Devil's Island
11/03/07
THE crew on TV’s Castaway are getting boozed up every night as contestants go hungry a few yards away.
The 90 cameramen and technicians have been raiding local off-licences for supplies of lager and wine, we can reveal.
And insiders reckon that, if the 13 desperate contestants find out about it, they could revolt and quit the island.
One show source said: “The crew obviously don’t have to live by the same rules – and it’s fair to say they’re enjoying themselves.
“But there is a fear that there could be uproar if the castaways discover what is going on.”
While it’s fun time in the crew’s camp, the castaways are struggling to live off the land and from the water.
The insider said: “They have only been on the island off New Zealand for a few days and already some are starving.
“The vegetables might provide them with food in the long term but, if they don’t catch more fish soon, they might start trying to take bites out of each other!”
Feisty Scot Jonathan Shearer already looks like leading a rebellion after
moaning about the “World War II-style” provisions.
And self-confessed “fat guy” Alister Cooling, 24, has revealed how he’s
prepared to take drastic action if he doesn’t get fed.
The source said: “Alister likes his food, as you can see, and he’s hurting! There’s a fear that he might try and walk out straight away.
“And remember they’ve got to survive for three months.”
The only lucky castaway so far has been Francie Smee, 56, who managed to land a fish. But that didn’t stretch too far around the 13 camp members.
Jonathan, 41, has tried setting eel traps. But the source said: “He hasn’t had any luck so far. Even if he does, I don’t think many of them will eat eel. It is going to be a tough and long trip, especially if the veg doesn’t harvest.”
Meanwhile, the crew of the BBC1 show, which pulled in 4.4 million viewers on Friday night, have been stocking up, on liquid refreshment at least.
Trudy Rainbird, who works at The Rocks Bottle Shop on the island, said they’d been paying regular visits to the store.
She added: “They’ve been drinking their way through hearty measures of Stella, Heineken and wine.”
And some believe this might have led to them throwing their weight about…
Another shopkeeper added: “It’s nice to see new faces on the island but they think they own the place. As far as I’m concerned they can get lost.”
Tonight, the contestants will get a small taste of hooch themselves.
They prepare a birthday dinner for Francie, complete with vodka shots.
But the harmony might not last long as show chiefs plan to stir things up with a few surprises.
They will give one fan the chance to join the islanders as a contestant.
Auditions will find 12 wannabes, then viewers will vote for the winner.
He or she will be flown to New Zealand midway through the series.
There will also be an interactive competition giving one viewer the chance to play “puppet master” on the show, deciding whether the castaways get tricks or treats.
TV chiefs also plan to stage random surprise evictions and they have at least seven new castaways on standby and in hiding.
These will go into the show at a later date if anyone walks out or falls ill.
* Castaway is on BBC1 at 9pm tonight.
dailystar
