If there’s one thing we tune into I’m A Celebrity… for, it’s to see the so-called ‘celebrities’ be put through some ridiculous and humiliating challenges. It speaks to the sadists in us, right.
And chief amongst these squeamish challenges, aside from cleaning out the latrine, is the inevitable task of eating the less than pleasant body part of an animal commonly found in the jungle.
Be it feasting on an array of insects, wolfing down silkworms by the spoonful, gobbling down a crocodile penis or masticating on some kangaroo testicles, the bushtucker trials that involve the celebs eating something out of the ordinary are said to generate the most viewer responses.
This year, however, it seems the show is facing a new kind of challenge – vegans.
Yep, a programme famous for forcing minor celebrities to eat animal parts has put three vegans in the camp. It’s 2018 after all, vegans are growing in numbers and they walk freely among us, one might be sitting next to you right now in fact. Or perhaps you are one yourself, whether you know it or not…
Either way, ITV has its work cut out finding a way around this when it comes to a bushtucker food trial for the three vegans – X Factor contestant Fleur East, James McVey from The Vamps, and Coronation Street star Sair Khan (cheers Google!).
While some fussy eaters may balk at the idea of eating their greens, a steaming plate of veggies – bushtucker or not – is manna from heaven for vegans. So how are the I’m a Celebrity… producers going to get around this non-carnivorous conundrum?
The new series starts tomorrow, November 18, but some viewers are already anticipating the hiccups that having three vegans in the camp will produce.
Taking to Twitter, one person wrote:
Apparently, Fleur East, James McVey and Sair Khan will not be taking part in eating challenges on I’m a Celebrity because they’re vegan. I’m sorry, there needs to be requirements in place for the show. Every contestant should be up for each challenge put before them.
Another said:
This years ‘I’m a celebrity’ just isn’t gunna be the same is it… no Ant, and celebs who won’t do trials with animals cause they are vegan
Another h-angry carnivore said:
good to see the vegans have ruined i’m a celebrity, is nothing sacred?
Fleur East told Get The Gloss how she became vegan after watching the Netflix documentary What The Health.
She said:
I have been vegan for eight months now. I watched What The Health on Netflix and when I found out what [animal products, according the documentary] are doing to our bodies, that was really my motivation. I became vegan the next day.
I used to eat chicken every day – Nando’s was my best friend.
While there probably won’t be any Peri Peri sauce out in the jungle, will any of our vegans succumb to hunger and scoff a witchetty grub or roasted spider? I wouldn’t count on it.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.