Excess Baggage (TV series)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | January 30, 2012 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Reality television program |
Excess Baggage is a reality TV series from Australia that first aired on the Nine Network on 30 January 2012. Due to underwhelming viewership, the program was shifted to the digital channel GO! as of 13 February 2012. The format centers around eight celebrities who are each teamed with a contestant to take part in a weight reduction competition. The show is supported by three specialists: psychologist Dr. Timothy Sharp (also known as Dr. Happy), nutrition expert Dr. Joanna McMillan, and fitness coach Christian Marchegiani.
The Celebrities
| Celebrity | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| Christine Anu | 42 | Australian singer and actress in the pop genre |
| Kate DeAraugo | 26 | Singer-songwriter; champion of the third season of Australian Idol |
| Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico | 53 | Ex-player of Australian rules football (VFL/AFL) |
| Kevin Federline | 33 | American rapper and dancer; formerly married to Britney Spears |
| Darryn Lyons | 46 | Media figure from Australia; finished sixth in the eighth season of Celebrity Big Brother UK |
| Gabby Millgate | 40 | Comedian and writer from Australia; recognized for Muriel's Wedding |
| Ajay Rochester | 42 | Television presenter and author; previous host of The Biggest Loser Australia; winner of Excess Baggage |
| Brant Webb | 42 | Australian miner known for surviving the Beaconsfield Mine collapse |
Teams
| Team | Celebrity | Charity Supported by Celebrity | Contestant | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purple | Template:Sortname | No Hate Campaign | Template:Sortname | Excess Baggage Winners |
| Red | Template:Sortname | Geelong Community Foundation | Template:Sortname | 7th Eliminated (Week 9) |
| Orange | Template:Sortname | TBA | Template:Sortname | 6th Eliminated (Week 9) |
| Blue | Template:Sortname | Variety Australia | Template:Sortname | 5th Eliminated (Week 9) |
| Yellow | Template:Sortname | TBA | Template:Sortname | 4th Eliminated (Week 8) |
| Pink | Template:Sortname | TBA | Template:Sortname | 3rd Eliminated (Week 7) |
| Green | Template:Sortname | Children's Medical Research Institute (Australia) | Template:Sortname | 2nd Eliminated (Week 6) |
| Grey | Template:Sortname | TBA | Template:Sortname | 1st Eliminated (Week 5) |
Locations
Each week, teams journeyed to a variety of Australian destinations:
Week 1 – Kimberley, Western Australia Week 2 – Whitsundays, Queensland Week 3 – Tasmania Week 4 – Hunter Valley, New South Wales Week 5 – Gold Coast, Queensland Week 6 – Sydney, New South Wales Week 7 – Kangaroo Island, South Australia Week 8 – Southern Highlands, New South Wales Week 9 – Melbourne, Victoria
Spirit Challenges
Spirit challenges involved physical tasks inspired by the host location, with points awarded to the highest performing teams.
Week 1 – Spirit walk: Participants individually searched for personal keepsakes and gifts to encourage team cohesion. No points were distributed.
Week 2 – Swimming and sailing: Teams swam to Daydream Island to retrieve flags and keys for sailboats, then competed in a sailing race. The blue team secured first place (5 points), followed by yellow (3), green (2), and orange (1).
Week 3 – Catch of the day
Week 4 – Winemaking
Week 5 – Lifeguard training
Week 6 – AFL extravaganza
Week 7 – Carrying history
Week 8 – Farmer's wife
Week 9 – Carrying the excess baggage
Endurance Challenges
Endurance challenges evaluated teams’ communication and trust, with opportunities for all groups to earn points.
Week 1 – The blind leading the blind: Kevin and Renee did not participate after Kevin’s collapse the day before. One member guided their blindfolded partner through an obstacle course. The victorious team earned $10,000 for their celebrity charity. Heat 1 included Christine and Nathan, Gabby and Ben, Brant and Johnny; Brant and Johnny triumphed. Heat 2 featured Ajay and Matt, Kate and Sarah, Darryn and Lisa, Dipper and Lana; Kate and Sarah prevailed. In the final stage across rugged terrain finishing with a water jump, Brant and Johnny won $10,000 for charity plus 8 points; Kate and Sarah received 6 points. Other teams earned 2 points each except Kevin and Renee who scored zero.
Week 2 – Raft race: Teams constructed rafts using wood and barrels then paddled to a speedboat to sound its horn. Despite initial difficulties, Brant and Johnny’s grey team claimed another endurance victory with maximum points.
Week 3 – Brains and Brawn
Week 4 – Full of hot air
Week 5 – Race up Q1
Week 6 – Track and field
Week 7 – Maths Dunes
Week 8 – Horseshoe Hill
Week 9 – Railway ramble: Teams deciphered three universal clues plus one personalized hint directing them to puzzle piece bags scattered around the station. Universal clues led them to luggage on a train, coal heaps, and barrels filled with ice water amid numerous decoys. Orange, purple, and red teams competed closely while blue struggled with clues and false bags. Red began assembling the puzzle first but disputes allowed purple to overtake them for the win; red finished second. Mistakes by orange enabled blue to close the gap; orange placed third while blue came last.
Week 9 – Super challenge: Conducted at Bear Island fortress, teams visited four stations in any sequence to use keys or numbers unlocking boxes containing decoder components. Once assembled, they decoded a motivational message from judges or Kate for points. Stations referenced previous endurance or spirit challenges: water weight (Tasmania), balloon popping (Hunter Valley), knot undoing (Gold Coast), milk maid (Southern Highlands). Blue and purple teams obtained initial keys; red led early but struggled with the water challenge. Orange fell behind early on knots. Blue won with a crucial 8 points; purple closely followed, maintaining their lead in weekly scoring. Red’s internal conflicts allowed orange to claim third place; red earned five points.
Breakthrough Experience
The breakthrough experience is designed to enable teams to face and conquer their most profound fears, although engagement in these activities remains voluntary.
Week 1 – Crocodiles: Following a consultation with psychologist Dr Tim, participants were offered the option to swim in a crocodile-infested lake. Despite initial reluctance, every team member took part.
Week 2 – Great Barrier Reef: For snorkeling, Kate and Sarah, along with Darryn and Lisa, were chosen. Kate and Sarah successfully navigated the 20-meter swim against strong currents to reach the reef wall. Meanwhile, Darryn struggled with panic but managed to complete the swim alongside Lisa.
Week 3 – Dam wall
Week 4 – Stunt planes
Week 5 – The circus
Week 6 – None: This week featured no breakthrough challenge due to Super Sports Week and the attention on Kevin's heart attack.
Week 7 – Caving
Week 8 – Skydiving
Week 9 – Helicopter crash rescue
Episodes
| Week | Episodes | Air date | Viewers | Nightly Rank | Channel | Source | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | 30 January 2012 | 880,000 | No. 12 | Nine Network | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | 31 January 2012 | 625,000 | No. 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | 2 February 2012 | 555,000 | No. 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 4 | "Episode 4" | 6 February 2012 | 610,000 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | 7 February 2012 | 474,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | 8 February 2012 | 503,000 | No. 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 7 | "Episode 7" | 13 February 2012 | 118,000 | — | GO! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | "Episode 8" | 14 February 2012 | 95,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | "Episode 9" |
- |
4 | "Episode 11" |20 February 2012 |96,000 | |
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"Episode 12" |21 February 2012 |
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"Episode 13" |22 February 2012 |
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"Episode 14" |23 February 2012 |
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5 | "Episode 15" |27 February 2012 |
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"Episode 16" |28 February 2012 |
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"Episode 17" |29 February 2012 |
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"Episode 18" |1 March 2012 |
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6 | "Episode 19" |{{start date 2012 03 05 df=y}} |
- 20 |"Episode 20" {{start date 2012 03 07 df=y}} 503,000 No. 20 - 21 |"Episode 21" {{start date 2012 03 08 df=y}} - |
7
22 |"Episode 22" {{start date 2012 03 12 df=y}} 84,000 - 23 |"Episode 23" {{start date 2012 03 13 df=y}} - 24 |"Episode 24" {{start date 2012 03 14 df=y}} - 25 |"Episode 25" {{start date 2012 03 15 df=y}} - |
8
26 |"Episode 26" {{start date 2012 03 19 df=y}} - 27 |"Episode 27" {{start date 2012 03 20 df=y}} - 28 |"Episode28" {{start date 2012 03 21 df=y }} - 29|"Episode29" {{start date 2012 03 22 df=y }} - |
9
30|"Episode30" {{start date 2012 03 26 df=y }} - 31|"Episode31" {{start date 2012 03 27 df=y }} - 32|"Episode32" {{start date 2012 03 28 }|44,000} - 33|"Grand Finale"| {{start date }} 95,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||