Ireland’s Fittest Family review: Why being a bogger is better than being from Dublin
Reigning champ Davy's family's poor time meant he was facing the possibility of leaving the competition.
The jeopardy of the gruelling events is one of the things I love about this show. Seeing the families push themselves to the limit gives my chocolate Hobnob dipping routine a certain frisson of a Sunday night, I won't lie.
But to paraphrase a personal hero of mine, one who knows all too well the bitter taste of grasping at a dream, and never quite getting there — Sufferin' Succotash! That swamp was tough.
Seeing the sheer suffering of the Bisset family made the oaty deliciousness stick in my craw. I barely finished the packet, it was that bad.
Seeing dad David being hauled into the makeshift final area was brutal. (By the way, lads, three old sticks on the ground? Come on! Could ye get them a gym mat or something so they can roll around in agony in a bit of comfort?)
He was clutching his thighs, face contorted in agony as his kids looked down at him, hands on filthy hips, the son poignantly shoeless and sockless.
Reigning champ Davy's family's poor time meant he was facing the possibility of leaving the competition.
Arms crossed, legs planted firmly apart, he gives a little wobble of his head, and looks up at Mairead, like a defiant teenager told he has to come and help with the weekly shop. “I’m not goin’,” he says, the lip out.
Alas for Davy, and the Dubs, this episode reveals a startling advantage staring us all in the face. Courtney Bisset admits to the camera she did better than she thought she would.
“I didn’t know what a bog was before I came here. This is disgustin’ to me. I don’t do muck.”
Cut to Aidan McIntyre, the Tipperary farmer, after his family cruised through with an incredible time of 3.32. “’Twas easier than I thought. Sure I’m used to muck.”
“'Twas like being in the back yard,” pipes in camogie queen Clodagh.
Being a bogger is a valuable asset in this competition.
Anna’s Cuddys clan beat the Bissets in the Eliminator, and Derval’s Greenans beat Donncha’s Fordes in a real nailbiter in the second Eliminator. This means it’s Anna, Derval and Donncha’s families in next week’s final. No fault, Davy boy, I'll dunk a biccie in your honour next week.
- Sinead Greenan finishing the course, calm cool, collected — and contactless after losing her lens in the water. She is visually impaired, a big chunk of the course was done without being able to see very much. What a legend.
- Derval backpedalling down the ramp after the Greenan’s won, falling on her bum and casually getting up and continuing the conversation like nothing had happened. We’ve all been there.
