10 really weird rules the I’m A Celebrity campmates have to follow in the jungle

I’m A Celebrity is such a challenge. We have to stay up past 10pm every night for three weeks to watch it! What a struggle. Presumably the celebrities actually on the show have a hard time, too. As well as enduring very gross trials, the I’m A Celeb cast have to follow some very weird and unexpected rules while they’re in the jungle.

Some of these I’m A Celeb rules make sense for how the show is filmed. Some seem to only exist to prolong their suffering.

So, here are the ten weirdest rules which the I’m A Celeb cast all have to follow.

1. You can only bring three pairs of underwear for the three weeks

Er, what if the different tops look better with different bras? Surely a man came up with this rule. The I’m A Celeb cast are allowed to bring three sets of underwear and three sets of swimwear. Beyond that, they have to wear whatever clothes the show gives them. This might explain why previous campmates have resorted to using their underwear to smuggle in seasoning.

2. The campmates aren’t supposed to know the time

This is so random and I don’t get it. Surely if you really went camping in a jungle, you’d have a watch? Apparently contestants have to guess the time themselves by counting forwards and back from fixed events each day, like when Ant and Dec appear in the camp each morning.

The bushtucker trials in the evening often take hours to film – sometimes even until midnight. So, campmates could be kicking about and wilting from hunger for ages, not knowing when they’ll get fed. No wonder they always look so excited when people return from a trial to the camp.

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Joel Dommet and Scarlett Moffat explained on I’m A Celebrity: Extra Camp once that everyone the campmates keep coming into contact with – Ant, Dec and the medical team – all have their watches covered up so that the cast can’t figure out what time it is.

Behold: Covered-up watches
(Image via ITV/YouTube)

3. Women are encouraged to shower to prevent fungus from building up on their breasts

Yes, you read that sentence correctly. The show’s former on-site medic, Bob McCarron, explained on the spin-off show Extra Camp that a key part of his job was encouraging the celebrities to shower. He said, “Most people think of fungus as mushrooms but we have problems with the cast every year – especially women growing fungus on certain body parts.

 “I’ve been instructing them to use the shower and personal hygiene a little bit more often.”

The show’s presenter Joel Dommet then cracked a joke which made it obvious which body parts the medic was talking about.

The show provides biodegradable soap and shampoo for the cast to use in the one communal shower.

4. No make-up allowed…

Watch me spend the next three weeks of my life staring at the screen to figure out which I’m A Celeb cast members got their eyelashes tinted before the show.

5. …including skincare

Er, I would argue that moisturiser is an essential toiletry and not an aesthetic make-up item. But skincare products aren’t deemed essential. AJ Pritchard asked for curl cream and moisturiser as his luxury items in 2021, so the celebs can’t be allowed to bring them normally. I guess ITV wants the celebrities to look as rugged and stripped-back as possible?

6. All the socks are red

GK Barry and her very red socks
(Image via ITV)

I hope you’re not eating your lunch, because there’s a pretty icky reason for this rule. The former on-site medic, Bob McCarron, explained why the socks are always read on the Women’s Own podcast. Contestants’ angles get scratched by foliage and bitten by bugs and leeches. The red socks mask the blood.

7. You’ve got to stay three days to be paid

The I’m A Celebrity cast get paid different amounts depending on how famous they are, not how long they stay on the show. Coleen Rooney is reportedly being paid £1.5 million. You could almost buy tickets to the Oasis tour with that!

However, you reportedly don’t see any of your paycheck if you last less than three days. Coincidentally, Gemma Collins quit I’m A Celebrity after exactly three days…

8. No speaking to former cast members!

So, contestants aren’t allowed to reveal that they’re on the show until ITV formally announces it. This includes telling their friends who have been on the show before. I’m A Celebrity cast members theoretically can’t ask previous contestants for tips. Although, I’m not sure how ITV would actually enforce this I’m A Celeb rule?

The Emmerdale actor Danny Miller seemed to think it was a huge deal when he broke this rule in 2021 to ask Adam Thomas for advice.

9. You can only smoke in certain areas

ITV did tell Express.co.uk a few years ago that the I’m A Celebrity cast are allowed to smoke and vape as long as it’s off-camera. The crew keep a stash of cigarettes for the cast to help themselves to. Cigarettes don’t count as a celebrity’s luxury item.

I would need a cigarette after doing a trial like this
(Image via ITV/YouTube)

It used to be the case that the cast were only allowed to smoke right by the campfire, and had to put cigarettes out in the fire. I guess burning down the New South Wales jungle would be an extreme way to avoid a Bushtucker trial. Although, we haven’t spotted any celebs smoking on screen in recent years. So maybe the allocated smoking area has moved?

10. No books or games or anything fun

I think ITV’s strategy might be to bore the I’m A Celeb cast into causing drama? I’m A Celebrity is a bit like Love Island – the cast can’t bring any form of entertainment with them. This encourages them to argue with the other contestants instead.

Featured image via ITVX