I’m A Celeb fix row as ‘clue’ in Bushtucker Trial ‘gives away show bosses excluding star from challenge
IT is no secret that I’m A Celeb star Dean McCullough has been struggling to overcome his fears, after failing to complete a string of Bushtucker Trials.
But now the ITV show is at the centre of fix row, after viewers have questioned whether Dean was supposed to take part in the eating trial, alongside Maura Higgins and the Reverend Richard Coles last night.
Three skewers were initially shown on camera and all three- Dean, Maura and the Reverend- had been staying together and apart from the other contestants in the “junkyard camp.”
But now fans are suggesting that TV bosses may have decided to exclude Dean, who has already performed a slew of trials without success.
A number of avid viewers aired their views on social media site Reddit, with one person writing: “Does anyone think that Dean was supposed to take part in the eating challenge?”
Another answered the question by saying: “Yes because there was 3 skewers for the last one, and 3 separate items (brain vomit fruit etc)I think the producers dont want him taking part in another trial lol.”
Another viewer agreed that a strategic decision was made to keep Dean out of the trial.
They said: “The story was supposed to be the junkyard campmates got rumbled by the main camp, and their penance was the eating trial. Then they could enter the main camp having been sufficiently punished and given the campmates a lovely buffet and all would be forgiven.”
“This is pretty much what we got except for one major difference, Dean. Now, either they are trying to create some drama by having Dean get rewarded, or they thought Dean would mess it up and really create some drama where Maura and the Reverend would get caught in the crossfire.”
And another person simply agreed that bosses may have thought that Dean would trip up in some way.
They said: “I think they just thought Dean was too much of a liability and decided to keep the trial for the other two.
Viewers were left fuming after Sunday night’s episode when Dean was voted in for his sixth Bushtucker Trial.
Next the Radio 1 DJ will face ‘Jack and the Screamstalk,’ a challenge that involves climbing 50 ft into the air to retrieve stars while fighting off bugs and creepy crawlies.
This comes after he faced Absolute Carnage with Coleen Rooney yesterday and four other trials since the show started last Sunday.
But many viewers are fed up of drama queen Dean, who seems very stressed out by the challenges and feel that the time has come to give others a chance.
Taking to social media site X, one wrote: “Please stop voting for Dean, its actually boring how bad he is at getting stars.”
Another commented: “There are 12 celebrities in the jungle and youre trying to tell me that people STILL want to see Dean do a trial. Especially by himself.”
And another simple said: “I’m a celeb is getting so boring with Dean doing all the trials. He’s so annoying too.”
Northern Ireland-born Dean is now on course to become the star who’s taken on the most Bushtucker Trials in the history of the show.
Glamour model Katie Price and Gillian McKeith currently top the charts having taken on seven tasks during their stint in the jungle.
So far GK Barry, Danny Jones and Coleen Rooney have all shared tasks with Dean.
Maura Higgins and the Reverend Richard Cole did the eating challenge together as part of their initiation into the camp, having arrived later than the others.
I'm A Celebrity 2024
i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year..
Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.
Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.
Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities.
Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.
GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.
Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.
Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Danny Jones – The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle, after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom Fletcher.
Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.
Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”
Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.
Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity, and he’s ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”