As Celebrity Treasure Island washes ashore again, new castaway Matt Gibb looks back on a career filled with thrills and spills… but never the TV2 bus.

There are few people who can say they built their careers on the back of a 3D animated penguin, but Matt Gibb is one of them. First appearing on our screens on the iconic Saturday kids show Squirt in 2000, he later became the host of after-school show Studio 2 Live. He then popped up on TVNZ U’s beloved U Live, before moving into presenting roles on Good Morning, Breakfast and Seven Sharp.He’s also worked as a senior producer for ABC in Australia, and most recently hosted real estate series Country House Hunters: New Zealand.

Now, Gibb is diving into uncharted televisual waters as he competes on the upcoming season of reality TV juggernaut Celebrity Treasure Island: Te Waiponamu, without a 3D animated penguin in sight. It promises to be the “weirdest season yet” and, even with all his behind-the-scenes TV knowledge, Gibb admits he was surprised by how intense he found the castaway experience. “Once you’re there, once you’re experiencing the camaraderie and the family of it, it feels like the most important thing you’ve ever done,” he told The Spinoff over the phone. 

Ahead of CTI’s premiere this Monday, Gibb shared some of his favourite television memories, including his jealousy of the TV2 promo bus, his love for a TV alien’s sister, and why New Zealand should bring back the game show.

My earliest TV memory is… When I was really little, my Nana was a huge cricket fan. That’s where I think my love of cricket spawned. I remember desperately trying to act sick so that I could go round to Nana’s for a sick day and get to watch test cricket all day long with her. 

The show I rushed home to watch was… The Son of a Gunn Show. We went to a live taping of it at Science Alive, which was probably a formative experience for me. I was a fan of Jason Gunn’s voices and characters and silliness, but then seeing him in real life, being just as funny as he was on TV, was amazing.

My earliest television crush was… There was a show called Alf, and Alf’s sister was Lynn Tanner. I remember all of a sudden feeling differently about why I liked watching Alf. I didn’t know it was a crush at the time, but I knew that I really wanted to watch Alf and I really enjoyed it when Lynn Tanner was around. 

The TV moment that haunts me to this day is… I was on Breakfast doing a live cross segment for a sponsor. I was on an ice skating rink and I lost my balance, slipped over and landed on my back, but in my head, I was thinking “Oh, that’s actually kind of good” – mess-ups are quite good on live telly, right? I finished and did all the sponsored messages but then I inexplicably thanked the sponsor’s direct competitor. My producer was standing there absolutely ashen-faced. That was not ideal. 

The TV ad I can’t stop thinking about is… I was always jealous of the TV2 bus promos. When I first started on TV2, these promos were massive. It was all about Erika Takacs, Dom Bowden and Suzanne Paul. Even Spike the Penguin featured heavily. So I assumed that now I’d made it onto TV2, maybe I’d make it onto one of these big family promos. Never happened. A devastating moment.

My TV guilty pleasure is… I love the US Office. If I can’t choose a show to watch, I’ll always go back to the US Office. Any episode, at any point, I’ve watched every season of it multiple times. It’s like porridge, warm and comforting.

My favourite TV character is… Matt Berry as Laszlo the Vampire in What we Do in the Shadows. His voice transcends all reality. Anything that comes out of his mouth in that role as Lazlo is ridiculous. 

The most stylish person on television is… I was on the Christmas Kiwi Bake Off episode last year, and Jordan Rondel, Peter Gordon, Pax and Hayley looked incredible. All four of them were just absolute fire. I was definitely regretting my choice of a blue chambray shirt. 

The TV show that defined my lockdown is… Celebrity Treasure Island. When I came back to New Zealand in 2021, we were living briefly in Christchurch, and CTI came on. It felt like there was a shared experience again, just like the old days of TV, and it was just so beautifully New Zealand. It was bigger than CTI somehow, that season. 

The TV project I wish I had been involved in is… Nathan for You is one of my favourite shows of all time. Anything Nathan Fielder does is so far and above what I’d ever be capable of doing, but to have a glimpse into how it works and be able to be involved in a show like that would be outrageously cool. He’s got one of those brains that sees the world in a different light and draws entertainment out of situations that shouldn’t work, but he makes it work. It’s genius.

My most watched television show of all time is… Shortland Street. I won the 3rd Form speech competition in 1993 with a speech about Shortland Street, and I would have continued watching it religiously up until the early 2000s. A solid eight years of watching it every night would add up to a quite a lot of episodes.

My controversial TV opinion is… New Zealand made a massive mistake in losing the game show format. As a nation, we suffered when we got rid of Wheel of Fortune, Sale of the Century, Face the Music, all of those game shows, with real New Zealanders on centre stage every night. The game show era needs to come back, otherwise New Zealand will never rise to the heights that we should have risen to. 

The last thing I watched on television was… Dave. Lil Dicky is a comedy rapper from the States who makes a semi-biographical show called Dave. The most recent season had an incredible cameo from Brad Pitt. It’s just some of the best TV I’ve watched in years and no one seems to be talking about it. 

Celebrity Treasure Island begins on TVNZ 2 on Monday 18 September at 7.30pm and streams on TVNZ+.

As a brand new cast prepares to wash up on Celebrity Treasure Island, we return to high-level food choice analysis – this time based on each contestant’s desert island biscuit. 

Last year we published a scarily accurate chip-based prediction (“a maverick streak” and “chaos vibes” turned out to be extremely true for Eta fan Dame Susan Devoy). This time, against a backdrop of picturesque lakeside Wānaka, I asked each Celebrity Treasure Island contestant which biscuit they would take to a desert island. Who would reveal the emotional unavailability of a Gingernut? The weak backbone of a Jaffa Thin? The savvy sociability of a Squiggle? 

Reader, what I discovered shocked and appalled me. I was left with no choice but to take the results upstairs to Madeleine Chapman (resident biscuit ranker), Charlotte Muru-Lanning (editor of The Boil Up) and Tara Ward (CTI power ranker) for their analysis on what it all means. Also, if you’re into hard-hitting pop culture analysis like this, be sure to sign up to The Real Pod Substack for weekly Celebrity Treasure Island recap podcasts and more.

A note on process: As with all rigorous scientific experiments eg Sensing Murder, each of the contestant’s name were concealed to avoid any risk of unconscious bias.

TIM TAM STANS

“These players know the game, and are obviously sucking up to the show’s sponsors,” observed Ward. “An uncontroversial choice given the reliability of Tim Tams,” added Chapman, who commended Jazz Thornton for wanting “that little bit extra” in a Caramel Tim Tam. “That is someone who pays attention,” she mused. “A quiet observer waiting for their moment.” 

TrueBliss member Megan Alatini went unnoticed by our judges for saying she would dip a Tim Tam in “anything: coffee, milk, orange juice” – but was swiftly reprimanded for adding that “Carlos Spencer did a mean ad for it and we can never forget that.” The ad, of course, was for Toffee Pops. “That person will be eliminated first for not listening to instructions,” said Chapman. 

But it was Blair Strang attorney at law and Rangi at Shortland Street, who had a lust for Tim Tams that was Nothing even close to Trivial. “I love the filthy taste,” he told The Spinoff. “And I love the filthy stuff inside.” Our judges were quick to pick up on the X-rated undertones, with Ward suggesting that “this player has more on their mind than winning money for charity.”  

TOFFEE POP TOFFS

Both TV presenter Matt Gibb and musical star Nick Afoa chose the ever-popular Toffee Pops as their desert island biscuit of choice. “Toffee Pops know how good they are, and these confident castaways will be secure in their ability to smash this game wide open,” assessed Ward. “Whether they have a buttery biscuit bottom is another matter entirely.”

However, Chapman noted a specific detail in Afoa’s answer – “they are so good and have they the nostalgic thing because they are my dad’s favourite biscuit” – that gave her cause for concern. “An interesting move to choose your dad’s favourite biscuit as your own,” she opined. “Sign of a follower rather than a leader? Perhaps.” 

THE REST

Laura Daniel: Milk Chocolate Digestives

Daniels’ answer started in a different realm of the biscuit-verse before she settled on the traditional Digestive. “My gut instinct is hokey pokey Squiggles, a phenomenal biscuit,” she began. “But then maybe I need something for sustenance like a Digestive, but the one with chocolate on one side. Then you have the fibre, but also the energy.”

“A hectic approach from a hectic player, one who will make alliances with everyone and be loyal to none,” said Ward. “Expect the unexpected.” Chapman remained dazzled by Daniels’ initial support for Squiggles. “Everyone loves Squiggles but few are willing to back it publicly,” she said. “But I reckon this contestant will be real annoying during group discussions.”

Tāme Iti: Milk Arrowroot 

“They always perk me up a bit,” said the 71-year-old activist and artist. The judging panel were impressed by this surprising entry. “Arrowroot is the bedrock of the biscuit world, which indicates this player will be the anchor of their team,” said Ward. Chapman commended “an extremely staunch choice” but sniffed out the contestant immediately: “If this isn’t Tāme Iti, I’ll eat my hat.” 

James Mustapic: Hundreds & Thousands

“They’re just delicious and I love the vibe: cute and tasty,” said comedian James Mustapic. Sadly, our judges saw hundreds and thousands of red flags here. “This castaway is here for a good time, not a long time,” said Ward. “Might actually be the Cookie Bear.” Chapman reflected that it was an “immature choice” that could suggest someone who is “too trusting of others.” 

Turia Schmidt-Peke: Double Decker ChitChat

The Ahikāroa star was effusive in her praise of the “sturdy” ChitChat, particularly the new “double decker” edition. Ward was delighted with the choice. “This player is unafraid to go against the pack, and their love of ‘double decker’ suggests they always want more.” She predicted a top three finish. 

Chapman, however, was less pleased with the choice. “ChitChats really are a second-best biscuit unfortunately,” she said. “And doubling second-best is… fourth?” Whichever way you slice it, that’s still a finale spot for Schmidt-Peke. 

Grant Lobban: Bad Baker Double Chocolate Chunk

Our judges were left uninspired by this answer from Shortland Street star Grant Lobban. “Someone who doesn’t actually eat cookies said this,” said Muru-Lanning. “No thoughts on the biscuit choice but did immediately think this was Matilda Green #gifted,” said Chapman. 

Eli Matthewson: Butternut Snap

Matthewson was preaching to the choir with this, the number one biscuit in our ranking. “The oaty texture, the crunch, just the right amount of chocolate, dips beautifully in a cup of tea,” he sighed. Naturally, the judges were over the moon. “A stellar choice, a visionary angle, a potential winner,” said Chapman. “A golden biscuit to match a golden title” said Muru-Lanning. 

Courtney Dawson: SuperWine

“I feel like they are me as a biscuit,” said comedian Courtney Dawson. “Classic, yum, in everyone’s cupboard and you can spice it up with a bit of butter.” Muru-Lanning warmed to this no frills answer. “Those who appreciate the simple pleasures in life make for keen observers,” she said. “Contestants beware: this SuperWine-lover is watching.” 

Chapman confidently but incorrectly asserted that this contestant must have been Miriama Smith. “Mostly because buttering a wine biscuit is a real brown person move and Tāme Iti already chose Arrowroot.” 

Steve Price: Venetian

“They’ve got a sultana or two in it and a white yoghurt coating on the top,” the league legend explained. “A great dipper in a cup of tea.” Even our biscuit-savvy judges were left bamboozled by this one. “It’s a rare specimen who knows what a Venetian biscuit is, let alone picks that as a desert island bikkie,” said Muru-Lanning. “I’d be terrified by this player if I was on the island.” 

Ward also pointed out that Venice is “not famous for its sultanas”, while Chapman was still left reeling by the choice. “What in the world,” she said. “This person is going home first.” 

Mel Homer: Lemon Treats

“Salty on the outside and lemony on the inside,” gushed the former host of The Cafe. “Anything chocolate would melt on the island, I think Lemon Treats would stay good.” The judges were impressed with this “rogue choice” from Homer. “Equal parts salty, sweet and sour, and about to unleash hell,” said Ward. “Sure to bring some zesty drama,” said Muru-Lanning.

Chapman also respected the consideration of temperature on the island, but noted that this kind of careful consideration can quickly mutate into something more sinister. “This person is pragmatic and will go far,” she said. “But they may very well live long enough to become the villain.”

Miriama Smith: Macaroon

The Filthy Rich star was decisive in her answer. “Chocolate macaroons, easy. Little bit of chocolate, little bit of coconut, yum.” Chapman saw a potential winner in Smith’s ability to “get to the point with a little empathy” and Muru-Lanning saw an underdog. “This might seem like an adorably harmless answer, but I suspect it’s masking more cutthroat ambitions,” she said. 

Jordan Vandermade: Golden Crunch Farmbake

“One of the biggest packets, so I’d have more of them and no melting either,” said the TV presenter of his no-nonsense decision. “Substance over style,” noted Muru-Lanning. “Whoever this is will do well in the competition, but it won’t be pretty to watch.” Ward picked up on the “no melting” comment, indicating that this contestant “does not suffer fools.” 

Matilda Green: Anzac Biscuit

The TV personality and influencer chose Anzac biscuits for their nutritional prowess. “I think they’d sustain you for a long time – they’ve got some oats, some nuts, some protein,” she said. “Wait, are there nuts in Anzacs? Potentially not.” If you think our judges didn’t notice the waver at the end of that sentence, well I don’t know why you’re even reading The Spinoff dot com. 

“Choosing a favourite biscuit and not knowing exactly what’s in it suggests this person doesn’t eat biscuits at all,” said Chapman. “An agent of chaos I’d rather not have on any island.” Muru-Lanning had a more generous read on Green’s uncertainty. “This is a person who is self-reflective, even if they are slightly impulsive,” she said.

“Is that useful in this competition? Probably not. But they would make for a great friend.”

Celebrity Treasure Island starts Monday September 19 at 7.30pm on TVNZ2