It is November. It’s raining. Again. You’ve just sat down with a cup of tea, and suddenly, Ant and Dec are standing on a bridge in the Australian jungle, laughing at a B-list soap star who is currently covered in fish guts. It’s a bizarre British tradition. I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! has been running for over two decades, and honestly, it shouldn't work as well as it does. We’ve seen it all. We know the format. Yet, every year, roughly nine to ten million people tune in to watch the same cycle of hunger, bugs, and ego clashes.
Why?
It isn't just about the "Bushtucker Trials," though watching a former politician eat a kangaroo testicle provides a very specific kind of national catharsis. It’s the human psychology. You put a group of people—who are used to being pampered, filtered, and managed by PR teams—into a situation where they are genuinely starving and sleep-deprived. The masks slip. You can’t fake a personality for 22 hours a day when you’re living on 700 calories of rice and beans.
The Brutal Reality of the Jungle Diet
Most viewers think the celebrities go off-camera and get a cheeky sandwich. They don't. While the show has faced accusations of being "fake" over the years, the weight loss is the one thing you can't debunk. Take a look at the physical transformation of contestants like Christopher Biggins or James Haskell. They lose stones in weeks.
The "Rice and Beans" diet is exactly what it sounds like. It’s bland. It’s repetitive. It’s roughly 700 calories unless they win stars. This isn't just a production choice to make them grumpy for the cameras—it’s a metabolic shift. When the body enters that level of caloric deficit, the brain stops prioritizing social graces. This is why we see such explosive arguments over how to cook a piece of wallaby meat or who didn't clean the dunny properly. It’s basic survival instinct clashing with Hollywood egos.
✨ Don't miss: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
Interestingly, the production team at ITV actually has a medical crew on standby 24/7 because of this. Dr. Bob (Robert McCarron), who was a staple of the show for years, frequently spoke about the genuine medical risks, from extreme dehydration to the infamous "jungle sores" that don't heal because the humidity is so high.
What Actually Happens Behind the Scenes?
There’s this persistent rumor that the jungle isn't a jungle. People say it's a film set in a studio. That’s sort of true, but also mostly false.
The show is filmed in Springbrook National Park, near Murwillumbah in New South Wales. Yes, it’s a contained site. Yes, there are camera runs—basically hidden tunnels behind the greenery where crew members move without being seen. But it is outdoors. If it rains, they get wet. If a venomous snake wanders into camp (which happens often), the professional snake handlers have to rush in.
The "waterfall" shower is actually man-made. This is one of those "magic of TV" things. It’s turned on and off to save water and ensure the lighting is right for the "iconic" shower scenes that the tabloids love. But the cold? That’s real. The bugs? Very real. In fact, the production goes through hundreds of thousands of cockroaches, crickets, and mealworms every single season. These are farmed specifically for the show to ensure they are "clean" and won't give the celebrities any strange tropical diseases, but they are still living insects.
🔗 Read more: Greatest Rock and Roll Singers of All Time: Why the Legends Still Own the Mic
The Ant and Dec Factor
You can't talk about I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! without the Geordie duo. They are the glue. Their "breaking the fourth wall" style—where they mock the production, the celebrities, and even themselves—is what keeps the show from feeling too mean-spirited. They act as the viewer's proxy. When a celebrity is being particularly annoying, Ant and Dec’s eye-roll is what makes the audience feel like they're in on the joke.
The Evolution of the "Celebrity"
In the early 2000s, the show relied on huge names or "faded" legends. Now, the casting is a science. Producers look for specific archetypes:
- The "Hard Person" (usually an athlete or an older actor).
- The "Scream Queen" (the one the public will vote for every single trial).
- The "Peacekeeper" (usually a singer or a daytime TV presenter).
- The "Villain" (someone with a controversial political or social background).
Think back to the 2022 season with Matt Hancock. That was a turning point for the show's identity. It moved from pure entertainment into a space of national debate. Whether you agreed with his inclusion or not, it proved that the jungle is a place where public reputations are either salvaged or completely destroyed. It’s a PR gamble of the highest stakes.
The Trials: More Than Just Gross-Out Factor
The Bushtucker Trials have evolved. In the beginning, it was just "eat this" or "sit in a box with snakes." Now, they are massive engineering feats. The production team spends months building these sets. They use "scare tactics" that play on common human phobias: heights, confinement, darkness, and the "unknown."
💡 You might also like: Ted Nugent State of Shock: Why This 1979 Album Divides Fans Today
When a celebrity sticks their hand into a hole they can't see into, the psychological stress is genuine. The cortisol spike is measurable. This is why some celebrities, like Helen Flanagan or Gillian McKeith, became famous for their reactions. It’s not just "acting" for the screen; it’s a legitimate fight-or-flight response.
Why We Keep Watching
There is a concept in psychology called schadenfreude—finding joy in the misfortune of others. There is definitely an element of that. But I think it's deeper. I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! is one of the last "watercooler" shows left in a world of fragmented streaming. It’s a shared experience. Everyone is watching the same thing at 9:00 PM.
It also offers a weird kind of redemption arc. We love seeing someone we "hate" prove themselves to be brave, kind, or hardworking. When a "diva" ends up being the one to scrub the pans and encourage their campmates, it changes the narrative. It’s a humanizing machine.
The Environmental Impact and Controversy
It hasn't all been smooth sailing. The show has faced significant criticism from animal rights groups, most notably PETA. The use of live insects and animals for entertainment is a point of contention that grows louder every year. In response, the show has shifted slightly, moving away from some of the more controversial "live eating" segments in certain jurisdictions, though the core of the show remains heavily reliant on animal interaction.
Actionable Insights for the Super-Fan
If you want to experience the show beyond the 60-minute nightly edit, there are a few things you should be doing to get the "real" story.
- Watch the spin-off shows and podcasts. The main ITV show is highly edited to create drama. The "extra" content often shows the quiet moments of bonding that explain why certain celebrities become best friends despite appearing to have nothing in common.
- Follow the "Bridge" walk. Pay attention to the exit interviews. Often, the first thing a celebrity says when they get across that bridge to Ant and Dec is the most honest thing they’ve said in three weeks.
- Check the social media of the families. The people running the celebrities' Instagram accounts while they are in the jungle often share behind-the-scenes tidbits about what was in the "luxury item" or what the celebrity was most nervous about before going in.
- Visit the location (virtually). You can actually see the filming site on Google Earth. Looking at the proximity of the camp to the production huts gives you a much better sense of the scale of the operation. It’s a massive city of tents and trailers hidden in the trees.
The magic of I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! isn't that it's "real" life. It's that it's a highly controlled, artificial environment that manages to squeeze real human emotion out of people who are paid to be artificial. As long as we enjoy seeing the famous lose their cool, the jungle will stay open for business.