I wouldn’t blame Charlene if she didn’t want to share her personal space with the man with whom we all share a very personal and muddy history (Picture: James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock)
It’s been one of the most controversial series in I’m A Celeb’s 20 year history, with former health secretary and missing-in-action MP Matt Hancock arriving to steal the limelight and attempting to win the nation’s forgiveness.
But the dramatic focal point shifted somewhat in the last couple of days, as broadcaster and journalist Charlene White appeared to frustrate campmates with her sleeping arrangements.
As deputy leader of camp, and second-in-command to Matt Hancock, Charlene was awarded the ‘privilege’ of sleeping in a real bed, with a real duvet, inside a dilapidated RV, while the rest of the campmates were consigned to their camp-beds or hammocks.
Charlene chose not to sleep in the RV, citing a giant spider that was found in the vehicle as the reason she opted to sleep outdoors instead. Many have suspected that Charlene actually turned down her ‘luxury’ accommodation because she would have to share it with Matt Hancock.
As someone who can’t even bring herself to call Matt Hancock ‘Matt’ due to fear of sounding over-familiar, I wouldn’t blame Charlene if she didn’t want to share her personal space with the man with whom we all share a very personal and muddy history.
But Charlene faced some resistance from the other campmates, who were forced to sleep in uncomfortable hammocks to make room for her.
I don’t blame campmates for feeling disgruntled about Charlene turning down a comfy bed. (Picture: ITV1/UNPIXS)
I fear that this friction may prove fatal for the presenter’s chances of survival in the public vote, with the first celeb due to be evicted tonight. If she is the first one to go instead of Matt Hancock – who is the real villain in my opinion – then the public will have made a big mistake.
The campmates should be going easier on Charlene – she volunteered to spend the night in a hammock after all. And as far as complaints about her ‘rule-breaking’ go – have they met Matt Hancock?
The Matt Hancock who set the rules for an entire nation to follow, then broke them in order to have a workplace affair with the woman he had hired as an advisor?
The I-fell-in-love-and-forgot-about-my-wife-and-children Matt Hancock?
The man whose incompetence contributed to the deaths of thousands of nursing home residents? The man whose friends were awarded millions in dodgy PPE contracts? The man who left his constituents to fend for themselves while taking £400,000 to bunk- off work for three weeks?
I believe it is Hancock who deserves to go (Picture: James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock)
The I’m a Celeb camp has the power to shift people’s priorities and alter their principles. As hunger and exhaustion set in, so do people’s short-term survival instincts. I don’t blame campmates for feeling disgruntled about Charlene turning down a comfy bed.
I would, however, blame the public if they let campmates’ grievances sway their opinion, leading to Charlene getting the boot over Matt Hancock.
His arrival on the show was one of the most talked-about TV moments of the year, as it sent shockwaves through camp and the British media. Questions arose over the ethical nature of his appointment on a reality show, and the opportunity he has been given to ‘redeem’ himself.
My heart sank for the other contestants, knowing that Hancock was going to be the ultimate vibe-kill and that his presence would be difficult to navigate.
Once you look past the cockroaches and the kangaroo testicles, I’m A Celeb is ultimately a popularity contest. From a social experiment perspective, throwing one of the most unpopular people in the UK into a popularity contest isn’t as clear-cut as you might think.
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Matt Hancock is a walking juxtaposition. As a politician, he’s incompetent, but as a campmate, with zero context about his life pre-camp, he’s watchable and entertaining. People aren’t depending on him to make life-saving decisions, they’re watching him eat the tip of a camel penis. He was very good at the latter.
The campmates know about his past and are in a unique situation whereby each and every one of them has an indirect, yet personal history with Hancock. They know how hated and controversial a figure he is.
Yet they also know that if they let his presence affect them too much, they run the risk of becoming boring and may lose favour with the viewing audience.
Charlene – for reasons I can only speculate – has made a stand by refusing to share a room with him, even if she does put it down to spiders in the RV (Remember: there are spiders everywhere – it’s a jungle for cripes sake). It may have been a poor decision in terms of her short-term survival on the reality show, but for her long-term happiness, perhaps she made the right choice – a principled one.
She doesn’t deserve to be eliminated for that alone.
I believe it is Hancock who deserves to go. He didn’t deserve to be there in the first place. The British public have an opportunity to put that right, but unfortunately, I doubt that they will. Hancock is a bumbling, cringeworthy buffoon, which makes for a disastrous politician, but a tolerable reality contestant.
But he has stolen far too much of the limelight, making for a less entertaining show all-round because other campmates haven’t had the opportunity to shine, or be themselves.
It’s time for the elephant in the room to pack his trunk and say goodbye to the media circus.
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Charlene chose not to sleep in the RV, citing a giant spider that was found in the vehicle as the reason she opted to sleep outdoors instead
