After surviving 13 years of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Caitlyn Jenner thinks she is ready to brave the Australian jungle on the British version of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Jenner, who previously appeared on the US version of the show back in 2003, will be joining the cast this season.
It appears the former Olympic athlete will be the oldest cast member in a group that skews fairly young. Jenner recently celebrated her 70th birthday at a party, thrown by Jenner's youngest daughter Kylie. After years of feuding, it seems the family is on the mend as the 22-year-old beauty mogul managed to get the majority of the Jenner and Kardashian clan in attendance. Jenner has appeared on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians since 2007 with ex-wife Kris. They were joined by their blended family, which included Kris' children Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, and Rob, along with their daughters together - Kylie and Kendall.
While no stranger to reality TV, Caitlyn, according to her cast bio on Hello!, hopes this particular show, which will follow her 24 hours a day stripped of her normal luxuries, will help “show I am exactly the same person as I have always been.” Jenner went on to joke in an ITV promo for the show that she is only doing the show "to lose a few pounds" for the family Christmas party. Joking aside, the reality TV icon has likened the experience of leaving everything behind for a brief period to a "cleansing of the soul." Her former experience on the show leaves her with no doubts about what she is getting into, and she believes it might just be the edge she needs to win the whole thing.
During Jenner's appearance on the US version of the show, she was able to survive the jungle long enough to secure a fourth-place finish behind John Melendez from The Howard Stern Show, Fashion Police co-host Melissa Rivers, and the ultimate winner (and Jennifer Lopez' ex-husband) Cris Judd. This previous experience might help to level the playing field for the 70-year-old star. When speaking about her time on the US version, Jenner called it "a very interesting experience." The reality TV celeb joked that the scariest things in the jungle were not the predators or even the creepy-crawly creatures, but the other celebrities. She went on to explain that "People are by far tougher than any snake or any spider or anything."
While some fans think this past experience may give Caitlyn an unfair advantage, they must bear in mind that this experience was 17 years ago. Jenner may find new challenges at age 70 that she didn't experience in her pre-Keeping Up with the Kardashians run at the competition. Though the years of additional experience on camera might help her navigate that side of the competition, it won't likely be any help in the survival aspect. Those years and the luxury she's become accustomed to might actually work against her as she herself has pointed out... there won't be any hair and makeup people in the jungle!
Keeping Up With the Kardashians airs Sundays at 9 pm EST on E!