Australia was stunned by the shock departure of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! camper Anthony Mundine on Thursday.
And while the controversial boxer has claimed that he chose to leave the jungle for personal reasons, some fans have begun wondering whether his exit was just a desperate grab for ratings on the part of Channel Ten.
The show’s dwindling ratings certainly bolster this theory, with I’m A Celebrity losing viewers with every episode since it’s debut last week.
Was it all just a stunt? Fans have been left wondering whether the shock exits of I’m A Celebrity’s Anthony Mundine and Bernard Tomic’s are just a desperate grab for ratings
This week alone saw the show fall from 7th place on Monday to 11th place on Tuesday, according to OzTAM’s overnight metro ratings.
The program has also consistently lost out to rival reality shows Seven’s My Kitchen Rules and Nine’s Married At First Sight this season.
With Anthony’s exit making headlines across the nation, its likely that many fans will tune in to Friday’s episode to see how the incident unfolds on camp
A ratings bonanza? With Anthony’s exit making headlines across the nation, its likely that many fans will tune in to Friday’s episode to see how the incident unfolds on camp
The shock departure came just a week after that of fellow sportsman contestant Bernard Tomic.
After the tennis bad-boy dramatically quit the program conspiracy theories began swirling, forcing Ten’s chief of content Beverley McGarvey to set the record straight in an interview with News Corp.
‘Bernard Tomic did not go into the jungle as a ‘stunt’,’ she told the publication at the time.
‘Bernard Tomic did not go into the jungle as a ‘stunt”: After the tennis bad-boy dramatically quit the program conspiracy theories began swirling, forcing Ten’s chief of content Beverley McGarvey to set the record straight
‘Bernard signed up in exactly the same way as the other celebrities, fully aware that the series is on air for six weeks. He was committed to the series, wanting the public to see another side to him and to raise money for his charity, The Ronald McDonald House’.
Executive producer Alec Mavroidakis also told Nova FM’s Fitzy And Wippa that Bernard’s decision to leave the show came as a shock to everyone.
‘It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t planned, trust me.’
‘It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t planned, trust me’: Executive producer Alec Mavroidakis also told Nova FM’s Fitzy And Wippa that Bernard’s decision to leave the show came as a shock to everyone
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel 10 for comment.
While Anthony and Bernard are the first ever celebrities to leave the show voluntarily, they certainly aren’t the first sportspeople to have made an appearance in the jungle.
Previous contestants Brendan Fevola, Barry Hall, Shane Warne and Freddy Flintoff are among the athletes that showed their tenacity and commitment by toughing it out in the wilderness until they were ultimately eliminated from the competition.
Odd: While Anthony and Bernard are the first ever celebrities to leave the show voluntarily, they certainly aren’t the first sportspeople to have made an appearance in the jungle (pictured: Brendan Fevola)
Shane Warne and Barry Hall are among the athletes that showed their tenacity and commitment by toughing it out in the wilderness until they were ultimately eliminated from the competition