. Because it’s not about how much fame a star pulls into the jungle. But how much recognition he fights for there.
