After years of being utterly boring, I’m A Celeb was the best reality TV show of 2024

I have proudly been the biggest hater of I’m A Celeb in the UK for many, many, MANY years. Famously, I can’t stand it. This isn’t due to any disdain for reality TV – quite the opposite. I love reality TV. When I was younger, I too loved I’m A Celeb. I think the magic of telly really pulled the wool over my eyes and I truly believed these people were fighting for their lives in the Australian jungle, and as I got older I resented how this show never changed up the formula. When reality TV shows I loved more like Big Brother got cast by the wayside, somehow I’m A Celeb never had to change its formula up and still dominated ratings and had all the mums seated for it. I found it so boring. And yet, against all odds, I’m A Celeb 2024 was the best reality TV show of the year. How the HELL did it manage that? And make a convert out of its biggest, card-carrying hater.

Credit: ITV

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First of all, my gripes with I’m A Celeb are as follows. The show is obsessed with focussing on the repetitive nature of trials – which are all pretty much the same as they’ve always been. This year’s campmate Jane Moore explained in her Sun column how the show does this because ITV spend a fortune on the trials – which are often elaborate, and obviously contain a vast amount of creatures. It makes sense that I’m A Celeb therefore wants the trials front and centre. But the show I want is LITERALLY just Big Brother in the jungle I want great campmates having a great laugh. Whilst I do think this series did suffer from the usual trial fatigue, I do think ITV has realised how good it has it when it lets a cast just BE the cast and win over the audience with natural charm. You need only to watch one hour of I’m A Celeb 2024 to see that that it became the best reality show of the year on the merit of its cast.

The last few seasons of I’m A Celeb have been plagued with the obsession ITV had with casting the most controversial person they could find. First we endured Matt Hancock, then we endured Nigel Farage. It backfired, not just because these men are actually very boring as well as horrible – but also because it never quite got the fireworks the show was desperate for. Beyond some eye-rolling and minor calling out nothing happened and both got dangerously close to winning it. It was pointless.

Credit: I’m A Celebrity/YouTube

When I saw the cast list for 2024, I knew ITV had gold on its hands – it was just whether the show was going to squander it or refine it into something marvellous. Thankfully, the latter was chosen. This series has been a blessing from start to finish, an absolute joy. My mate moaned to me “have they all been arguing yet”, but I said no – and nor did they need to. The chats have been fascinating on their own, and the wholesome friendships made within that camp were a privilege to watch develop. I have genuinely loved every second.

When it came to the final, I honestly didn’t care who won. It truly was not about the victory, but all about the taking part. And every iconic campmate in this season played a part in making it great. There was no dead weight. No absence felt like it wasn’t noticed. What a year.

I need ITV to release the footage of just endless camp chats so I get to spend more time with this iconic bunch of people. What a way to finish the year’s reality TV – I’m A Celeb 2024 was the best of the year and I’ll hear no more about it. Wise up, winter Love Island.For all the latest reality TV news and gossip, like The Holy Church of Love Island on Facebook. 

Featured image By: James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock