It starts on Friday

Lilly Becker fights jungle jet lag in a bikini

Lilly Becker wants to take a short break before the start of the RTL jungle camp and combat jet lag on the beach.

(Bild: instagram.com/lillybeckerofficial)

Before the start of the jungle camp on Friday, Lilly Becker is taking a little time out - in a bikini! 

The ex-wife of Boris Becker revealed this to her fans on Instagram. The 48-year-old wrote: "Good morning from Queensland, Australia" to some photos showing her in a black bikini on the beach.

And revealed what's bothering her the most right now - and it's not the prospect of disgusting trials in the jungle camp: "The jet lag is real folks, my body and mind aren't working together at the moment - I spent the afternoon on the beach. I needed to see the beach and it didn't disappoint."

Becker went on to ask whether her fans had any tips on what she could do to combat the agonizing jet lag. "Maybe go to the gym? What do you suggest? Any tips are welcome."

Lilly Becker still has a few days to settle in in Australia. Then the model will join other more or less famous celebrities - including pop star Anna-Carina Woitschack and reality TV star Yeliz Koc - in the RTL jungle camp.

RTL turns the jungle clock
And it's no secret that it's not just an adventure in front of the camera, but also behind it. There are few television productions for which a similar logistical effort is made as for the cheerful maggot tasting in faraway Australia.

Jungle camp gag writer Micky Beisenherz once summarized the work rhythm on location in his "Stern" column as follows: "Exhausting? Well, work 16 nights between 14 and 22 hours in a row."

The presenter duo Jan Köppen and Sonja Zietlow also have to get up early this year.

(Bild: RTL / Pascal Bünning)

One reason: if you want to broadcast live from Australia in the evening program, you have to start very early - because of the time difference. When it's approaching midnight in Europe, the day has only just begun Down Under. This has an impact on the workflow.

In the new season, which starts on January 24 at 8.15 p.m. on RTL and RTL+, the clock is being turned once again, so to speak. RTL is changing the broadcasting rhythm and moving its reality tanker to the prominent 8.15 p.m. Austrian time slot throughout. For the first time, all 17 live shows will be shown in prime time - a first. Until now, the later evening after 10 p.m. was considered the classic jungle time.

Start at 5.15 a.m. "Queensland time"
This also means that the presenter duo Sonja Zietlow and Jan Köppen will have to report for duty in front of the camera even earlier in future. An 8.15 p.m. start for us means 5.15 a.m. "Queensland time". Shift systems" are used to work at all times of the day. In this way, high-quality live entertainment can be produced "17 days in a row".

The new slot, which has been the subject of speculation in the industry for some time, is the most noticeable change in the 2025 edition. However, it alone is unlikely to add any spice to the new jungle soup - that requires the more-or-less celebrities involved, a bit of controversy, disgust, willingness to expose themselves and the usual overconfidence.

After an initial cautious assessment, RTL has also made every effort to achieve this. The casting list includes tried-and-tested rioters from other shows, a few surprising names and all kinds of biographical ballast that could easily be spread around the campfire.

"Now the fun's over"
In the run-up to the jungle showdown, Becker, for example, gives the impression of being on some kind of mission. "A lot of people have misused my name and talked about me in the last year," she told RTL, for example. "And now the fun is over: Lilly, show yourself!" For people hoping for further insights into the eventful Becker cosmos, this should sound promising.

Alessia Herren brings another well-known name to the jungle. She is taking on the role of her late father Willi Herren (1975-2021), who was one of the pioneers of the format in the second season in 2004. "It's a very nice feeling to know that my father was in the jungle 20 years ago, exactly where I am now," Alessia Herren told RTL, inspired by the story. However, the 23-year-old recently showed on RTL's "Sommerhaus der Stars" that she can also be less gentle. Several times formulations were beeped away there.

RTL is sending twelve celebrities to its jungle camp again this year. Who will cause a stir?

(Bild: RTL / Boris Breuer)

With decathlon legend Jürgen Hingsen (66), the obligatory ex-sports star will be there, with Timur Ülker (35), the often-obligated type of "Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten" actor. With actor Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss (62, "Der Alte"), someone is coming into the jungle who is unused to reality shows and says things like: "I am diversity in one person: as an Ossi, as a gay man, as a black man. That's as good as it gets for now."

Will a "reality legend" become jungle queen?
At the other end of the reality experience scale are Yeliz Koc and Maurice Dziwak. Koç (31, "The Bachelor") is even described by RTL as a "reality legend" in her profile, which somewhat counterintuitively lends a certain gravitas to the profession. Dziwak ("Are You The One? Realitystars in Love"), on the other hand, is listed as a "reality star". The 26-year-old from Oberhausen is - to put it mildly - considered to be quite opinionated, but depending on the dose, this can be helpful in bringing some momentum to the social fabric around the campfire.

A total of twelve celebrities compete for victory and 100,000 euros. If you want to survive everything, you should definitely be reasonably well-rested.