Embattled NSW Premier Nathan Rees featured on Nova 969’s breakfast show the other morning to play Box Of Mystery with Merrick, Rosso & Kate Ritchie. It seems that compared to the parliamentary bear pit Mr Rees wrestles with daily, a crocodile infested box couldn’t faze him.

Alright, it was only one crocodile and it was just a baby.

Merrick & Rosso & Kate Ritchie have been playing Box of Mystery for the past few weeks. The Box is filled with an object that is unknown to the player. An envelope with the prize is inside the box somewhere for the player to retrieve.

It might sound easy, but the fear of the unknown has proved to be paralyzing. And when everyone else in the room can see what’s inside the box, other than you, it becomes even scarier. No one has been able to do it quickly, and it takes a lot of firing up and coaching by others in the room to do it.

When Tom Williams put his hand in the box with a mud crab a heart monitor measured his heart rate at 140 beats per minute. Twice the normal rate.

But when Mr Rees was faced with a crocodile, he barely flinched. He proved to be the fastest participant to date, saying, “I’m not nervious, I’m intrigued.”

Within a few seconds he’d retrieved the envelope and even managed to pat the crocodile on the head before pulling his hand out.

Other surviving players and their Mystery Boxes include:

Merrick – Python Snake
Rosso – Bulls testicle
Kate Ritchie – 1,000 cockroaches 

Harlee (morning announcer) – 1,000 Crickets
Kristy Warner (newsreader) – Rats
Gordon Ramsay – Earth worms
Ray Hadley – Echidna
Tom Williams – Mud Crab
David Borean (Nova 969 GM) – Huntsmen spiders and spider webs
Wes Carr – baby chickens
Marto (sports reporter) – large lizards