Treasure Island (show)

Treasure Island is a popular reality television game show produced in New Zealand by Eyeworks Touchdown as well as in Ireland and Australia. In the show, contestants are isolated on a remote Fijian island (early shows were filmed in Tonga) and compete for a cash prize (of NZ$50,000, about US$40,000). "Treasure Island" is based on the successful Swedish show Expedition: Robinson and precedes the American reality show Survivor.

Elimination

Celebrity Treasure Island: Season 1

Celebrity Treasure Island: Season 2

Season 3 Cast (Any Order)

• Josh Kronfeld (Winner)
• Simon Barnett (Runner Up)
• Brent Todd
• Ian Roberts
• Maz Quinn
• Troy Flavell
• Torenzo Bozzone
• Matthew Ridge

• Aja Rock
• Charlotte Dawson
• Jayne Kiley
• Joe Cotton
• Lana Coc-Kroft
• Wendy Botha
• Hayley Marie Byrnes
• Nicky Watson

End of the game

• Depending on the status and the length of time New Zealand Celebrities were on the island, they were usually given up to NZ$9,000 (about US$7,500) to appear on Celebrity Treasure Island.

Concept history

• The Treasure Island concept was created by former Touchdown producer Darryl McEwen after searching in the local library for a story he could base a reality gameshow on.
• Celebrity Treasure Island season 1, at the end of every day, both teams would head to the hut where each member will fill out a quiz on a computer about treasure island and about their team mates. Once both teams have finished the quiz, the computer would generate the two lowest scoring members (one from each tribe) as to who will be leaving the island.

• Celebrity Treasure Island season 2, one selected member of the ladies team would compete with one selected member of the men's team in a 'terminator' challenge. The winner would become the terminator and would eliminate one member from both teams at the end of each day.

Seasons

1. Treasure Island: Series 1 (also called Treasure Island 1). Shot in Fiji. Levi Bowen was its winner in beating law student Pieta Keating to the treasure chest hidden on the island.
2. Treasure Island: Series 2 Palmerston North Radio DJ Tanya Pouwhare won, beating Gisborne C4 music TV host Clarke Gayford to the treasure. NOTE: Tanya Pouwhare became the first woman in the world to win a survival-type reality show. She won the show mere weeks before Tina Wesson won the second season of Survivor. Runner-up of season one, Pieta Keating became the host this season.
3. Celebrity Treasure Island: Series 1 was the first series of Celebrity Treasure Island but the third season of the Treasure Island series. Although celebrities were competing, the money they won went to a charity of their choosing. TV handyman John "Cocksy" Cochs won, defeating television presenter Stacey Daniels to the treasure. Pieta Keating is the host of this season.
4. Celebrity Treasure Island: Series 2 was the fourth season of the Treasure Island series and was won by ex Shortland Street actress and current lawyer, Greer Robson. She won over another ex-Shortland Street star, Paul Ellis. Pieta Keating is the host for this season.
5. Treasure Island: Extreme was hosted by model Jacqui Rickards and was more "extreme" than past Treasure Islands pitting ex-police, SAS, armed forces and soldiers against each other with no food, water or shelter at all. The winner of this season was John "Horse" McLeod. Notably, when the SAS contestant Baz Rice was eliminated from the game he refused to leave and instead hid in the jungle. Because of previous threats made to rival contestants, a security warning was issued to other competitors. He eventually returned from the jungle and left the island.
6. Celebrity Treasure Island: Series 3 was hosted by previous contestant Louise Wallace. This season of Celebrity Treasure Island was much for relaxed as though the celebrities were at a resort. However, TV presenter, Lana Coc-Kroft, was struck down with a virus and had to be evacuated off the island. Ex-All Black Josh Kronfeld won this season.
7. Superstars of Treasure Island put past winners and past season favourites back onto the island. This included past Irish and Australian winners as well as Levin Bowen, Pieta Kieting, Horse, Josh Kronfeld and Cocksy. Jon Stevens became the host. Josh Kronfeld became the first person to win two seasons of Treasure Island consecutively.
8. Treasure Island: Couples at War was hosted by singer, Jon Stevens and put celebrity couples against each other. This included Vadim Dale and his wife, Natalie Franzmann, former Miss Popularity contestant Vicki-Lee McIntyre and her partner Scotty Rocker, and horse jockey Lance O'Sullivan and his wife Bridgette O'Sullivan. The O'Sullivan's became the winners of this season beating Simon Doull and his partner Peggy Bourne to the Treasure.
9. Treasure Island: Pirates of the Pacific hosted by former celebrity contestant Matthew Ridge. This season features two tribes - The Buccaneers - featuring NZ Idol runner up Michael Murphy and former NZ Warriors league player Monty Betham and The Corsairs - featuring Australian disgraced rugby union rep Wendell Sailor and David Beckham's former assistant Rebecca Loos. The season was won by Dancing With The Stars dancer Hayley Holt, with Wendell Sailor coming runner-up.

Australian Treasure Island

The Australian version produced by David Mason premiered on Seven Network following the 2000 Summer Olympics. It aired on Sunday nights at 7pm. Contestants playing for the $50,000 included:

West Team

• Michael (eliminated episode four)
• Emma
• Daniel
• Sally
• Cassie
• Justine
• Stephen

East Team

• Tommy
• Gavin (eliminated episode four)
• Maggie
• Monica
• Alexandra
• Frank
• James (eventual winner)

Irish Treasure Island

The Irish version of Treasure Island was broadcast in RTÉ 1 in the Summer of 2001 and 2002. Produced by Coco Television, the show was axed after its second series and replaced by Cabin Fever.

Series 1

The first series aired on RTÉ One at 8pm each Sunday Night from 15 July to 12 September 2001. It was RTÉ's and Ireland's first major reality TV series.^[1]

Almost 31,000 people applied to take part in Treasure Island Series 1. The first programme involved 22 people vying to be part of the final 16. They range in age from 19 to 63. The group of 22 would then be taken to Killary Harbour, Co Galway, where they faced a series of physical and psychological challenges. After two days the final 16 were chosen and taken immediately to Dublin Airport, where they depart for Tonga. When they arrived on the Island the teams were split into two teams, one on each side of the island.^[2] A spin-off series was shown on Network 2 called Treasure Island Uncut on Monday nights at 10:35 pm.^[3]

BLUE TEAM: Yvonne Cronin (Winner),^[4] Tom Tom, Becky, Rob, Geoff, Sheila, Lewize, Peter, Winston Roberts

RED TEAM: Tom Barton (2nd Place), Padraic Doorey, Carole, Paul, Faith, Marya, Martin, Ann

Series 2

Series 2 of the popular series aired during the summer of 2002. Before becoming a Senator Mark Daly appeared on this series of Treasure Island, he came third in the series.^[5] Again the spin-off series Treasure Island Uncut was shown on Network 2, but RTÉ introduced a new spin-off series for RTÉ One called Treasure Island Live hosted by Brendan Courtney shown on Tuesday nights at 8 pm.^[3]

See also

• Survivor
• Eyeworks Touchdown
• TVNZ
• Expedition Robinson
• Australian Survivor
• Cabin Fever

External links

• Production company
• Treasure Island Homepage on TVNZ.co.nz

References