Bindi Irwin with dad Steve Irwin and mom Terri in 2002. (AP)
Starz Kids & Family has added a familiar face to its programming roster.
Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, will bring her Australian series, “Bindi’s Bootcamp,” to Starz Kids & Family next month.
The show, co-produced by Fremantle Australia and Sticky Pictures, is a big “get” for the cable network, considering Bindi’s overseas popularity — and her increasing visibility here after recently starring in Hallmark Channel’s “Return to Nim’s Island,” which helped re-introduce Bindi to Americans who remember her as a little girl.
“It’s got to be the ultimate game-show challenge course,” Bindi says about “Bootcamp,” which premiered last summer on Australia’s ABC network.
“We’re taking kids who’ve never had a lot to do with animals and wildlife out of their element, introducing them to our gorgeous wildlife in Australia Zoo and testing their smarts and skills,” she says. “We’re testing them fitness-wise along an obstacle course to see how clever they are.
“We’re kind of removing all of these kids from the technological world and introducing them to maps and figuring things out with their brains — while getting them involved in wildlife.
“I’m such a great believer in kid empowerment,” Bindi says. “We’re the next voters and decision-makers and our generation will be making a difference on this planet — and it’s extremely important that we stand up for what we believe in.”
The series, premiering May 1, was shot on location at the Irwin family’s Australia Zoo in Beerwah (near Brisbane). It also features Bindi’s 9-year-old brother, Robert (mom is Terri Irwin).
“The kids are all from local schools around the area and they’re all amazing,” Bindi says. “It’s incredible to watch the transformation — they come into the zoo the first day and they’re a little bit shy . . . and by the end of the day the teams are working together brilliantly, shouting and giving each other encouragement.”
“Bindi’s Bootcamp” is her second series, following “Bindi: The Jungle Girl,” which launched in 2007 on Discovery Kids — a year after dad Steve Irwin died after being stung in the chest by a stingray while filming a documentary near the Great Barrier Reef.
“For me he was and still is my living, breathing superhero,” she says. “He was the best dad on planet earth. What’s great for me is that . . . practically my entire life was captured on camera . . . and if any memories of Dad start to fade, I can press ‘play’ and replay them — and how special is that?
“When you lose someone like Dad you have two options: to curl up in a dark corner, or pick yourself up, rise above it and say, ‘OK, I’m never going to forget this person’ and carry on,” she says.
“Losing Dad was kind of like losing a piece of my heart — but I want to make sure I’m able to carry on everything he worked so hard for.”