Inside I’m A Celebrity’s huge shakeup – with race to become leaders who sleep in real beds and rule over campmates
I’M A Celebrity stars will race into the jungle when this year’s show kicks off – with the winners ruling over camp.
The stars will choose their partners under playground-style picking rules before dashing in, with the new challenge called Snakes and Leaders.
In an exciting revamp, the winning pair will be made leaders of the camp for the first few days – the first time camp will have two leaders instead of one.
As well as ruling the roost, they will get to kip in proper beds, sheltered from any rain, in the newly-built Leaders’ Lodge – which overlooks the other campmates who just get the usual basic beds and hammocks.
Bosses say they want to make this year’s series as competitive as possible from the off, with all ten initial celebs including Wag Coleen Rooney and singer Tulisa Contostavlos getting pitted against each other.
They will also get “more power” than the leader has had in previous years.
The show’s executive producer Olly Nash revealed: “There is a finish line. There’s a very clear start with Ant and Dec.
“And Ant and Dec are at the very end as well, and they’re all heading for the same finish line.
“It will be clear who is winning and who has won, but there’ll be plenty of opportunities for overtakes, so all is not lost.
“There’ll be a number of challenges across the race. There’ll be a very clear starting point and a starting moment for Ant and Dec, and it’ll be quite obvious when these people are finished
“It’s up to the celebrities who they pair up with.
“There will be a mechanism and a twist about how they decide who picks who and in what order, and that will be out on the first show on Sunday.
“So that mechanism will be almost like a playground pick, in the sense that nobody wants to be picked last.
“But there will be an element or a group of celebrities that will be picking the other celebrities are remaining to pair up with, and in your pairs, you’ll be racing for camp.”
Olly added: “Never before has that race for camp, or a race had such an impact in the first few days of reality.
“It will really lead those relationships you create and the people you pick will really affect your future in camp and across the series.”
Olly said he hopes this year’s lineup could see a return to the “golden years” like 2018, when former footie boss and SunSport columnist Harry Redknapp won.
He said: “One of the golden years was a really positive year, like the Harry Redknapp year of 2018 so this is a great cast which is positive, happy, they’re all really sort of celebrating, and can’t wait to get in.
“And so I think that’s really what we all want to see Is a great year of positive, happy, funny camp.
“They all become one big family and this year I think there’s a stronger chance of becoming a stronger family and those relationships continuing beyond the show.
“The chances of that happening are much greater than before.
“The camp puts everybody in equal footing. And the great thing with that is the camp exposes everybody, and it’s just how you perform within this group.
“It’s not really everything on the outside. There’s obviously loads of stories that people have got to tell. But once you’re in here you have nothing but yourself.”
When the campmates arrive, they are given small bottles of eco-friendly shampoo, conditioner, lip balm and deodorant.
Olly said all the celebs have asked about the famous jungle shower, but that stars typically want to cover up now.
Never before has that race for camp, or a race had such an impact in the first few days of reality
Olly Nash
He said: “The last person that used to shower regularly in the naked in the news was Brian Paddick. He would stand there facing outwards, and it was quite a confronting sight.
“Whereas the only person really in the last few years has been Nigel Farage, who just carried on anyway, but obviously the faced the wall.
“It’s funny, they have all asked about that this year, but most people just cover themselves up.
“And it’s absolutely changed. I think the whole world has changed, hasn’t it? A lot over the years, and people are less likely to get in there and want to flaunt themselves.”
Olly said this year’s contestants are “really up for it” and excited.
He added: “Every year, we try and create something new, and try and create a better or different race to camp or different journey to camp.
“This year we’re going out for an ultra-competitive series, you’ve got a really positive cast, everybody’s really happy and up for it, very few sort of nerves. Everybody’s terrified, but can’t wait to get in.
“So the advantage with all of them, is faced with the competition from the very beginning will hopefully lead on to competition, healthy competitions throughout the run.”
I'm A Celebrity 2024
As the hit ITV show enters into its 24th series, a brand new batch of famous faces look set to enter the Aussie jungle once again to face terrifying Bushtucker Trials and living amongst the critters in camp in order to come out on top and be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars heading Down Under this year...