The Reef's Got Talent Barney's Barrier Reef

Australia. Home of the possum, cool surfer dudes, strange lingo...

"No worries, mate. Fair dinkum." ..lots of sunshine

and the bonza Barrier Reef.

It's the biggest, most spectacular coral reef in the world

and what's more, every creature is linked to another.

Just imagine one huge family tree dating back 18 million years.

From the miniscule to the mammoth to the miraculous, they're all

connected in Barney's Barrier Reef.

Hi, I'm Barmy Barney.

And I'm Gorgeous Gemma.

Today, we're in the barrier reef, searching for

the creature with the fishy factor.

We're looking for any fishy talent in this ocean.

We've cast our net far and wide to find the most seaworthy talents.

From animal acrobats, crooning crabs, even dancing dolphins,

anyone can enter in...

There's an amazing array of talent in the barrier reef

and they're all connected.

We've got an amazing show lined up. Costumes, feats of strength,

amazing dance moves that will delight, so don't miss today's show.

Get on with it.

And of course, we've got our amazing judges,

Simon Coral and Danni Mantaray. Do you like my suit, Simon?

-100%, no.

-Oh. Well, let's get on with the show!

So without further ado, let's introduce our first act.

First up today is the amazing fish swimming-display team.

And to the left, and to the right.

And this formation team is made up of thousands of plankton-eating tuna

and they are putting on an amazing display for us here,

with their line-dancing meets Red Arrows air display routine.

And their talents don't stop there.

They may look like they're in a huge fishy choir

but they're opening their mouths

really wide to eat as much as possible.

Musical AND greedy!

-But you have to admit, Barmy, they have got rhythm.

-Oh, yes.

Their intricate formation dancing is their way of snaffling the plankton.

Their movements drive as much plankton as possible

into those large mouths.

One thing you haven't mentioned, Barmy, is that swimming together

in a huge school keeps fish safe from potential predators.

There's definitely safety in numbers.

So, Simon,

any interest in signing these guys up?

100% none of your business, Barmy.

Guys, you were awesome.

Wow, what a start to the show.

The reef does have talent! Who's our next contestant?

Let's welcome to the show our dancing dolphin duo!

APPLAUSE

They've started with a double synchronised jump.

Amazing co-ordination there.

Looks like they surprised our camera crew.

They're never disappointing, these fellows.

Look at that single, followed by double, water-leap.

They're certainly as playful as ever.

They can reach speeds of up to 25mph.

Yippee!

Always an audience favourite, but what does Simon think?

Well, that was an incredible performance.

Wow... they've impressed Simon Coral,

and we all know that takes some doing.

Thanks again to our delectable dolphin duo.

-Awesome.

-Like our school of plankton-eating tuna, these guys

are great group swimmers. Both contestants are connected by

their love of performing together.

So who's our next contestant?

Now, you may know the parrotfish as dudes who spend their days

chomping rocks, foraging for their favourite snack of algae,

and with jaws like that, who can blame them?

But tonight, they'll be demonstrating a truly hidden talent.

Please welcome to the show our next contestant, the tremendous

-tangoing parrotfish!

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Head straight, eyes ahead, Miriam, and turn.

What an elegant pair.

Especially considering their rather unpleasant habit of pooing sand.

Well, that's understandable, with all that rock-chomping.

Well, they're in perfect symmetry on this number and of course,

this routine is their mating dance.

So it's something they're both

very familiar with, the male leading the female in a traditional fashion.

Well, thank you very much to our wonderful performing parrotfish.

Let's go over to our judges

to see what they made of their timely tango.

Well, I thought it was pretty good. A little old-fashioned, maybe.

I'd like to see them try something contemporary next time.

-I completely disagree.

-You would!

-It was amazing.

-I didn't like it.

Although they may seem different, our performing parrotfish

and delightful dolphins

are connected by their graceful and elegant dancing style.

What an amazing display, but can our next contestant do any better?

These amphibian-type fish come all the way from the mangroves.

Their many talents include telescope-style eye accessories

and an ability to fill their gill chambers with water,

creating their very own oxygen tank.

-I wouldn't want to skip this act.

-Ha-ha!

So here they are. It's the mudskippers!

-Yeah!

-I think they're limbering up.

I don't know quite what to expect.

Amazing!

Quite an amazing acrobatic display.

He's done a two-leaper, and a three, and a four.

They're using their impressive front pectoral fins

to catapult forwards. I think

it's a form of modern dance. It's very unusual.

And of course, this is all a display purely in the name of love.

Yes, Gemma, love is the inspiration behind these amazing 60cm leaps.

And see how they raise their top fin which gives the leap extra emphasis.

Quite an unusual act from the mudskippers.

Not MY idea of romance,

but what did the judges think?

-100% no.

-Guys, it was a brave attempt but for me,

you need to think more about your costuming.

GROANING

Oh, dear. Not a popular decision with the audience.

Well, dancing for love got no love from Simon Coral.

And just like the parrotfish duo,

the mudskippers' talent is reserved for that romantic moment.

-Time for your next reef talent.

-Well, they may be the smallest

-contestants, but they have a huge talent for camouflage.

-(Barney?)

-Yes, what is it, Gemma? We're on air.

-I know, but I can't see them.

-What do you mean?

-Our next contestants.

I can't see them. It's just coral.

No, Gem. That's part of their act.

They have the best disguise in town.

-Oh, I see.

-But that's not why they're here today.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please welcome the tiniest

trapeze-artists in the world, the pygmy seahorses!

I want to go there.

-I made it!

-'It's an incredible display of agility and bravery,

'to trapeze the through the water.

'Bearing in mind their tiny size, it takes a lot of strength

'and should not be underestimated.'

'Especially for something that is the size of a fingernail.

'Oh, I think he's going for another leap. You can feel the tension here.

'Oh, and he's made it!'

-Amazing!

-Thank you, pygmy seahorses.

-You can stop HORSING around!

-THEY LAUGH

Let's go over to the judges and see what they thought of that.

I've always liked you guys, and today you were bonza!

And it's worth bearing in mind that one small step for us is

a giant leap for this little fella. So he's connected to our other

athlete, the mudskipper, through their shared acrobatic ability.

OK, it's nearly time for a break

but before we do, let's take a reef-cap over our reef talent.

First up on today's show were the unforgettable plankton-eating tuna.

These guys are just made for performing.

Another gang of group dancers were our delightful dolphins,

certainly not camera-shy.

They rarely fail to disappoint. Inspired by love, our passionate

-parrotfish brought a tear to Danni Mantaray's eye.

-For a change(!)

Good to see them taking a break from chomping rock and pooing sand.

Another romantic display from our acrobatic mudskippers.

They got the thumbs-down from Simon but were an audience favourite.

And what about our pygmy seahorses, the cutest trapezists in town?

With their camouflage coral, they are a whinnying combination.

I think I'll do the jokes here.

-Why did the whale cross the road?

-Oh, I don't know.

-To get to the other tide.

-BOOING

Get on with the show.

Our next contestant is limbering up. Its Brian the boxer crab,

joining us all the way from the bottom of the ocean.

I'm doing this for the anemone.

Without their support, I wouldn't be here.

A clue to his specialist skill is his anemone pom-poms.

He borrows them, as he uses the stinging cells of the anemone

to warn off predators, and this has culminated in his act today.

OK, it's time to see him in action.

Take it away, Brian the boxer crab!

Ready? OK.

C-R-A-B, carrying the anemones, to keep away his enemies.

Two, four, six, eight, who do I appreciate?

The anemones. The anemones.

The anemones. Oh, I'm so good.

As you said, Barmy, he uses the anemone's stinging cells

to really good effect here, giving an amazing cheerleading performance.

But let's not forget cheeky Brian also snacks on the job.

He's using those anemones to scrape bits of food off the floor.

Adio.

What a character. Let's see what our judges thought of his performance.

Well, it's just not special enough. My advice would be,

-leave the anemone alone and get on with your life.

-Controversial.

Brian was a crowd-pleaser but he didn't win over Simon Coral.

Brian the boxer crab is linked to our leaping pygmy seahorses because they

are both solo performers.

-Who else has got talent?

-Well, we have a relative of Brian

the boxer crab up next, taking part in a completely different field.

Derek the decorator crab and his incredible stick-on accessories

-loves his fashion.

-Whatever!

But will this be enough to impress Simon?

Derek the decorator crab!

Ooh, I'm itching to stick this bit of algae on. Oh, phew. It's on.

How many accessories does one crab need?

This act just seems to be about him dressing up.

Ooh, and he's going for the white-fluff stick-on.

I think I just need this bit of white stuff here,

a white ball of random fluff...

Just give it a clean first.

-Ooh, I love dressing up!

-And of course, these cunning crabs are

called decorator crabs because they spend most of their time

decorating themselves in bits of the reef to disguise themselves.

Like all our performers, this skill does help him survive in the

potentially dangerous ocean world, so his love of accessories allows him

to blend in and keeps him disguised from predators.

So, let's see what our judges made of Derek.

You know I like you, Derek.

But I'd have liked to have seen something new from you.

-Whatever!

-Well, you know, I've got to say, Derek.

That was...

..utterly dreadful. 100%.

Well, Danni likes Derek but Simon doesn't seem so impressed.

Yes, but look at HIS fashion-sense.

Er, OK, it's time for...

Simon! Simon, come back! You know you're MY idol.

Both the decorator crab and the boxer crab believe if you don't have it,

borrow it.

The boxer crab borrows anemones

and the decorator crab borrows whatever he can lay his claws on.

Who's up next?

-The colourful cuttlefish have some stunning routines.

-Oh, baby!

But today we're lucky to be joined

by a rare species, the only known poisonous cuttlefish in the world.

Let's all join together in welcoming our next reef talent,

Cuthbert the cuttlefish!

Cuthbert is here tonight to demonstrate his awesome,

some may say spooky, ability to change colour.

This is looking promising.

OK, he's started with some yellow edging-colour.

I think he might go for the full body transformation.

Oh, look, he's added a rippling effect to the yellow trim.

Now, that's amazing.

And another complete outfit change.

-I think this is his best performance yet.

-Oh, yes. Look.

And his walking movement really helps demonstrate his flashing colours.

Very impressive.

Of course, this isn't just about looking flashy.

He's perfected this skill to help him hide, hunt for prey

and warn off predators.

-Goodbye!

-Well, the audience love him.

Let's see what our judges think.

By far the best performance of the show. 100%.

-That was the best performance by far. 100%.

-Thank you, Danni.

Echoing Simon exactly, there. Of course, our contestants are

connected to each other like all our barrier reef guys and gals.

And the cuttlefish is no different. His crazy colour-change display is

a fashionable defence,

just like the decorator crab with his amazing accessories.

Let's meet our next reef talent.

Now, our octopus is a regular

-on the talent scene, with his many superior skills, eight arms...

-Mm!

-..ink-bombs...

-Ooh!

-..superior, intelligent brain.

-Wow!

Oliver, let's see you in action.

And he's getting his siphon ready.

I wonder if he's going to treat us to some jet propulsion today.

Er, Oliver? You're on. Wake up!

Wake up!

Sorry.

Wow, it's the jet-move and the colour-change.

Incredible.

I wonder if he's peaked,

or will we see more from this master of camouflage? Another colour-change.

This time, he's imitating a rock.

That was seamless. Oh, and look at him go!

Oliver uses the red to warn off predators,

and his white and darker colours

when he wants to hide away or has been disturbed.

He's mimicking coral, and now algae.

-Indeed.

-And for his final trick...

Ah, maybe he's stretching out for a bit of yoga. He's a born performer.

-Thank you.

-A round of applause for Oliver the octopus.

Over to you, Simon.

100% yes.

Simon almost smiled!

What an incredible performance there by our colourful

camouflaging octopus.

Just like Cuthbert the cuttlefish, he uses his colour-changing tricks

to blend in anywhere.

Let's take a look back over our talented reef contestants.

He was doing it for the anemone and today he cheered his heart out.

An amazing display from Brian the boxer crab.

Simon wasn't impressed with any of our crab acts tonight.

Derek the decorator crab took the news hard.

I've spent my whole life decorating myself.

To be knocked back this way has hit me hard.

-Does my hair look OK?

-Derek, it was a good performance,

but both crabs love to use props instead of

their natural skill, so maybe that's what turned the judges against them.

But Simon loved our colourful cuttlefish

and actually smiled watching Oliver the Octopus.

Both creatures stunned us with their colour-changing performances.

So, who else will impress our judges?

It's time to find more talented creatures on The Reef's Got Talent.

Ah, camera, I'm here.

Hello! Look at me! I'm ready for my close-up.

Whoops. Sorry.

That's no problem. What's a camera between stars?

And there's a few members of this family performing tonight, and all

have those prominent sticky-up ears that give them their name.

Can you guess who the next reef talent is?

I'll give you a clue. They'd better "harey" up.

Oh, "harey" up. In that case, welcome the sea hares!

-Hello!

-G'day, mate.

-Hello!

-I can hear you.

-Ooh, some sliding about happening here.

The sea hare is a mollusc like snails and clams, but the sea hare

hasn't got an outside shell to protect itself.

-Oh, what was that?

-Believe it or not, Gorgeous Gemma, it was a poo-cannon.

He can fire his poo?

Amazing.

So, will the sea hare impress with his rather dirty habits?

Anticipation is at an all-time high here on The Reef's Got Talent.

-What's happened?

-It seems that we've lost a contestant.

He's disappeared in a puff of red smoke.

Oh, what an illusionist! This is his rare red algae-eating defence trick.

If sea hares nosh on red algae,

they can squirt out red and purple smoke and look like

they've vanished, as an act of self-defence from predators.

Ah-ha.

Amazing. I'd even say "hare-raising".

Listen, I've told you, I'll do the jokes. Let's go over to our judges.

-Well, you shouldn't be in this show.

-BOOING

I haven't finished. I haven't finished.

You should win this show. The best performance of the night. 100%.

Thank you for that, Simon. I'm sure the sea hare family

-will be delighted with that.

-Yes.

-Awesome.

-And of course, this remarkable,

colourful display connects them to our colour-changing octopus, Oliver.

So can our next contestant compete?

He is the length of a pencil,

but has the best eyesight in the animal kingdom.

-I'm not ready yet.

-But he's refusing to perform until

he's completed his spring-cleaning.

Like all shrimps, he's totally obsessed by tidying up.

But it looks like he's gearing himself up.

Rumours are we might get to see his right hook today.

Mr Mantis Shrimp clubs his victims to death with a punch

as powerful as a 22-calibre bullet.

I think he's ready for action.

So, tonight he's demonstrating his talent for super-power punching.

In the red corner, we have Super Shrimp.

In the blue corner we have Courageous Crab.

Round one. Shrimp gets in there but Courageous is braver than he looks.

Good left hook, Courageous. Round one to Courageous Crab.

Round two.

Ooh, Super Shrimp delivers a painful blow. Crab hanging on in there.

What stamina this young fellow has! Oh, what's this? It's all over.

Courageous Crab has had enough of this onslaught.

Shrimp is left with the prize, the crab's right pincer.

Wow, how did he do that?

-He's a shrimp.

-He has his very own extendable club on his arm.

This weapon can shoot out and knock his victims out cold.

An amazing display from our mini-mantis shrimp.

Oh, Danni, are you OK?

Um, it seems Danni's a little squeamish, so I'll do both verdicts.

Very hard-hitting and for once, I'll agree with Barmy.

Very impressive for a shrimp.

Talk about impressive firing techniques.

We've had the sea hare, who fires purple ink at enemies, and

the superbly strong mantis shrimp who fires his own personal club.

What a talent. Who's up next?

Oh, hang on, it's Oliver again.

Sorry, one performance only! Rules is rules.

Er, Barmy, it's not Oliver the Octopus. It's Olivia the octopus.

Are you sure? It looks very similar.

There's nothing in the rules to say you can't have two octopuses.

Olivia has a completely different act!

I am Olivia. Prepare to be left speechless, Simon.

COUGHING

-Well, this had better be good.

-COUGHING

-She's going for the cola bottle.

-She's not going to get in there!

Oh, yes, she is. She's squeezed herself through a hole

the size of a little fingernail.

This is an incredible act of contortionism from Olivia, here.

I must say, it does look a bit painful.

Well, luckily, octopuses are amazingly flexible.

They're boneless, apart from their beak.

Beak? Is she a bird as well?

So funny, Barmy! The beak is used to kill prey,

but because the rest of her body is bendy,

skilful octopuses like Olivia can squeeze through the tiniest spaces.

For something with no skeleton,

she's very muscular, but what you may not know

is that she's also one of the most intelligent animals in the ocean.

I'm a genius!

And she seems to have won the judges over.

-Great performance, but, you're just too cocky for me.

-Oh. Oh, whatever.

Ignore him, Olivia. You've earned your cockiness.

That was out of this world!

Top marks for Olivia and her amazing cola-bottle contortionist trick.

She's demonstrated amazing body power, just like our mantis shrimp.

Oh, hey. Ah, well, what a great ending to the show.

Before we announce the winner,

let's take a look at the contestants of The Reef's Got Talent.

What about our first contestant, the school of plankton-eating tuna?

Amazing, awesome, bonzer!

And our delightful dolphins.

Always super-confident and they always deliver.

Who can resist? Well, not Simon, that's for sure.

Incredible performance.

But Danni fell for our passionate parrotfish,

with their tremendous tango dance.

So beautiful!

Our muddy mudskipper also loves to dance for love,

-but Simon wanted to skip this performance.

-Dreadful.

The pygmy seahorses leapt with true bravery.

A short distance for mankind, but a long-distance leap

-for these little fellas, and won Danni's heart.

-They were bonzer.

Another solo performer was Brian the boxer crab.

Simon had a very strong opinion on our cheerleading crab contestant.

-Get a life.

-Cuthbert borrows reef props to perform,

like Derek the decorator crab, who covers himself in reef accessories,

-but neither impressed our judges today.

-Nothing new. Sorry, guys.

Next up, our camouflaging, colour-changing cuttlefish.

What a creative spirit, but don't bite, his trick will make you sick.

Yes, our poisonous cuttlefish caused quite a stir,

as did Oliver the octopus, with his miraculous colour-changes.

100% yes. I'd sign you on the spot.

The sea hare. He cleared the studio with his red algae smoke-bomb.

-One puff and he appeared to disappear.

-Incredible.

Quite a magician. But for true power, our mantis shrimp was magnificent,

even if Danni felt faint for the wrong reason.

Ha ha! But she's OK now. And with a punch as fast as a speeding bullet,

-I'd say no crab is safe.

-Yes, we've kept Cuthbert and Derek

well away from the mantis shrimp, just to be on the safe side.

Olivia, another octopus, and what a contortionist,

giving David Blaine a run for his money.

She squeezed through a hole the size of a fingernail.

Simon thought she was overconfident...

-This had better be good.

-but what a performance.

Olivia, you really pushed through.

We can certainly say from that display,

the reef really has got an amazing array of talents.

Wouldn't you agree, judges?

For once, I'm going to agree, Barney.

Some class acts on today's show.

Thanks to all our contestants. It's time to announce the winner.

-Olivia the octopus!

-Congratulations!

-Oh, well done, Olivia. Oh, she's in shock!

Well, it's been an amazing show, and to play us out,

here are some of the judges' favourite contestants.

-100% yes.

-Awesome!