EXCLUSIVE: BBC Destination X winner Judith has opened up about her time on the gameshow and revealed the ‘close bond’ between host Rob Brydon and one of the contestants
Judith, the triumphant contestant of Destination X, has spilled the beans on what Rob Brydon was like behind the scenes of the gameshow and his rapport with the contestants.
In a nail-biting finale last Thursday, Judith clinched victory, narrowly edging out Saskia and Josh to take the top spot.
It had been an emotional journey for her, and she broke down in tears when host Rob laid out a briefcase of £100,000 and declared, “You’ve done it, you went from 13 players, and you’ve won”.
While viewers were over the moon that the self-confessed “underdog” had won, just one episode earlier several had admitted they were “gutted” that taxi driver Daren had been eliminated.
Judith has now disclosed that Daren and Rob shared a special camaraderie during filming, often keeping spirits high among the group, reports the Manchester Evening News.
She recounted: “Rob was really funny, he would come up with really good, quick, one-liners as well sometimes, so it was nice to see that side of him and get to know him a bit.”
Continuing, she said: “He was rooting for everyone, there’d be times even during random challenges where it wasn’t shown but he really would root for everyone.
“He’d pick up on little things and make jokes about the alliances and jokes about everyone, and him and Daren actually had some really good banter, they were quite funny when they were together as well.”
Gavin and Stacey actor Rob has previously opened up about his role in the series, revealing he drew inspiration from Claudia Winkleman’s hosting style on The Traitors.
He expressed his admiration for her approach, saying: “I did look to Claudia on The Traitors, I love the lightness of touch there… I didn’t want to get in the way of the show, so I was very aware of that.
“I just wanted to be the bridge between the viewer and the contestants, because people say this, but it’s true, they are the stars.
“Their personalities really come out over the course of the series and for me, watching that first one, you see the beginnings of relationships and people’s characters blossom.”
Despite the alliances and apparent divide between contestants, Judith went on to say she felt as though she had learnt something from each of them.
She elaborated on her learning experience: “I took something from everyone on that show. I don’t think it was shown so obviously in one of the first episodes, when Dawn left, she was so headstrong on France, and it was her and I that actually fought for France but she was so headstrong on it, and the fact that she didn’t let other people lead her decision-making or anything like that in this pressured scenario where you don’t know if your answer is correct, I took that from her and just knowing I had to play the game that way. You can’t trust anything that you don’t see with your own eyes.”
Reflecting on the game’s dynamics and the other two finalists, she said: “Honestly, the way that Saskia and Josh played it was amazing, like it went from Josh and Saskia against me, Claire, Daren and Nick, two against four and they whittled us down to one which just shows how powerful an alliance is. A good alliance can get you anywhere.”
Meanwhile, during an appearance on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday, Daren spoke about how far he came in the game and winning over the nation’s hearts.
He said: “It’s been mad but I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s all been so positive and for some reason kids seem to like it and I think it’s because of the emotional side of it, I suppose parents are saying ‘look blokes do cry’.”
Daren continued: “Honestly I’ve loved it. People coming up to me and wanting selfies. I’m a London cabbie, what am I doing here?”
Destination X is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
