"The challenge wasn't fair": Celebrity Bear Hunt’s Kola shares his frustration about feeling "cheated"

Celebrity Bear Hunt's debut season premiered on Netflix on February 5, 2025. The competition show featured twelve celebrities, including Leomie Anderson, Lottie Moss, Steph McGovern, Mel B, Boris Becker, Big Zuu, Shirley Ballas, Joe Thomas, Danny Cipriani, Una Healy, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, and Kola Bokinni.

The competition show's third episode, Sink of Swim, featured a task in the sea where participants were divided into two teams. Kola and Laurence were on the same team, team Black.

During the Rescue Rafts challenge, Laurence faced some issues while in the water in the middle of the task. Seeing him unable to breathe and swim, he was pulled out of the water.

As a result, he wasn't able to finish the task. Hence, he and Kola were supposed to go to the Bear Pit, which the latter wasn't happy about.

"I felt a little bit cheated. The challenge wasn't fair. I felt like our team was playing the challenge on hard, and they were on easy. But things played out the way things played out, and this is what we're done with," confessed Kola.

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Celebrity Bear Hunt Season 1 Episode 3: Rescue Rafts Challenge

The Rescue Rafts challenge featured four participants: Mel and Steph (team Orange) and Kola and Laurence (team Black.) At Pandora Beach, celebrity contestants were tested on speed, teamwork, and endurance. Bear Grylls called it "the ultimate test."

Two rafts were floating in the ocean, in which they had to collect the supply bags and pull them to the shore. The task would be considered completed only after the participants release the anchors, get those supply bags to the dedicated area on the shore, and set off the flares.

While Mel and Steph were leading the challenge and collecting the bags, Celebrity Bear Hunt star Laurence faced an issue. He seemed to be struggling in the water and unable to breathe. He was rescued and given medical assistance.

Still, Celebrity Bear Hunt's Kola focused on the challenge alone. At one point during the challenge, seeing Kola struggling alone in pulling the raft, the team Green members helped him.

Soon, the task was completed, and team Green, aka Mel and Steph, won. However, Kola seemed upset with how things turned out, so he would be going to the Bear Pit the next day.

"Can't say I'm not disappointed. I'm not disappointed in Laurence. Laurence done his best. But, um, I think, as a team, we wasn't good enough. And it's cost us. You know, it's cost us dearly. And now we gotta face the Bear Pit," confessed Kola.

Later that day, after they returned to the base camp, Mel mentioned how she and Steph helped Kola, but it didn't work well with him. Laurence also confessed about how Kola seemed "reserved" after losing the task.

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To witness the Rescue Rafts challenge, fans can stream Celebrity Bear Hunt Episode 3 on Netflix.