I’M A Celebrity is in full swing and from the word go it is clear that it is no holiday camp.
But viewers will be surprised to learn there’s more to the wild Australian jungle than meets the eye.
It turns out many of the features surrounding the celeb-packed camp — which is crawling with snakes and spiders — have been completely fabricated for entertainment.
Fans know there is just one toilet for the dozen celeb campmates affectionately call the ‘dunny’, and that at the top of the main part of camp there is the Bush Telegraph, the show’s diary room, where contestants are encouraged to pour their hearts out on camera to the millions of viewers back home.
Apart from the stars’ sleeping quarters, everything else is supposed to look like the genuine jungle.
This is where the show’s amazing set designers have stepped in.
“The waterfall, like the pool beneath it, was not part of the jungle at all, but a man-made creation,” Lauren Booth revealed after jungle stint.
Cherie Blair’s sister added in 2006: “Unless, of course, ‘real’ rainforest waterfalls get turned off between three and six every afternoon.”
Even the celebs in camp have been fooled into thinking some of the show’s backdrops are the real deal.
Lauren said: “Take the rocks around the edge of the encampment – they seemed to be hollow and made of papier mache.”
Show insiders confirmed to HOAR at the time that the waterfall shower was created specifically for the show.
But they insisted it was no big deal, saying the waterfall’s been a manufactured part of the set since day one.
One feature introduced this year is the secret cave, which viewers saw when Matt Hancock and Scarlette Douglas were nominated camp moles.
Producer Olly Nash told The Mirror: “Next door is a secret cave which will be hidden behind a locked door.
“It will be used a number of times through out the series for our celebrities.
“Inside it is just a plain cave with a bench but we will be using it through out the series for various events.
“The floors a bit hard – but it can be used for romance.”
