Matt Bennett Camp Orange Interview

Matt Bennett Camp Orange Interview

Set an extra place at the Wrong Town Dinner table, US. star of Victorious Matt Bennett is joining Camp Orange as a special celebrity guest Co-Host!

Matt Bennett is best known for his role as Robbie in Victorious, a quarrelsome ventriloquist who is never without his wise-cracking dummy, Rex. Now an accomplished guitarist and songwriter, Matt is making his first ever trip out to Australia to join Luke and Wyatt as well as this year's 5 lucky Campers at Sea World to deliver the funnies at Camp Orange: Force Ten.

Nickelodeon is celebrating a milestone, ten years of its multi-award winning, local production Camp Orange in the new season Camp Orange Force 10. Now the longest running Australian kids' reality series, this year a record number 7,000 registrations from kids across Australia and New Zealand, hoping to be a part of this year's adventure, were collected at http://www.nick.com.au/

Premiering Tuesday June 10th at 5pm on Nickelodeon, production on the 30X6 format series has begun. Returning to Sea World for the second consecutive year, Nickelodeon's Logie nominated channel hosts Luke and Wyatt will host five teams of two best friends (the Make You Laugh Mermaids (NSW), M Tastic (ACT), Kiwi Cuzzies (NZ), Joco Locos (NZ) and Twisted Twins (NSW) through challenges that promise to be ten times messier, slimier and more adrenaline pumping than ever before.

Continuing to champion the show's core theme of friendship and fair play, teams will not only compete to win once in a lifetime experiences and great prizes, but ultimately to be crowned 'Champ Orange" - awarded to the best and fairest team of the series.

Interview with Matt Bennett

Question: What are you enjoying most about being in Australia?

Matt Bennett: I love it; I'm having such a great time.


Question: Are you enjoying your time at Sea World on the Gold Coast?

Matt Bennett: It was so fun! I was working the entire time I was at Sea World but all of the quick glimpses that I got of Sea World, I really enjoyed.


Question: What made you want to travel to Australia to be involved in Camp Orange?

Matt Bennett: I've known about Camp Orange for a while now as Luke and Wyatt come to the States for Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards every year and they always tell me how much fun Camp Orange is; I've always had such a good rapport back and forth with them and when the opportunity arose I was absolutely in. A free trip to Australia to hang out with my friends and to have the experience of a lifetime!

Question: How long will you be in Australia filming Camp Orange?

Matt Bennett: We filmed six episodes of Camp Orange in five days which is unheard of; everyone was so professional so we got everything we needed, so fast!


Question: Which of the challenges was your favourite?

Matt Bennett: My favourite challenge was the one were the kids had to jump into a big pile of rotting fish and that was fun for the shock factor – taking pleasure in other peoples pain. The challenge went on for a long time (about 15 minutes) and the kids were becoming tired. The whole challenge was funny until Luke came in and knocked over everybody's buckets of fish!


Question: What was great about the Room Service Rampage challenge?

Matt Bennett: Room Service Rampage was interesting! I got hit in the face with a Squid that was covered in Tartare Sauce that had been sitting in the sun (gross)! The Room Service Rampage challenge ended in a food fight which was a lot of fun. I am a fast runner so I evaded most of the food.


Question: Did you experience any of the rewards?

Matt Bennett: I did! I got to go on a Helicopter ride, which I'd never experienced before; it was my first time on a helicopter. I didn't get to pet to dolphins but we filmed promos where a dolphin gets really close to me. I was scared that it was going to bite me… it didn't though, none of the animals will bite you at Sea World.


Question: What rides did you get to experience at Sea World?
Matt Bennett: I'm not a ride kind of guy. I went on the Viking Revenge Log Flume ride although I prefer to have my feet on the ground, I'm a ground animal like a bilby!


Question: What was best about co-hosting Camp Orange?

Matt Bennett: The best part was how well we worked together and how much the Nickelodeon writing staff and crew respected me and the ideas that I had; we used 99% of my lines that I adlibbed which made me feel very appreciated (which is a great feeling). It was a lot of fun filming Camp Orange; I wouldn't change it for the world.


Question: So what we see on Camp Orange is very much you, rather than being scripted?

Matt Bennett: Towards the end of the last challenge I developed a character who was egomaniacal evil super genius who has come up with a daftly super challenge. I develop a persona towards the end which is a lot of fun. All the best lines, I came up with!


Question: What do you love most about the Camp Orange show and why do you think Australians love the show?

Matt Bennett: When I was growing up there was a show on the air called Wild And Crazy Kids which was kids doing physical challenges and I found it so exhilarating to watch because it was all the fun of physical activity without actually having to do it (laughs).

It was fun being a co-host to see how Camp Orange was filmed and how much work and strength went into filming a show like that. When filming we were constantly moving and running; some of the challenges would take a couple of hours to setup and then it would take two minutes to complete! Then again, jumping in and having to sort through rotting fish took more than 15 minutes although it may be cut down to 5 minutes on the television – even though it felt like it went on forever. It was enlightening and informative to be involved in the production of Camp Orange.


Question: What's next for you on your return home to LA?
Matt Bennett: When I return home I have the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards coming up which will be a lot of fun. I wrote and starred in a pilot for Nickelodeon that would exist as an Application for the iPhone and Android and we're waiting to hear back about that as I feel like it came out really well.

I am working on album of songs inspired by the dark themes and credits in Robin Williams movies. I like to play guitar – it's fun and a great way to express yourself. Every time that I feel as if I'm not expressing myself or I'm anxious, I strum my guitar. Sometimes I just need a guitar to release all of my excess energy, my guitar is a safe way to channel all of the energy that is built up inside.

I have an exercise bike in my apartment, in Los Angeles, and I haven't been able to use it which is why I have the built up excess energy and need the guitar!


Interview by Brooke Hunter