From fan to frontrunner: How comedian James Mustapic stole our hearts, and the show on Celebrity Treasure Island – NZ Herald

As I’m seated lakeside in an idyllic setting in Wānaka, Te Waipounamu, James Mustapic ducks under my media gazebo and declares “I’m not crashing your party, I’ve just got sunscreen in my eyes.”

The fresh Celebrity Treasure Island contestant aggressively rubs his red, now avobenzone-filled eyes and a brief chat ensues as he wipes away tears and quickly segues, “I don’t really know how I got here to be honest; I think I begged.”

Taking a seat in the ill-balanced white plastic deck chair, Mustapic looks me dead in the eye, and things appear to be about to take a serious turn as he leans in. “Be honest … do I look like shit?” he mutters, interjecting “how embarrassing – how bloody embarrassing”. He leans back into his chair and exhales.

Fast-forward six months, with eyesight restored and a rucksack brimming with purple and orange memories, we find the fan favourite in the final week of Celebrity Treasure Island chatting to the Herald about how on earth a self-confessed superfan schemed, swam and slayed his way to the final five.

The 27-year-old two-time Billy T nominee is the first to admit he never could have predicted being an audience fave or getting anywhere near as far as he has.

“It’s cringey to say, but sometimes it makes me a bit emotional. ‘Cause I used to watch this show as a kid and I just loved it. And since it’s come back, even though I’m definitely not a celebrity, I managed to claw my way on to the show,” he laughs.

That iconic brand of self-deprecating humour paired with his quick wit and ability to lighten the mood in any room has seen fans and reviewers heap him with praise. The Herald’s Lillie Rohan called Mustapic “the unexpected star of the show – because while he may have been a personality hire, he’s the spice Treasure Island has been missing”.

And The Spinoff’s Tara Ward declared in her infamous power rankings that he is “pulling strings left, right and centre and having a bloody great time doing it”.

Though he admits he’s been “blessed” in the feedback sweepstakes, Mustapic says he wasn’t even sure he would make it through the first few days. Not because of hunger, sandflies, or his blatant dislike of the “disgusting” outdoors. Instead, the comedian worried his battle with anxiety might get the better of him.

“You know, I’ve had a few mental health issues in my day and I was genuinely really worried that I would come on and then get too sad, I would even have to leave.

“I thought maybe I’ll just get too sad or stressed. But you know what, I learned that I can sleep on a hessian sack and still be okay,” he admits.

Mustapic is no stranger to learning to be okay. He credits his hit show Abandonment Issues, based largely on iconic 2000s television moments that helped shape him into who he is today, as one of his proudest achievements – after what he admits was a tricky childhood.

So how does it feel to be part of a show that’s such a massive part of that childhood and New Zealand’s staple TV diet?

“It’s my favourite show. So the whole time I kept saying that I wanted to self-eliminate, so that I could go home and watch,” he laughs, revealing that the Fans vs. Faves season hadn’t finished airing when the latest season shoot began.

But he admits that sharing the experience with the likes of activist Tāme Iti, actor Turia Schmidt-Peke, and big ol’ league legend Steve Price made it all worth it, and turned reality TV into, well, reality.

“When Tāme told us he was leaving, he told us all about his life, and it was quite amazing. And our little moment was very special. And I feel like it was a great starting point for me as a captain – it gave me some strength to lead the team.”

Mustapic also admits he found an “unexpected bestie” in the hilarious one-liner queen Schmidt-Peke. “She’s just so funny and a joy to watch and, bonus, she’s really good at challenges.”

He also confesses he really wanted to orchestrate an iconic “on-camera fight” with a rugby player or a “scary man”, but when he met Price that plan quickly went out of the window.

“Shout out to Steve. Steve was a cracker and was quite a softie. He was always cracking jokes and very funny.”

So what about the drama? Surely Mustapic thrived on the dramatic undertones of the show? According to the star, the dramatic mercy card play, which saw Blair Strang reverse it to send Jordan Vandermade home, really did shake camp to its core.

“Looking back, I’m so glad Blair cancelled it out, but you know, we watched them for two hours and 15 minutes. So it was slightly horrific and it did almost feel like they both deserved to stay.

“But now I’m like, great, see you later, Mr Vandermator. Print that,” he laughs.

Despite his anxiety being at an all-time high during filming, Mustapic admits he wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I was very stressed the whole time on the island, but I hope people know I was also having a delightful time. And I loved scheming, and being sneaky and just having a laugh,” he grins.

So with his star on the rise, what’s next on the cards for the marvellous Mustapic?

“I’m actually going to do a stand-up tour,” he reveals to the Herald.

“Auckland. Christchurch. Wellington. Dunedin. All the greatest cities in the world,” he says in a deadpan voice.

As well as his summer of comedy touring, Mustapic has also dabbled into his more serious side with a new show called Queer Academy, out on November 14 on RE:News and TVNZ+, which he describes as being “all about queer sh**” with an educational and comedic twist.

And Mustapic’s biggest supporter, his mum Janet, is set to find her way on to TV with his latest project, coming soon to TVNZ+. It’s a comedy about finding his beloved mum a man of her own. Mustapic reveals that the “comedy/reality” show goes to “extreme lengths” in the quest for love.

With the best still ahead for Mustapic, what does he hope fans young and old take away from the latest reality TV deep dive into him and his one-liners?

“Oh my goodness. I hope they’ll go, ‘he’s funny. I’ll buy tickets to his show’,” he laughs.

“But first and foremost,” he grins, looking over to the TVNZ publicist and nodding, “Check him out on TVNZ+.”

Celebrity Treasure Island airs weekly, Mon-Wed, at 7.30pm on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ + and Queer Academy premieres on Re:News and TVNZ+ November 14.

James Mustapic: Doing My Best Tour

Christchurch: Nov 10 and 11

Auckland: Date TBC

Tickets available from Humanitix

Jenni Mortimer is the New Zealand Herald’s lifestyle and entertainment editor. Jenni started at the Herald in 2017 and previously worked as an education publication editor. She’s also the host of The Herald’s parenting podcast One Day You’ll Thank Me, mum to Knox and one-time Celebrity Treasure Island castaway.