Let’s not kid ourselves: Nobody watches the jungle camp to see harmonious celebrities relaxing. Instead, it’s about suffering, drama and real emotions. There are now a ton of reality shows and they all want to serve up big shock moments. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for RTL and others to stand out from the mass of sensational formats.
A popular strategy to continue to stand out: Dragging scandalous celebrities in front of the camera who no longer have any place on TV. Are you a C-list celebrity and recently had a violent outburst on TV? Congratulations: The invitation to the jungle camp is already on the way. A current example in the summer jungle camp proves that this trend is unfortunately not over: Reality star Gigi Birofio.
He is kicked off TV because of a violent scandal and returns to the jungle camp
Despite his tender 25 years, the controversial influencer has already caused a lot of excitement on TV. Time and again he attracts attention with misogynistic macho remarks; in the Summer House of the Stars 2023, the scandal that overshadowed the entire season: There are physical altercations in front of the camera.
During the show, Gigi Birofio gets into a heated argument with troublemaker Valentina Doronina. The argument escalates and Valentina’s then partner Can Kaplan also gets involved. Then the moment of shock: Gigi’s hand hits Can’s face and also brushes Valentina’s cheek. Such an outburst was a step over the line, even for the not-so-squeamish Summer House. The reality star apologized in front of the camera, but the damage was too great: the production team intervened and kicked the hotheads out of the show.
Fame instead of consequences: Gigi Birofio is more popular than ever
One would have thought that the Summer House expulsion would have serious consequences. But for Gigi Birofio, the Reality career continues unabated. The bad boy image is promptly used to market themselves even more successfully. A media-effective mudslinging match breaks out between Gigi and Valentina, which even puts Game of Thrones in the shade. Accusations, intrigues and dramatic blame games abound. At Fame Fighting 2023, Birofio even gets into the ring against Valentina’s ex and gets a bloody nose. Instead of a proper confrontation with their own mistakes, the excitement about the Misconduct turned into cashA serious problem suddenly degenerates into a funny TV anecdote.
RTL / Stefan Gregorowius
Is part of the summer jungle: Reality star Gigi Birofio
Unfortunately, RTL is jumping on this bandwagon. Instead of being banned from TV, Gigi Birofio is being given what is probably the biggest stage of his career: the 2024 anniversary edition of the jungle camp. When the broadcaster announced Gigi’s renewed participation in the jungle, many were surprised. Why is RTL offering the reality star a platform again so soon after his violence scandal? Express.de followed up and received a less than satisfactory answer from a press spokeswoman. From its own perspective, the broadcaster has done enough to prevent problematic behavior in the future:
We do not tolerate any kind of physical violence in our formats. Gigi experienced for herself on ‘Das Sommerhaus der Stars’ that we are very consistent in this regard. We are therefore convinced that something like this will not happen again.
More: These celebrities are taking part in the summer jungle camp
Drama at any price: Nothing will change
It is questionable whether Gigi Birofio will really change his strategy. Why should he? He knows what all reality stars know: the channels depend on drama. Anyone who stands out with extreme behavior gets airtime; and anyone who can grab airtime will be booked again. Sympathy is a positive side effect, anger is the real elixir of survival in reality TV. The reason why Birofio should no longer be on TV is also his ultimate raison d’être. The notorious TV macho can be sure of one thing: his next misstep will certainly be forgiven as long as he entertains people well enough.