71 Degrees North
71 Degrees North was an English-language and Norwegian-produced reality television series on ITV which began broadcasting on 11 September 2010. Ten celebrities had to battle it out to see who would make it to the 71st parallel north, with challenges along the way. Mazda formerly sponsored the show, Continental tires were the final sponsors. The show was based on the Norwegian format :no:71° nord|71° nord, which had been broadcast on TVNorge since 1999, and adapted in Sweden, Denmark, Poland, The Netherlands, and Belgium. The format was distributed by Banijay International.
In the UK, the show was made by London-based production company Fever Media and finished broadcasting its first series on 2 November 2010. The show was aired at 9 pm on Tuesday nights. Series 1 hosts were Gethin Jones and Kate Thornton. Marcus Patric was crowned champion after a closely fought final with Gavin Henson in the first series.
A second series was commissioned by ITV and started airing on 13 September 2011 hosted by Paddy McGuinness and Charlotte Jackson with 12 celebrities taking part. As with the first series, the second series aired on Tuesday evenings at 9 pm. In 2011, six countries acquired both series of the UK version. They were: TV Norge, Network Ten in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, Sic in Portugal, TV5 in Finland and Évasion in Canada.
On 19 June 2012, it was announced by ITV that 71 Degrees North had been axed after two series.
Plot
The show followed 10 celebrities who attempted to make it to the North Cape at 71 degrees north.At the end of each episode, the celebrity who performed worst on that day's challenge was eliminated.
Transmissions
Series 1
was crowned champion after a closely fought final with Gavin Henson.Hosts
- Gethin Jones
- Kate Thornton
Episodes
Celebrities
Challenges
The team that wins each challenge gets to stay in a log cabin, while the losing team has to camp..
The contestants are split into Blue and Red teams at the start of each Challenge.
The winner of immunity from the previous Challenge becomes captain of one of the teams.
| Episode | Team Event or Immunity Challenge | Challenge | Winner |
| 1 | Team Event: | Dog Sledding | Blue Team |
| 1 | Team Event: | Each team must dog sled to collect their camping equipment, then, get to the camping site. After a night stop, both teams race to the finish line. The race length is 30 km. | Blue Team |
| 1 | Immunity Challenge: | Ice Swim | Gavin Henson |
| 1 | Immunity Challenge: | Each person in each team must go into freezing water, and whoever swims the furthest will be guaranteed a place in the next expedition. | Gavin Henson |
| 2 | Team Event: | Stretcher Race | Red Team |
| 2 | Team Event: | A team member is tied to a stretcher and the first team to get to the end has to cross a ravine by rope with the stretcher to win. | Red Team |
| 2 | Immunity Challenge: | Ice Climb | Joe Absolom |
| 2 | Immunity Challenge: | Each person must climb an ice wall. Whoever climbs the fastest/furthest wins immunity in the second vote off. | Joe Absolom |
| 3 | Team Event: | Snow Cave Digging | Blue Team |
| 3 | Team Event: | Each team must find an equipment package using a tracker and then build a snow cave to sleep in that night. To win, the teams must build the cave to specific regulations. | Blue Team |
| 3 | Immunity Challenge: | Rope Holding | Gavin Henson Andrew Castle |
| 3 | Immunity Challenge: | One partner holds a rope that is hoist over a tree, while the other is attached to it. The two teams who hold on the longest compete in the final. | Gavin Henson Andrew Castle |
| 4 | Team Event: | Cliffhanger | Red Team |
| 4 | Team Event: | Each team must trek 5 km to spend the night in a tent hanging from separate vertical cliffs. The following day, one member of each team must climb to the top of their cliff and traverse on ropes to the opposite cliff to collect a flag and then, return it to the starting point. | Red Team |
| 4 | Immunity Challenge: | Reindeer Race | Shane Richie |
| 4 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant must race around a track on a sled pulled by a Reindeer. The winner of each race will progress to the next round. | Shane Richie |
| 5 | Team Event: | Snow Mobile Race | Red Team |
| 5 | Team Event: | Each team must race by snow mobile to the top of a frozen waterfall which, they will then abseil back down. Once at the bottom, they must melt a block of ice to get the key to the luxury cabin. The team with the fastest time in each stage will get a head start in the next. | Red Team |
| 5 | Immunity Challenge: | Frozen River Assault Course | Gavin Henson |
| 5 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant must race around the course and then complete a math problem. The person with the fastest time avoids elimination. Failing or not completing the math problem in 2 minutes adds 5 minutes to their time. | Gavin Henson |
| 6 | Team Event: | Race and Reindeer Herding | Blue Team Andrew & Joe |
| 6 | Team Event: | Each team must race 40 miles on snow mobiles to the camp site where, they must construct and spend the night in a Lavvu. The first team to reach camp will take a 5-minute lead into tomorrow. The following day, the teams must herd 3000 reindeer over a distance of 2.5 km. The team with the fastest time wins. | Blue Team Andrew & Joe |
| 6 | Immunity Challenge: | Tobogganing | Joe Absolom |
| 6 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant will compete in a time trail down the 500m course to decide who progresses to the semi-finals and then the final. The winner will be immune from the vote off. | Joe Absolom |
| 7 | Team Event: | Hell Race | Red Team Joe & Marcus |
| 7 | Team Event: | Each team must hike to the bottom of a canyon and set up camp. The first team to reach camp will take a 15-minute lead into tomorrow. The following day, the teams must build a sledge out of their equipment and pull it a further 9 km to the finish line. | Red Team Joe & Marcus |
| 7 | Immunity Challenge: | Dangling from a Dam | Gavin Henson |
| 7 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant must run across the face of a dam 110m high and collect a series of flags from boxes in numerical order. The fastest contestant wins immunity. | Gavin Henson |
| 8 | Semi Final: | Swim Under a Frozen Lake | Winner: Marcus Eliminated: Susie |
| 8 | Semi Final: | Each contestant must swim under a frozen lake into holes cut in the ice. Susie was Eliminated at this stage as she swam 2 holes in the ice in 33 seconds compared to Gavin's 20 seconds, Marcus swam to the 3rd hole and automatically progressed to the Final Challenge. | Winner: Marcus Eliminated: Susie |
| 8 | The Final: | Race to 71 Degrees North | Series Winner: Marcus Patric |
| 8 | The Final: | In the first part of the final, both contestants must hike 2 km to the camp site. The winner chooses to sleep in the tent or the snow cave and has the opportunity to dig for a luxury food package. The following day, the contestants must race by dog sled for 20 km, the winner will take the winning margin into the next stage. In stage 3, the finalists must run to and then make their way across a 35m rope crossing, 100m above the Arctic. Once across, they must sprint to the finish line and set a beacon on fire. The first to light it is the Champion. | Series Winner: Marcus Patric |
Series 2
On 1 March 2011, ITV confirmed that a second series has been commissioned and would begin airing on 13 September 2011, lasting 8 weeks before finishing on 1 November 2011.Hosts
- Paddy McGuinness
- Charlotte Jackson
Episodes
Celebrities
On 18 July 2011, the 10 confirmed celebrities for Series 2 were revealed, They were:| Celebrity | Occupation | Status |
| Nicky Clarke | Celebrity hairdresser | Eliminated 1st on 13 September 2011 |
| Sean Maguire | Television actor | Withdrew on 20 September 2011 |
| John Thomson | Comedian | Eliminated 2nd on 20 September 2011 |
| Martin Kemp | EastEnders actor & singer | Withdrew on 27 September 2011 |
| Lisa Maxwell | Actress & Loose Women panelist | Eliminated 3rd on 27 September 2011 |
| Charlie Dimmock | Garden designer & television presenter | Withdrew on 11 October 2011 |
| John Barnes | Former England footballer | Eliminated 4th on 4/11 October 2011 |
| Richard Arnold | Daybreak presenter | Eliminated 5th on 18 October 2011 |
| Brooke Kinsella | Former EastEnders actress | Eliminated 6th on 25 October 2011 |
| Amy Williams | Olympic skeleton racer | Third Place on 1 November 2011 |
| Angellica Bell | Television & radio presenter | Runner-Up on 1 November 2011 |
| Rav Wilding | Crimewatch presenter | Winner on 1 November 2011 |
Challenges
The team that wins each challenge gets to stay in a log cabin, while the losing team has to camp.The contestants are split into Blue and Red teams at the start of each Challenge.
The winner of immunity from the previous Challenge becomes captain of one of the teams.
Team captains are in Bold.
| Episode | Team Event or Immunity Challenge | Challenge | Winner |
| 1 | Team Event: | Dog Sledding | Red Team Sean, Amy, Angellica, Charlie & Rav |
| 1 | Team Event: | Each team must dog sled to collect their camping equipment, then, get to the camping site. After a night stop, both teams race to the finish line. The race length is 30 km. | Red Team Sean, Amy, Angellica, Charlie & Rav |
| 1 | Immunity Challenge: | Ice Swim | Rav Wilding |
| 1 | Immunity Challenge: | Each person in each team must go into freezing water, and whoever swims the furthest will be guaranteed a place in the next expedition. | Rav Wilding |
| 2 | Team Event: | Trawler Dive and Abseil Race | Red Team Rav, Brooke, Charlie, Martin & Sean |
| 2 | Team Event: | The teams must dive off a boat into a lake and then swim to shore. Once on shore they make their way to a cliff where they will abseil face-down before racing to the finish line. | Red Team Rav, Brooke, Charlie, Martin & Sean |
| 2 | Immunity Challenge: | The Hangover | Amy Williams |
| 2 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant must hold onto a rope which is tied to the underside of a bridge, when they can't hold on any longer they will drop. The contestant to hold on the longest wins, and will be immune from the weeks vote off. | Amy Williams |
| 3 | Team Event: | Buried Alive | Red Team Amy, Angellica, Rav & Richard |
| 3 | Team Event: | The two teams compete in a relay-race up a mountain. The teams will start as a group before dropping off one contestant at a time as they reach a crate. The dropped off contestant then digs a hole where they will stay whilst the rest of the team continue. This repeats until the final team member reaches the top. The first dropped off contestant then continues up the mountain collecting the other teammates. The first team to have all members at the top first, wins. | Red Team Amy, Angellica, Rav & Richard |
| 3 | Immunity Challenge: | Tobogganing | Amy Williams |
| 3 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant will compete in a time trail down the 500m course to decide who progresses to the semi-finals and then the final of the challenge. The winner of the final will be immune from the vote off. | Amy Williams |
| 4 | Team Event: | Kidnapped | Red Team Amy, Angellica & Charlie |
| 4 | Team Event: | Two team captains are "kidnapped" and locked in individual huts, whilst their teams battle through a course, being navigated by the team captains using walkie-talkies. The team to reach the hut and unlock their team captains first, wins. | Red Team Amy, Angellica & Charlie |
| 4 | Immunity Challenge: | Ice Plunge | Rav Wilding |
| 4 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant will jump into a pool of frozen water, stay in for 60 seconds before climbing out, stripping down to their underwear and then run to the finish line. The fastest contestant will be immune from the vote off. | Rav Wilding |
| 5 | Team Event: | Cliffhanger | Blue Team Angellica, Amy & Richard |
| 5 | Team Event: | Each team must climb up the side of a cliff face to reach their overnight tents, which hang off the side of the cliff. The first team to their respective tents win a luxury food package. The following day the teams must zip-wire from the top of the cliff to reach a flag, they must collect the flag before restarting the descent to the end point. The first team across, wins. | Blue Team Angellica, Amy & Richard |
| 5 | Immunity Challenge: | Reindeer Race | Brooke Kinsella |
| 5 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant must race around a track on a sled pulled by a Reindeer. The loser of each heat will be out, and not progress to the semi. The winners of the heat will face the runners-up, with the winners of the semis reaching the final. | Brooke Kinsella |
| 6 | Team Event: | The Decision | Red Team Brooke & Rav |
| 6 | Team Event: | The teams must walk 5 km through the snow until they reach a canyon. To cross the canyon the teams have to go via a cargo net which spans the 30 metre gap. They then race to a checkpoint where the first team there has to make a decision about which route to take next. The routes can either be 8 km on snowmobiles or 2 km on cross-country skis, the other team must take the alternate route. The first team to the finish line wins a night in the Ice Hotel. | Red Team Brooke & Rav |
| 6 | Immunity Challenge: | Icy Assault Course | Rav Wilding |
| 6 | Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant must climb an ice wall and on their way they must collect 5 letters. They then zip wire to the bottom where they must spell out a word using the letters. Whoever completes the challenge in the fastest time wins immunity. | Rav Wilding |
| 7 | Team Event: | The Epic Race | Blue Team Amy & Brooke |
| 7 | Team Event: | The first section of the race sees the contestants tandom kayak from one side of a lake to the other. Then the contestants must head on to their camp, via a checkpoint, 10 km away. The following morning the contestants must walk through the snow to another checkpoint, before continuing their walk where they will reach a dog sled. The contestants will then race on the sledges to the finish line. The first team to reach the finish line will win a night of luxury. | Blue Team Amy & Brooke |
| 7 | Final Immunity Challenge: | Hell Drop | Amy Williams |
| 7 | Final Immunity Challenge: | Each contestant must descend down a wire ladder hanging over the edge of a canyon passing flags on the way down. Once at the very bottom of the ladder, they must climb back up to the top. The fastest contestant wins immunity and a place in the final. | Amy Williams |
| 8 | Final challenge: | Swim Under a Frozen Lake | Winners: Angellica Eliminated: Amy |
| 8 | Final challenge: | The three finalists must survive the night in a hand-built snow cave before swimming under the ice of a frozen lake. | Winners: Angellica Eliminated: Amy |
| 8 | The Final: | Race to 71 Degrees North | Series Winner: Rav Wilding |
| 8 | The Final: | The remaining two finalists then face the challenge of crossing a single rope suspended 300m above the ground in the race to the finish line. Before reaching the rope climb, each contestant much race on snowmobiles to their chest containing their harness equipment and melt a key inside a block of ice needed to open their chest. | Series Winner: Rav Wilding |
International versions
The concept has been sold to several countries. The Danish, Belgium/Netherlands and UK versions were all filmed in Norway. The other series were recorded in the respective countries. Around 2000 or 2001, German broadcaster RTL2 were sold the format but no series was made.Legend:
Ongoing
Finished
| Country | Name | Host | TV station | Top prize | Airdate |
| 71° noord | :nl:Evi Hanssen|Evi Hanssen Ernst-Paul Hasselbach :nl:Ruben Nicolai|Ruben Nicolai & Leki |  2BE Vtm  RTL5 AVRO | €50,000 | 2006, 2008, 2009–10 | |
| No Boundaries | Troy Hartman | Global TV The WB Television Network OLN | Ford Explorer Sport Trac + $100,000 | 2002 | |
| 71° nord | Unknown :da:Nicolai Molthke-Leth|Nicolai Molthke-Leth | TV Danmark | Suzuki Grand Vitara Safari in Kenya + Luxus bathing holiday | 2001–02 | |
| 71° nord | Tom Stiansen Elin Tvedt :no:Tom Strømnæss|Tom Strømnæss Janne Horgen Friberg | TVNorge | New car + Prize money for completing tasks | 1999– | |
| Ekspedycja | :pl:Radoslaw Pazura|Radoslaw Pazura | TVN | Subaru Forester GL 4WD | 2001 | |
| 69° nord | Kim Rydeheim | Kanal5 | Trip around the World | 2001 | |
| Abenteuer Schweiz | :de:Björn Hering|Björn Hering | TV3 | 75,000 CHF | 2000 |