Jack Osbourne

Jack Osbourne joined Trekforce to film his 'Adrenaline Junkie Series 2' in Belize (2006) and 'Adrenaline Junkie Series 3' in Borneo (2007).

Watch Jack Osbourne talk about Trekforce!

The ultimate jungle expedition

One of Jack Osbourne’s challenges during Adrenaline Junkie Series 2 was in the form of a self-sufficient expedition through the jungles of Central America. For this phase, Trekforce were called in by Ginger TV to provide planning expertise, logistical support, specialist in-country knowledge and leadership.

Before embarking on their trek through the jungle, Jack Osbourne, Mike Weeks and Bean Sopwith first of all needed to learn the skills necessary to survive in such an inhospitable environment. Therefore, upon arrival in Belize, the first thing they did was spend several days with Trekforce instructors learning the fundamentals of jungle survival.

Basing themselves in the Trekforce jungle camp, the trio slowly adapted to expedition life, sleeping in hammocks and acclimatising to the heat. Jungle training lasted three days in total, during which time Trekforce staff instructed the team on the techniques needed to survive in the Belizean rainforest. Navigation, basic medical training, shelter construction, river crossing techniques, hazardous flora and fauna and casualty evacuation procedures were all covered during this initial build-up phase.

Jungle Warfare Instructors from the British Army were also on hand to put Jack through his paces, whilst providing further instruction on tracking skills, navigation and helicopter winch techniques. The expertise of these British Army instructors is often incorporated into Trekforce expeditions to Belize, whether it be for gap year students, television production companies or blue chip corporate clients.

After three days of intensive training, Jack, Mike and Bean were ready for their trekking phase. Heading even deeper into the jungle, the team and accompanying camera crew first of all made their way to the Chiquibul Chamber, an extensive cave network that stretches all the way into neighbouring Guatemala. Using their recently acquired skills, the trio spent a total of four days navigating their way through the jungle, encountering impenetrable vegetation, biting insects, killer bees and rampaging peccaries (wild pigs) en route.

Meanwhile, the Trekforce staff were working tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring that Jack and his colleagues remained safe and healthy at all times. Just as importantly, they were on hand to ensure that everything ran safely and smoothly for the production team, who were keen to go about their everyday duties despite the potential rigours of operating in such a remote and challenging environment.

Eventually Jack, Mike and Bean made their way to Caracol, the largest Mayan settlement in Belize. Their timing was perfect and from here they were able to catch a view of the sunset from the top of the ancient ruins, the perfect way to end their jungle adventure.

Journey of a Lifetime 

Despite the hardships of jungle life, for Jack this was clearly an enjoyable experience. Upon returning to the UK, his sentiments were clear:

“The journey, in a nutshell, was epic. We covered a lot of distance in an extreme environment, the trip itself was completely inspiring and you want other people to experience this.”

Perhaps more importantly, the production team were also happy with their jungle experience. Having obtained excellent footage of both the training and expedition phases, Craig Pickles, Series Producer for Adrenaline Junkie 1 and 2, claimed:

“Trekforce are an outstanding company, ultra professional, dedicated, and very easy to get on with. If you are considering shooting in a jungle environment, contact Trekforce ASAP!”

Background

After successfully collaborating with the BBC on the award-winning Serious Jungle series, as well as providing key personnel for other documentaries in the Serious franchise, Trekforce were approached by television production company Ginger TV. Ginger TV have a history of producing adventurous documentaries and were looking for assistance with their next big project, Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie 2. Trekforce Worldwide provides an expedition consultancy service for production companies wishing to operate in remote environments, and as such, this collaboration proved to be the perfect marriage of two experts in their respective fields.

The premise of Adrenaline Junkie Series 2 was that Jack and his friends Mike Weeks and Bean Sopwith would spend three months travelling around the world, attempting to experience the ultimate gap year. And so began an adrenaline-fuelled documentary that saw the trio testing their nerves to the max. First on the list was the world’s highest bungee jump in South Africa at 709 feet high, a true test of courage. This was followed by entry into the Marathon de Sables, a gruelling 150-mile ultra-marathon through the heat of Morocco ’s Sahara Desert. En route Jack and the team survived white water kayaking sessions in New Zealand, mind-over-matter endurance trials in Japan and the Indian combat sport of kushti wrestling.

In Adrenaline Junkie Series 1, Jack Osbourne teamed up with climbers Mike Weeks and Bean Sopwith in pursuit of non-stop adventure, and it transformed Jack from a 16-stone troubled socialite and teenage son of Ozzy Osbourne to a lean 11-stone climber and successful summiteer of El Capitan. Set in the heart of California ’s Yosemite National Park, El Capitan is a 3,000-foot vertical granite monolith: a true test of physical robustness and rock climbing prowess.

As part of his pre-climb fitness regime, Jack Osbourne subjected himself to an intensive martial arts training programme in Thailand, followed by a crash course in climbing techniques and a bull running session in Pamplona. After six months of non-stop training, Jack successfully reached El Cap’s summit.