dpa | He came as the most controversial candidate for the throne – and leaves as king: musician Gil Ofarim has the RTL despite all the controversial discussions about him.Jungle camp won. The 43-year-old received the most votes from viewers late in the evening, as moderators Sonja Zietlow and Jan Köppen announced. This secured him the jungle crown, which the winners of “I’m a Star – Get Me Out of Here!” allowed to set up. He will also receive 100,000 euros in prize money.
Ofarim sank into his own arms and sobbed bitterly when the decision was made. He made it clear that he couldn’t explain why so many people voted for him. He said he expected to be thrown out every day. “I packed my suitcase every day.”
The insights that the moderators gave into the numbers behind the decision were therefore interesting. The semi-finals had the highest number of calls since the first season Reality-Show given, said Köppen – it has been running since 2004. And Zietlow revealed to him: “You were always ahead in the jungle king voting from day one.” However, his co-finalists Samira Yavuz (“The Bachelor”, 2nd place) and Hubert Fella (“Off to the Bed!”, 3rd place) did not make it.
“We are not electing the next world ruler here”
What could one conclude from this? Among other things, the 19th jungle camp season, recorded in Australia, probably made the audience emotional. When the surprising outcome was certain, Zietlow provided a kind of guardrail for the debates that followed: “Please, dear viewers, always remember: It’s a game here in the jungle.” It’s just a crown of flowers and leaves. “We are not electing the next world ruler here.”
Ofarim’s victory is definitely one of the most surprising moments in the show’s history. There had been controversial debates from the start about the participation of the former photo love story crush from “Bravo” and son of the 60s star Abi Ofarim (1937-2018).
The musician made headlines in 2021 when he portrayed himself on Instagram as the victim of anti-Semitic comments made by a hotel employee. These allegations later turned out to be false – Ofarim withdrew his account in a libel lawsuit against him. The proceedings were discontinued. The musician had to pay a sum of 10,000 euros as a condition.
This history and his dealings with her made him an attractive figure in the camp. His fellow campers criticized the fact that Gil barely commented on what happened at the time and didn’t apologize. The musician often replied that he was not allowed to say anything about it for legal reasons. However, he said he apologized several times – in court and in individual interviews. Just not in the presence of his campmates.
The campers despair of Gil’s success
For his fellow campers, the entire behavior remained questionable. Reality star Ariel in particular repeatedly asked him critical questions. “He completely manipulates people,” said Simone Ballack in the final broadcast. “If Gil wins, I’ll lose faith in reality shows.” This case has now occurred.
At the end of the season there was already a series of attempts to explain how it could be that Ofarim is now the new king of the jungle. “Gil, who would have thought, the first” reigns – that’s how the moderator duo immediately put it. Did Ariel’s constant mistreatment create a pity effect? Does Germany simply have a weakness for fallen ex-teen stars? Fellow camper Hubert also had an interesting interpretation: Gil was a rock musician. “Rockers watch jungle camp the same way.”
An often-heard interpretation was given by ex-jungle king Filip Pavlovic in the RTL follow-up show “The Hour After.” One could “take a completely blank look at the case”. “We don’t think about what he did now. We don’t think about the past. We don’t talk about what he did back then in the hotel, only what he did in the camp. Then he deserves the crown.” In the jungle tests, Ofarim showed top performance and remained strong even though the rest of the group excluded him.
The accident almost prevented it
When asked whether he had ever considered giving up, Ofarim, as the crowned king, said: “After the accident, I wanted to give up.” But that doesn’t matter now. The musician fell during a game. Because he returned to the camp after a subsequent health check, he now inherits the previous jungle queen Lilly Becker.
In the final, Ofarim also got the maximum number of stars in his test. He had to put his head into various Plexiglas balls that were filled with animals – including scorpions and giant cockroaches. At the same time, stars had to be unscrewed. Gil remained calm and appeared as stoic as he had during the volleys of accusations from his former fellow camper Ariel.
With the scepter in his hand, he finally greeted his wife and children. He also declared in the final show with relief that he was now feeling joy again. “The lightness comes back, the joy comes back, the feelings of happiness come back,” he said.
“The jungle brought me back,” said Ofarim. “Back to life.”