I’m a celebrity … Get me out of here!

‘I’m a celebrity … Get me out of here!’ is a very popular reality show. The celebrities who take part in the program must give up their luxurious lives and spend a fortnight in a camp in an Australian forest. During that time, hidden cameras film everything they do and say – day and night. Each person can take one ‘luxury item’ such as a hat, a notebook or even make-up, but they mustn’t take things like mobile phones. The group gets basic supplies – two knives, three spoons, 10 boxes of matches, candles, a chopping board, shampoo, toilet paper, a mirror, paraffin, a cooking pot and rice and beans. At the centre of the camp is a log fire, and the celebrities must prepare and cook their own food. They mustn’t forget the dangers of the forest – there are poisonous snakes and spiders in the area! Before they start, they must learn basic survival techniques such as emergency treatment of snake bites. In the first week, the celebrities must do different things to find food – the TV viewers choose the celebrity who must do the task each day. What kind of things must the contestants do? For example, they must eat insects and worms, carry live snakes or spend a night alone in the forest. One person had to walk through water full of real crocodiles, but fortunately, the largest crocodile was plastic! In the second week, the viewers decide who must leave the forest each day. The last person left becomes the king or queen of the forest and wins a lot of money for a charity. Life in the forest isn’t easy for the celebrities. They complain because they are hungry, and they often get bored because they have no contact with the outside world. They only see the presenter of the show and film crew who interview them. Not too far from the camp, there are up to 400 people working on the program.