Ireland's Fittest Family returns to our screens with more challenging courses and an even more diverse mix of people, Derval O'Rourke lets us in on the tougher tasks, family dynamics and what to keep in mind if you're thinking of applying.
Now in its sixth year, Ireland's Fittest Family remains one of the most enthralling, inspiring and heartwarming shows about health and fitness. As the show returns to our screens this Sunday at 6:30pm on RTÉ One, we spoke to coach Derval O'Rourke about what to expect from the new courses, how to deal with family dynamics and which coach is best to train with.
With a win under each coach's belt, this year marks the first occasion for one of the coaches - Anna Geary, Donncha O'Callaghan, Davy Fitzgerald and Derval O'Rourke - to nab a second win and prove themselves to be the best coach on the show.
So it's no wonder competition is rife between the four of them.
Derval jokes that as its a family show, the coaches have to keep their more colourful comments in check, but their innate competitive streaks flair often. "We’re all really competitive with each other, and at different times different alliances will form", she says.
"Sometimes it’s myself and Donncha versus the other two, sometimes myself and Anna, the girls, stick together. Everyday you just don’t know who’s on your side that day."
With a new and ambitious course designed by the ATS Team, the company behind such physically demanding shows as The Biggest Loser and American Ninja Warrior, this season moves past challenging just physical fitness and instead buckles down on putting mental strength to the test.
"This year has been all about mind over matter, which I don’t think any other season has been about", Derval says. "We know all the families are fit because they wouldn’t have gotten into the competition if they weren’t but can they overcome their fears?"
Even for Derval, a professional athlete for 14 years and three-year veteran of the series, some of these challenges were frankly terrifying. "The families did some things that I would never do. There’s a lot of vertigo challenges, basically trying to perform stuff at really high heights and, for me, that’s just petrifying but it was amazing to see who rose to the occasion and who let it get to them."
With this in mind, Derval says that for families thinking of applying for the next round in the coming months, this mental capacity to overcome fear will be at the forefront of her mind, as it was this year. As well as this, when it comes to sizing up the teams and making her pick, Derval focuses on teamwork and collaboration.
"I’m looking for a team that who get on really well with each other as a unit, so I’m never looking for just one superstar. I’m trying to figure out who’s mentally tough because I know they’re fit."
Even though all of the contestants in the show are of extreme fitness levels, made certain as they must pass the fitness test before being accepted on the show, Derval still admits that the show is incredibly tough. This comes to play in how she devises strategies, taking into account not just how much she can push her families physically, but allowing room for the emotional and the personal to be challenged and then soothed.
"You have to show a lot of empathy in this show because there’s no point in pretending that it’s not hard because it’s so hard. But you entered this for a reason, you just have to overcome that now."
On a show where carrying logs through marshland and balancing on 30ft beams is commonplace, what is the most difficult part? It might not be what you'd expect.
For Derval, it's the epically long filming days, something viewers at home don't see. "Most families are on site from 7am until 8 or 9 at night, that's a really really long day and often they won’t run their first race until 1pm", she says. "They’re hanging around all the other families that they’re about to compete against so it’s a really intense day for a really long period of time."
In true coach form, Derval whiles away the hours by getting some exercise in, planning core workouts with Donncha one day and comparing steps with Anna the next. What about Davy? "Davy couldn’t care less what we get up to so he won’t get involved", she laughs.
So now we know who coaches the coaches, but who is Derval's go-to choice if she had to pick a gym buddy?
"Well, Donncha sings a lot, so that can be distracting but also funny. So it depends. If you want to get a lot done, Anna is your girl if you want a laugh, go with Donncha."
In six seasons Ireland's Fittest Family has seen displays of stunning strength, keen mental fortitude and touching moments of family love. It also serves as a reminder of what can be achieved when a goal is set upon and a plan in place. But from Derval's point of view, and as someone with a long tenure in the fitness sphere, what were the biggest learning points?
"Don’t underestimate people is my biggest learning. Sometimes you look at somebody on the first day before you make a pick and you think ‘no, they don’t look that strong’. I actually think people are so deceptive in this competition. The girls particularly shone this season, the mums were amazing on the teams, too."
This season sees mothers with five or eight children facing off with young MMA fighters, 15-year-old girls and boys excelling in extremely challenging conditions and, for the first time, a grandparent leading his family with the stamina of a much younger man. Aside from the physical lessons, we can learn from it, the show shines the brightest when displaying acts of true family strength.
It's for this reason that Derval encourages any families thinking about signing up for the next season to give it serious thought. "Just do it because there are very few other things you’re going to do that will force you to spend that kind of time with your family. Only one family can win but every family that takes part get something from it", she says.
Ireland's Fittest Family airs every Sunday at 6.30pm on RTÉ One, starting this weekend.
