Grace Foster

After three weeks of bush-tucker trials, dingo dollar challenges and creepy crawlies, this year’s series of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! has come to an end. 

With I’m A Celeb… being back in Australia for the first time since 2019, this year’s contestants all descended down under to compete to be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle. Jill Scott came in victorious being crowned as this year’s Queen, pipping Owen Warner to the post as the winner.  

With the show receiving 12 million votes, Jill received 47.29% of them and Owen, 30.99%. Matt Hancock, who came third in this year’s show received 21.72% of the votes. Mike Tindall just missed out on being in the final three, coming fourth. 

Overshadowed

However, this year’s series was overshadowed by the arrival of Matt Hancock. With his own admission of wanting forgiveness for his role in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hancock wanted to use I’m A Celeb… to show the general public ‘who he really is.’ 

Worries were also floating around about Matt Hancock winning this year’s show. And it seemed it was all anyone could talk about.  

His presence on the show opened discussions on the ethics facing ITV, and whether they should have provided a platform for Hancock. However, his appearance on the show pushed its viewing ratings up to the highest in years.  

The past few years are still fresh in people’s minds, and certainly in their everyday lives. Hancock’s three-week stretch in the jungle definitely divided viewers. Not least because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also with Hancock still being an MP for West Suffolk.  

Some fans provided support, with others disagreeing vehemently with his appearance. The question remains as to whether Hancock got what he wanted from the jungle – redemption or notoriety.  

A Question of Ethics

Another debate surrounding this year’s series of I’m A Celeb… was the treatment of animals and insects in the bushtucker trials.  

The RSPCA launched a campaign in order to stop the use of live creatures on the show. With animals and insects being used in small spaces with panicked celebrities, being dropped and overcrowded with other animals, discussions around the ethical use of these creatures have proliferated again. 

Other organisations have also boycotted the show, deciding not to watch due to the use of insects and animals within the show’s format. This also opened discussions around the exploitation of insects and animals at the expense of reality TV and for our entertainment.  

Ethically, linking with Matt Hancock, the wider questions surrounding I’m A Celeb… and other reality shows are where and how far do we draw the line with reality TV? 

We all know reality TV is purposely constructed and can be manipulated to look or portray someone or something a certain way. However, when it comes to questions of ethics, we need to take a step back and examine the ways in which reality TV can be exploitative.  

It is a popular and incredibly successful form of entertainment, but there must come a time when we realise we have crossed a certain line. 

Whilst I’m A Celeb… has been a successful and popular series this year, it begs the question – was it because they were back in Australia after nearly three years or because Matt Hancock was a contestant? 

Concluding Thoughts

With I’m A Celeb… over for another year, speculation will soon turn to next year’s contestants and predictions on who will be competing or who the public wants to see down under.  

With 11.5 million people tuning into Sunday night’s final, it seems that the popularity of this TV show isn’t going to be dwindling anytime soon.  

You can catch up on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! on ITV Hub. 

 

Featured image courtesy of Yoal Desurmont via Unsplash. Image license found here.

Grace is a student journalist with a love for history, music and books.

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