It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload, the podcast Last Weep, Never Life. Hey guys, welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for clicking and downloading on today's episode with Brittany Hockley and Ellie Cole, both who were a huge part of the current series of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here for twenty twenty four with more votes from
the public than we'd ever seen before. My two guests today were sadly farewelled from the South African jungle, bringing the camp mates from a group of five down to three. The tears definitely flowed as the camp mates said goodbye to both Brittany and Ellie, who both made the camp life look like an absolute breeze. While Brittany was an absolute trooper when it came to the trials, it was her bonds that she made with a camp that made
her a true winner amongst the cast. Ellie Cole was a self confessed I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of His super fan. I'm one of the keenest celebrity camp mates that's ever been on the show, always keen to dive into whatever challenges that Robert and Juliet managed to throw her way. Brittany's time in the jungle was in support of UP, which helps women escape dangerous situations and gives them a fresh start with housing, donations, help cliances,
and a lot more. Brittany will talk about the landscape of podcasting and what she thinks of an individual's power to create storylines in the media. Ellie will talk about how her love of the show manifested into an opportunity to be on the show and how this experience has surprised her. We will get some behind the scenes stories from both girls in regarding to the realities of the jungle experience and how they could actually smell the food
that the crew was eating. We will also talk about who both of these women would like to see win the competition, and the answer is actually the same and so that will be interesting to see if their guesses become correct. On Sunday night. There's actually so much to unpack with Brittany and Ellie, so sit back and relax as we unpack their time in a South African jungle.
Hey ya, how i am.
I'm good.
I'm very excited to be talking to you. I'm actually a bit of a fan. I listened to the pod, so this is amazing.
Thank you. I love that. Well.
Congratulations on making it this far in the show. Did you have any idea that you would make it right up until the finale?
Do you know what?
It's so hard to know because you don't know what's being shown. You're being filmed for literally twenty four hours a day, and about like one to one and a half hours max is shown between twelve people. So it's so like, I feel like what people see on the outside could be very different to what we all experience on the inside. But I'm went in with zero expectations and just thought I'm just going to have fun. I'm going to be me, and whatever happens happened. So I was soaked to make it so far.
Are you looking forward to googling yourself and finding out what everyone's thought about you while you've been away?
No, I'm already.
I haven't been out for a couple of hours and I haven't gone on Instagram yet.
Okay, stay away, that's fine.
You know what, For as many people out there that'll say something negative, there's at least two or three more people you know that always love you. I think that's always the best way to think about it when it comes to reality. How do you think your co hosts would have gone had they had gone into the jungle instead.
Of you in there?
I genuinely thought, oh my god, Mitch and Laura werein' about to do this. That's what I thought, and not because it's them. It's because at one point I thought I couldn't do it.
It's like, it's so.
Much harder than you could ever imagine, and people like past contestants tell you it's so hard.
They're like, it's so hard.
You know, you don't eat, you're hungry, you're bored, you've got no energy, You've got to.
Do these crazy things. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fine. And then when you're in it, it's absolutely insanity.
But I do think Mitch would be amazing on it, and I hope we can see him on the next year.
Okay, yeah, he really needs to do that. I think I spoke to him about this at the Logis on the Red Carpet about two years ago, and he looked open to it, So you know, I'm.
I think it'd be Keen and I think she'd kill it.
Well, he's got to beccoes to fill my friend, because you've done so well. Your podcasting ability really shone through with your chats with people, which I really loved. Have you always been interested in people's story because I think that's your superpower, Like you can really see you come alive when you get the opportunity to sit down with someone one on one.
Oh that's very kind. Thank you.
It's funny because I didn't really notice until towards the end that I don't even notice that I do it, so I it's almost an unintentional interview mode, but it's not an interview. I'm just so curious about people's stories, and I know so many people have amazing.
Stories if you just give them the time.
But it wasn't until the end I was like, I feel like I've barely spoken about myself.
I feel like you've just like asked everyone else their stories and no one asked me mine.
And I got to the end and I was like, I wonder if anyone I wonder if Australia even knows it about me?
No, this is us.
Now, I'm podcasting you. Now I get to ask you all of those questions.
Yeah.
Fair, If only I got to do that on the show.
What do you think of all of these entertainment podcasts that are out there now, because when you've finished up on The Bachelor, you know, all those years ago, it kind of was the beginning of social commentary in the podcasting space, and you've really been on the you know, been with that from the ground floor. What do you think about where it's come to now?
What's funny?
Like, I do feel like we were sort of one of the og podcasts if there was.
We were in pretty early in podcasting.
You know, we're five years deep now, and there were so many people when we started the podcast that told us not to you know, they were like, podcasting, why would you do that? That's you know, no one does that. There's no money in that, that's not a real job. And we were like, yeah, yeah, yeah, but you know, we love to talk to people.
It's fun. Who cares if there's no money?
And I feel really lucky that we we went against.
The green and tried it because now I do see pods pop up all the time. Yeah, and I think people don't realize how hard it is.
I mean, you know, you have one people think you just jump on record something without thinking, without editing, throw it out there and hope and like it blows up, But it doesn't, like it's so much work.
When people tell me about doing podcasting, I say to them, go for it, you know, because I mean, you don't even need a distributor anymore, you can just podcast. But totally, it needs to be in your DNA. It needs to be something that just you would do second nature. And you know what, Brittany, I really saw that through your time in the jungle, that that is just who you are.
You're curious about people, your kind, the way that you talk to people, and I think that's how you on earth story from people.
Do you know what I mean?
Yeah, I appreciate that because I don't.
I genuinely don't even notice I do it, and probably annoying to most people, probably when she answering so many questions, why does you care what I did when I was five?
That's how to get the stories out of people.
Yeah, And it's like I tell everyone, if people want to start a podcast, I'm like, go for it. I'm like, but just be aware it's not as easy as you think. It's some hard work. You don't think you're just going to go straight to the top and earn all this money, like you've got a grind. But you know, I think I love podcasts obviously, I'm an advocate for them, and I think anyone that can make a life out of it and a business out of it is doing very well.
Will you get discussed a lot in the podcasting space from other podcasters, and you also get discussed in the media. What's the most ridiculous thing that's ever been put out into the zeitgeist about you and your personal life?
Oh? God, you from a spot there? Oh, I remember there was one. This was just funny but it was dumb.
But you know, I mean you would probably know, like you can say something on a podcast or on radio in an interview and.
It can it has context, and it.
Has humor and you laugh, and you know, you can after it be like haha, ha, just joking whatever.
It's different. But when a media outlet take that and put it in.
Writing with no context, no tone, nothing, it's it always sounds ridiculous. But I just remember this headline and a story literally that was like Brittany Hockley goes.
To massus once a week just so she can be.
Touched, and that was that was the airdline, and I was like, what the hell, Like.
This makes me sound like the biggest perverb.
Like I just go to a random massus so someone touches me and like feels me up. And I was like, and that, to be fair, I did say that, but it was the joke, right, I was like, Oh, I love massages.
I just want someone to touch me. You know, I just made a joke.
But the jokes don't land when they're in a headline on the Daily Mail.
And you can a like twin but you know that, like you can spin anything these days, Like if you want a story out of someone that is not really there, just listen to someone talk for five minutes and you can twist and turn anything. It's like being paparazzi, you know what I mean. Like if you walk down the street, think about all the faces you pull when you're thinking, oh I've got to get the shopping, Oh god, I
forgot to ring mum. And then when it ends up in the in the magazines, it looks like you're angry and they say, you know you hate Mitch Jury, you know what I mean?
Like, Yeah, Brittany looking downcast after leaving co hosts Mitch Churry, Yeah, whatever, it was just funny and I just remember reading the headline and just thinking, wow, I've run.
Just think some of further that pays people to.
Touch me in Do you think that there's too much power these days though, in our podcasting platform, because we really do have a voice that's being listened to by so many people, and we're not really being fact checked, we're not really being scrutinized over there's no sort of policing of podcasting, so to speak, at this point. Do you think that there's too much power in the individual? Oh?
I just think, you know what, it's a bit of a b to be.
There's a big responsibility on you as a podcaster or anyone putting information out to you have a responsibility because people are listening, they are getting information from you, So it's pretty important you do your due diligence. And Laura and I on Life on carp we get the best of the best when we interview, We get like profess people, the best of their professions to come and talk to us.
If it's something that we know nothing about, and if it's just Laura and I talking, we do so much research and you do feel a huge sense of responsibilit because you don't want put out their own information that one hundred thousand people might go and tell someone else about. But then, on the other hand, there's a responsibility on the listener and the consumer to also do their own.
Research and not just believe every single thing they hear.
There's a lot of people that will read a headline and that becomes a fact to them.
They don't even read the article. Then they go and tell someone else, then the rumors start. I think the responsibility split.
It's like between people that put out information and consumers on how to digest the right information.
I agree. I'm so sorry.
This is the shortest interview of my life, so I have at least seven hundred more questions. So I'm just going to only ask you two more if you can give me a sort of a one worded answer on this one.
Who's going to win? Who do you want to win? Not who's going to win?
Actually, okay, who do I want? It's so tough. I love them all, but I think.
Tristan, okay, great, that's amazing. And everyone who has my podcast gets asked the same question, what is something from behind the scenes now? I know you.
I know that you don't know what Australia has seen.
But what's something from behind the scenes of being a celebrity and being picked to do a show like this, something that maybe the average punter wouldn't know.
The behind the scenes is actually in this show, there is not really a big behind the scenes. You barely see people. It's so real. It's the realest reality show I've been on. But the one funny thing is when you leave, because you don't get fed in there, right, and they try to look after like your mental health. When you leave to go and do a trial for the day, when you are about to walk past the catering tent for the stuff, they make you put a blindfold on so that you can't see the food.
I think you'll freak out, Like yeah, I was.
Like, bro, I can smell it. I can smell that carbon I don't have to see it.
Make the craft services have carbonara? Oh my god.
Yeah.
And I peaked one day. I lifted my blind fold up and I saw a huge sign that was like Burger Day and I was like, damn it, I shouldn't have looked well.
I really appreciate the chat with you, I'm sure at some point in my life.
I mean, it's a dream.
It's a bucket list thing to sit down and talk to you about those things about you know, what were you like when you were six?
I would love to.
Do that with you at some point. So I feel like it's going to happen. I will it to happen at some point.
Congratulations, I have no doubt it will.
If you were wind up and pass you over to Ellie.
I'm being wrapped up now, that's fine, all the very best.
It's great chatting to you. I'm going to pass you on to Ellie. Amazing, I've got Ellie for you.
Amazing.
Hi, how are you.
I'm well, and I'm so excited to be talking to you. You know, you have become such a fan favorite amongst the celebrities that were in the jungle this year. That must be so exciting and a little bit terrifying at the same time.
Well, that's really nice to hear and you say it's so exciting but terrifying at the same time. We have in their jungle, as the celebrities, we have absolutely no idea in terms of what's making the edits, how we're being perceived.
By the public.
I haven't really been on my phone, so I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but that's nice to hear.
I've spoke to two famous people yesterday and I said to them, who do you want to win? I'm a celebrity, and they both said your name, and they were the only two people ask that question too, So you know, that's pretty cool.
Wow, this is incredible because, as I mentioned, when you're in the jungle, you're so disconnected, so that's really lovely to hear.
Well.
One of them is actually Reggie Byrd, who won two seasons of Big Brother, and she knows reality TV, you know what I'm saying, and so she loved you, so I think that's pretty cool.
She's amazing.
I've never met her in person, but we do follow each other on Instagram and yeah, we do comment on each other's posts every now and then, which.
She's certainly got to slide into your DMS and say
that she enjoyed you on the show. You know, did you worry about the fact that, whilst you are super duper famous in a smaller circle, you're probably not as recognizable as maybe some of the other biggest celebrities that were in there, were you What sort of thought process did you put to that when you were going in, Because I actually think in some ways, not being someone that is as recognizable allowed you to have this superpower in a way just sort of be the voice of the people.
Yeah, that's a good way of looking at it.
You know, when I first went into the jungle, I did recognize quite a lot of the camp mate.
Of course, that can be so intimidating because you know.
The history, you know what platform that they have. But I think you're right when you say it could be almost a bit of a dark Force moment because because a lot of the campmates you know, didn't miss some of them did, but like some of them all, so I didn't know my background, and so I think it actually made for quite interesting conversation because they had to effectively start from the very beginning.
But I wasn't too.
Worried that I didn't have a huge social media following for when and I think I had like thirty five thousand on Instagram or something. But I did know that as long as I was really honest and very genuine, that I would get what I wanted out of the experience, and I would hope that the viewers who were out there could find something anything that I said relatable and
hopefully take some part of that away with them. That was my mission the entire time, and I don't think that it mattered whether I had a huge social media following or not, as long as I was able to be really honest with what my experiences were like.
I feel like someone could take something away from that.
I think a lot of people did, you know, And I think watching you in there flourishing in that way made you as popular as you were, because you know, you beat so many other celebrities that were in there for a reason. It wasn't just oh well, I guess there's a few votes between the two. You were extraordinarily popular, and I think it came down to a lot of that.
You know, that's good.
I think a lot of people could go into this experience, you know, with pretty big names in the jungle and feeling a sense of I suppose impostera syndrome. But one thing about going into the jungle for me, I never really felt imposter syndrome because I knew that I had an amazing story in terms of being a paralympian, being a person that lives with a disability, that it's a sorry that isn't really told too much on reality television in particular, And so I knew that.
I had something really important.
To say and that kind of overrid any kind of imposter syndrome, if that makes sense.
I think if for a very good reason.
And you know, it was nice to be able to see you in there representing, you know, the para Olympians. I think that was quite amazing. I guess in some ways, it's not like you're the most common celebrity that gets put into a sh like this. So how does an opportunity to go on a celebrity show like this come up for you? Had you put your hand up or had someone sort of jobbed you in?
Like? How did how did this come across your desk?
That's a really great question.
My cousin was on season two of the show, and so I kind of I started actually watching from season one, but I really became hooked on the show in season two because she was on the show, and then I fell in love with the whole format of the program, how like wholesome the show is, and so I've watched it every year since, and every year I've always said I would love to take a go and have a go at this show, Like I just find this show incredible.
I would love to be part of it.
And I suppose over the years, more and more people have just heard me say that, And so this year it just came across my desk and they said, would you like to be involved? And I was like, oh my gosh, Yes. I didn't even need to think twice about it.
It was.
It was really intimidating in the week's leading in because you knew that you were going to be disconnected for what could be a month. And I've got a nine week old at home, and I knew that I'd be leaving him behind for a couple of weeks, and I was so worried that I was going to miss so
much time with him. But it's been an incredible experience, like it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the memories that I've made, the people that I've met, Honestly, like I can't put into words just how difficult it was, but also how challenging it was in a good way, like in terms of I learned so much about myself that will completely change my life forever, like it's going to completely change the way that I do things forever, and not many people get to experience that in such
concentration over like a four week period.
Of course, you know, it's interesting you touched on a few things there about this show and about how it is very family friendly and the type of people in there that they choose bond because of you knowing that brand, and maybe producers will tell you that that's what the show is. Do you think that everyone that gets peak to do this show is very nice?
Nice? Or do you think that they're just living up to.
That brand, because I mean surely, I mean this year, you guys you know very cool Baya. Is that genuinely who you all are? Or do you think that everyone leans into being nice?
No, it was very genuine, and I think that's what made the show so successful this year. From what I've heard and from what my experiences were, I feel everyone that I got to know in that jungle is so genuine and I think that that's a huge credit to the show itself in the way that they cast these people. And I suppose the platform that this show has really reflects what Australia is like, so to be able to be a person with a disability and be cast into this show.
I suppose is.
A really great opportunity for Australians to learn about what it's like to have a disability. And so I don't think that anyone is ingenuine or leaning into an image.
I think that the cast that they chose this year were phenomenal, and I think it's just a huge credit to some amazing people who work behind the scenes for this show, that have been doing this for a very long time, and they know what personalities work with other personalities, and I'm telling you they absolutely narrowed it this year.
You also said something which was interesting. I can't remember whether I read it. You mentioned that you'd always wanted to do a show like this and sort of before you were saying you'd put it out into the zipiast that you'd love to do I'm a celebrity. But had you ever come close to maybe applying or wanting to do another reality show?
No, okay, I haven't.
I love I do love reality television. I love watching it. I was a huge fan of the Bachelor for years.
In fact, when I was an athlete, I used to not go to training on Wednesday.
Nights because I told my coach I have.
To be home for bat tonight. It was the only time I missed training, by the way.
But I'm not.
Necessarily interested in doing reality television because I know it's a huge commitment for the people who partake in those shows in terms of going away for one month, two month, three months. And I knew that a show like this but like I'm a celerity to get me out of here, I knew that it really challenged each camp mate individually and it was more of like a self exploration expedition, and that's what I was interested in. I wasn't necessarily
interested so much in the reality television part. But it was funny because when I did arrive into the jungle, I realized that, well, there's like edit microphone around my neck twenty four hours a day and everything is getting recorded, and everything that I say is getting recorded.
And that was a real adjustment for me.
It takes a while because then you think, oh God, what if I just said, And that for the first few days is quite actually stressful. I was going to ask you, who do you want to win? I've got two last questions. I've got to smash these together, so very short answers, if possible, Who do you want to win?
I spent a lot of time with Tristan and he's my best friend in there. He got me through some really dark time, So I'm going for Tristan.
Amazing.
And what is something from behind the scenes, something that maybe the average person who watches this show wouldn't expect happens whilst making it.
Oh, that's a really great question.
One thing that I did know is that the waterfall is so far away from camp in terms of you have to walk quite a distance and you can only go once or twice a day, and so you need to go on That's one thing I never knew when I was watching the show.
Can I just go whenever you feel like it? I was like, what what do you mean?
I need to go to the waterfall? Take me there now.
I had plans on spending all day next to the waterfall. Turns out I couldn't do that.
I've interfered with the microphones.
Can I just say how much I thoroughly enjoyed you on this show and I want to thank you for being so generous with your time and chatting to me. And I can't wait to see what is going to happen with you moving out of this because so many more Australians have fallen in love with you and found your story through this show, and I think that there's some amazing things that are going to happen to you, so I'll look forward to that.
Thank you so much. You are the best.