The winner of Celebrity Treasure Island 2023 is.... James Mustapic!
Following tonight’s epic conclusion, comedian and presenter James Mustapic has taken out the final treasure hunt walking away with the $100,000 for his charity, Gender Minorities Aotearoa.
James entered the game with low expectations, catching his teammates by surprise he soon became the ‘dictator’ (captain) of tohorā until merge. Surrounding himself with strong allies and across camp alliances, his personality shone through the friendships he formed and kept him out of the elimination arena.
After 18 celebrities and six showstopping weeks, it all came down to Turia Schmidt-Peke, Courtney Dawson, and James Mustapic. Te Waipounamu saw our final three looking for the stolen loot from a bank robbery, hidden in a missing safe.
In a tight battle with Courtney throughout the finale challenges, James edged ahead, arriving at the safes first. With only three-minutes to open the safe before needing to move aside, his first attempt was unsuccessful, opening the door for Dawson. Luckily for James, Courtney too was unable to open to safe on her first attempt, giving him another chance, which resulted in him successfully entering the code to claim the crown of Celebrity Treasure Island winner.
On the experience, James says: “Whaaaaaat the hell omg, this is the greatest day of my life! I have watched this show since I was about seven years old, and I've been a mega, mega fan ever since, so to win it is truly mind blowing to me!”
Having previously won $5,000 from a charity challenge and $2,500 at the Celebrity Treasure Island auction, James takes home a total of $107,500 for his worthy cause.
“I feel extremely proud to win $100,000 for the incredible people at Gender Minorities Aotearoa. Our beautiful trans community need our love right now, and this money will make a massive difference in supporting those who are struggling out there” said Mustapic.
On top of the winning donation to Gender Minorities Aotearoa, a further $75,000 was won by Celebrity Treasure Island competitors this season for other deserving charities in Aotearoa.