21 November 2005
DailyRecord
REALITY TELLY STARS' TUMMIES WILL BE RUMBLING IN THE JUNGLE
EastEnder Sid and the Duke are the first to tackle Bushtucker Trial
SOAP star Sid Owen and perma-tanned telly presenter David Dickinson have braved the first creepy-crawlies of this year's I'm A Celebrity.
But there was set to be a rumble - of tummies - in the jungle after they managed to win only four meals to share between the 12 campmates.
Former EastEnder Sid and antiques expert David were chosen to take part in the first Bushtucker Trial of the series - the ominously titled Scales of Jungle Justice.
The task involved the pair both being harnessed to a tree and lowering each other up and down to find a number combination hidden in a fishbowl full of nasty creatures.
Once one celebrity found the combination, the other unlocked a padlock to free a star.
The pair braved plunging their hands into bowls full of rats, flies and a snake to try to win enough food for all the contestants But the four stars they managed to retrieve addedup to very sparse rations.
That isn't the biggest worry for the contestants, though, as producers have added a few extras to this year's ordeal, including a jungle jail.
Celebrities who don't abide by camp rules will be sent to the open-air bamboo prison, which is dark and isolated with just a rope hammock to sleep in and a bucket for a toilet.
Celebs who fail to keep the fire burning, who remove their mikes or break any other rules will spend a night in isolation with just creepy crawlies for company.
Executive producer Richard Cowles said: "It's very dark and creepy up there.
"They will spend most of the night in the pitch darkness, hearing everything that goes bump in the night.
"Without the comfort of a fire, they will be cold, tired and alone in a bamboo prison cell, with plenty of snakes, rats and potentially deadly spiders for company. It won't be a pleasant experience I can assure you."
However, he added that not all the changes to the show will be unpleasant.
One Bushtucker Trial will be a jungle karaoke, which shouldn't prove much of a challenge for the singers in the celebrity ranks.
Cowles said:"Not all of our Bushtucker Trials and challenges will be evil this year. Some will be absurd, hilarious, embarrassing and silly.
"I can tell you that one night we will be making the celebrities sing for theirsupper quite literally. "It will be jungle karaoke that should make interesting viewing and listening."
"We have lots of evil tricks up our sleeve to keep the celebrities guessing all the way. "After all, this is our fifth series, so we know our stars have all watched their mates go through some terrible Bushtucker Trials.
"We don't want to completely change the format but we thought we needed some fresh twists and turns that even the viewers won't be expecting
I guess we'll just have to wait and see if Elaine returns.