Aussie reality television lovers are no strangers to Tina Provis — the bubbly, bright scream queen and former Love Island Australia winner who captured our hearts from the moment she appeared on our screens. But now that she’s out of the jungle, the 28-year-old reality star admits that her time on I’m A Celeb was the first time we truly got to see the real her.
“The difference of a dating show compared to something like I’m A Celeb is you don’t really get to be 100 per cent yourself on a dating show,” Tina tells PEDESTRIAN.TV just hours after her elimination.
“On I’m A Celeb I might walk out to all my campmates and tell them I’ve finally been able to go to the bathroom, like ‘guys, you’ll all be really proud’, but I don’t necessarily do that in a dating show when I’m trying to date people.”
While the episodes we watch are filled with bonkers challenges and funny camp moments, we’re only seeing a tiny snippet of jungle life. Most of the time, the campmates are hanging around the campfire trading stories and learning about one another. For Tina, it was a great opportunity to not only get to know her fellow contestants, but also to share a part of herself that she’s never shared publicly before.
“It’s such a stripped-back experience and I think it gave me an opportunity to be open in a way that I haven’t been before,” she said.
In the jungle, one of the most poignant moments was when Tina opened up about her experience growing up as an Asian Australian woman and how that influenced her sense of self and body image.
“I feel like that’s something I’ve never really touched on or only spoken about with my friends and family, but because of the environment, and you’ve got nothing in there but the people, you’re forming such genuine connections. Hearing everyone’s stories created such an open space that I was willing to come forward with that,” Tina explains.
“I was met with so much support in there that I think it empowered me to be more honest with my story and who I am as a person.
“I went into this show thinking I’m going to do some scary things and eat some gross stuff, but I didn’t think I would have this life-changing experience that would allow me to feel closer to who I am as a person, and be able to share that.”
Unbeknownst to Tina at the time, opening up about her struggles with internalised racism as a woman of colour in the jungle hit a chord with other POC watching on. Once she got out of the jungle and had some long-awaited phone time, she was touched by how many people resonated with her experience.
“It’s always so special knowing there are people out there who share a similar experience to you which is why it has been something I’m trying to speak more about,” Tina says.
“At the same time, it’s quite cathartic for me because I didn’t necessarily grow up with people I felt like I could speak to about it so it’s been something that I have privately worked through for a long time.
“Being able to have a platform and connect with people who have gone through the same things, or help someone feel a little less alone or more validated with their feelings, it makes it more important being on the other end of that.”
Despite the I’m A Celeb jungle being worlds away from Love Island, that didn’t stop Tina getting tied up in romance rumours involving her and Bondi Rescue lifeguard Harrison Reid.
“Oh my god, as I’m coming onto social media and discovering these conversations I’ve never been part of, I’ve been like, what on earth is this?” she laughs.
“You know, I don’t know if there’s a future for Harrison and I because he seems pretty smitten with Matty [Johnson]. I think I’ll leave the romance to them for now but maybe I’ll have to watch these episodes back and see what everyone else is saying. Maybe I missed something along the way.”
However, even if she did feel sparks for Harrison, Tina admits she was conscious about getting wrapped up in another love-based storyline.
“I’m so grateful for the people that I met along the way, but also for the opportunity to share a little bit more about myself,” Tina shares.
“I feel like so often when you do something like Love Island, or like me, you do it three times, you get boxed into a certain category. For me, thinking about Tina and Harrison, that was even something I was conscious of. When I was in there, I wanted to make sure my journey was pushing myself, who I am and learning about myself.
“If there was any sparks ever flying there, I just thought, I don’t want my journey to be about someone else or having a love interest.”
Instead, Tina wanted to show Australia that she isn’t someone willing to compromise her happy life or her goals for the sake of being single.
“I think that was an interesting way for me to explore me beyond, you know, chasing boys around. And I think I did it really nicely, and I was myself,” she says.
As for whether she’d do another reality dating show? The jury is still out but it’s unlikely.
“You know, I’m kind of crazy so I’m always open but at the same time, not really because it hasn’t worked yet,” she laughed.
“I think for now, I might just stick to eating more bugs and brains. It seems to be more of my jam.”
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues tomorrow at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
