Celebrity Bear Hunt dropped on Netflix on Wednesday morning after months of hype from telly fans.

The highly-anticipated series sees a group of celebrities get dropped in a jungle in Central America  – and instantly forced into survival mode.

The famous faces are then hunted down by presenter of the show Bear Grylls, 50.

The star-studded line-up was revealed back in January, with the likes of Spice Girls star Mel B, 49, Strictly‘s Shirley Ballas, 64, and The Saturdays singer Una Healy, 43 among the cast.

They were joined by Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas, 41, presenter Steph McGovern, 42, and Boris Becker, 57.

Many have been left impressed with what they’ve seen so far.

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Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt hailed as ‘the most jungle fun in decades’ and ‘cruel comedy at its finest’ by critics – but not everyone is happy

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Bear Grylls is back to present the new Netflix series

The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan wrote: ‘Only two episodes were available for review, but by the end of them we’ve had, under the broiling Costa Rican jungle sun, boats sinking in crocodile-filled waters, two captures in camouflage nets, ravine crossings, snakes, and earnest discussions about making sure to do your daily poo before the next challenge so you can bomb along with as little hindrance as possible.

‘The 12 celebs are divided into teams and, as soon as one of them splits from their pack, Bear – yes! – leaps out of the undergrowth, rugby-tackles them to the ground, trusses them up and leaves them in the sun to die.

‘No, all right, not the last bit – he goes and collects them later – but the rest is true and excellent.

‘I haven’t had this much fun watching a reality TV competition since the earliest days of I’m a Celebrity … Get Me out of Here!’

Meanwhile The Irish Times writer Ed Power said of the show: ‘Celebrity Bear Hunt is the bingewatch Apocalypse Now – with sleep-deprived celebrities instead of terrified Vietnamese villagers and Grylls the jolly, gurning Colonel Kurtz to whom all roads lead.

‘The horror… the horror… and that’s just the look on Big Zuu’s face early in the first episode when Mel B reveals she urgently needs the ladies’ room.

‘Blending unintentional comedy with deft touches of sadism, it’s hard to imagine Celebrity Bear Hunt being anything other than a massive hit for Netflix.

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Some reviews have compared the new series to I’m A Celebrity

‘It combines the absurdist cruelty of Squid Game with the cruel absurdity of Celebrity Big Brother – and then chucks in Grylls as the bark-chewing wild card.

‘Seldom has bad TV been delivered with such unhinged panache and performative cruelty.’

Elsewhere Metro’s Adam Miller wrote: ‘Don’t let the juvenile title of Holly Willougby’s new show put you off – Celebrity Bear Hunt is surprisingly one of the best new reality TV series in years.

‘In a rare departure from ITV, Holly leads 12 celebrities into the Costa Rican jungle where they take part in various bear hunts – as in, they’re hunted by Bear Grylls.

‘They must work as a team to escape the claws of the TV adventurer or face being hurled into ‘The Bear Pit’, a particularly gloomy part of the jungle riddled with snakes, spiders, and crocodiles big enough to eat a family of four.

‘It’s I’m A Celebrity on steroids.

‘The stars may sleep in luxury compared to I’m A Celeb campmates, but the dangers are real and several stars learn that the hard way.’

However, others haven’t been as impressed.

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Bear Grylls presents the show with Holly Willoughby

The Independent’s Nick Hilton said: ‘Netflix has had a hit-and-miss time with its reality TV programming.

‘Shows like Love Is Blind and Too Hot To Handle have proved reliable, multi-season successes in the dating arena.

‘But demonstrates a misunderstanding of the British public’s televisual interests. Celebrities are not objects of inherent fascination, but beautiful, charismatic prisms through which to reflect our, often perverse, desires and ambitions.’

And The Telegraph’s Chris Bennion wrote: ‘The heart of the show is The Bear Pit, a vaguely Jurassic Park-ish patch of forest in which those who lose the daily tasks must play a giant game of hide and seek with Grylls.

‘“I’m taking no prisoners,” says Grylls before beginning to locate the celebs and take them prisoner.

‘Absolutely nothing about the show works. There is no jeopardy, there are no stakes.

‘Twelve random civilians and a chunky cash prize would have given us something to hang onto, but it is impossible to care if Danny Cipriani or Kate Moss’s little sister can boost their public profile by staying in the programme for a few days.’

The Times’ Tim Glanfield brutally swiped: ‘An hour before reviewing this show I watched Netflix’s trailer for its 2025 offerings.

‘It’s an inspired piece of marketing that cleverly intertwines many of the streamer’s biggest shows, from Stranger Things to  Squid Game and Wednesday to The Witcher.

‘After two minutes and 51 seconds of slick cinema-grade visual extravaganza I was left thinking, Netflix really have nailed this TV business.

‘Celebrity Bear Hunt proves they haven’t.’