Desperate celebrities provide jumpy TV addiction

TV Watch with Bernie Ni Fhlatharta

Imagine the pitch to the agents. We want your client (celebrity) to travel with us to the Austrian Alps to take part in extreme sport activities.

Then there might have been some discussion about fitness levels and probably insurance cover. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t skied before. In fact, the more injuries, the more entertaining.

Oh, and eliminations will be decided via a jump onto the icy slopes.

This is The Jump, the latest competitive show on Channel 4 involving celebrities, who obviously are a bit idle and need the publicity. Watching some of them scared out of their wits at heights and tackling either the Slalom or the Skeleton, the Bobsleigh or Speed Skating, you would wonder how desperate some of them were to agree to it in the first place.

The Jump was shown nightly on Channel 4 during the week and I hate to admit it but it was kind of addictive.

Having tried to ski once and not mastering it, I am drawn to Winter sports and am looking forward to the start of the Winter Olympics this weekend.

As the week went on and we saw more and more injuries from concussion (Melinda Messenger) to cracked ribs (Steve Redgrave) to a broken wrist for some fashion writer I had never heard of, it appeared to be a litany of disasters.

It was a bit confusing when the producers brought in two other celebrities (X Factor winner, Joe McElderry and investigative reporter, Donal MacIntyre) to keep the numbers up for the eliminations. I also felt it was unfair, especially when the two made it to the final (which was on last night) ahead of others who had been there from the start.

I felt particularly sorry for singer, Ritchie Neville, who made it to the semi-final and did so well considering he had never skied in his life. It just shows, it can be done with proper instruction.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.