The cast isn’t the only thing new about this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! The whole format has been revamped for the 2026 season, and fans aren’t too keen on how the eliminations are being run.
This article contains I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! spoilers. You’ve been warned.
ICYMI, unlike previous years, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia 2026 is pre-recorded.
In a mammoth tea spill to Woman’s Day ahead of the season’s premiere, production insiders claimed that Network 10 have gone down this route so editors could give episodes that extra entertainment oomph!
“The fact we had more time to work on what you see has paid off, and Network 10 is pumped for audiences to see it,” the insider claimed.
But with the show being pre-recorded, that means the eliminations will be decided via challenges rather than a public vote.
Well, on February 1, viewers got a full taste of what the pre-recorded I’m A Celeb elimination challenges are like and yeah… the fans aren’t too happy with this one.
To give you a recap, last Wednesday’s episode, the Gold and Green teams had to nominate one person from the other team for an elimination challenge in the Elephant Graveyard. The Green team picked supermodel Rachel Hunter, and the Gold team picked Matt Zukowski.
On Sunday, the challenge was revealed to be a game of bluff — basically, one person had to pick a card and decide whether or not they wanted to be truthful about the colour that was on the card. The second person then guessed (whether they’re lying or not), and if they got it right, a totem would move towards the elimination tile of the other person and vice versa.
Unfortunately, in this challenge, it was Hunter who got the boot, with Zukowski returning to camp.
Fans react to the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2026 elimination challenges
With the challenge being a game of bluff, rather than a public vote, fans expressed that they were kinda bored and disappointed with the format.
If you’re worried about how the finale will be recorded, sources close to production told Woman’s Day that “Australia still chooses”, hinting that multiple winners and endings have been pre-recorded, and the scene that matches public voting will be aired.
So, I guess there’s that to look forward to, but let’s see if Network 10 will bring back the pre-record format in 2027.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7.30pm, and Sunday at 7pm on 10 and 10plus.
