Yahoo News I'm A Celebrity: Behind the scenes secrets of the jungle show
What goes on off-camera on the hit ITV reality series?
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is just days away, with a new crop of stars set to rough it in the jungle camp.
Excitement has been building around the new series with I'm A Celeb 2023 line-up rumours courting the attention of long-time fans.
After 21 years of the hit series hosted by Ant and Dec, viewers are in the know about Bushtuckers, Dingo Dollars and how the show works.
But there are other things about camp life that aren’t as well known.
We take a look at some of the show’s backstage secrets.
The dunny
Former camper Phil Tufnell recently shared that the most hated of camp jobs – cleaning the dunny – isn’t quite what it seems.
The cricket star was on the show in 2003 (and did a second stint in the jungle for the recent All Stars edition) and according to The Sun claimed that campers actually have help with the loo.
He apparently wrote in his book The Tourist: “A little secret here – the contestants remove the dunny, but don’t actually empty it.
"They carry it down to a camouflaged wooden hut, tap on the door and clear off.
"It’s basically an extreme version of that old knock-and-run game where you wrap a bit of dog muck in newspaper, set it on fire, drop it by someone’s front door, ring the bell, and leg it."
Fake jungle roof
In previous series, eagle-eyed viewers have claimed that while it's raining in the Aussie jungle, the celebs weren’t getting that wet.
And it seems that could be down to a secret roof.
There have been a lot of whispers about some sort of retractable canvas canopy, where stars can shelter if it is torrential.
It apparently means camera equipment can be protected and enables the group’s food bag to be winched down into the camp.
Secret cigarette breaks
Arlene Phillips was a camper when the show moved to Gwrych Castle in Wales amid the coronavirus pandemic, and later revealed that stars were able to take smoking breaks.
She told The Sun there was a huge door that led out to the castle grounds with an open gravel space and a well to get water from.
“And if you wanted to smoke, you had to line up by that door to just go outside there, where there were no cameras, smoke a cigarette, and then come back in,” she said.
Underwear rules
The contestants are all given a camp uniform for their stint in the show, and they are also allowed to bring in a few personal bits and bobs.
However, anyone hoping for endless clean changes of underwear is in for a shock as it seems they can only take in three sets. They are also permitted to pack three different swimsuits.
EastEnders star Rita Simons spilled the beans after she was a contestant in 2018, saying on Good Morning Britain: “I smuggled in extra knickers. You’re allowed three pairs of knickers… Three pairs! I smuggled more.”
Nobody knows the time
Campers don't have watches and are never clear on what time it is.
Former contestant Jake Quickenden told The Sun that for him it was "one of the worst things".
"You kind of know what time that your dinner comes," he explained.
"So when the when the food comes, you know, it's a certain time, so then you kind of try and work from that.
“But I was waking up sometimes, thinking it was late, like seven and it must have been four when I watched it back.”
The new series starts at 9pm on ITV on 19 November.
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