Recommendations of the Editorial team
On January 23rd the time has come: the new season of “Jungle Camp” (“I’m a star – get me out of here!”) on RTL is entering the next round. Also there: rock musician Gil Ofarim. While the station’s social media has already had to endure some shitstorms because of his participation, there is now a first Ofarim statement about the expectations that Ofarim himself has from his participation in Germany’s number one trash show.
“Are you ready for the jungle camp?” says a short clip. “I can end up thinking a lot about things or driving myself crazy,” says Ofarim. “But ultimately people always decide for themselves.” By this he may mean how sincere he is on the show – whether he appears “authentic” or even gives the impression that it’s not just about the money. “And that’s right. I can only be myself.”
Then Gil Ofarim looks down. “And I can say one thing: the time, the years that I was away from the scene, let’s say, a lot changed in my life. I also developed further. And the viewers will then decide everything else for themselves.”
Gil Ofarim, perhaps one of the most hated artists in Germany since the “Star of David Affair,” speaks of “further development” and that “he is himself.”
The comments under the RTL posting (almost 5,000 by Sunday evening) speak for themselves. The followers accuse him of self-pity and lack of insight. It is currently unclear whether Gil Ofarim means his “further development” is passing as many jungle tests as possible or whether he is talking about his time in court, including false accusations.
We previously reported:
Gil Ofarim in anger focus
Many RTL followers don’t find Gil Ofarim’s entry into the camp funny at all. They announce a boycott of the show – in a comment under the Instagram post. In a rare moment, at least the show’s social media team responded to a call for a boycott.
“I’m so out of it because of Gil! Reality TV also has to have ethical boundaries. Gil is my boundary!” writes one user. The show’s social media team responded (via “TV Spielfilm”): “Gil Ofarim has taken legal responsibility for his false accusations. His path encompasses more than the events of that time. We’ll see how he deals with his past today from January 23rd.”
RTL relies on Ofarim’s “maturation process”
So someone is sure that Gil Ofarim’s “path” has already progressed so far that a certain “maturation process” has taken place. “We’ll see how he deals with his past today from January 23rd” – this is apparently intended to create excitement and get viewers to tune in. But it could also be an indication that you don’t know exactly what you’re getting into with him as a candidate.
These candidates are there
Also on board are: musician Gil Ofarim, actress Mirja du Mont, entrepreneur Simone Ballack, actor Hardy Krüger Jr., soap star Stephen Dürr, Nicole Belstler-Boettcher (formerly Sandra Behrens in “Marienhof”), TV farmer Patrick Romer, Mangiapane’s husband Hubert Fella and the reality TV stars Ariel Hediger and Umut Tekin. Also on board: the Trash TV personalities Samira Yavuz and Eve Benetatou. Both have a complicated history with one man.
The shadow of the Star of David scandal
In November 2023, the main hearing against Gil Ofarim took place before the Leipzig Regional Court in the “Star of David Affair”. On the sixth day of the trial, Ofarim admitted that he had made up the allegations. He apologized to the hotel employee, who accepted the apology. The proceedings were discontinued on the condition that Ofarim pays 5,000 euros each to the Jewish Community of Leipzig and to the Haus der Wannsee Conference memorial and educational center. He was also obliged to pay compensation to the accused hotel employee.