MARK’S SET... GO!
Mr Wright referees an action-packed celebrity reality competition with £100,000 at stake
Mark Wright hosts a gruelling new contest in which 14 celebrities are pushed to the limit as they battle for a £100,000 cash prize. “Basically, it’s all my favourite shows rolled into one,” grins Mark. “You’ve got gorgeous people in a villa like Love Island, challenges that are as fierce as SAS: Who Dares Wins, plus they are all celebs, so you’ve got a bit of I’m A Celeb…”
The famous faces include TOWIE’S James Lock and Ella Rae Wise, Love Island’s Kaz Crossley and Kaz Kamwi, Below Deck Mediterranean’s Courtney Veale, Geordie Shore’s Nathan Henry, The Royal World’s Zara Zoffany, TV presenter Danni Menzies and ballroom-dancing brothers AJ and Curtis Pritchard.
“I was so impressed by how everyone threw themselves into it,” says Mark. “They are all beautiful people but they didn’t care what they looked like.
They wanted to win!”
The celebrities pair up for challenges but with the group living together, the coupling up didn’t stop there. “At one point, I thought I was going to have to turn into a dating show host,” laughs Mark.
While the stars were confined to their quarters,
Mark was free to explore Argentina, where the show was filmed.
“Buenos Aires is an incredible city,” he says. “I used to be all, ‘Get to the beach club in Dubai for the party, I don’t care how fake it looks.’
“But at my age – I’m 36 now! – I’m growing in terms of travel and seeing different cultures. Argentina was an eye-opener.”
As a fitness fan, Mark admits he was tempted by the show’s challenges, which often test the contestants’ intellect as well as their strength. “There were loads I wanted to try,” he says.
But he thinks he could have major competition from his wife, Brassic actress Michelle Keegan.
“Michelle says she’s not sporty but when we’re on holiday she wants to play volleyball or have a swimming race,” he says.
“She’s also puzzle-mad. She does them all the time. Thinking of it, she’d be brilliant! Would things get competitive between us? Yes! We’re always competitive!”