Who is Jason Gardiner? Bear Grylls: Mission Survive 2016 profile
Having muddy hands is a real issue for Gardiner – good luck trying to survive Bear's challenges...
Name: Jason Gardiner
Age: 44
Famous, why? Dance choreographer and former judge on Dancing on Ice
Bio: Gardiner was a Dancing on Ice judge from 2006 to 2011 (returning in 2013 too) and was well-known for his cutting remarks, including telling former TOWIE star Lauren Goodger that she had "all the sensuality of a walrus".
In 2013 Gardiner was also a judge on the Davina McCall-fronted dance show Stepping Out. He sat alongside Mel B and Wayne Sleep. Gardiner is also involved in upcoming Watch show Battlechefs, which sees celebrities take charge of a cruise ship kitchen, under the watchful eye of Marco Pierre White. He also teased that he has a new show that he's "created in development with ITV".
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Why did he join Mission Survive? "I don’t really know what possessed me to do it other than that I wanted to meet Bear Grylls," Jason joked, admitted his agent initially came to him with the idea saying they thought it would probably be a no. "I’m a big fan of his, I love his shows on Discovery, he’s everywhere. So I thought, hmm… maybe we should at least go for a meeting and have a look."
Gardiner struggles with OCD, particularly getting his hands muddy, which he admitted was a constant concern: "That was tough, that was the one thing that I was petrified of going into this more than anyone else. I was up for the challenge, the physical challenge, but psychologically I didn't know if I would be able to overcome my OCDs in that environment. I didn’t know, so that was always hanging over my head."
Grylls, in classic style, isn't shy of drinking his own urine on the show. And Gardiner said he was always leading from the front: "To his credit, he would not get us to do anything he’s not prepared to do. He showed us everything. It was like, I’ll eat this, now you eat this. I’m going to drink this, now you drink it."
Bear Grylls: Mission Survive starts Thursday 3rd March at 9:00pm on ITV