ITV bosses make a MAJOR shake up to I’m A Celebrity voting format
This has been a crucial element of I’m a Celebrity for 25 years; the public can vote to watch their least favorite contestant squirm while enduring the grueling Bushtucker Trials.
But in a major change to the ITV show’s format, the Mail can reveal bosses have introduced a new rule that if a celebrity votes in two consecutive attempts they will be exempt from the next batch.
A TV source told this newspaper: ‘It will be really good for the show. ‘When celebrities are voted out again and again it can be quite distressing for them, the public becomes bored or annoyed and the other contestants become increasingly annoyed at missing air time.’
Another insider said it was a ploy by ITV bosses to stop the British public constantly ‘toxicly targeting’ celebrities they dislike and ‘eroding’ the family-friendly atmosphere of the hit programme.
Last year, BBC radio presenter Dean McCullough, 33, was voted into seven consecutive Bushtucker Trials, such as sleeping with spiders in dark areas, for not getting a star.
Dean McCullough was the target of viewers last year, voting for seven consecutive tries; This led to fans calling for changes to the show’s format, which ITV bosses followed suit.
Ant McPartlin weighed in and made a direct appeal to viewers to stop voting for Dean to take part in the trials last year, admitting it was ‘unprofessional’.
It comes after Ant admitted he was “unprofessional” and resigned last year after seeing Dean earn just four stars on his third attempt.
But the intensity of the trials he endured divided viewers; Many people were tired of seeing him attempt these experiments and called on other celebrities to give them more screen time.
Fans of the series, who shared their thoughts about X after it was confirmed that it would be on its sixth trial, said that the producers should apply a ‘trial limit’.
The wrote: ‘Not funny at all to see Dean try another. Please #ImACeleb start practicing 3 test strikes and let someone else try too’; I love ‘I’m a Celebrity’ but having the same person do the auditions makes the show boring! There’s a lot of air time. ‘Give others a chance’; ‘This is literally ruining the show.’
The show’s long-time presenter Ant McPartlin even addressed the situation, stating that he ‘got quite angry at one point’ and said during the show: ‘If you can’t do it, you can’t do it, but go ahead – just try.’
He later apologized for the outburst, admitting that it was “unprofessional” and that he “allowed my discomfort to be reflected on screen.”
Viewers complained this meant celebrities such as BBC One radio presenter Melvin Odoom and Coronation Street star Alan Halsall were experiencing a “criminal lack of airtime”.
Reform leader Nigel Farage has notoriously laid out his game plan on the 2023 show, admitting he wants to be voted in for trials because it means ’25 per cent airtime’.
An ITV spokesman said: ‘Celebrities all want the opportunity to join the Bushtucker Cause and bring the stars home for the camp
‘Viewers would rather see different celebrities take part in the iconic Bushtucker Hearings than the same person day after day.’
