Concetta Caristo has been named winner of Network 10's reality show I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! Caristo was crowned Queen of the Jungle by the show's hosts Robert Irwin and Julia Morris on Sunday night, beating fellow finalists Gary Sweet and Luke Bateman in a public vote.
Caristo overcame several terrifying challenges on the show, including being submerged in tank that was rapidly filling with water, as well as Celebrity standards such as eating offal and getting up close with spiders, snakes and baby crocodiles.
"The whole reason I'm here is to push through and to tell myself I can do this, and push through the fear," said Caristo in the final episode. "Otherwise, what's the literal point?"
Caristo is a stand-up comedian best known for co-hosting the Triple J breakfast show, which she has done since 2022. The 31-year-old has also appeared on Taskmaster Australia, The Cheap Seats and Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee, as well as hosting last year's ARIA awards.
Gary Sweet is a four-time Logie-winning actor. He got his start on The Sullivans, before gaining international recognition for playing cricketer Don Bradman in the iconic 1984 miniseries Bodyline. He was a small-screen staple throughout the 1990s, starring in Police Rescue, Stingers and Blue Murder. His most recent role was in Neighbours.
Luke Bateman is a former Canberra Raiders rugby league star, who gained fame for appearing on the final season of The Bachelor Australia in 2023. However, he is now best known as that "BookTok guy", where he has developed a huge following for his book reviews. Bateman, a fantasy and romance fan, usually films his videos from his truck or a tractor, while working in Queensland. In June last year, Bateman signed a two-book deal with Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia.
This year the reality show, which has been running for 12 seasons, sent 13 celebrities into the African jungle. They included Kiwi supermodel Rachel Hunter, former MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris, AFL star Dyson Heppell, comedian Nath Valvo, reality stars Matt Zukowski and Cyrell Paule, Neighbours star Rebekah Elmaloglou, AFL star Brendan Fevola's daughter Mia, singer Deni Hines (who decided to leave the show, after admitting she had been unable to go to the toilet) and Brady Bunch star Barry Williams.
After four weeks in the jungle, Caristo, Bateman and Sweet were treated to mini feast and a cocktail each (negronis for Bateman and Caristo, and a margherita for Sweet). They were also reunited with their families, with Caristo hugging her mum Marlene; Bateman crying at the sight of his mum, Leanne; and Sweet thrilled to see his two young sons Freddy, 11, and Percy, 8, and his partner Nadia Dyall.
The winner of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! wins $100,000 for their chosen charity. Caristo was supporting Full Stop Australia, which helps those affected by family, domestic or sexual violence.
"Services like these are so important for people who are affected by violence," said Caristo. "I know that personally because a service like that changed my life, my mum and my sister's, and I plan on supporting services like this for my entire life."
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.