The public vote to decide which contestants will stay in the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle has opened for the first time in the series. Presenter Declan Donnelly announced at the end of Thursday’s episode that the contestant with the fewest votes will leave the Australian camp at the end of Friday’s episode.
He said: “One of them will be heading for home. So for the first time this series you’re voting to keep your favourites in the camp. The person with the fewest votes will leave tomorrow and that vote is now open.”
The news came after the public voted for Culture Club star Boy George and Loose Women presenter Charlene White to take part in the next Bushtucker trial, titled Watery Grave. The trial will see the pair trapped in two tombs attempting to unlock stars as water pours in to earn meals for the camp.
Earlier in the episode, former England footballer Jill Scott needed the help of a medic to remove a cockroach stuck in her ear after volunteering to take part in the latest Bushtucker trial. The 35-year-old, who was part of the Women’s Euro 2022 winning team, told hosts Ant McPartlin and Donnelly: “I’ve got a cockroach stuck in my ear” after completing the Unlucky Dip challenge.
As the medic rushed to get it out, Scott said: “Come to the jungle they said, it would be fun.”
It comes 11 years after Olympic gold medallist Fatima Whitbread famously got a cockroach stuck up her nose after enduring a time-trial wearing a plastic helmet full of critters on the ITV reality show. McPartlin, 46, joked: “Jill, that was bigger than the one Fatima Whitbread had up her nose!”
The footballer, who retired in the summer after the Euros, had put herself forward alongside actor Owen Warner and former rugby star Mike Tindall to complete a series of fairground-inspired challenges. The trio were strapped into spinning devices as they attempted to work together, with Scott starting by releasing colourful balls from a tombola-shaped cage full of insects.
Meanwhile on the Critter Carousel, Tindall collected the balls and threw them at Warner, who was being repeatedly turned upside down over a trough of water. As his head was submerged again and again on the Fiendish Ferris Wheel, he shouted: “There’s no need for this.”
McPartlin and Donnelly urged him to hurry up, laughing and responding: “Owen, get looking for balls.” Grabbing balls from the water, Warner threw them into a box, contributing towards the final score, as sinister fairground music played and the other campmates looked on from a makeshift stand.
Each colour corresponded to a different campmate and at the end of the challenge, all the balls were thrown into a tombola for a chance to win a surf ‘n’ turf barbecue and beach day. Warner had the most number of balls in the mix with 10, while Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver had only two balls – having picked Warner to have an extra ball over herself the previous day.
However, it was Cleaver, alongside Scott and former health secretary Matt Hancock who were drawn at random to receive the luxury prize. Cleaver said: “Oh Owen, I feel terrible.”
The trio headed off in a helicopter for their beach BBQ day where Hancock volunteered to cook a selection of shrimps, sausages and steak. Scott said: “Even just to see butter! Oh my god, real food! You kind of feel guilty with every bite.”
Meanwhile, Warner faced the “unlucky side of the draw”, being picked in the tombola to face another trial to earn stars for camp, alongside comedian Babatunde Aleshe and TV presenter Scarlette Douglas. Arriving to find a seaside-themed set of boxes, each celebrity had to put their head inside a box and keep their hands free to pass stars until it landed in a lobster basket.
Warner faced a box full of snakes, Douglas had rats while Aleshe – who screamed throughout the challenge with his mouth shut – faced frogs. The trio returned to camp having secured a full set of stars for their fellow campmates.
The bookmakers have revealed Charlene White and Matt Hancock to be the favourites in the betting to be the first celebrity eliminated from the show. Spokesman for Odds Insight platform What Are The Odds Lewis Richards comments:
"It’s been just over a week since I’m A Celebrity started for the 2022 version and we have already seen into the lives of several campmates. Charlene White, who faces Friday’s bushtucker trial with Boy George, is currently favourite to leave the jungle where her odds of 4/6 continue to plummet as she looks to be the first to leave camp. Her refusal to sleep in the RV has certainly annoyed one or two of the camp mates and it seems the general public agree."
"Plenty of money is also coming in for Matt Hancock who is now suspected to be second to leave at 4/1.
"The Conservative MP's controversial entrance into jungle as well as munching down king prawns and enjoying steaks in the luxury beach barbecue, with other celebrities more deserving of the prize may just have been too much for the UK public to handle
"It looks like a battle between these two to stay in this years series."
Next Elimination Odds
Charlene White 4/6
Matt Hancock 4/1
Sue Cleaver 5/1
Boy George 8/1
Scarlette Douglas 10/1
Seann Walsh 12/1
Chris Moyles 16/1
Babatunde Aleshe 25/1
Mike Tindall 50/1
Owen Warner 80/1
Jill Scott 100/1
England Lioness Jill Scott remains the clear favourite to be crowned Queen of the Jungle at the end of the ITV1 show with Bet365 going 5/4 to lift the crown.
Plenty of money has come in for Owen Warner overnight with the Hollyoaks star winning over the hearts of the nation. Unlike his campmates, Owen appears to be quite enjoying himself in the Jungle at the moment The 23yr old can be backed at a best price of 11/4 with Betfred to win.
Further on down the betting Mike Tindall is at a best price of 5/1 with Bet365.
I'm A Celebrity odds Winner
Jill Scott 5/4
Owen Warner 11/4
Mike Tindall 5/1
Matt Hancock 7/1
Seann Walsh 20/1
Babatunde Aleshe 28/1
Chris Moyles 33/1
Scarlette Douglas 40/1
Boy George 40/1
Sue Cleaver 66/1
Charlene White 150/1
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! continues on ITV at 9pm.
