"The extreme part does not excite me at all" - ⁠Off Road star Rotem Sela explains her reason to join the show

Off Road season 1 premiered on Netflix on July 18, 2025. The new reality show features Israeli actors Lior Raz and Rotem Sela, following them as they embark on a journey through Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. During their journey, they explore several different Central Asian landscapes while testing their friendship and personal convictions.

In episode 1, as Lior and Rotem sat down before a therapist to prepare for their upcoming journey, Rotem opened up about her reason for joining the show. She clearly stated that she had no interest in the "extreme jeep" aspect of their journey, which caused her anxiety and fear.

She shared that she was just excited to experience different cultures and meet new interesting people, while disconnecting from her usual life.

"The extreme part does not excite me at all. I'm excited to see other cultures, to meet interesting people. And to really disconnect for a bit," she said in the episode.

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Netflix's Off Road stars Lior Raz and Rotem Sela share their thoughts on their upcoming journey

In Off Road season 1 episode 1, Rotem Sela shared in the confessional that she first met Lior when they came together to film a TV show. As soon as he showed up at their first rehearsal, she knew that they would become great friends.

The episode then cuts to a scene where Rotem and Lior drive to therapist Amittai Megged. In the car, Lior told Rotem that he was worried that the long journey might be hard for her, as he thinks she is not used to that kind of experience, unlike himself.

In response, Rotem asked his Off Road partner if he knew any girls in Israel who were accustomed to going on a month-long trip to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. She then told him that the journey would also be hard for him, even with his "tough guy act."

During their session with therapist Amittai Megged, he asked the Off Road duo what brought them to therapy. Rotem explained that they wanted to align their expectations before embarking on their long journey. She added that having a neutral third party in the room can be helpful for conversations like these.

Later, when the therapist asked the Off Road duo how they came up with plans for this off-roading in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, Lior shared that he always wanted to travel the world but hadn't found the time because of his busy acting career.

"I've wanted to do a road trip for years, to travel across the world. To go places no one could get to unless you're travelling by jeep. But I couldn't do it. I've never had enough time off to make it happen. I'm always working, filming, and everything's planned. It's like our entire life is on this highway. And sometimes you get to a point where you… want to get out of the fast lane," the Off Road star told the therapist.

Rotem added that they decided to do the show to take a little "time-out" from their busy lives.

When Amittai asked Rotem if she even liked Jeeps—especially considering they were about to take on an extreme off-roading adventure—she bluntly replied, “No.”

Surprised, the therapist followed up by asking why she wanted to go on the journey at all. Rotem explained that she felt she had already done everything there was to do in Israel, and the show offered her something new and different.

"I feel like I have finally reached a point in my career where I have pretty much done it all, in Israel. And I am very grateful for that and very appreciative, of course," she shared.

The Off Road star continued:

"It all became sort of more of the same. And when Lior brought this idea to me, it blew my mind. It's something I've never done, and it really takes me out of my comfort zone. So I said, 'Let's go. Let's make this happen.'"

Rotem later noted that she wasn't interested in the "extreme jeep stuff" and was just excited to explore different cultures along the journey.

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Off Road season episodes 1 to 6 are available on Netflix.

Edited by Bharath S