‘I’m A Celeb is weirder and darker than they make it look!’ Ex-contestant Dom Joly claims ITV show ‘is based on keeping you unstable’
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2010 contestant Dom Joly has claimed the show is based around playing mind games with the participants – and that it’s all quite ‘dark’.
Dom, 53, who placed fourth that year, told The Matt Haycox Show: ‘I’m A Celeb is weirder and darker than they make it look, the real problem is boredom.
‘What they don’t show you is the whole thing is based on the hostage mentality of keeping control over you and keeping you unstable.
Backstage knowledge: I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2010 contestant Dom Joly has claimed the show is based around playing mind games with the participants – and that it’s all quite ‘dark’
‘When I first walked into the camp I was literally having a panic attack, it was such a headf**k.’
He went on to add: ‘There’s people controlling you. What’s weird about the human brain is in two days you adapt so quickly.
‘They do this thing that hostage-takers often do; they move you around and keep you blindfolded. You adapt, you don’t want to leave.
‘When you go off to a trial that’s far away, you get chucked in the back of what I call Beirut Buses – blacked out Land Rovers. You get put in the back like a hostage. It’s really weird, quite creepy.
Dom, 53, who placed fourth that year, told The Matt Haycox Show: ‘I’m A Celeb is weirder and darker than they make it look, the real problem is boredom’
He said: ‘What they don’t show you is the whole thing is based on the hostage mentality of keeping control over you and keeping you unstable’
‘The stress they put you on subtly… They know what they’re doing, it’s very interesting – it’s very thought through.’
A decade on, and fourth place belongs to Shane Richie, who was eliminated on Thursday night’s show.
The 56-year-old actor and entertainer has become the latest celebrity to leave the ITV reality series, after he received the fewest public votes.
He went on to add: ‘There’s people controlling you. What’s weird about the human brain is in two days you adapt so quickly’
He added: ‘They do this thing that hostage-takers often do; they move you around and keep you blindfolded. You adapt, you don’t want to leave’
Shane narrowly missed out on a place in Friday’s final, meaning Giovanna Fletcher, Vernon Kay, and Jordan North are now the last three celebrities standing, with one of them set to be crowned King or Queen of the Castle thanks to this year’s Welsh setting.
When asked if he was sad to miss out on the final, Shane said: ‘It’s mixed emotions. You know, getting so far. We were all really glad to do the Celebrity Cyclone last night, being in the fantastic four.
10 years later: ‘The stress they put you on subtly… They know what they’re doing, it’s very interesting – it’s very thought through,’ he said
A decade on: Fourth place belongs to Shane Richie in 2020, who was eliminated on Thursday night’s show
‘I think whenever anyone comes on this show, they feel the final is the Cyclone, and anything after that is a bonus.’
Sharing his tips for any celebrities that might want to take on the challenge of the series next year, Shane said the most important thing is making sure you ’embrace’ camp life.
He said: ‘Anyone who comes on this show next year, you’ve got to embrace it. You can’t be… it’s no good trying to be on your own somewhere. You’ve got to be an open book. You can’t fake it here, maybe for a couple of days, but after that you can’t.’
The I’m A Celeb 2020 finale airs on Friday from 9PM on ITV.