I'm A Celebrity 2025: New rule will see more celebs take part in bushtucker trials - I think it could be a great move for the show
As I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here returns for a 25th series, refreshing the iconic format of the show can be difficult for bosses.
ITV’s hit reality competition show has been on air for more than 20 years, thrilling audiences at home by chucking some household names in the middle of the jungle and taking on crazy challenges.
From sharing confined spaces with creepy critter, to munching down on a kangaroo’s unmentionables, the bushtucker trial component of the show has become a key part of I’m A Celeb. Part of the fun for viewers is voting for their favourite (or not so favourite) celebrity to take on the trial.
However, this year, a huge format change will mean that celebrities can no longer take part in more than two consecutive challenges. The star in question will not be included in the public vote after undertaking two trials in a row.
Sources have told outlets that the change is part of ITV’s crackdown on the British public “toxically targeting” one single campmate, as has been seen in the past with the likes of Matt Hancock, Nigel Farage, Helen Flanagan and Adam Thomas. There is also reports that bosses are wanting to share around the airtime for each contestant a little bit more.
While consecutive trials have offered up some iconic moments (including Gillian McKeith fainting during a live trial) and seeing stars continue to squirm is great TV, I can’t help but think that the new change up could be a great move for the show.
Giving more of the campmates a chance to shine in the bushtucker trials will bring a new dynamic to camp. It also throws a cat amongst the pigeons for the stars who would have hoped they could have gotten away with avoiding a trial during their time Down Under.
After 23 years on air, freshening up I’m A Celebrity in 2025, during an age when the ensemble cast of The Celebrity Traitors drew in more than 14 million viewers may seem impossible. But letting each of the celebrity campmates shine on their own in one of the most iconic aspects of the show will go ways to endearing them to the voting public at home.
Plus, how many times have we watched I’m A Celebrity and quickly gotten over the relentless voting of the same star who will inevitably quit the trial in tears exclaiming: “I’m a celebrity get me out of here!” Last year, BBC Radio 1 DJ Dean McCullough was quickly identified as a weak-link when it came to the trials, with viewers voting for him to undertake seven consecutive trials.
But even host Ant McPartlin was over, as many viewers were, telling companion show Unpacked: “I think it’s good to see other faces there. It’s not about Dean. It’s about us seeing different people down there, and we want to see different people being featured. You just get to a point where you go, ‘Who’s still voting for Dean?’ I don’t get it.”
So not only will the new rule change bring some campmates out of their shell, but this series can promise a bit more variety than its predecessors, making it a great move for the beloved show.
I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here returns for its 25th series on Sunday, November 16. The launch episode will air at 9pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX, and STV Player.