- His camp experience was influenced by his age.
Thorsten Legat (55) began his second stint at the Jungle Camp with high expectations, having previously created a classic in the format with his "Kasalla." His goal was to win "Ich bin ein Star - Showdown der Dschungel-Legenden."
After losing a challenge and having Eric Stehfest (35) and Mola Adebisi (51) choose Gigi Birofio (25) over him on day 13, he was forced to leave the camp, weeping bitterly. In an interview with news agency spot on news, Legat discussed his time in the Jungle, including his emotional departure, the challenges of aging, the behavior of his fellow campers, and his own strategy.
Has the "heartache" of your Jungle exit healed yet?
Thorsten Legat: To be honest, I'm still grieving. I've looked back on how I approached the task and what happened afterwards - it's still incredibly difficult for me, even today. Not as much as before, but certain things remain in your heart and mind. I'm still grieving because I love the Jungle Camp more than anything and I feel like I belong to that family.
Are you still bitterly disappointed that things didn't work out?
Legat: No, I'm not disappointed at all. I take it like a sportsman. I'm not disappointed, I'm sad because I would have loved to win. The fact that my mission was over and I failed against the better men made me a little sad.
You were quite confident, but Mola and Eric said you were "too confident"...
Legat: If I approach this format with the attitude that I don't want to, I won't do any challenges, I'll just collect - then I'm a bad person. I want to prove myself, that's what comes out because I was a performance athlete. I was a Bundesliga player for 16 years, I've been doing martial arts for 51 years. If I can't show that will, then you have to ask yourself what I'm doing there. I have to polarize too. That approach of going in and sweeping everyone away, that motivates me, that's my requirement. But if it doesn't work out, then I accept it and I'm an absolute sportsman with fair play.
You showed a different side of yourself, even crying openly. Did you expect to get that emotional?
Legat: It depended on the situation. I got questions in the Jungle telephone that touched me. Then you get really emotional, even though you don't want to, and then the tears come, even for me. I'm a family man and I love my family - that's who I am, and that's how I'll stay. I don't think it's a weakness for a person to cry.
In that emotional moment, you apologized to Giulia Siegel for some remarks. That caused some confusion among the other campers...
Legat: I've known Giulia for a few days longer than the others, she's an excellent woman. I got very good contacts from her, she wanted to help me a lot. But what I've seen of her in the Jungle so far, that scared me a bit, and I stand by that. But you also have to differentiate: That I said to her at the announcement that she wasn't a legend, that hurt me. Then I thought, how can you make that good? Because Georgia and I rocked the treasure hunt, I thought: Apologize to her, because she is a legend after all. She's a pro and she's been there for a few days longer than me and many others, and what she's experienced - I just had to apologize for that statement. But for the criticism of her statements, I don't have to apologize. She should apologize for that.
Did you have any more contact with her after the show?
Legat: I've made up my mind to wait until the entire show is over. I need to let everything happen to me first and then I'll contact her, which I also promised her. One must be able to distinguish: That was a game, a show. We must not go out there with anger and hate. She is Giulia Siegel, I am Thorsten Legat, we speak out, we accept it or not, and then everything is fine.
Gigi has laughed behind your back and portrayed you as inauthentic. What is your stance on him today?
Legat: That also shocked me. I mean, he's 25, I'm 55 - he's a naive little boy who sometimes speaks without knowing what he's saying. He wants to polarize in his own way. But he must know: If he has a big mouth, it will sometimes be stopped. His way is eventually overused. But he saw me as a competitor. He titled others as small fish, I say sarcastically and in jest: For me, he's a tadpole. He's a youngster in the industry and needs to see that he grows up a bit. Eventually, he'll meet the wrong person - not me - and then he'll get a beating like in "Fame Fighting". I don't wish that for him, I love him, I like him, but he should express himself more carefully and show respect to someone who is a few years older.
Before your exit, you wanted to give the others a "wake-up call" with your tactic of inventing a secret information - why?
Legat: That camp was all about fighting, anger, noise, emotions, and rage from the very first day – I thought I was about to lose it too! We were there to prove ourselves and duel, not fight. Then I thought: You're the trickster with the long nose, always strategizing. After the lie, I looked at the other contestants' faces and their reactions. That's when you see the eyes roll. I thought: You played it perfectly.
So, you were trying to provoke your campmates with your lie?
Legat: Bingo. I wanted to see how they'd react and how some faces would change.
Looking back: Which jungle challenge was the most tough for you?
Legat: The camp in South Africa, where I participated at 55, was the most challenging experience in my entire career. I quivered, I cried, I was happy, I had good experiences, I had bad experiences, it was all packed into one. But I'd do it again because that's my thing.
Did you underestimate the challenge of age?
Legat: I've always believed that at 45 in 2016, I was active – not that I'm not active now, but I've aged. I thought: Beware, Thorsten, you're going in like nothing's wrong – yep, crap, that wasn't the case! I really thought the sky was crashing down on my head, it was so tough. The third day knocked me out because of the food, I thought, this isn't right! All my energy was gone – and then you're there, feeling like a broken bag. I thought: Age is telling on you. But you press on, you don't show anything, and you shine. That's the standard of everything, if you don't show anything and do your job well, you dive in, let a few jokes roll – that's the entertainment.
Ambassador: My kids have moved out and are making their own paths. At their age, 26 and 25, they should be. My wife, ever the romantic, wrapped her arms around me and said, "It's wonderful that you were a part of it, I'm so proud of what you've accomplished at this age." She's my toughest critic, but when praise comes from your wife, you should cherish it and keep it close to your heart.
Despitebeing emotionally drained from his recent exit from the Jungle Camp, Thorsten Legat continues to cherish his time in the wild and the experiences he shared with his fellow campers. He admits that he still nostalgically reflects on his time at the Jungle camp, where he built valuable connections with his colleagues.
However, during his time in the camp, Thorsten grappled with the challenges that came with aging assumes that some of his younger colleagues looked down on him due to his age. Despite this, he remained determined to prove his worth and stand out from the rest of the competitors.
