On Sunday 28th February, Inghams guests in Mayrhofen had the chance to travel over to Kuhtai to see a range of celebrities competing in Channel 4’s daring show, “The Jump”, and watch them hurtle down the slopes in various different snow sport challenges, as well as try and get their faces on the tele box.
Now in its third series, The Jump has been named one of the most dangerous and controversial TV shows on air in the UK. There have been more injuries than ever before, including Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington’s dislocated shoulder, gymnast Beth Tweddle’s neck injury and most recently, Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud had to pull out due to ligament injury.
Celebrities left in the running in the semi-final and competing for their chance to win a golden ticket to the final show on Sunday 6th March:
Tom Parker – The Wanted singer
Tamara Beckwith – Original ‘It Girl’
Sid Owen – ‘Ricky’, Eastenders
Dean Cain – Former Superman Actor
Brian McFadden – Former Westlife singer & TV Presenter
Ben Cohen – Former England Rugby Player
After showing the audience some clips from previous episodes to re-cap on the show so far, Davina McCall did what she does best, presenting the show with trademark energy, whilst getting the crowd involved in the antics of the evening. A traditional Austrian band played in the hut, where the celebrities were awaiting their fate with friends, family and a warm glass of Gluhwein (and three very lucky Inghams representatives!).
Then it was the turn of Graham Bell of Ski Sunday to announce the event that the celebs were to compete in… Ski Cross. This type of skiing competition is a timed racing event, where multiple competitors’ race against the clock; and each other; down The Jump’s customised 500m track, featuring high-banked turns and breath-taking terrain features such as lips and jumps.
First up, the race was on between Tom, Dean & Tamara. The countdown began and the gates opened, leaving the celebs to battle it out and pick up as much speed as possible. Tom immediately raced on ahead, looking stable and professional, as Dean tried to catch up and pip him to the post. Unfortunately in his excitement, Dean caught an edge and in true Superman style, leapt across the track crashing into the side barrier and taking Tamara with him as she took a wide corner, leaving them both in a pile on the piste. Tom was a clear winner and the crowd cheered as the other two came across the finish line a few minutes later.
Next, it was the turn of the boys, Ben, Sid and Brian to race to the finish line. The race was steady, with the celebs holding their positions firmly until the end of the race – Ben Cohen took first place, as the crowd started to sing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” in homage to his England Rugby days, followed by Sid, with Brian following shortly after.
Tom and Ben received a golden ticket to compete in the final show, however there was one last thing to be settled – who was the fastest between the two men? They both took the start line and the gates opened. The atmosphere was tense as Ben took the lead, but then out of nowhere, Tom instantly picked up speed, taking the outside line and overtaking the rugby legend. The crowd went wild as Tom passed the finish line, with Ben following within touching distance behind.
After the excitement of the ski cross, it was now time for the celebrities to face The Jump, the most crucial part of the evening to determine who would be heading home and eliminated from the competition. All they had to do was maintain composure and throw themselves off of The Jump to try and clock the furthest distance possible.
Dean, Tamara, Sid & Brian all lined up for their chance to take on The Jump and push themselves to the limit to advance to next week’s grand finale. Each celeb wore a different Lycra vest adorned with sequins to represent them, making them stand out so that they could be seen all the way at the top of The Jump starting point. After each Jump, Davina announced their distances in meters, allowing the audience time to cheer or boo upon hearing the results. In the end, it all came down to whether Brian McFadden could beat the distance achieved by Tamara Beckwith. Unfortunately, Westlife star Brian wasn’t able to “fly without wings” and was eliminated from the competition, shying by a matter of centimetres from the 10m point. After viewing his highlights from the show, Brian was ever the modest celeb and went over to the crowd, thanking them for coming and taking ‘selfies’ with the Inghams guests.
So, who do you think will be The Jump champion of 2016? If you’re travelling to Mayrhofen this Saturday, ask your Inghams Resort Representative for more information, and join us on this once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the celebrities battle it out for the chance to be the next champion of the slopes!
Blog by Hannah Crellin, Inghams Representative in Mayrhofen.