Visiting Camp Kikiwaka with Disney Channel’s Bunk’d Cast
Fans of Disney Channel‘s Jessie will see some familiar faces on the new show “Bunk’d” that premieres Friday, July 31st. Emma, Ravi, and Zuri Ross have all left their New York penthouse for a summer at Maine’s rustic Camp Kikiwaka.
Where is Camp Kikiwaka?
The same summer camp where their parents met as teenagers. It’s a different environment than the plush penthouse near Central Park!
Disney Channel’s Bunk’d
During a recent visit to LA, we were able to get a sneak peek at an upcoming episode of Disney Channel’s Bunk’d, as well as the opportunity to talk with the Bunk’d cast.
Is Camp Kikiwaka real?
Camp Kikiwaka is a sleepaway summer camp for kids located in the fictional town of Cedar Ridge, Maine.
The camp is named after the nearby lake, which is home to a mischievous and often troublesome spirit known as the Kikiwaka.
The camp has been around for generations and is a popular destination for kids from all over the country.
The camp is divided into two sections, the main camp and the “Bunk’d” section. The main camp is for kids ages 5-12 and is run by the local government.
The Bunk’d section is for kids ages 13-18 and is run by the Disney Corporation.
The camp offers a variety of activities for kids to enjoy, including swimming, hiking, canoeing, arts and crafts, and more.
Where was Bunk’d filmed?
Disney’s Bunk’d was primarily filmed at Camp Kikiwaka, a real-life summer camp located in Rim of the World in San Bernardino County, California, with additional filming taking place on a soundstage at Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles.
We sat down in the “mess hall“ (on the production set on a block at the network’s studio in California) as the young cast of Bunk’d joined us to talk about their roles on the TV show.
Meet the Camp Kikiwaka Cast
The cast of Camp Kikiwaka is comprised of talented young actors who bring the charm and humor of the Disney Channel series to life.
The cast includes Peyton List as Emma Ross, Karan Brar as Ravi Ross, Miranda May as Polly McKinney, Skai Jackson as Zuri Ross, and Nathan Arenas as Jorge Ramirez.
Each actor brings a unique energy and personality to the show that helps make Camp Kokiwaka the magical place it is on television.
The cast of Camp Kikiwaka is a special group of young actors who have created a truly magical world for fans to enjoy.
For Skai Jackson (Zuri), Karan Barr (Ravi), and Peyton List (Emma), are simply bringing their already loved Jesse characters onto the new show. Zuri, Ravi, and Emma are settling into their new home away from home at Camp Kikiwaka and making new friends.
Skai told us she is enjoying the role as she transitions Zuri from their old penthouse into this bunkhouse with other Camp Kikiwaka Disney campers.
It’s a different scene for each of the Ross children with no butler or nanny around, but it’s been a fun new experience being part of the Disney Bunk’d cast.
Peyton List was filled with excitement as she talked about how much fun they have been having on the set of Disney Channel’s Bunk’d.
Only 5 episodes in when we visited, she said that they already felt like they had all known each other forever.
In fact, she and Miranda May (Lou) have really clicked on the Disney Camp Kikiwaka set.
Even though they really didn’t think they would get along initially, they have become great friends.
During their school hours, the Bunk’d actresses often get distracted together, help one another with schoolwork, and even get in trouble with the teacher.
Offset, they hang out and have sleepovers at least once a week.
They even celebrate the same birthday which makes it even more fun for the two of them!
But, they really are completely different people on the set. Peyton was excited to continue playing Emma but mentioned that she’s not exactly the same character on Bunk’d.
She has actually been humbled since she arrived at Camp Kikiwaka and Peyton is thrilled to see this new side of Emma. Lou (Miranda May) has helped to humble her and keep her grounded in her new environment.
Now, Miranda is a country girl at heart. Growing up in Ohio as the youngest of four, she loves being able to bring some of her real life experience to the Bunk’d episodes.
She even has a prize steer at home that carries over into the Disney Channel show.
Some of the other cast of Bunk’d doesn’t think they are much like their on-screen characters.
For example, Skai says that whereas Zuri loves bright colors, she doesn’t really care for them as much.
But, where they are very similar is in their sassiness.
She says that is the main thing she and Zuri have in common. Nathan Arenas (Jorge) claims to be nothing like his character on Bunk’d.
Nathan prefers to read books and draw whereas Jorge likes to go to the lake and jump. Jorge is pretty messy but Nathan likes to have everything clean and in order.
And Nina Lu says her character, Tiffany, is simply an exaggerated version of herself.
One fun question we asked each of the young Disney Bunk’d actors was whether or not they had actually been to camp before. It seems their answers were pretty well divided.
Skai, Nathan, and Peyton had never been to camp.
Whereas the girls said they would like to one day, Nathan was honest in saying he would probably miss everyone too much (AWE!).
For now, they will have to be happy with their fictional camp – Camp Kikiwaka – on a set in Burbank, California.
Nina has actually been to a few different camps, but most were Science-based. She mentioned that it was a little different experience than your basic summer camp.
She is actually looking forward to attending a summer camp now that she has been acting in Bunk’d.
Miranda had only been to day camps and never had the real overnight Bunk’d camp experience.
Karan went to camp for 3 days and fell in love with it. Although it was freezing cold in his home state of Seattle at the time, he had the best experience while away at camp.
His fellow Bunk’d star, Kevin Quinn (Xander) went to camp for 3 years, 2 weeks each time. Out of all of the cast on Bunk’d, he has the most real-life camp experience.
Kevin said it was great for teaching him independence and how to just be himself.
Karan loves the idea of meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds.
On the Disney Channel show, each of their characters brings something different to the set and they work well together.
And no matter which one of them you asked, they all mentioned that one of their favorite parts about working on Bunk’d was hanging out with the cast and crew!
These kids are awesome… and it showed through each one of their personalities.
(Karan thanked us several times for taking time out of our busy lives to fly out to LA to talk with them. He knew we had to arrange childcare and leave our families and was grateful for our visit.)
Seriously… class act!
Camp Kikiwaka FAQs
No, Camp Kikiwaka is a fictional summer camp located in the fictional town of Cedar Ridge, Maine.
No, Camp Kikiwaka is not a sequel to Jessie; however, it is a spin-off series that takes place in the same universe and follows some of the characters from Jessie.
Emma and Zuri left the Disney show “Bunk’d” because the actors who portray them, Peyton List and Skai Jackson, respectively, decided to move on from the show to pursue other opportunities.
Camp Kikiwaka closed due to a series of unfortunate events, including a mysterious monster, financial issues, and a destructive storm, leading to the decision to shut down the camp for safety and financial reasons.
“Bunk’d” was primarily filmed at a real summer camp in Rim of the World, San Bernardino County, California, with additional filming on a soundstage at Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles.
