Caitlyn Jenner may no longer officially be Keeping Up with the Kardashians on TV, but that hasn’t kept Kris Jenner’s Olympian ex out of the reality-show racket.
Jenner is currently starring on the latest edition of U.K. reality show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, in which stars vie for the title of King or Queen of the Jungle by roughing it in Australia and completing “bushtucker trials” that normally involve physical challenges or eating insects. Like a celebrity version of Survivor, the show — in which the U.K. public votes for favorite contestants — features rugged, not-so-glamorous conditions, including a lack of running water.
Season after season, much has been made of the public makeshift jungle showers that contestants take as cameras roll. For some stars, it’s more than a chance to freshen up — it’s an opportunity to rock a bikini or flex some muscles and send the viewers back home in a tizzy. (The show’s YouTube channel has an entire section devoted to “Jungle Showers” footage.)
And while Jenner is no rookie on the reality show — she competed on the short-lived U.S. version of I’m a Celebrity back in 2003 before her transition, finishing fourth overall — the bikini-clad shower she took this week was a first for the 70-year-old athlete.
The gold medalist slipped on a black halter-neck bikini for her bracing blast under the shower, provided by other contestants pouring pails of water. Though Jenner initially spluttered and coughed in reaction, she later praised the rinse as “so refreshing.”
The moment had viewers praising the star for showing off her figure, despite the scrutiny she might face as a transgender woman.
“Good on Caitlyn Jenner for being the first to hit the the shower in a bikini,” read one comment. “Knowing how bigoted society still is, it takes courage. Good for her.”
Actually take me hat off to Caitlyn Jenner, knowing she’s opening up so much to the Public,coming on TV and in her bikini knowing she’ll be judged, talking about her change. Amaaaaaazing! So brave 👏🏽 #CaitlynJenner #ImACeleb
— Chloe Milner (@chloemilner4) November 18, 2019
Hours before, Jenner had tearfully wrestled with doubts about staying on the reality show.
“I’m 70 years old now and is being in here the right way to use my time?” she asked herself in an on-screen confessional. “Should I be home with my kids, playing with the grandchildren?
“I’ve never quit at anything I’ve ever done and I’m thinking maybe it’s time I learned how to do that!”
But she pushed through, going on to take her first jungle shower and complete a bushtucker trial which involved being covered in cockroaches.
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