Nick “The Honey Badger” Cummins is the Bachelor, Bianca Chatfield is renovating up a storm on The Block and Shane Gould, Brian Lake, Mat Rogers, Lydia Lassila and Moana Hope are trying to outplay, outlast each other on Survivor. They say sport is the best reality television, but it seems reality TV is being overtaken by sports stars.
We here at the Ladbrokes blog have been able to compile a list of just who in sport has been on what reality show over the years. After spending hours upon hours of reality TV for the benefit of this blog post we are proud to name and somewhat shame those sporting heroes of ours that have made it (and in some cases, won) reality TV shows on Australian TV.
In no particular order here they are.
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!
Since starting on Australian TV in 2015, two out of three winners of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here have seen sports stars win after spending time in the jungle.
Freddie Flintoff (Cricket) – Winner Season One
Barry Hall (AFL) (runner-up)
Merv Hughes (Cricket)
Lesiel Jones (Swimming)
Brendan Fevola (AFL) – Winner Season Two
Paul Harragon (Rugby League) (runner-up)
Shane Warne (Cricket)
Courtney Hancock (Ironwoman)
Dane Swan (runner-up)
Lisa Curry (Swimming)
Josh Gibson (AFL)
Bernard Tomic (Tennis)
Anthony Mundine (Boxing)
Danny Green (Boxing)
One of the more memorable moments from earlier in the year was the arrival and quick exit from everybody’s favourite Tennis star Bernard Tomic who didn’t last more than four days in the jungle.
Big Brother
Some former footballers did make it into the Big Brother house. Former Sydney and Adelaide player Ryan Fitzgerald after retiring from his injury struck AFL career made it to the fourth series of the show and the one and only Warwick Capper was expelled from the celebrity edition for flashing at his fellow housemates. He also seemed to really annoy his fellow housemates on the show.
Dancing With the Stars
Over the run of the Channel 7 ballroom dancing show, many sports stars featured (and some won) the list as follows:
Anthony Koutoufides (AFL) (winner)
Tamsyn Lewis (Athletics)
David Rodan (AFL) (winner)
Ian Roberts (Rugby League)
Kostya Tszyu (Boxing)
Danny Green (Boxing)
Paul Licuria (AFL)
Matthew Mitcham (Diving)
Carlton legend Anthony Koutoufides won the sixth series of the show in 2006 and proved he had the rhythm with this swing dance routine.
Married at First Sight
Although not a professional athlete himself, SKY racing commentator Anthony Manton was part of the 2017 series of Married at First Sight. A familiar face to punters, Manton caused controversy during the series for the way he went about things with his arranged wife Nadia. They are no longer together.
It Takes Two
The show which paired celebrities with professional singers aired for three years on Channel 7, the sporting likes of Richard Champion (AFL), Michael Bevan (Cricket), Daniel Kowalski (Swimming) and Russell Robertson (AFL) were in the series.
Former Melbourne AFL player Russell Robertson won the last series of the show in 2008 with his duet partner Kate Cebrano. It could be said that Robertson owes his footy career to reality TV as before he was drafted by Melbourne, one of Robertson’s marks when playing local footy featured on The AFL Footy Show’s Almost Football Legends segment drawing attention to the Dees recruiters.
The Block
This series of The Block features former Australian Diamonds champion Netballer Bianca Chatfield and her old Melbourne Vixens teammate Carla Dziwoki working as one of the teams renovating the old Gatwick Hotel in the Melbourne bayside suburb of St.Kilda.
Previously, former Sydney Swans and Collingwood footballer Darren Jolley and his wife Dee featured on not one but two series of The Block. After not getting the price they wanted in their first attempt of the home renovation show, the couple returned for another go and pocketed almost $1 million from their house going above reserve at the final auction. The couple also featured in a spin-off of the show “The Block – Triple Threat” in 2016.
Sports Reality Shows
There have been a few sports reality shows that have graced our screens over the years from The Contender Australia (Boxing), Nerds FC where a bunch of nerds learned to play Soccer and played against a professional team, The Recruit (AFL), Football Superstar (Soccer), the NRL Rookie and Cricket Superstar. In 2002, Channel 7 aired an Aussie Rules reality show that followed the fortunes of the viewer created team “The Hammerheads” who played in Melbourne’s Western Region Football League. The show was popular, rated well and the Hammerheads went on to win the Grand Final in their one and only season. However, the network axed it at seasons end.
With thanks to our friends at Wikipedia, we’ve also been able to list some of the sporting heroes that have made it to the more forgotten and less successful reality TV shows in Australia over the years. There are some serial offenders.
Survivor
Brian Lake (AFL)
Moana Hope (AFLW)
Lydia Lassila (Freestyle Skiing)
Mat Rogers (NRL/Rugby Union)
Nicole Zagame (water polo)
Lee Carseldine (cricket)
Guy Leech (surf lifesaving)
Wayne Gardner (motorcycle racing)
Elton Flatley (rugby union)
Celebrity Come Dine With Me Australia
Sam Thaiday (NRL)
Matthew Mitcham (Diving)
Anthony Koutoufides(AFL)
Celebrity Overhaul
Nova Peris (Hockey/Athletics)
Merv Hughes (Cricket)
Celebrity Splash
Andrew Welsh (AFL)
Andrew Symonds (Cricket)
Excess Baggage
Dipper (AFL)
Celebrity Dog School
Dipper (AFL)
Michael Bevan (Cricket)
Celebrity Masterchef
Eamon Sullivan (Swimming)
Ryan O’Keefe (AFL)
Peter FitzSimons (Rugby Union)
Simon Katich (Cricket)
Celebrity Circus
Kerri Potharst (Beach Volleyball)
Did we leave any out? Comment on via Facebook page and let us know!