Aussie television’s musical chairs continues: Days after the news that Seven had poached I’m A Celeb from Ten, comes news that Ten will next year air a rebooted version of Australian Ninja Warrior, five years after it was cancelled by rival network Nine.
And Ten today announced that golden boy Robert Irwin would host the show, putting paid to any speculation that Irwin might follow I’m A Celeb, the show he’s hosted for two seasons, to Seven.
Irwin, Georgie Tunny and Beau Ryan will co-host the new version of the show, which originally ran on Nine for six seasons from 2017 to 2022.
“Stepping into a role like Australian Ninja Warrior is such an incredible adventure. I have been a fan of this show for a long time. Not only are we watching the pinnacle of athleticism, but we also get to see how dedication, courage and hard work can create heroes on the course. We see passionate people discovering they’re capable of more than they ever imagined,” Irwin said in a statement issued by Ten today.
“My cohosts will have the full-time job of keeping me from attempting the course myself!”
It’s the latest in a string of high-profile TV gigs for Irwin, who next month will tackle one of Australian television’s most notoriously difficult roles: Logies host. The young star is also up for the Gold Logie alongside his former I’m A Celeb co-host Julia Morris.
Seven announced on Wednesday that it had poached that long-running reality show, also to air in 2027.
The news came almost two months after Ten confirmed I’m A Celeb would not be part of its 2027 line-up, but insisted the show was simply being “rested” rather than axed for good.
Meanwhile, casting for Ten’s revamped Australian Ninja Warrior is now open.
The show was an enormous hit for Nine when it debuted in 2017, with the first season’s premiere watched by a staggering 2.158 million people. However, viewers dwindled each season until the show was eventually cancelled when just 560,000 people tuned in for the season six premiere.