A pair of contestants on the U.S. reality show “Race to Survive” have been disqualified, losing out on the potential $500,000 prize, after one of them killed a protected bird in New Zealand. The incident occurred during the latest season of the show, which challenges teams to complete a 150-mile journey across harsh wilderness terrain while sourcing their own food and water.
This season was set in New Zealand, home to the threatened weka bird, a species protected by law and listed as “threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Under New Zealand legislation, killing a weka can result in a prison sentence of up to two years. However, “Race to Survive” contestant Spencer “Corry” Jones said the intense hunger experienced during the grueling competition caused him to make the decision to eat one of these birds.
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“There’s creatures running around camp that we’re not allowed to eat. You get into that mindset of starvation mode and this slowing down of your cognition,” Jones said on the show. “It’s this mental shift where the thoughts kind of drift a little more and there’s this very deep need to eat.”
The incident led to the elimination of Jones and his partner from the competition. New Zealand wildlife officials decided to issue a warning instead of pressing charges, citing the “unique” circumstances of the situation. In a confessional on the show, Jones expressed remorse for his actions, saying he had “disrespected New Zealand” and made a “foolish mistake,” but that “survival in the bush in New Zealand is not easy.”
The show’s production team said in a statement that the incident was reported to authorities as soon as the team became aware of it. It also emphasized that all contestants had been briefed and continually reminded throughout shooting about the presence of protected species and plants in the area that could not be eaten.
THIS BIRD JUST COST A PAIR OF REALITY TV CONTESTANTS A CHANCE TO WIN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.
ALTHOUGH THE PRICE COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN HIGHER.
RACE TO SURVIVE IS A U.S. REALITY SHOW THAT HAS TEAMS OF CONTESTANTS COMPETING TO BE THE FIRST TO FINISH A 150 MILE JOURNEY ACROSS HARSH WILDERNESS TERRAIN-
ALL WHILE WORKING TO FIND THEIR OWN FOOD AND WATER ALONG THE WAY.
THE MOST RECENT SEASON TOOK PLACE IN NEW ZEALAND-
HOME TO THE WEKA BIRD, CURRENTLY LISTED AS A THREATENED SPECIES BY THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE.
KILLING ONE COULD LAND A PERSON IN PRISON FOR UP TO TWO YEARS UNDER NEW ZEALAND LAW.
BUT WITH HUNGER SETTING IN DURING THE GRUELING RACE, ONE OF THE SHOW’S STARS MADE THE DECISION TO EAT ONE OF THESE BIRDS.
“There’s creatures running around camp that we’re not allowed to eat. You get into that mindset of starvation mode and this slowing down of your cognition. It’s this mental shift where the thoughts kind of drift a little more and there’s this like very deep need to eat.”
CONTESTANT CORRY JONES AND HIS PARTNER WERE ULTIMATELY ELIMINATED FROM THE SHOW AFTER THE INCIDENT WAS DISCOVERED.
NEW ZEALAND WILDLIFE OFFICIALS DECIDED TO LET JONES OFF WITH JUST A WARNING DUE TO WHAT THEY CALLED A UNIQUE SITUATION.
DURING A RACE TO SURVIVE CONFESSIONAL, JONES APOLOGIZED FOR HIS ACTIONS, SAYING WHAT HE DID DISRESPECTED NEW ZEALAND.
“I made a mistake. It was short sighted. It was, it was foolish. But the competition is very real. The difficulty of this is real and survival in the bush in New Zealand is not easy.”
THE SHOW’S PRODUCTION TEAM SAID IT ALERTED AUTHORITIES AS SOON AS THEY WERE MADE AWARE OF THE BIRD’S DEATH.
ADDING IN A STATEMENT THAT ALL CONTESTANTS WERE BOTH BRIEFED AHEAD OF TIME AND REMINDED THROUGHOUT FILMING ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF PROTECTED SPECIES AND PLANTS IN THE AREA THAT COULD NOT BE EATEN.
JACK AYLMER – STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.
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