I’m a celebrity you BET I’m outta here
Another desperate collection of old, never-existed and soap opera scraps has been dumped into the Australian jungle this year to raise money for “charidee”, though we know it’s to put their faces back in the box and deposit a nice Christmas bonus in the making. “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here,” now in its fifth incarnation, is one of the most entertaining reality TV shows and is car crash TV at its simplest.
Where else can you see a moderately recognizable media personality covered in molasses and green ants, eating cockroaches and other “jungle delicacies” or lying in a dunk tank surrounded by crocodiles and eels in an attempt to rescue a failing career?
While the show has audiences squirming when “that bird that used to be on TV” munches on another specially fattened caterpillar to try and win meals for hungry campmates restricted to rations of rice and beans, there are also plenty of opportunities to bets for fans of the armchair.
Here we are going to take a look at the runners and riders and how they have fared after the first few days in the jungle.
SID OWEN
Best price: 3/1 (sports odds)
He played “Rickaaay Butcher” in Eastenders on and off since 1989, but has spent the last few years running his restaurant in France. He has been out of the media spotlight ever since his singing career failed to take off and he admitted that he was “bored” and jumped at the chance to appear on the show. Ricky, sorry Sid, was immediately instilled as the bookie’s favorite to win as he seems to have the ‘everyman’ quality that saw Phil Tufnell triumph in Series Two.
SHEREE MURPHY
Best price: 7/2 (sports odds)
Another former soap ‘star’, Sheree’s character, Emmerdale’s ‘Tricia Stokes’, died almost three years ago when a pub chimney fell on her head during an unusually violent storm, on Christmas Day of all days. Since then, she has been raising her young children and living a life of luxury on the £65,000 weekly salary of her husband, footballer Harry Kewell.
Her arrival in the jungle wasn’t the best and comparisons to I’m A Celeb legend Natalie Appleton were drawn when she wasn’t interested in jumping out of a plane to camp. At least she wasn’t afraid of trees. However, she magnificently redeemed herself by regaining five stars during a live jungle trial despite being scared to death and she remains one of the favorites to win.
JIMMY OSMOND
Best Price: 11/2 (Tote Sport)
“Little” Jimmy Osmond became the youngest person to have a number one single with the annoying “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool” in the 1970s. He has since become a successful property magnate, but still is imposing its brand of music on the general public. It’s hard to call. While he seems likable enough and no doubt has a huge fan base, he does come across as a bit of an oddity. Recent polls in the tabloids rank him as the favorite to win, so the price of 11/2 may be shortened as the show progresses.
Carol Thatcher
Best Price: 6/1 (Tote Sport)
The daughter of former Prime Minister Margaret and “famous” in her own right as a writer and broadcaster. Without a doubt, Carol has taken part in two jungle trials so far and has tackled them with delight. She first drove a go-kart across a ravine along a rope bridge and a few days later she sat down for dinner with Jilly Goolden to enjoy a meal of grubs, roaches, fish eyes and, finally, a testicle. kangaroo.
You get the impression that nothing will affect Carol during her stay in the jungle and the producers will have to come up with something rather nasty to dissuade her. She will have staying power in this competition, but she may not have enough of a following to carry her to victory.
TOMMY CANNON AND BOBBY BALL
Best prices 18/1 and 15/2 (both Bet365)
One day you have a hit TV show with millions of viewers and your own comic strip in “Look In” magazine and the next you’re the face of “Safestyle Windows” doing concerts at Crown Hill Community Center and the like. Aging comedy duo Cannon and Ball were recruited into camp on day five, which begged the question, “What’s the point?”
Newcomers never do well on reality TV shows, as they are subconsciously seen as “outsiders” and a threat to the already formed group. Upon his arrival, Ball wasted no time in “entertaining” the other campers with his catchphrase “Rock on, Tommy” and it seems inevitable that they will do a task together with “fun consequences”. However, prices for them to win individually? Are you sure you can’t have one without the other?
david dickinson
Best price: 10/1 (sports odds)
Permanently tanned “Bargain Hunt” antique expert best known for his catchphrases “Cheap as Chips” and “Bobby Dazzler.” Like Cannon & Ball, he seems like a bit of an odd choice to jungle, but his stay may be short in any case. He wasn’t too pleased to see the newcomers as the other campers welcomed his arrival and he may become the first celebrity eliminated.
JENNY FROST
Best price: 22/1 (Bet365)
Jenny has become the third member of Atomic Kitten to try her hand at Reality TV, following the success of Kerry Katona, who won the show in Series Three, and Liz McLarnon’s appearance on “Celebrity Love Island” over the summer. She’s been paid more than any of the other campers to appear on the show with a reported fee of £100,000 being quoted in the press, which is sure to cause some friction. While she seems nice and pretty enough to show off, she hasn’t had a chance to do anything to convince herself that she can become the second kitty to reign as “Queen of the Jungle.”
ANTONIO COSTA
Best Price: 25/1 (Tote Sport)
He used to be in the boy band “Blue,” but unlike his three former bandmates, he doesn’t have a solo record deal, yet. He seemed strange during his days in the band and didn’t really stand out as a teenage “heartbeat”. His swarthy and permanently unshaven appearance made him seem more suited to running a kebab shop than appearing on stage and hanging on bedroom walls in poster form. Another one who seems nice enough but doesn’t have enough about him to stand out from the crowd.
GOLDEN JILLY
Best Price: 50/1 (Tote Sport)
Jilly was famous for presenting “Food & Drink” on BBC2 for nearly two decades and becoming the UK’s most recognized wine expert. However, she would not have encountered anything like the larvae and the kangaroo that she swallowed when she was doing a joint assignment with Carol Thatcher. Her performance on that task will earn her respect and odds of 50/1 she may be worth some interest and get parted at a lower price as the competition progresses.
KIMBERLEY DAVIES
Best price: 50/1 (Bet365)
Former eye catcher from “Neighbours” and ironically the first Australian to appear in the series. Good-looking women never do well on the show and while the perma-fresh-faced beauty gave her assignment its best chance on day two, she just might get axed sooner rather than later.
RESUME
Arguably the three favorite bookies have the strongest cases for winning the show. Sid Owen has been one of the most recognizable faces on television for the past 15 years, whereas if it came down to sheer voting power, Jimmy Osmond and his hordes of crazed fans would win it handily. However, I am inclined to back Sheree Murphy to become the second Queen of the Jungle. She has a vulnerable quality about her that people will appreciate as she stubbornly refuses to give up on tasks, even though it’s apparent she doesn’t enjoy her for a second. Another performance like the one she shows in the live task will see her odds drop to 7/2 of hers.