Bondi Rescue is an Australian factual television program which is broadcast on Network 10. The program follows the daily lives and routines of the Waverley Council professional lifeguards who patrol Bondi Beach.[2]
Bondi Rescue was first broadcast in 2006. A spin-off, set in Bali, Indonesia, also screened in 2008.[3][4]Bondi Rescue is broadcast internationally and has a substantial online presence. The show was created and produced by part-time lifeguard Ben Davies in collaboration with Producer Michael Cordell.[5] It is narrated by Osher Günsberg.
On 12 October 2022, it was officially announced that the show had been renewed for a seventeenth season which premiered on 19 April 2023, after a year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and poor weather conditions.[6][7]
The series was renewed for an 18th season at the 2023 Channel 10 upfronts.[8]
The Bondi lifeguards perform around five thousand rescues over the summer period. They also deal with other incidents including lost children, shark sightings, bluebottle stings, injuries, drunk beach goers, perverts and thieves on the beach. Every once in a while, celebrities also make appearances on their shores; these have included actors David Hasselhoff (star of the fictional lifeguard show Baywatch), Hugh Grant, Zac Efron, Rowan Atkinson and Russell Crowe, entrepreneur Richard Branson, comedian Conan O'Brien (whose appearance was also broadcast in his own show, Conan), musician Snoop Dogg, media personality Paris Hilton, conservationist Steve Irwin and his daughter Bindi, pro-surfer Kelly Slater, and the Indian Cricket Team. Bondi veterinarian Chris Brown has repeatedly appeared on Bondi beach, meeting lifeguards, in his own show Bondi Vet.
Bondi also has its Annual Lifeguard Ironman Challenge, which tests the skills of each lifeguard which typically consists of a one-kilometre run from Bondi to local beach Tamarama, then a one-kilometre swim to nearby Bronte Beach, followed by a two-kilometre board-paddle back to Bondi. The race is handicapped: the more accomplished swimmers and board-paddlers set off from Bondi later (up to twelve minutes, depending on how many competitors there are).
Footage for the show is shot during the preceding Australian summer (usually between December and February), with certain episodes reflecting incidents that have occurred during Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Australia Day. Noteworthy incidents at nearby Tamarama and Bronte Beaches, which the lifeguards are also responsible for, are occasionally shown. Later seasons also featured footage of lifeguard trials and training exercises from the middle of the year. The training in the middle of the year is a trial to test the fitness, strength and ability of the lifeguards. It consists of an 800-metre swim in under thirteen and a half minutes in a swimming pool, a 600-metre swim surf and two 600-metre runs and on the sand, a 600-metre board paddle, then a set of demanding rescues at Bondi which should be completed in under 25 minutes. It is also a test for trainee lifeguards to show they are able and committed to the role of a lifeguard. If the competitors do not complete the tasks in the time limit, they are eliminated and do not advance to the next test.
Many rescue boards and jet skis have a camera attached for close-up footage. When deemed safe to do so, the cameraman accompanies the lifeguards out to sea and has even had to assist with rescue operations on a number of occasions.
The production company pays Waverley Council an access fee to film the program on Bondi Beach. The lifeguards are paid a separate licensing fee for the use of their images in the series.
A nine-part spin-off series, entitled Bondi Rescue: Bali and set in Bali, Indonesia, premiered on 10 September 2008.[18][19] The spin-off followed two months delegations of the Bondi lifeguards (including Dean 'Deano' Gladstone, Andrew 'Reidy' Reid, Ryan 'Whippet' Clark, Chris 'Chappo/Chips' Chapman, Tom 'Egg' Bunting, Matt 'Matty' Dee, Aaron 'Azza' and Kobi Graham and mission chief Terry 'Tezz' McDermott) as they were assigned to a two-month stint at Kuta Beach, dealing with the more humid climate, a much larger beach, an exceptionally strong surf and the absence of the rescue equipment they had back home (even in ambulances), making it the world's most deadly guarded beach: twelve fatalities in an average year.[3][20] They join the hundred strong local life guards, supervised by popular singer Marcello Arayafaya, in an official international exchange program.
The spin-off failed to score ratings, and was cancelled after four episodes.[21] However the whole series has been aired overseas.
Reception
Bondi Rescue has proven to be successful for Network 10, averaging 1.31million viewers during its third season. It won the Logie Awards Most Popular Factual Program in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and also a nomination for the Most Outstanding Factual Series at the 2010 and 2011 ceremonies.[19] Its success also led to similar series such as the Seven Network's Surf Patrol and Nine's Deadly Surf being commissioned.[22]
The first book written about Bondi Rescue was by Nick Carroll and published on 1 November 2009. It was titled Out the Back with Bondi Rescue: True Stories Behind the Hit TV Show and was about the Bondi lifeguards and took readers 'behind-the-scenes' and showed their 'journeys and the effect this has had on their lives'.[23]
A second book, titled Stories From the Bondi Lifeguards, was published on 1 February 2015 and showed a 'behind-the-scenes' look and memorable stories from the lifeguards on Bondi Rescue.[24] The book was written by a some of the lifeguards who frequented the show.
Trent Maxwell, commonly known as Maxi, published a series of children's books in 2018 about his lifeguarding experiences.[25][26]
Mobile game
A game based on the show was developed for iPhone and iPad. In the game, the player is a lifeguard who must keep the swimmers between the flags and protect them from hazards.
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