In the night from Sunday to Monday, around midnight German time, the 16th season of “I’m a Star – Get Me Out of Here!” at RTL (also via RTL ) to the end. Djamila Rowe (55) got the crown – even if she couldn’t believe it herself. But she is not the only winner of the 2023 edition. And of course there were losers too.
Djamila Rowe replaced Martin Semmelrogge (67), who was probably not allowed to go to Australia because of his criminal record. Lucky for the reality actress – and for the viewers. The Berliner convinced with gentle humour, captivating stories about her GDR past and a classic underdog story. Few people, least of all herself, would have credited her with the development she took in the camp. Sympathetic, modest and self-deprecating: Despite the oversprayed lips (a mistake, as she admits herself), Djamila was the most credible candidate. Also or precisely because she didn’t constantly – like some of her competitors – peddled her realness. She showed impressively that you can radiate human dignity even with escalated cosmetic surgeries.
Luigi “Gigi” Birofio (23) was another underdog. Before participating in “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!” he didn’t even have a Wikipedia entry. Now. The trained industrial electrician wanted to show that he is more than the boom boy from formats like “Ex on the Beach”. He succeeded in doing this with creative, wonderfully mumbled comparisons and neologisms. Despite some teenage bullying and somewhat exaggerated hatred of Lucas Cordalis (see losers), his heart was always in the right place and he finished second.
Cosimo Citiolo (41) was the second German-Italian next to “Gigi” who was able to show new sides of himself. Born in Stuttgart and born entertainer, he entertained the camp from minute one with his good mood. Towards the end of the season, the “DSDS” cult candidate ran out of breath. He avoided conflicts on his mat. Nevertheless, he enriched the jungle show with voluntary and sometimes involuntary humor.
Papis Loveday (46) was a cook, mediator and moral authority in the camp. No one radiated as much competence as the model. He was almost too perfect for the crown. So the co-favorite was thrown out surprisingly early.
Lucas Cordalis (55) started with the aim of inheriting his father Costa (1944-2019) on the jungle throne. What he often let fellow campers and viewers know without being asked. In order to earn the crown, however, he delivered too little. In the first episodes, reality queen Daniela Katzenberger (36) disappeared completely. Then he presented himself as a mixture of team player and self-proclaimed leader. But he showed little interest in his roommates. In the games he was convincing, except for his swallowing problems during food tests. The fact that he didn’t show any self-criticism afterwards made “Gigi” and dads more upset than his failure. In the last episode he showed his true colors as “Gigi” would say. He boasted that he got more stars than his fellow finalists in the last test. Team players are different. Lucas Cordalis only made it into the final thanks to his stable fan base from Schlager and Katzenberger worlds.
Tessa Bergmeier (33) wanted to promote veganism in the jungle camp. A noble ideal, but she did it as subtly as Lucas communicated his father fixation. She dropped stars in the exams because she was too wary of rustic shellfish. She annoyed her roommates with precocious teachings without a feeling for the other person and the setting that was extremely unsuitable for proselytizing. So she not only did herself a disservice – but also the good cause. She is unlikely to have recruited new vegans.
Claudia Effenberg (57) would have liked to have become the camp mom. She only managed that sometimes. She was too busy chattering and emphasizing her own achievements for that. She fired herself with her embarrassing “gag” of refusing spaghetti bolognese after a treasure hunt for the good of the community. She didn’t want to break the lie even when papis expressly praised her for her selflessness.
