I'm A Celebrity fans claim this year's series is 'fake' amid rumours that Bushtucker trials are filmed in a separate studio

I'm a Celeb
(Image credit: Joel Anderson)

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here has been branded "fake" after claims the Bushtucker trials are set in a studio.

The ITV show has come under fire this series by viewers who feel the campmates have got life a little easier with this year's show being filmed in Castell Gwyrch, Abergele, Wales.

Ant and Dec are back to host the adapted version of I’m A Celebrity from Wales this year, which sees celebrities including Beverley Callard, Vernon Kay and Jordan North try and survive trials, challenges and a diet of rice and beans whilst living in a haunted castle.

And with I'm A Celebrity 2021 set to return to the castle next year, viewers aren't buying it and think parts of the remixed format aren't quite as genuine as it's being made out.

One fan tweeted, 'Is anyone else not feeling this years I’m a Celeb? It just seems all very staged and fake to me...#imacelebrity #ImACeleb'.

And another viewer wrote, 'Everything in I’m a celeb just looks so fake.'

A third penned, 'Rewatching yesterday’s I’m a a celeb, what a waste of time, why a recap? I’m thinking the celebs aren’t in the castle the whole time, odd series just seems a lot more fake.'

Not only have the contestants got warm water to shower in - unlike the freezing cold showers of the Australian camp - but suspicions have risen into whether the trails are actually recorded in a studio instead of the freezing outdoors.

And after viewers speculated there was more than what meets the eye about this year's series, it's being claimed the trials are being filmed in a studio away from the castle, with the campmates taking a minibus ride to get to them.

It's claimed the show's producers have built a studio area next to the castle which is said to be covered by a huge tent in order to make it look like it's in the castle grounds as changes to the castle's interior were not allowed due to it being a Grade II listed building.

A photo posted by on

There was also reported concerns over having creatures brought in to the castle grounds, so it's claimed grubs and bugs are used in a separate filming location.

Viewers have also questioned the bizarre sleeping arrangements after former Strictly Pro AJ Prichard was spotted sleeping in his underwear, despite the cold November nights - begging the question of whether there is central heating in the castle.

A show insider told The Sun that while it appears campmates are "walking down the steep staircase into the depths of the castle" they are actually "taken to an area separate to the castle where they are briefed and then put through their paces."

But an ITV source refuted the claim and added, "The trials are brilliantly conceived and producers go to town with their creativity to really put the celebrities through their paces and face their fears."

They added that while "nothing is off limits" when it comes to what to expect from the trials, they admitted, "Due to the immense ambition of the build, it was impossible to create these within the actual castle so the trials are filmed in a separate structure on site."

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)