Since Sunday evening (January 29th) there is a new jungle queen! In the 16th season of the RTL show “I’m a star – get me out of here!” (also on RTL) Djamila Rowe (55) grabbed the crown. On top of that there is prize money of 100,000 euros.
In the final, quite unusual on Sunday evening, three stars fought for the jungle crown: Lucas Cordalis (55), Gigi Birofio (23) and Djamila. Especially Gigi and Lucas have often clashed in the last few days. Gigi didn’t seem to let go of the topic in the final either and immediately went back on course for confrontation. He repeated the charge that Lucas wasn’t “real” and didn’t care about the others. But Daniela Katzenberger’s (36) husband did not allow himself to be provoked.
While Djamila struggled with her fears early in the final, Gigi was in “fighter mode”. Lucas reiterated his dream that he wanted to “make history” and be on the list of winners alongside his late father, Costa Cordalis (1944-2019). After a warm farewell to Cosimo Citiolo (41) and Jolina Mennen (30), who had been voted out the day before, the three were finally alone. It didn’t take long before the finalists were called to the jungle phone – the final exam was already waiting there, which they all had to take individually. You had the choice between “correct”, “crass” and “stable”. Djamila decided on “correct” and was allowed to go first, she fought for the appetizers for their last dinner together. But even before the exam, her tears flowed, but she was “proud” to be here – but she was also afraid.
Djamila’s jungle test: The glass aquarium – an absolute classic in the Australian bush. She had to put her head in an aquarium from below and was fitted with diving goggles and a snorkel. First the glass case filled with water, then all sorts of animals should follow. But even the water bothered her, so she pulled the emergency device. “I got a lot of water in my mouth. It was probably nothing,” said the 55-year-old, visibly disappointed. She also had to give up on the second attempt, this time water “came through her nose”. That’s why the broken Djamila had to deduct zero stars. So there were no appetizers for the stars, and the goodie and a drink for the 55-year-old fell into the water. Disappointed, she went back to the camp and explained to the other two that she had not completed the task. But the two encouraged their comrade-in-arms. “The woman has already proved enough,” Gigi says. She was the “strongest woman” he had the privilege of meeting.
Next up was Gigi with “Krass”, who was presented with an extremely disgusting five-course meal. Jungle fans are also familiar with this task: ten plates in five courses are offered to him. The first plate was always a delicious temptation, the second came what he had to eat to win a star. At first he stared at the antipasti plate with relish, but then decided on the sea cucumber with fish slime. “Let it go,” Sonja Zietlow (54) fired at the choking Gigi and it had an effect. He kept everything in. He also waved the Caesar salad on, obviously in agony, after which pork uterus was on the menu. Luckily Gigi didn’t know what it was – nevertheless he couldn’t get it down, the goodie was gone with it. Instead of a lasagna, there was a sandworm, which the 23-year-old mastered. He pushed away the brownie with fresh fruit, two goat eyes came up. Despite gagging, they ended up in his stomach, so he, Djamila and Lucas were sure of the three main courses. Instead of a coke, Gigi tried a surstromming (fermented fish) cocktail, but ultimately failed at that too. With that he had to say goodbye to his favorite drink. Back at the camp, he first had to brush his teeth.
After that, only Lucas remained – who fought for dessert on “Stabil”. The singer had to make himself comfortable among tens of thousands of animals in a glass coffin that was open at the top. Between mealworms, cockroaches and rats, he had to unscrew stars from a threaded rod with his tongue. “It took a lot of strength for me to stay calm, including tongue strength,” Lucas said at the end after getting four stars. So there were three desserts for everyone and a drink for the singer.
In total, the three finalists had fought for seven stars. “Dad delivered,” Lucas summarized his success. Finally, a festively laid table awaited the finalists. Lucas also had his favorite drink: beer. Djamila enjoyed her Spaghetti Bolognese, Lucas a Steak and Gigi Penne Carbonara. Then there was chocolate ice cream with cream and strawberries, a cheese platter with grapes and crème brûlée. The quarrels of the past few days seemed to be forgotten for a short time, the three shared with relish and were happy about the delicacies they had won.
But the idyll came to an abrupt end when Zietlow and Jan Köppen (39) came to the camp to announce who ended up in third place. But before that, the stars could appeal to their fans again to call for them. In the end it wasn’t enough for Lucas, he finished third in the jungle camp in 2023. “People recognized it,” Gigi was happy immediately. “That he’s not what he always pretends to be.” Meanwhile, Djamila couldn’t believe that she was still in the final. After another round of calls from the last two celebrities, the final decision should be made: Djamila is the winner! “I’m sick,” was her first answer and the tears already flowed. “I don’t even have a handkerchief.”
The jungle fun for fans of the format is not really over yet. Already on Monday (January 30) from 8:15 p.m. on RTL “I’m a star – get me out of here! The big reunion” will be broadcast. All jungle stars meet again in the tree house, they celebrate the jungle queen 2023 and look back on their time together Down Under.
