I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!'s new spin-off show, Unpacked, is proving to be just as eventful as the jungle itself.
Hosted by Kemi Rodgers alongside Sam Thompson and Joel Dommett, the series has delighted fans with its insider takes and daily gossip. However, Rodgers shared that the chaos isn’t confined to the jungle camp or Bushtucker Trials —it’s extended to production as well.
Last month, the camp in Springbrook National Park, Murwillumbah was flooded after four days of torrential tropical rain. Fallen trees blocked the road leading to set, while cars were seen struggling through flooded rivers.
Rodgers explained how the severe flooding triggered “a lot of chaos behind-the-scenes” as she and the I’m A Celeb team battled to get to set in time for the live broadcast.
“A couple of days ago, there were floods that were so bad that no one can get in or out on site,” she told The Standard. “We all had to get dropped off in the middle of a road near this farm, like, five minutes outside of camp, to then be put on these massive 4x4 wagons to get us in.
“And no joke, we were driving from rivers to get in. It was so hair-raising - we were, like, three hours late, no rehearsal.”
If that wasn’t enough, Australia’s infamous bugs have been making their presence known. “The bugs are insane,” she revealed. “During an ad break, a massive green bug landed on Joel’s shoulder, which is fine, but then about five seconds we went to air, it started flapping his face, and he fell out of his chair!”
Despite the obstacles, Rodgers has leaned on her seasoned co-hosts and mentors for her first live TV stint, revealling Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly offered her invaluable advice before the series began.
She shared: “Dec said to me, ‘the beauty about this job and this show is that if you think you've had a bit of an off show, you've got another one coming up just around the corner. So don't focus on your bad show, just sweep it under the rug, move on. You've got another one coming.’
“I thought that was really helpful to try and not be in my own head about things.”
Rodgers also praised Dommett, who also hosts The Masked Singer UK, as an “on-screen mentor,” describing him as generous with his time.
Balancing jet lag, early-morning shifts, and her Capital FM hosting duties hasn’t been easy, but Rodgers remains upbeat about her experience Down Under. “I’m used to weird hours,” she said. “I'm also still doing my Capital show while I'm out here, so, I have to factor in that and sleep somehow.”
As for whether she’d ever brave the jungle herself like her Unpacked co-stars, Rodgers was quick to shut it down laughing. “I’d be the worst person ever in a Bushtucker Trial. The second I see a spider, I’m calling, ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ I’d be on the first plane home!’”
Comparing herself to campmates like Gemma Collins and Gillian McKeith, the ITV2 presenter joked that she’d be the first to run to the airport. “Whether I’m in a coffin, whether you’re underground, overground or suspended in the air, in water - that doesn’t matter to me but if spiders are involved, I am running to the airport and I’m getting on the first plane home.”
Rodgers added that working on Unpacked has been the “greatest honour of her career” and she’s “still pinching” herself that she gets to join the long line of presenters such as Laura Whitmore, Stacey Solomon and Scarlett Moffatt who cut their live TV teeth on the show.
“It’s such a heritage show, which is mental that I’m a part of it,” she shared. “I just feel so grateful and lucky every day”.
I’m A Celebrity... Unpacked! airs immediately after I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! on ITV2 and ITVX
