A mum of two from Wirral thought she had signed up for free dog training but instead she ended up on a gruelling 18-day trek across the Malaysian wilderness. Samantha Willett, 41 found herself taking part in in the latest series of Tempting Fortune, hosted by Paddy McGuinness.
Sam originally signed up to Channel 4’s The Dog Academy as she hoped to gain assistance with her two Saint Bernards. But she was recruited for the hit reality series and competed against 11 strangers who all found themselves fighting for survival in the Malaysian jungle.
She explained: “I thought I was winning free training for my two Saint Bernards, Bodhi and Bailey. They are so strong and a little naughty, so I applied for The Dog Academy because I wanted help with my dogs. I was very surprised when Channel 4 emailed, wanting me and my dogs on the show.”
Sam went from filming The Dog Academy, which is set to air on Thursday April 17, to being offered a place on Tempting Fortune. The Channel 4 show sees 12 contestants give up all of their luxuries in the ultimate test of willpower.
Sam endured an 18-day trek across the Malaysian wilderness with only basic survival gear as she attempted to reach a £300,000 prize at the finish line.
The contestants walked for almost eight hours everyday, lived in tents and survived on rice and beans. Along the way, they could have chosen to spend some of their prize money on a selection of “temptations.” But Sam’s determination shone through as she resisted every temptation put in front of her.
The hardest part was being away from her children, having never been separated from them for more than a single night. Despite battling a severe ear infection that caused double vision and balance issues, Sam embodied her self-proclaimed “moody ass, strong b*tch” persona.
Sam said: “If I’d have been 100% healthy, I still would have been the moody ass, strong b*tch that you saw on the show. I’m a team player with old school morals so being on a show with lots of backstabbing and deceit was very challenging.”
The 41-year old mum was a restaurant owner before she lost her business in 2023 due to inflation. However, she was keen to fulfil her dream of TV stardom, after she landed supporting roles in soaps, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale.
Since the show, she has maintained connections with fellow contestants Hugo and Tom, and will now be featured on Bad Dog Academy on April 17.
Sam said: “I loved the jungle and to have that time away from life to reflect on things in my personal life was just what I needed. The politics and toxicity with these social dynamics on these type of shows can be very testing though and I really missed my kids. Now that I’m back I’m looking forward to kicking on and seeing what other opportunities are out there.”