With the final of I’m A Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here! fresh on our screens, Caitlin Williams runs through the line-up and asks, what’s the future for the rainforest?
As I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here reaches it’s final week, we can start to speculate over who will be the winners and losers of this year’s show. We all remember the classic contestants; those who have lost it (Gillian McKeith) or made it, (Katie and Peter to some extent, and Myleene Klass who went from fledgling singer to yummy-mummy M & S model overnight).
This year has been no different, with a number of contestants looking to boost or reignite their own careers. Hugo Taylor, the posh-boy from Made in Chelsea is right up there. Consistent floods of tears and stage-school reactions to trials have made great entertainment. However, it’s hard not to feel like he’s totes destined to end up back in Chelsea discussing ‘talent’ with Spencer and co.
Helen Flanagan, aka Rosie from Corrie, has been a great surprise; initially unable to gain even one star in her many bushtucker trial experiences, she has come through the competition with invaluable new skills, primarily how to wash her own towel. She’s unlikely to win but will be remembered for much more than Coronation St after her hilarious stint on I’m A Celeb ends.
Eric Bristow, darts legend and general misery, has relentlessly provoked his fellow contestants since his arrival in the jungle. Whether you love or hate him, his insult-studded language never fails to be amusing.
David Haye, arguably the most famous of this year’s contestants, had a bumpy start to the beginning of the show (his arrogance against disadvantaged Hugo a little too much to bear). Since then however he has become a key member of the camp, looking after ‘baby Helen’ and the rest. Alongside this new likeability, his celebrity status prior to entering the jungle could be the factor that leads him to victory.
The dark horse of this year’s I’m a Celebrity though, has to be former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts. Making slime look like red-carpet attire, it is impossible not to anticipate her being crowned queen of the jungle. Regardless of the result though, she seems to have successfully forged a route into public popularity and may well end up with a solo career and a presenting-job to match.
Whilst shows like I’m a Celebrity and Celebrity Big Brother continue to pull in the viewers, it’s difficult not to wonder how long they can remain viable? When will we get bored of washed-up celebrities trying to re-make a name for themselves? I mean how many people had really heard of Limahl the 80s ‘popstar’? Maybe it’ll end when Ant and Dec finally give it up, and without their Geordie banter it slides even further into the depths of the rainforest.
Despite the obvious problem with the calibre of celebrities on these shows, the rise of docu-soaps such as Made in Chelsea and The Only Way is Essex means it is likely that British television will continue to churn out contestants for these reality television shows. And let’s face it everyone loves to see someone eat a kangaroo’s testicle, whether they’re famous or not.