Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins: Host’s plus-size travel mission

Jeff Jenkins hikes on a thickly wooded area near the Lake Tarawera shore in Rotorua. Photo / Graeme Murray, National Geographic for Disney

THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW

The host of Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins on National Geographic is changing the world for plus-size travellers. He explains how New Zealand changed him.

Years ago I was at the top of Pikes Peak, which is in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It’s more than 4000 metres high and I looked out and saw so much beauty.

I was in the coffee shop area and looked out the window and saw that view of the mountains and valleys. It’s drop-dead gorgeous and took me days to process. The magnitude of that much nature at one time. I didn’t actually know what a valley was until I was that high up and could actually grasp how the streams move and how big the ranges are. I’ve never been physically that high without being on a plane and technically we were still on the ground. It was just epic.

I was inundated with all that information that I was seeing for the first time. It was one of those moments. I felt like there was a bigger world out there and it made me realise how small I am. It inspired me to dream bigger. Around the same time I quit my job.

When the producers of the show told me it would be in New Zealand, I said, “We’re going where? This is the kind of show we’re shooting?” I was very excited. My preconceived notions about New Zealand were what I learned from The Lord of the Rings movies. When I got there I was impressed. It blew my mind. I was filled with so many emotions and my producers did a great job at jam-packing that episode full of cultural activities and extreme stuff.

One of my dreams was to have a TV show and I was actually having that moment in New Zealand. It was the best way to start shooting this show. If I did not go to New Zealand first, I don’t think we would have the show that we have now. I wouldn’t be as connected to the show if it wasn’t for the people I met while I was in New Zealand and the time that I had there.

There was something about hearing my pepeha [a traditional Māori mihi that tells people who you are by detailing whakapapa, people and places important to you], or hearing how people are one with nature, the water and the culture. It’s something that I continue to use, even today.

Jeff Jenkins competes in a waka boat race in Rotorua. Photo / Graeme Murray, National Geographic for Disney

I started with Chubby Diaries, which is my social media, in 2018 and I started this Plus Size Travel movement. I’m not here to promote obesity. I’m here to get people to live life now, no matter their size. Momentum built up and National Geographic reached out and were like, “Hey, let’s build a show around you.”

In some ways it’s a mindset that stops plus-size people travelling, but it’s also the lack of accessibility, the lack of comfort and a lack of representation. I feel they don’t travel because there’s the lack of all these things so they think they’ll feel embarrassed and isolated and would not have a good time. I wanted to change and redefine that. I wanted to show like, “Hey, you can get out here too. I’m just as nervous but I’m putting myself out there. Let me be the experiment and let’s see if this actually works.” To me that’s a lot of fun.

Jeff Jenkins runs with the rugby ball as he participates in a contact drill with the Rotoiti premiere rugby team in Rotorua. Photo / Jon Kroll, National Geographic for Disney

You know, I was very sad when they came up with the show title Never Say Never. No, I’m kidding. I’ve always said I’ll try anything at least once. Although I’m not going to say “never”, I can tell you there are things that are way down on my list. And let’s keep them way down there. I really don’t wanna go bungee jumping. I see no fun in it. At all.

I want this show to be as much of a success as it can be so that other stories can be told. So it’s not just, “Jeff! Jeff! Be the token chubby guy.” I want people to be out there and be able to share their stories as well. And for people to know that we are human and we are loved. That we are cool and can do all these cool adventures.

You know, people are beautiful. Everybody in every culture has problems. But the beauty that I see in people is that everybody just wants to be seen and loved in some kind of way. And that’s it. I don’t know how to fix things but I do know that one way we can do it is just to smile and love on each other.

* As told to Karl Puschmann.

Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins is streaming on National Geographic on Disney+ from August 30.