71 Degrees North is a reality television series on ITV which began broadcasting on 11 September 2010. Ten celebrities had to battle it out to see who would make it to the 71st parallel north, with challenges along the way. It returned for a second and final series in 2011.
Broadcast 71 Degrees North is a British adaptation of the Norwegian television series , which had been broadcast on TVNorge since 1999, and adapted in Sweden, Denmark, Poland, The Netherlands, and Belgium. The format was distributed by Banijay International. Mazda formerly sponsored the show, Continental tires were the final sponsors.
In the UK, the show was made by London-based production company Fever Media and finished broadcasting its first series on 2 November 2010. The show was aired at 9 pm on Tuesday nights. Series 1 hosts were Gethin Jones and Kate Thornton. Marcus Patric was crowned champion after a closely fought final with Gavin Henson in the first series.
A second series was commissioned by ITV and started airing on 13 September 2011 hosted by Paddy McGuinness and Charlotte Jackson with 12 celebrities taking part. As with the first series, the second series aired on Tuesday evenings at 9 pm. In 2011, six countries acquired both series of the UK version. They were: TV Norge, Network Ten in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, Sic in Portugal, TV5 in Finland and Évasion in Canada.
Format The show followed ten (twelve in the second series) celebrities who attempted to make it to the North Cape at 71 degrees north. The contestants are split into Blue and Red teams at the start of each Challenge. The team that wins each challenge gets to stay in a log cabin, while the losing team has to camp. The winner of immunity from the previous Challenge becomes captain of one of the teams. At the end of each episode, the celebrity who performed worst on that day's challenge was eliminated.
Series 1 (2010) Marcus Patric was crowned champion after a closely fought final with Gavin Henson.
Episodes + Series One (2010) Episode Celebrity eliminated Airdate 1 Lauren Socha 11 September 2 Konnie Huq 14 September 3 Diarmuid Gavin 21 September 4 Michelle Mone 28 September 5 Shane Richie 5 October 6 Andrew Castle 19 October 7 Joe Absolom 26 October 8 Susie Amy (3rd Place) 2 November Gavin Henson (Runner-up) Marcus Patrick (Winner)
Celebrities Celebrity Occupation Status Lauren Socha Misfits actressEliminated 1ston 11 September 2010 Konnie Huq Blue Peter presenterEliminated 2ndon 14 September 2010 Diarmuid Gavin Garden designer & television presenterEliminated 3rdon 21 September 2010 Michelle Mone Model & entrepreneurEliminated 3rdon 28 September 2010 Shane Richie EastEnders actorEliminated 4th on 5 October 2010 Andrew Castle Retired tennis player & GMTV presenterEliminated 5th on 19 October 2010 Joe Absolom Former EastEnders actorEliminated 6th on 26 October 2010 Susie Amy Footballer's Wives actressThird Place on 2 November 2010 Gavin Henson Wales rugby player Runner-Upon 2 November 2010Marcus Patric Hollyoaks actor Winneron 2 November 2010
Challenges In episode 6, the winning team had the chance to spend the night in an Ice Hotel. Joe took this opportunity, Andrew opted for a warmer log cabin.
Episode Team Event or Immunity Challenge ChallengeWinner(s) 1Team Event: Dog SleddingBlue Team Each team must dog sled to collect their camping equipment, then, get to the camping site. After a night stop, both teams race to the finish line. The race length is 30 km. Immunity Challenge: Ice SwimGavin Henson Each person in each team must go into freezing water, and whoever swims the furthest will be guaranteed a place in the next expedition. 2Team Event: Stretcher RaceRed Team A team member is tied to a stretcher and the first team to get to the end has to cross a ravine by rope with the stretcher to win. Immunity Challenge: Ice ClimbJoe Absolom Each person must climb an ice wall..Whoever climbs the fastest/furthest wins immunity in the second vote off. 3Team Event: Snow Cave DiggingBlue Team Each team must find an equipment package using a tracker and then build a snow cave to sleep in that night. To win, the teams must build the cave to specific regulations. Immunity Challenge: Rope HoldingGavin HensonAndrew Castle One partner holds a rope that is hoist over a tree, while the other is attached to it. The two teams who hold on the longest compete in the final. 4Team Event: CliffhangerRed Team Each team must trek 5 km to spend the night in a tent hanging from separate vertical cliffs. The following day, one member of each team must climb to the top of their cliff and traverse on ropes to the opposite cliff to collect a flag and then, return it to the starting point. Immunity Challenge: Reindeer Race Shane Richie Each contestant must race around a track on a sled pulled by a Reindeer. The winner of each race will progress to the next round. Susie Amy received a bye from the first heat due to the odd number of contestants. 5Team Event: Snow Mobile RaceRed Team Each team must race by snow mobile to the top of a frozen waterfall which, they will then abseil back down. Once at the bottom, they must melt a block of ice to get the key to the luxury cabin. The team with the fastest time in each stage will get a head start in the next.(The blue team were invited by the reds to share the log cabin with them due to the extreme cold temperatures.) Immunity Challenge: Frozen River Assault Course Gavin Henson Each contestant must race around the course and then complete a math problem. The person with the fastest time avoids elimination.Failing or not completing the math problem in 2 minutes adds 5 minutes to their time. 6Team Event: Race and Reindeer HerdingBlue TeamAndrew& Joe Each team must race 40 miles on snow mobiles to the camp site where, they must construct and spend the night in a Lavvu. The first team to reach camp will take a 5-minute lead into tomorrow. Due to dangerously cold temperatures, the teams stayed in a log cabin rather than the Lavvu that night. The following day, the teams must herd 3000 reindeer over a distance of 2.5 km. The team with the fastest time wins. Immunity Challenge: Tobogganing Joe Absolom Each contestant will compete in a time trail down the 500m course to decide who progresses to the semi-finals and then the final. The winner will be immune from the vote off. 7Team Event: Hell RaceRed TeamJoe &Marcus Each team must hike to the bottom of a canyon and set up camp. The first team to reach camp will take a 15-minute lead into tomorrow. The following day, the teams must build a sledge out of their equipment and pull it a further 9 km to the finish line. Immunity Challenge: Dangling from a Dam Gavin Henson Each contestant must run across the face of a dam 110m high and collect a series of flags from boxes in numerical order..The fastest contestant wins immunity. 8Semi Final: Swim Under a Frozen LakeWinner:Marcus Eliminated:Susie Each contestant must swim under a frozen lake into holes cut in the ice. Susie was Eliminated at this stage as she swam 2 holes in the ice in 33 seconds compared to Gavin's 20 seconds, Marcus swam to the 3rd hole and automatically progressed to the Final Challenge. The Final: Race to 71 Degrees NorthSeries Winner: Marcus Patric In the first part of the final, both contestants must hike 2 km to the camp site..The winner chooses to sleep in the tent or the snow cave and has the opportunity to dig for a luxury food package. The following day, the contestants must race by dog sled for 20 km, the winner will take the winning margin into the next stage. In stage 3, the finalists must run to and then make their way across a 35m rope crossing, 100m above the Arctic. Once across, they must sprint to the finish line and set a beacon on fire. The first to light it is the Champion.
Series 2 (2011) On 1 March 2011, ITV confirmed that a second series has been commissioned and would begin airing on 13 September 2011, lasting 8 weeks before finishing on 1 November 2011.ITV1 returns to 71 Degrees North.
Episodes + Series Two (2011) Episode Celebrity eliminated Airdate 1 Nicky Clarke 13 September2 Sean Maguire (withdrew) 20 September John Thomson 3 Martin Kemp (withdrew) 27 September Lisa Maxwell 4 John Barnes 4 October5 Charlie Dimmock (withdrew) 11 October John Barnes 6 Richard Arnold 18 October 7(Semi-Final) Brooke Kinsella 25 October 8(Final) Amy Williams (3rd Place) 1 November Angelica Bell (Runner-up) Rav Wilding (Winner)
Celebrities On 18 July 2011, the 10 confirmed celebrities for Series 2 were revealed, They were:
Celebrity Occupation Status Nicky Clarke Celebrity hairdresserEliminated 1ston 13 September 2011 Sean Maguire Television actorWithdrewon 20 September 2011 John Thomson Comedian Eliminated 2ndon 20 September 2011 Martin Kemp EastEnders actor & singerWithdrewon 27 September 2011 Lisa Maxwell Actress & Loose Women panelistEliminated 3rd on 27 September 2011 Charlie Dimmock Garden designer & television presenterWithdrew on 11 October 2011 John Barnes Former England footballerEliminated 4th on 4/11 October 2011 Richard Arnold Daybreak presenterEliminated 5th on 18 October 2011 Brooke Kinsella Former EastEnders actressEliminated 6th on 25 October 2011 Amy Williams Olympic skeleton racerThird Place on 1 November 2011 Angellica Bell Television & radio presenter Runner-Upon 1 November 2011Rav Wilding Crimewatch presenter Winneron 1 November 2011
Challenges Team captains are in Bold.