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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Katie Rosseinsky

Two stars leave I’m a Celebrity jungle in dramatic double elimination

Barry McGuigan and Maura Higgins have been revealed as the fifth and sixth celebrities to leave the I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! jungle in a double elimination.

Presenters Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly headed into the camp to break the news of the double whammy of evictions during Thursday (5 December) night’s show.

The double elimination came after Wednesday (4 December)’s instalment did not feature a public vote, while the celebrities took part in the Arcade of Agony challenge.

This gave one star the chance to receive immunity from the next two votes and a fast track pass to the legendary Celebrity Cyclone challenge, which typically takes place during the penultimate episode.

Coleen Rooney and Danny Jones were victorious in the Grim Grabbers challenge, although the TV personality had to be tended to by a medic after a cockroach entered her ear. Oti Mabuse and Maura Higgins came out on top in Grimball.

The four campmates then went head to head in Battle Blocks, with Mabuse eventually emerging as the winner and securing the coveted Ticket to Cyclone, meaning that they will not be impacted by the public vote over the next few episodes.

The unexpected twist in the format received a mixed response from fans, with some viewers annoyed that a contestant would be immune from eviction at such a late stage in the competition.

Medics stepped in after a cockroach entered Coleen Rooney’s ear (ITV)

“Immunity for 2 vote offs at this point is absolutely bonkers,” one fan wrote on Twitter/X. “It pretty much also guarantees a place in the final too. Reality TV manipulation.”

Another added: “So we don’t get to vote for who the four finalists will be??”

McGuigan and Higgins follow in the footsteps of BBC Radio 1 presenter Melvin Odoom, who became the fourth star to leave the jungle on Tuesday.

N Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos, Odoom’s fellow Radio 1 host Dean McCullough and Loose Women’s Jane Moore have also been voted off the show by the public.

The eliminations are set to continue throughout the week, before the finale takes place on Sunday (8 December).

One of the remaining celebrities will be announced as the new king or queen of the jungle, taking the crown from last year’s winner, footballer Jill Scott.

New episodes of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! air nightly at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX

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