Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt, fronted by Holly Willoughby and Bear Grylls, launched earlier this year and featured celebrity contestants like Big Zuu, Shirley Ballas and Mel B

There’s speculation over the future of Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt(Image: Ray Burmiston/Netflix/PA Wire )

Holly Willoughby’s huge Netflix show, Celebrity Bear Hunt, is said to have been axed, just months after it was launched. It comes just weeks after Bear Grylls proposed a major format change for the series.

Celebrity Bear Hunt, which launched on Netflix in February, saw twelve celebrities hunted down by Bear, 50, whilst out in a jungle in Costa Rica. Described as a “brutal game of cat and mouse,” the eight-part series was fronted by Holly, 44.

The show was met with praise from some viewers following its release on the streaming platform four months ago. Fans expressed hope for a second season at the time, and Bear recently teased over the prospect himself just last month.

It’s now claimed that Netflix has “axed” Celebrity Bear Hunt. According to sources have said that although it did well in terms of ratings, it was expensive to produce.

Celebrity Bear Hunt, fronted by Bear Grylls and Holly Willoughby, launched earlier this year(Image: hollywilloughby/Instagram)

A source told The Sun that everybody on the show was “absolutely gutted.” They added: “But the overall cost of travel, insurance and, of course, securing big-name talent proved too dear – it was completely untenable even after they looked at filming closer to home, and making more of a budget show.

“It is no slight on Holly or Bear either and execs are now trying to find another formula for them to showcase their talents.” They went on to add: “Naturally, it’s a real blow to Holly as it’s the latest show to have time called, but she’s a professional and knows that sometimes this is how it goes.

“She’s got a number of other exciting projects in the pipeline; that’s showbiz, after all.” It, however, comes just weeks after Bear, who was also an executive producer on the show, hinted that a second season could undergo a format change in line with Netflix’s apparent focus on live content. He was asked about the show’s future by Dermot O’Leary on BBC Radio 2 on May 17.

In an interview that morning, Bear teased that those behind the show were “figuring” out its future following the launch. He suggested that Celebrity Bear Hunt could return as a live show for Netflix and expressed hope over the prospect.

Big Zuu won the reality TV competition, which was released through Netflix(Image: Ray Burmiston/Netflix/PA Wire )

Asked if he will get to do “more” of the show, Bear said at the time: “Yeah, god willing. We’re just sort of figuring all that out at the moment. We’re thinking about doing …”

He continued: “Well, we’re hopefully going to be doing it live!” Further teasing over the prospect, he added on the radio show three weeks ago: “Which Netflix has never done before. It’d be super cool. Raw, real, hunt ’em down!”

The debut season of Celebrity Bear Hunt featured twelve celebrity contestants, with most of them eliminated throughout the series as part of the competition. They included Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas and the Spice Girls’ Mel B.

Rapper Big Zuu won the show, with the TV personality named the winner in the eighth episode. Presenter Steph McGovern and singer Una Healy, who rose to fame in the Saturdays, were runners-up.