The secrets of how the I’m A Celeb bushtucker trials are *really* filmed

If you think it takes a long time to watch a bushtucker trial on I’m A Celeb, think of the poor production crew who have to make them. Each bushtucker trial takes months of prep, organisation and testing. And there was me thinking the crew just chucked some bugs in a tank and called it a day.

Here are all the juicy secrets we know about how the bushtucker trials are really filmed each day.

The trials take months and months to make

There’s a whole team of people who’s lives are dedicated to prepping bushtucker trials. According to the Rest is Entertainment podcast, the crew brainstorm trials all throughout the year, then cut down their ideas to a top 20. The bushtucker trial team travel ahead to Australia in September to start preparing the sets. Each trial has to be tested loads of times to make sure it works, and it’s actually fun to watch.

The people you see sometimes in the preview videos of each trial are the members of the production crew who made the trials. The same people get to chuck fitness balls and glitter at the campmates during Celebrity Cyclone, which must make up a bit for the pain of having to test out 20 nasty trials.

Another team of people are responsible for the animals

I don’t think Maura is an animal lover
(Image via ITV)

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Spare a moment please for the poor mini crocodiles who get trapped in tiny tanks with loads of bugs and a screaming C-list celebrity. The insects are all bred in the UK and flown to Australia. A spokesperson for I’m A Celeb told the BBC: “The bugs are UK-bred and are commercially purchased in the UK for birds and exotic animal feed for pets and zoo keepers in normal circumstances.”

I pity the producer who has to sort out all the different kinds of bugs and spiders and scorpions after each trial ready for the next one.

PETA has been very critical of how animals are treated on the show. A spokesperson for I’m A Celeb said, “As a production, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! complies with all regional and national laws concerning the use of all animals, including reptiles and insects.

“We inform the RSPCA NSW of all of our activities on the show and they have an open invitation to attend the site at any time. At each of the Bushtucker Trials which feature animals, we have qualified and experienced animal handlers on site.”

The celebs get extra tips off-camera if a trial is especially hard

I’m A Celeb campmates don’t get to do a dress rehearsal of the trial. That would require way too many insects, for one thing. But if any of the particular props in a trial (like the padlocks or the screws the stars are stuck on) are a bit fiddly, then the celebs get a demo of how to deal with them.

There’s a medical team ready in case things go wrong

Safe to say I would not be that calm 🪳#ImACeleb pic.twitter.com/gtEUqq1QXY

— I'm A Celebrity… (@imacelebrity) December 4, 2024

It’s a pretty regular occurance now that insects get a bit lost and crawl into a celebrity’s ear. During the overly complicated Arcade of Agony trial, a cockroach worked its way into Coleen Rooney’s ear. We saw a crew member jump in. He squirted a syringe of water into Coleen’s ear, in an attempt to flush the insect out. The cockroach then jumped out of its own accord. Can’t say I blame it.

There is a special head chef for the I’m A Celeb eating trials

What a weird thing to have on your CV. According to the Rest is Entertainment podcast, some poor person’s job is to taste test all the eating trials several times, to check that the food is gross enough that everyone at home goes, “Ew!” but not so gross that the celebs are sick.

Richard Osman explained, “They have to pitch at the right level of nauseating. Because if it’s an immediate gag, like actual vomit reflex, then it’s genuinley quite exorcist and gross. And it’s gone too far and you can’t really do the trial. So they have to find the happy balance between way too nauseating and not quite nauseating enough. So, three bites is just at the right level.”

Featured image via ITVX.