I'm A Celebrity: How do US stars fare in the jungle?
American star Jamie Lynn Spears has signed up for the ITV show this year
Britney Spears’ little sister Jamie Lynn is headed into the I’m A Celebrity jungle and although many fans have said they can’t wait, the latest odds suggest she may be first out.
The Zoey 101 actor is currently the rank outsider to win the ITV show at 35/1, according to online bookmakers BetVictor, with This Morning star Josie Gibson 11/4 to be crowned Queen of the Jungle.
If the show plays out as predicted, Spears will follow in a long line of American stars who have failed to make it to the end in the jungle. Over the years, I’m A Celeb has signed up several contestants from across the pond, but there has never been a US winner.
We take a look at some others.
Caitlyn Jenner
Excitement was high when Keeping Up With The Kardashians star Jenner signed up for the 2019 series.
There were rumours that she was the highest paid of all the contestants and everyone leaned in whenever she spoke, desperate to pick up any little gems about her famous family.
Olympian Jenner also impressed with her can do approach to the challenges of camp life, urging the others on with her rousing cry of: “It's not just another day, it's another day to excel."
Viewers said on social media that she was a “born leader” and for a while she dominated stories about the series.
So it was a surprise all around when she was voted out just shy of the three week stage, coming sixth.
Jacqueline Jossa was eventually crowned the winner.
David Gest
Gest was on the show back in 2006, and was one of the first big US names to sign up for the competition.
As the husband of Liza Minnelli, the late producer and television personality was used to be being big news.
But he was up against some big names in I’m A Celebrity.
He shared the camp with the likes of Neighbours star Jason Donovan and eventual winner Matt Willis, and as they were very popular with viewers, competition was strong from the outset.
Gest was also in Myleene Klass’s series, and the former Hear’Say singer grabbed a lot of the headlines for herself when she lathered up in the waterfall shower in a white bikini, still one of the show’s most talked about scenes.
There was also a story floating around at the time saying that thousands of votes in Gest’s favour were not counted when he became the ninth person to get the boot.
The report suggested that 30,000 votes for Gest - who died in 2016 - were lost because of a computer glitch.
However, ITV later made it clear that all votes had been counted.
Janice Dickinson
The following year show bosses lined up supermodel Dickinson for the jungle, and they proved to be right on the money as she made great viewing.
Viewers loved the way she spoke her mind but also got stuck in, and she ended up taking on more Bushtucker trials than anybody else.
Dickinson made it all the way to the end of the contest, however, in the end she lost out to Christopher Biggins and was runner up.
The catwalk queen went back for another crack at the crown in the all stars version earlier this year but ended up having to leave after she fell and hurt herself.
She said in her exit interview: “I felt like they could have possibly cleaned my wounds and set me back on my path in there. But production made the right decision, in the end, to not send me back in.
"I'm just sad it ended that way. I think I could have gone back in and gone on further.”
George Takei
Star Trek’s Takei was a popular contestant in 2008 and made it through 21 days in camp.
He got to the final with tennis star Martina Navratilova and actor Joe Swash but fell at the final hurdle, coming third.
And it has been reported that Takei secured just 7.5% of the votes to win, with Swash clinching a whopping 68.7%.
The actor was quizzed about his stint in camp in 2021 during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, when presenter Susanna Reid noted that viewers had “adored” him.
He said looking back he had “fond” memories, adding: “But at the time it was horrific.”
Jimmy Osmond
Singer Osmond signed up in 2005, and was quoted as saying at the time that he hadn’t watched it before but had heard it was the “classiest” show of its kind.
He charmed viewers by becoming one of the earliest I’m A Celebrity rule-breakers, when he smuggled in some seasoning and a secret message from his loved ones in a teddy bear.
However, although he was popular, Carol Thatcher was also in the jungle that year and was considered the favourite.
She did go on to be crowned Queen of the Jungle, with Osmond finishing fourth behind her, Sheree Murphy and Sid Owen.
Read more: I'm A Celebrity
· I'm A Celebrity: Behind the scenes secrets of the jungle show
· Boy George says he 'ate everything' after leaving I'm A Celebrity jungle
· I'm A Celebrity campers who have been forced to quit the jungle
Watch: Britney Spears has slammed her younger singer Jamie Lynn Spears for “capitalising” on her torment