Celebrity Bear Hunt: Release date, cast, and more details explored

Celebrity Bear Hunt is an upcoming reality competition series from Netflix set in the Costa Rican jungle. It will premiere on February 5, 2025, with eight episodes in total.

The show is hosted by British Television star Holly Willoughby and will also feature wildlife TV series veteran Bear Grylls. In the show, Grylls will train 12 British celebrities in survival skills to face various challenges in the jungle of Costa Rica. The contestants include Mel B, Boris Becker, Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, and Steph McGovern, among others.

The official synopsis of the show from Netflix's website reads:

"Holly Willoughby hosts this competition show set in the Costa Rican jungle, where 12 celebrities become prey for legendary survival expert, Bear Grylls".

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Celebrity Bear Hunt premise explored

The new wildlife reality competition show, hosted by Holly Willoughby, includes dropping 12 British celebrities and influencers into the Costa Rican jungle to face various tasks and challenges. To help them achieve these challenges, Bear Grylls will train them in various survival skills. These training sessions not only includes identifying and facing different animals in the jungle, but also learning how to survive under water.

After these survival lessons from Bear Grylls, cast members of the show will face various challenges in the wild. Those who fail these challenges will be put in a round called "Bear Hunt", where Bear Grylls himself attempts to hunt them down.

During "Bear Hunt", the cast members must stay vigilant and use their newly learned skills to hide and escape to the best of their abilities. If the members are captured by Grylls, they are eliminated from the show.

According to Netflix, Celebrity Bear Hunt will attempt to test the celebrities' survival skills and endurance in a game-show format. Viewers of the show will also witness the personal stories of the contestants, which they share throughout the show while staying together in a constructed campsite during the filming of the series.

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Contestants in Celebrity Bear Hunt explored

Netflix invited a diverse group of British celebrities and influencers on Celebrity Bear Hunt. Here is a list of the 12 contestants:

• Boris Becker, a former tennis player
• Mel B, or Scary Spice, from the band Spice Girls
• Shirly Ballas, a judge on Strictly Come Dancing
• Danny Cipriani, a former rugby player
• Joe Thomas, an actor known from The Inbetweeners
• Kola Bokinni, an actor from Ted Lasso and Top Boy
• Leomi Anderson, a model and TV host
• Big Zuu, a rapper and internet celebrity
• Steph McGovern, a TV presenter
• Una Healy, a singer
• Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, a TV interior designer
• Lottie Moss, a model.

In the trailer, the cast members could be seen sharing stories with their castmates while also exchanging occasional blows at each other.

The cast of Celebrity Bear Hunt (Image via X/@UnaHealy)

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Filming and production details on Celebrity Bear Hunt

The show was filmed in the dense rainforest of Costa Rica, in May 2024. Netflix chose the South American nation for its diverse geography, which comprised natural obstacles like cliffs and rivers alongside jungles with wildlife.

The studio implemented strict safety measures for the cast and crew, according to Daily Record. A 24/7 medical team was on standby to deal with potential risks from wildlife like venomous snakes and spiders.

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The show is co-produced by Bear Grylls's production company The Natural Studios, and Banijay UK.

Fans of the cast can catch the eight episodes of Celebrity Bear Hunt on Netflix on February 5, 2025.