The jungle waterfall with an ‘OFF ’ switch!
. . . not to mention the crocs who can’t snap, hidden rain roof and other secrets of the not-so-wild celeb TV set
FroM keeping a straight face while stanley Johnson flirts with Made In Chelsea star georgia toffolo to surviving those famously meagre rice and beans rations, there will be plenty of challenges for this year’s I’m a Celebrity camp-mates.
But it seems the weather isn’t one of them. For while viewers of last night’s opening episode will have seen the celebrities complaining about the rain, what they won’t have seen is the retractable canvas canopy which protects them from the elements when producers deem the conditions to be bad enough.
add that to fake logs, a waterfall that can be switched on and off and a fast-food van just metres away, and it seems the jungle may not be quite as much of an isolated wilderness as tV executives would have you believe.
ALISON BOSHOFF reveals the weird, wonderful and not-so-wild secrets of the show . . .
WATERFALL THAT CAN BE TURNED OFF
It Makes frequent appearances in the show thanks to bikini-clad lovelies jumping into it — but although it’s made to look like part of the landscape, the famous jungle waterfall is anything but natural. not only is it man-made, it’s actually switched off between 3pm and 6pm every day to conserve water. and the lagoon below it? Yes, that’s man-made, too.
a show source explains that some features have been created ‘because they don’t naturally occur where one would like them to’.
Meanwhile, a large roll-top bath, which is big enough for two, has been added to the camp this year — not the sort of facility one would usually find in the wilderness.
FIREWOOD THAT’S CHOPPED AND ALL READY TO LIGHT
on Screen, you’re led to believe that keeping the fire going is a chore. In fact, one of the main tasks of the day — which can take campmates most of a morning — is collecting wood for the fire. But while the show’s celebrities might like to see themselves as hunter-gatherers, the wood has been dried and chopped up in advance, then strewn over a wide area by tV crews so the stars can be sent to find it.
sources close to the show explain that they can’t allow the celebrities to be let loose with an axe, and also need to protect the fauna and forest habitat from ignoramus campers.
Keeping the fire alight is the responsibility of the camp-mates, and the crew are explicitly told not to feed the fire. But, of course, it’s just that little bit easier with wood that’s already been dried and prepared for them.
SECRET SHELTER FROM THE ELEMENTS
Last night’s opening episode showed it has been a rainy weekend in the jungle — and the forecast is for more rain.
But while the contestants grumbled about the damp, they didn’t mention that there’s a retractable canvas canopy covering the fire and an area of the main camp.
It has been decided that it would be unsafe to leave the celebrities in a rainy jungle without any shelter at all, not to mention make for bad tV.
But a source insisted: ‘a lot of the camp is not under shelter — it’s not like the roof at Wimbledon!’
SOLID AS A (FIBREGLASS) ROCK
that jungle landscape may look rugged, but in reality it’s had a bit of help. some of the rocks are fake and crafted out of fibreglass. and the logs scattered about? Yes, they’re probably false, too. these have often been created to hide some of the 99 cameras dotted around the campsite.
A DEDICATED BUG FACTORY
Bugs and creepy-crawlies are e used by the bucketload in the e Bushtucker trials.
Finally, a natural part of the e australian jungle experience? ?
think again. they’re actually y bred by an animal specialist in n a bug factory and bought by y the show.
around 250,000 cockroaches, s 153,000 crickets, 500,000 meal worms, 400 spiders, 500 rats, and 30 snakes are used for each series.
the native animals are kept as far as possible from the stars — the site is swept regularly for dangerous beasties to ensure contestants are never in peril peril. Creatures found in such searches have included a 16ft boa constrictor.
CROCODILES WITH JAWS TIED SHUT
In Previous years, celebrities including models Katie price and Catalina guirado have endured the seemingly life- threatening trial of swimming with crocodiles.
But while viewers may have felt their blood pressure rise (not least when ant and Dec announced a marksman with a tranquilliser gun was on standby), the baby crocs had
their jaws tied shut to prevent any nipping.
And in the case of Guirado, two ‘giant crocodiles’ lazing on the riverbank were latex models — although ITV say they no longer use these.
Similarly, the water spiders, Australian scorpions and rhino beetles used can’t bite or sting.
POSH WASHING ING POWDER FOR SMALLS
CAMP-MATES are allowed to bring only three bikinis or swimming costumes for their three-anda-half weeks in the jungle — as well as three pieces of underwear. So does this mean they’re slumming it in grubby clothes for the d duration? ti Er, not t exactly. tl
Laundry is a daily task for the camp- mates, who wash their smalls in a creek — and are supplied with eco- friendly detergents by the crew to ensure they can get things squeaky clean.
So the contestants aren’t roughing it too much, then.
SO ARE THEY REALLY IN THE JUNGLE AT ALL?
TECHNICALLY, T yes — but the camp, ca just an hour’s drive from the Gold Coast, is set in a disused banana plantation flanked by the ra rather less wild passion fruit crops a and cattle farms.
While the show may give the im impression that the celebrities are a long way from civilisation, a production d area with 13 edit suites is li linked to the camp by half a mile of su suspension bridges, four miles of ro rope, five miles of steel cabling and 60 tonnes of scaffolding.
Only metres from the camp there is a large marquee which dishes up a full English every morning to 600 production staff and to the friends and families of those awaiting eviction. There are also fast-food vans serving burgers and chips.
And though they never appear on screen, a full camera crew comes in to film the challenges and tasks and to interview the supposedly What a shower! Georgia Toffolo in last night’s show. Below left, David Emanuel in 2013; and Stacey Solomon and Kayla Collins in 2010 isolated camp-mates. A crew member will also come in at dawn and change the battery pack on each star’s microphone as they snooze.
The crew work in shifts to cover 24 hours a day so they can capture all the action, such as Carol Thatcher having a sneaky wee in the bushes in 2005.
Off-duty crew sleep in the nearby village of Coolangatta, which has been taken over by the show. The celebrities and their families are put up at the ritzy five-star Palazzo Versace in Brisbane, and Ant and Dec are based in a villa nearby.
EVERYTHING’S BEEN REHEARSED BEFORE
VIEWERS at home may be convinced the celebrities are taking a leap into the unknown with each Bushtucker Trial — but what they’re not told is the whole series has been carefully rehearsed, right down to the meals.
Ant and Dec arrive a week before the first show and rehearse with stand-ins who do all the trials.
When the show’s on air, Ant and Dec arrive on site at about 2.30am Australian time. They do voiceover work, go through the script, watch video footage and go to make-up. The live show starts at 7am. They then film for the ITV2 spin- off show and finish around lunchtime.
ALL THE LUXURIES YOU CAN SMUGGLE IN
IN THEORY, celebrities enter the camp with only the permitted clothing and one luxury item, which they have to win access to. As far as viewers are concerned, the rules are strictly enforced. In reality, cheating is rife. Nutritionist Gillian McKeith caused uproar in 2010 when she brought in salt, pepper and spices, in sachets sewn into her knickers.
Model Amy Willerton sneaked in a full make-up bag, which was only noticed ten days into the 2013 show. Sources say they still don’t know how she did it.
There were complaints in 2009 about chef Gino D’Acampo who brazenly filled his luxury item — a pillow — with contraband.
He later said: ‘I stuffed it with a lot of salt, sugar, four different teas and ten sachets of coffee. I had it in my shoes as well. I thought: “If the security guys catch the stuff in the pillow, I still have the stuff in the shoes.” ’
STARS PAID TEN TIMES MORE THAN OTHERS
GIVEN how successful the show is, you might think that every star who takes part walks away with a hefty pay cheque. But in reality, some contestants receive more than ten times as much as others.
Model Katie Price apparently set the record, picking up £350,000 for her second jungle stint in 2009.
Last year, TV presenter Carol Vorderman got the most, around £ 200,000, while comedian Joel Dommett and dancer Jordan Banjo earned £25,000 apiece.
This year, boxer Amir Khan is said to be the best paid, followed by environmentalist Stanley Johnson and WAG Rebekah Vardy. ITV won’t reveal who’s getting what.
Show scriptwriter Mark BuskCowley says: ‘Every celebrity who is considering taking part is sent a pack including a DVD, so they know what they’re letting themselves in for. They’re invited to meetings where executives tell them just how tough it will be. The bosses call it The Talk Of Doom.
‘The reality only really hits home when they’re sitting on a damp log watching a stranger chopping up a single sausage for 12 people. And by then it’s a bit late.’