Bree Tomasel and Jayden Daniels return as the hosts of CTI<\/p>\n
Starting on Monday April 27, this \u2018Wisdom vs Fury\u2019 themed season will see 16 new personalities enter the thunderdome of strategy, physical challenges, and food deprivation in the name of their chosen charity. With $100,000 on the line for the last person standing, Celebrity Treasure Island (CTI) heads back to the Far North with hosts Bree Tomasel and Jayden Daniels at the helm in various shades of khaki. Returning for the first time with NZ On Air funding, the stakes have never been higher for both New Zealand\u2019s premiere original reality series, nor the people stepping up to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are the brave souls entering the competition this year.<\/p>\n
Ben Barrington<\/p>\n
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Whomst? Best known for playing Dr Drew McAskill on Shortland Street for over a decade, providing such memorable soap opera moments as \u201cit\u2019s a poo-nami\u201d, being shot by the father of a patient who wanted breast implants, and being arrested for driving while under the influence of marijuana. Announcing just last week that he is leaving Shortland Street for good<\/a>, Barrington told The Spinoff on the island that CTI is a chance to shake off his \u201chomebody\u201d lifestyle. \u201cWe don\u2019t lead particularly adventurous lives and I haven\u2019t been camping since I was at school,\u201d he said. But in true Shortland Street cliffhanger style, there\u2019s more to this story \u2013 read on to find out which powerful Ferndale ally Barrington has lurking in this very cast.\u00a0<\/p>\n David Correos<\/p>\n Whomst? Probably best known as the Burger King guy, comedian David Correos gave us one of the television moments of 2021<\/a> when he unleashed an unforgettable diss rap on his fellow Taskmaster contestants, including the jovial threat to drown them in their own blood (good luck to his opposing team on CTI). Also popping up in everything from 7 Days, to Creamerie, to The Weed Eaters, Correos revealed he is going to use his unpredictable, comedic persona to his advantage. \u201cI\u2019m going to play up that I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, because then I can get more information from everyone else,\u201d he told The Spinoff. \u201cPlaying the fool comes so naturally to me, so I\u2019m hoping to tag along to the end and then just go crazy.\u201d You have been warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n Frank Bunce<\/p>\n Whomst? A 55-cap All Black legend and returning Celebrity Treasure Island cast member, Bunce first washed up on the series back in 2001 on the shores of Fiji. Flaunting a floral bandanna and a \u201clethal set of lenses<\/a>\u201d at the time, Bunce recalls the first iteration being much rougher than the CTI you see today. \u201cWe had to make our own shelters, but I don\u2019t remember it being too uncomfortable,\u201d he said. \u201cBut then again that was over 20 odd years ago and I was 20 years younger.\u201d One of the elders of the island at 64 years old, Bunce added he was keen to seize the opportunity to return to CTI. \u201cI\u2019m getting older and these chances aren\u2019t gonna keep happening, so I thought it was a good time to have some fun and have an adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n Georgia Lines<\/p>\n Whomst? A singer-songwriter and host of the Intros podcast<\/a>, Lines told The Spinoff she had never seen the show when she got the call to come to Celebrity Treasure Island, but was sold after just a few episodes. \u201cI love the inclusivity of the show and the sense of connection,\u201d she said. \u201cHow they\u2019re interacting with the land, how they are interacting with the people, it\u2019s how we hope New Zealand would be.\u201d The rugged elements of the competition were also hugely appealing. \u201cI really loved school camp, I loved the Burma Trail and I loved sleeping in a sleeping bag-\u201d she paused. \u201cWait, I don\u2019t even know if they\u2019re going to give us sleeping bags\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Harrison Keefe<\/p>\n Whomst? The Edge radio host is also known for his role as B-Rad in Ahik\u0101roa, and frequently going viral online with jaunty dance videos. Having studied at Toi Whakaari, the same drama school that CTI winner Chris Parker attended, Keefe remembers weekly flat viewings of Parker\u2019s 2021 season. \u201cWe\u2019d look at each other, go, \u2018man, I wonder which one of us is gonna go on the show, and I\u2019d be thinking \u2018hopefully it\u2019s me\u2019.\u201d Like many in the cast, Keefe was also looking forward to handing over his phone. \u201cMy job means that you\u2019re always checking on how your posts are doing, always scheduling, always emailing. I can\u2019t wait to go off the grid.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Liv Parker<\/p>\n Whomst? Speaking of Chris Parker, it\u2019s only Chris Parker\u2019s little sister Liv Parker. While the actor and comedian has popped up in everything from Educators, Creamerie and Wellington Paranormal, you\u2019ll most likely recognise her from Spark\u2019s divisive half-a-car ad campaign<\/a>. As for following in the triumphant footsteps of her older brother, Parker said their family are not traditionally the intrepid, active types. \u201cThe Parkers don\u2019t ski, bake or camp,\u201d she laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s not like we are the Barretts or something.\u201d Still, she gleaned some useful wisdom from Chris ahead of the competition: \u201cthe main thing I wanted to know was: how did you not go insane?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Louis Davis<\/p>\n Whomst? Awarded New Zealand creator of the year at the 2025 TikTok awards, Louis Davis has a TikTok following of over two million people<\/a> and can frequently be found on social media diving, tucking into seafood with celebrities, and sharing parts of his life in Northland. When The Spinoff meets Davis at the secret island location, he had already scoped out all the good kaimoana spots. \u201cI\u2019m glad we\u2019ve got the side with that reef structure over there,\u201d he said, scanning the ocean. \u201cThere\u2019ll be kinas, crays, paua, oysters \u2013 even if you don\u2019t like eating seafood I bet you\u2019ll be pretty open-minded to that after eating rice and beans every other day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Nix Adams<\/p>\n Whomst? Another content creator to crack over a million followers on TikTok<\/a>, Nix Adams is known for her online comedy sketches and extremely frank reflections on life and motherhood after struggling with a drug addiction and time in prison. When we sat down for a chinwag, Adams was just as unfiltered and expletive-ridden as you\u2019d expect. \u201cMy heart nearly fucking fell out of my ass when everyone went around and said how old they were,\u201d she cackled. \u201cI\u2019m the oldest one on my team, and I\u2019m the only parent. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s a weakness or a strength, but now I\u2019m representing all us fucking old bitches \u2013 damn, that\u2019s a lot of pressure.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Polly Gillespie<\/p>\n Whomst? A media personality, agony aunt and former broadcaster with over three decades on the airwaves, Polly Gillespie told The Spinoff she originally turned down CTI years ago. \u201cI had little kids and I just didn\u2019t need to do it, but this time, I\u2019m at a point where I need to do things that I\u2019m not necessarily comfortable with,\u201d she explained. \u201cI haven\u2019t watched the show for a while, but everyone I know watches it from all walks of life. It\u2019s very popular, apparently.\u201d And while she is worried about being uncoordinated, Gillespie maintains she doesn\u2019t have a fierce competitive streak. \u201cI\u2019m only competitive around pub quizzes,\u201d she said. \u201cAnything else, I\u2019m just like \u2018meh\u2019.\u201d Could be honesty, could be tactics, only time will tell.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Portia Woodman-Wickliffe\u00a0<\/p>\n Whomst? Black Ferns legend and Olympic gold medallist, Woodman-Wickliffe told The Spinoff that it was the comedown from the World Cup last year that propelled her onto the island. \u201cYou\u2019re playing in front of 82,000 people, you\u2019re around your friends day in and day out, you\u2019re travelling to so many different places, and then you come home and you are doing the washing a million times\u2019\u201d she laughed. \u201cI just want to get out of doing chores.\u201d And despite having over a decade in the public eye, Woodman-Wickliffe says there\u2019s still many layers for audiences to discover. \u201cI burp a lot more than people think \u2013 there\u2019s gonna be a lot of burping.\u201d<\/p>\n Ria Vandervis\u00a0<\/p>\n Whomst? It\u2019s only bloody Harper from Shortland Street and the onscreen wife of Ben Barrington! Having endured a pretty rough run in Ferndale including affairs, assaults and the death of her character at the end of last year, Vandervis told The Spinoff she was already pondering how her soap history could help (or hurt) her game. \u201cMaybe Ben and I should pretend that we had a falling out, and that\u2019s why I left the show,\u201d she laughed. \u201cTo be able to last as a married couple for nine years on a soap opera is pretty good going and we know each other so well. He\u2019s a very good liar with a very good poker face, though, so watch out for that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sammi Poole\u00a0<\/p>\n Whomst? She\u2019s beauty and she\u2019s grace, she\u2019s the winner of Miss World New Zealand 2025, and Poole told The Spinoff there\u2019s a lot she will bring from the cutthroat pageant world to the island. \u201cI mean talk about resilience \u2013 I walk around in six-inch heels for sometimes eight hours a day,\u201d she said. \u201cPut me in a pair of stilts and I\u2019ll be all good.\u201d And while there may be some preconceptions lurking around a young blonde beauty queen, Poole is ready to shatter people\u2019s expectations. \u201cI\u2019m not a little princess. I grew up as a tomboy with three brothers and I had to fight for everything.\u201d Alert security, sounds like someone is coming for the crown.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Simon Barnett\u00a0<\/p>\n Whomst? He\u2019s the More FM radio host, Dancing With the Stars dad bod winner<\/a>, and yet another returnee Celebrity Treasure Island cast member. Like Frank Bunce, Barnett competed in the early 2000s era, and recalls the challenges being much more physical than today. \u201cNow it seems a little bit more cerebral,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a reasonably intelligent sort of a bloke, but those puzzles I\u2019m not very flash at.\u201d Nonetheless, it was his daughters who convinced him to do the show in memory of his late wife Jodi. \u201cThey said, \u2018Dad, if you don\u2019t do it, you\u2019re just going to sit at home\u2019, and they\u2019re probably right,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is less about winning, and more about me just trying to find some new things in life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Te Ao o Hinepehinga\u00a0<\/p>\n Whomst? Star of the made-in-NZ Jason Momoa Apple TV blockbuster Chief of War, alongside credits in Head High and Breakwater, actor Te Ao o Hinepehinga told The Spinoff that reality shows normally make her anxiety go \u201cthrough the roof\u201d \u2013 but not CTI. \u201cI know I\u2019m an actress and nobody knows who I am\u2026 but also how much of a missed opportunity would it be if I didn\u2019t go and play some games and win some money for beautiful charities?\u201d she said. It is also the positive representation on CTI (and the fact she could bring a hot water bottle) that sealed the deal. \u201cCTI does this beautiful thing where, no matter who they are, every single person has always been welcomed and celebrated and supported, and that\u2019s really cool.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Vinnie Bennett\u00a0<\/p>\n Whomst? You would have seen Vinnie Bennet in TV shows like Testify and Friends Like Her, local films such as Whina and Human Traces, and even Hollywood blockbusters like F9. \u201cActing can be quite a self-serving career, but I think this is a good opportunity to use my influence in a really positive way that can make a meaningful impact,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I can definitely do this, but once I\u2019m out there I could just totally crumble.\u201d Perhaps Bennett can find strength in Harrison Keefe, who he co-hosts food review series The Yummy Boiz<\/a> with? \u201cWe haven\u2019t had a discussion about an alliance yet \u2013 but it\u2019s definitely a good thing we\u2019re on the same team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Zion Dayal\u200b\u00a0<\/p>\n Whomst? The TVNZ sports reporter is used to being in the interviewer\u2019s seat, and told The Spinoff the nerves were creeping in about stepping centrestage into the CTI arena. \u201cI won\u2019t lie, I\u2019m nervous,\u201d he laughed. \u201cI have a little bit more sympathy for people that I interview now, because it is really different when you are on the other side of the camera.\u201d And even though he has been pinching himself to be alongside sporting greats like Frank Bunce and social media stars \u201cwho always pop up when I\u2019m doomscrolling\u201d Dayal\u2019s still going to give the competition a good crack. \u201cI feel like I have to take baby steps before just going for the jugular,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut obviously I want to win it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Celebrity Treasure Island starts Monday 27 April on TVNZ2<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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