I’m a Celebrity: South Africa won’t return to screens for a long while after its finale, which was the most chaotic reality TV episode in years.
The pre-recorded ITV series, which brings back past contestants from the long-running reality show, first aired in 2023, with 2006 star Myleene Klass becoming Queen of the Jungle. It took three years for the show to return, and despite it being a ratings success for the channel, there are no plans to bring it back any sooner.
According to The Sun, another all-stars version of the series will be broadcast in 2029, with the regular series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! airing with a fresh crop of contestants as usual this coming November.
They’ll be hoping for a more plain-sailing affair following the tense showdown that occurred during the I’m a Celebrity: South Africa live final, which reunited the warring contestants eight months after it was filmed.
Hosts Ant and Dec were forced to step in and, in a rare move, take sides after repeatedly being interrupted by Jimmy Bullard and David Haye, who questioned ITV over its decision to edit down a row Bullard had with actor Adam Thomas.
The furore surrounding Bullard’s argument with Thomas arrived after the former decided to quit the show despite the fact his decision would have sent Thomas home as well. In scenes shot eight months ago, Thomas was infuriated by the move and angrily confronted his campmate, with the fallout spilling into the live final last Friday (24 April).
Around 2.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the stars come face-to-face again.
Addressing what will be a reported three-year wait for a new all-stars series, a source told The Sun. “The aim was never for it to be made or be on air in 2027, even though there may be an appetite for that right now.”
“The aim was to deliver something as a special show that was on from time to time, not an annual revisit like the main I’m a Celebrity show.”
In the final, Bullard repeatedly accused Thomas of being “abusive, aggressive and intimidating” before claiming that ITV “didn’t show” any of Thomas’s alleged “c-bombs” in the broadcast.
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After Ant McPartlin said he didn’t find Thomas’s behaviour aggressive, the crowd started chanting Thomas’s name, prompting contestant Sinitta to walk off set.
“It was abusive – you weren’t there,” she told the audience. Gemma Collins, who had defended Thomas, followed her off stage, leaving Bullard and Haye vying for screen time.
Their fellow contestants, including former Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts, comedian Seann Walsh and ex-football manager Harry Redknapp, looked visibly uncomfortable.
Thomas ultimately won the show, with 58 per cent of the vote, followed by Mo Farah on 32 per cent and Redknapp on 10 per cent.
After the episode ended, footage shared by The Sun on Saturday (25 April) showed Haye and Bullard walking out of the studio, with Bullard saying: “We got kicked out!” After a paparazzo asked why they were kicked out, Haye said: “For trying to tell the truth.”
A show source told The Independent: “Some campmates were uncomfortable being on stage with David and Jimmy, so we sent them home during Unpacked.”
