By Eileen Primus
These scenes have NEVER happened in all these years! Sonja Zietlow (54), otherwise the tough presenter, sheds tears after the jungle test.
Premiere in the bush as far as the pee in the eyes is concerned. The reason? Is very emotional. Because the jungle camp icon was reminded of her best bush buddy. But from the beginning…
Candidate Jolina Mennen (30) had to go solo in the “Jaulwurf” jungle test on Wednesday. Only in a mighty panic, the YouTuber then masterfully meandered through a tunnel system inhabited by rats and green ants.
Jolina very brave: She crawls and crawls through the tunnels as a “Yowling”.
Photo: RTL
With success! Covered in disgusting brown soup from head to toe, Jolina elicits five stars out of eight. And suddenly dedicates it to the IBES moderators.
Jolina, while the first tears are already coming: “One for Jan, one for Daniel, one for Sonja, one for Dirk and one for me.” And the brave candidate was crying snot and water.
Sonja asks: “Why are you crying now? I have to cry too…” And bang – the tears are also collecting in her eyes. That’s really never happened before!
After the exam, Jolina is completely distraught and throws the moderators off their feet with one sentence
Photo: RTL
But when the name Dirk Bach is mentioned, old memories come up again! Zietlow had a close friendship with the cult moderator of “I’m a star – get me out of here!”, she affectionately called him “Dickie”.
For eight years they moderated the jungle camp seasons side by side, chose kings and queens, laughed at the stars and starlets. Unforgettable: Dirk Bach’s brightly colored shirts! The entertainer entertained millions of TV viewers with iconic outfits and a pretty pith helmet.
Until he died unexpectedly in 2012 at the age of 51. Bach was found lifeless in his Berlin apartment. His heart, so loving, had just stopped beating. Sonja Zietlow was in deep sorrow at the time: “Dickie, what are we going to do without you now!?”
The question still seems relevant now, eleven years later. Sonja forms a heart for her “Dickie” with her hands, then looks up at the sky.
Sonja Zietlow and Jan Köppen with the greeting upwards Photo: RTL
New presenter Jan Köppen (39) seems a bit taken aback, and he probably never saw his colleague so upset during the shooting. And he gets very sentimental too. When he holds a little mole in his hands, he suggests to Sonja: “Shouldn’t we call him ‘Jauli’, but Dirk?” Sniff!
And also with the campers all dams break
Tears from the moderator, torrents at the campfire: it gets very emotional! The whole camp? Almost flooded with tears from the candidates. Because there is mail.
It’s already a tradition in the Australian jungle: the celebrities are finally getting letters from their loved ones at home. It goes without saying that no eye stays dry.
︎ TV macho Gigi sobs after his girlfriend Dana’s lines. She writes, “Hey Tarzan, here’s your pearl. You’re doing great!” And his mother (Gigi still lives at home with her) also writes him loving lines. Ah!
Gigi Birofio is happy about his girlfriend’s letter Photo: RTL
︎ Djamila Rowe is completely upset and a little stunned by this mega surprise: her son writes encouraging words to mom! She completely wept: “I couldn’t say goodbye to him because it happened very quickly”. As a substitute candidate, Rowe had to pack her bags in a flash and travel to Australia.
Djamila Rowe is done with the world Photo: RTL
︎ Claudia Effenberg gets mail from a good friend, who also announces a few words from footballer husband Stefan: ‘Please tell her that I love her more than anything, my dream woman.’”
Claudia Effenberg is at the limit Photo: RTL
︎ Papis Loveday sobs heavily in the jungle camp chair circle because he gets mail from Mama Awa (75), who lives in Senegal. For the first time she writes to him how incredibly proud she is of him. That’s what dads wanted so much – and is immediately overwhelmed by his feelings.
︎ DSDS star Cosimo received the most funny and loving letter. Because friend Natalie advises him: “Unfortunately, one of your greatest weaknesses is food. Hang in there and you’ll soon make it and you’ll never have to edit your pictures thinner again.” A reference to his Instagram channel, on which Cosimo likes to show himself completely filtered and edited.
Cosimo Citiolo is very happy about the mail from home Photo: RTL
▶︎ Only Lucas Cordalis gets slippery! His wife Daniela Katzenberger lets him know what he can look forward to after the camp: sex! The cat addresses her words to Lucas, the “Greek power pepperoni” – and then bluntly writes that she will soon be taking great care of his “Greek cannelloni”. Ooooookay…