I'm A Celebrity's Dean McCullough confronts Melvin Odoom about Houdini jokes

The pair discussed the tension over camp chores on the Coming Out show

Dean McCullough was nicknamed Houdini in camp. (ITV)
Dean McCullough was nicknamed Houdini in camp. (ITV)

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! camper Dean McCullough confronted Melvin Odoom about the fact he was nicknamed Houdini when they met up on the reunion show.

The pair were both campers on the ITV jungle series — which was won by McFly’s Danny Jones — and there was some tension because both the contestants and viewers felt that McCullough was shirking his responsibilities. On one occasion he left Odoom doing all the heavy lifting when they were supposed to be lugging water back to camp together, with fans outraged on Odoom’s behalf.

McCullough ended up being given the nickname Houdini, in a nod to the way he vanished whenever there was work to be done. But in scenes on reunion show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Coming Out, he suggested Odoom should have taken him to one side and mentioned the fact he wasn’t pulling his weight.

The I'm a Celeb camp reunited on Coming Out. (ITV)
The I'm a Celeb camp reunited on Coming Out. (ITV)

When they met in the reunion programme, McCullough mentioned how the Houdini joke had taken off online, saying: “I love how the whole Houdini popped off, the memes were brilliant.”

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“I don’t think people realised why that happened,” Odoom replied. “I was busy doing the water thing, I just wanted you to help so I was thinking, I’m just gonna drop this line with half the camp there, make everyone laugh.”

“I wish you had told me, that upset me,” said McCullough.

Melvin Odoom - I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here 2024. (ITV)
Melvin Odoom was a 2024 camper. (ITV)

Odoom explained: “If I’m trying to give someone a message, I always use humour, that’s my number one way of communicating with people, that’s essentially my weapon, and that’s all that was.”

McCullough said he had seen Bush Telegraphs of Odoom saying: “It’s another chore to ask Dean to do the chores.”

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However, the presenter replied: “Me calling you Houdini was my way of telling you I need help, when we said, ‘Let’s do the water’, I came up the steps and you were having a shower, when I came down you were folding your clothes by the bed. By the time I said, ‘Houdini’ that was me saying, ‘I need help’.”

“Yeah, but just take me to the side,” said McCullough.

However, the pair patched things up, after Odoom told McCullough: “It's a minor bro, it’s a minor, don’t worry about it.”

While his former campmate retorted "Tell that to the papers”, they did end up walking away with their arms around each other. “OK I’ll know for next time we’re in the jungle carrying buckets of water," Odoom agreed.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Coming Out airs on Friday, 13 December at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.