It’s that time of year again when Australia’s famous (and some not-so-famous) faces grab their backpacks, mosquito repellant and courage to enter the wild wilderness of what is the ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!’ jungle.
UPDATE: Confirmed ‘I’m A Celeb’ Cast
Jack Vidgen
Abbie Chatfield
Ash Williams
Grant Denyer
Jess Eva
Travis Varcoe
Toni Pearen
Paulini Curuenavuli
Mel Buttle
Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico
Pettifleur Berenger
Colin Fassnidge
Alli Simpson
Adam Densten
Symon Lovett
The new season of the Channel 10 reality show will air on Sunday January 3, however unlike previous years that featured live voting, it will be filmed in advance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Swapping the South African jungle for the Australian ‘outback’, the celebs will reportedly join hosts Julia Morris and Dr Chris Brown in Dungay, NSW, which is an hour from the Gold Coast and just north of Murwillumbah.
The big question is: Who will be appearing on ‘I’m A Celeb’ in 2021?
Let’s investigate who’s likely to enter the camp based on clues dropped so far.
Clue: True Diva
Likely celeb: Paulini Curuenavuli
Paulini has already been spotted skydiving at Clarrie Hall Dam, near the filming location, since shooting commenced earlier this month, according to Daily Mail Australia.
After finishing fourth on the first season of ‘Australian Idol’ in 2003, the Fijian-Australian singer formed the ‘Young Divas’ girl band alongside Ricki-Lee Coulter, Kate DeAraugo and Emily Williams. If that doesn’t make her a ‘true diva’, we don’t know what does.
Plus, in the promo clip (below) for the ‘true diva’ clue, the voiceover says: “You’d think she’d be ok with spiders. But we’ll see.”
Paulini was unmasked as ‘The Spider’ in the first season of ‘The Masked Singer Australia’ in 2019.
Paulini has made headlines in recent years due to personal controversies. She pleaded guilty in September 2017 to bribing a government official to unlawfully obtain a driver’s licence. The singer, who admitted to giving a Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) customer service staffer $850 for the licence, was given a six-month suspended sentence and had to show good behaviour till mid June 2018.
Clue: Pop Star
Likely celeb: Jack Vidgen
Like Paulini, singer Jack has also been spotted skydiving at Clarrie Hall Dam, near the filming location.
Jack shot to fame after winning ‘Australia’s Got Talent’ in 2011 at age 14. He returned to the limelight on ‘The Voice’ in 2019, and competed in ‘Eurovision: Australia Decides’ this year, though lost to Montaigne.
After fans noticed a dramatic transformation during his ‘The Voice’ appearances, Jack was forced to address his sexuality and cosmetic surgery rumours.
″‘I came out a couple of years ago,” he told KIIS FM’s ‘Kyle and Jackie O’ show in May 2019.
“When I was 14 in the public eye… you get those thoughts, ‘Am I gay? Am I not?’ You’re still working it out and I was still going through puberty. So yeah I just had to have that time to figure it out. I don’t think it was a particular point, it was a journey.”
Earlier this year the 23-year-old admitted to first getting botox when he was 19.
Clue: AFL Star
Likely celeb: Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico
Dipper has been the the top pick for this clue so far, with both Daily Mail and Herald Sun suggesting the 62-year-old former Australian rules star is headed for the outback camp.
A true hero to fans of the Hawks, Dipper played for Hawthorn between 1975 and 1991, and he wouldn’t be the first from the game to compete on ‘I’m A Celeb’.
AFL players who have previously appeared on the show include Barry Hall, Brendan Fevola, Dane Swan, Josh Gibson, Shane Crawford, Dermott Brereton, Dale Thomas and Billy Brownless.
Clue: Renowned Chef
Possible celeb: Colin Fassnidge, Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen, Manu Feildel, Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston or George Calombaris
After Pete Evans was reportedly dropped from the lineup following a controversial social media post, Channel 10 has continued teasing a renowned chef is in the mix.
“He’s going to cook up a storm,” host Julia Morris says in a new promo, giving away that the chef is male.
“Wait till he finds out what we’re cooking up for him,” adds co-host, Dr Chris Brown.
Pete’s former ‘My Kitchen Rules’ co-star Colin is tipped by The Australian to enter the camp. He has appeared on Channel 7′s ‘MKR’ since 2013 as a guest judge and mentor to the teams in the kitchen. He’s known for being very direct with contestants and as his own website quotes, is a “no-nonsense chef”.
While Channel 10 won’t confirm or deny his involvement with the show, a network spokesperson said in a statement to HuffPost Australia:
“Some say Australia is the foodie capital of the world, so when it comes to renowned chefs, there’s quite a smorgasbord to choose from. Stay tuned, to see if we serve up a celebrity platter, fit for the Irish fella on Sunday, January 3.”
As ‘MasterChef Australia’ also airs on the same network, it’s possible the chef is either of the judges Jock Zonfrillo or Andy Allen.
Other celebrity chef possibilities include Manu Feildel, who was a judge on ‘My Kitchen Rules’ alongside Pete, plus Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris. If one of the latter three make were to be it, they’d be making a quick return to Channel 10 after being dropped from ‘MasterChef’ last year following an 11-year stint on the cooking show.
More Clues...
Channel 10 has dropped other clues with far less words and more visual hints in photos and videos of hosts Julia and Chris dressed up as various characters.
A: Lily Sullivan or Anne-Louise Lambert
The costume worn by Chris looks very much like the attire worn by characters in the 1975 film and 2018 TV series, ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ based on the novel of the same name.
With both Chris and Julia are wearing the dresses, some fans have suggested the clue is pointing to the character Miranda, played by Anne-Louise Lambert in the movie and Lily Sullivan on the TV show.
Other big names include Jacki Weaver in the film and Samara Weaving, Madeleine Madden and Natalie Dormer on the show.
B: Mel Gibson
“Mad Max Chris cannot hurt you,” reads the caption on the Instagram post, so it doesn’t take a lot to assume a ‘Mad Max’ star is in the mix.
Mel Gibson famously portrayed the character in the 1979 film and the sequels that followed. The 64-year-old American actor has a strong connection to Australia after moving Down Under with his parents when he was 12 years old.
He directed the 2016 film ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ in New South Wales, casting local actors including , Sam Worthington, Rachel Griffiths, Richard Roxburgh, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer and ‘SAS Australia’ star Firass Dirani.
As much as we’d love to see Mel in the camp, perhaps this Instagramer is closer to the mark by suggesting co-star Steve Bisley.
“Steve bisley who played the Goose in Mad Max is doing some meet and greets atm at screenings of mad max , could be him (sic),” the person wrote in the comments section.
C: Paul Mercurio
This clue shows Chris wearing a glitzy number with a whisk in his mouth as he preps for a waltz across the dance floor.
Paul Mercurio was the male lead of Baz Lurhmann’s ‘Strictly Ballroom’ before he became a ‘Dancing With The Stars’ judge for the first seven seasons till 2008.
He’s also quite the foodie and hosted a series called ‘Mercurio’s Menu’ between 2008 and 2011. On the show he travelled across Australia and cooked in various locations.
D: Guy Pearce
This photo takes us right back to ‘The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert’ and Guy pops to mind.
The 53-year-old, who was born in England but moved to Geelong, Victoria at age three, famously starred on soap ‘Neighbours’ back in the day.
In 1994 he played a drag queen in ‘The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert’, a role that boosted his international acting career.
So far ‘I’m A Celeb’ fans also sense it could be him, with one writing, “Please tell me Guy will be on this!!!!!”
Meanwhile Australian actor Hugo Weaving, who also played a drag queen in the film, could be another solid guess.
Even More Clues...
A: Shane Jacobson
The costume in this clue really gives it away that Julia is most likely dressed up as Shane’s titular character in 2006 production, ‘Kenny’.
The mockumentary focused on plumber Kenny Smyth who works for a portable toilet rental company, and was followed by a spin-off series, ‘Kenny’s World’ that aired on Channel 10 in 2008.
Comedian and actor Shane, 50, has worked in the entertainment industry for over two decades.
He’s certainly no stranger to reality TV, having been a judge on ‘Australia’s Got Talent’ last year.
B: Toni Collette
As Julia walks down the aisle in her wedding dress in the promo, Chris says, “You’re terrible, Julia”.
It sounds a lot like the famous phrase, ‘You’re terrible Muriel’ from 1994 film, ‘Muriel’s Wedding’, which points us to the cast of the movie.
Toni Collette played the lead, Muriel, while Rachel Griffiths, Jeanie Drynan, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter also starred in the film.
C: Lily Sullivan or Anne-Louise Lambert
Our guess is the same as the ‘Picnic At Hanging Rock’ one in the Chris clues.
The costume worn by Julia looks very much like the attire worn by characters in the 1975 film and 2018 TV series, ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ based on the novel of the same name.
With both Chris and Julia are wearing the dresses, some fans have suggested the clue is pointing to the character Miranda, played by Anne-Louise Lambert in the movie and Lily Sullivan on the TV show.
Other big names include Jacki Weaver in the film and Samara Weaving, Madeleine Madden and Natalie Dormer on the show.
D: Linda Kozlowski or Kylie Minogue
With Chris looking like Paul Hogan aka ‘Crocodile Dundee’, some fans believe Julia is dressed up as actress Linda Kozlowski, who played Sue in the film. She was also married to Paul in real life from 1990 to 2014.
However the sparkly dress has thrown other people off, with one Instagram user writing, “Can you explain? I’ve looked her up and this looks nothing like her? She never wears a dress like this. @imacelebrityau can you please shed light on who this is meant to be?”
Others have speculated the glitzy frock alludes to Kylie Minogue’s dazzling pop princess style, but even then there are some doubts.
“Can’t figure it out either. Someone said Sue from Crocodile Dundee but it doesn’t look like it. And the dress is nothing Sue wore,” wrote a fan, to which another replied, “I thought maybe Kylie but it misses the mark lol”.
Meanwhile television news website TV Blackbox recently claimed ‘Dancing With The Stars’ hosts Grant Denyer and Amanda Keller will be on the show.
The publication also said ‘The Bachelor Australia’ contestant Abbie Chatfield enters the jungle, as well as TV host Toni Pearen, ‘Gogglebox’ favourites Ada and Simon, and ‘The Real Housewives Of Melbourne’ star Pettifleur Berenger.
The guessing game continues.
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