- The Intellectual Mr. Birofio: Unveiling the Italo Man's Perspective Through His Campervan
On the 14th day in the jungle camp, Mola Adebisi mentioned that Gigi Birofio might be more clever than he appears to be.
"Gigi has convinced everyone that he's completely harmless," the former Viva moderator stated. "He's shown an extraordinary amount of emotional awareness," Adebisi noted. Initially, Birofio was known for his childish behavior, always passing gas, boasting about his conquests, and constantly cracking jokes. The women in the camp viewed the men as their main competition, but Birofio seemed to be an exception. No one took him seriously at first.
Legendary Jungle Camp: Gigi Birofio Sees Through Vito Schmitz
"Here's a 25-year-old guy who's in great shape," Adebisi pointed out on the 14th day. He couldn't understand why Birofio was so underestimated. Whether Birofio has a strategy and is just playing the class clown, only he knows. But the German-Italian has seen through his campmates better than anyone else. Vito Schmitz, in particular, felt Birofio's wrath. While most in the camp believed in Schmitz's self-created image as a versatile jack-of-all-trades, Birofio had doubts about his authenticity.
"I like Vito, he's a good guy. But the thing is, what Vito tells me, he tells everyone. 'You're like a son, you're like an aunt, you're my grandma, you're in my heart'," Birofio said in the jungle phone. "But he says that to everyone. It doesn't work on me," he noted. Birofio also didn't like Schmitz's boasting. "If someone really has that much money, they keep quiet about it," he stated clearly.
Even Schmitz's early presentation of himself as the show's likely winner didn't sit well with Birofio. "I think Vito is too sure that he's going to win. But he's forgotten that I'm here too," he said. For 13 days, Schmitz tried his best to foster the image of the camp's strong and selfless dad figure who would do anything for his campmates. Birofio was the first to see through Schmitz and his tactics. But it's not just his judgment of the musician that suggests there's more to Schmitz's facade.
Gigi Birofio: Don't Underestimate Lisa
It's also fascinating how Birofio sees campmate Lisa. While his fellow campers often criticize her for sleeping too much during the day, he sees more in the Munich-based influencer. He thinks she's much stronger than others imagine. If a tiger appeared in the jungle trial, the tiger would run away at the sight of Lisa, he said. And indeed, so far, Lisa has shown herself to be determined and strong in all the trials, becoming a favorite among the underdogs (except for Gigi).
During various discussions in the jungle camp, Gigi often hit the right note. When the topic turned to gender roles and child-rearing, he said into the jungle phone, "The most important thing, guys, is just to give love. That's it, that's all a child needs." After Mola Adebisi's comments about emancipation and role distribution caused a stir, Birofio summed up how it was in his own family.
While his father worked and then relaxed on the couch, his mother, in addition to her paid job, managed the household chores and child-rearing. A woman is "simply better than a man," Gigi concluded. Wise and insightful words from a 25-year-old dating show participant who does not have children of his own and cultivates an image as a heterosexual macho.
For Adebisi, Gigi is not an insignificant opponent, according to the Viva moderator's perspective. For jungle fans, he is, after two weeks of jungle TV, the cunning class clown with a heart in the right place.
Transparency note: Stern is part of RTL Germany.
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Despite his childish behavior and constant joking, Birofio was not viewed as a threat by the women in the camp due to his apparent harmlessness. However, his insightful views on gender roles and child-rearing, such as his statement that "a woman is simply better than a man," showed a different side to him.
