There have been some extremely physically and mentally demanding challenges on ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!’ so far, but contestant Grant Denyer has said Thursday night’s ice bucket challenge was so intense it “nearly broke” him and his campmates.
The 43-year-old and his co-stars Jack Vidgen, Pettifleur Berenger and Travis Varcoe were required to plunge into freezing cold water tanks and continuously swim to the base to pump a lever.
Grant said medics were rushed in after the challenge, with fear the campmates’ “organs were getting close to shutting down”.
“Some challenges just require a little bit of internal strength and a little bit of focus. This one physically was very painful,” he told HuffPost Australia on Thursday.
“It actually hurt a lot to the point where medics were called for all four of us in the challenge. They were deeply concerned for our wellbeing because we’re at the point where our organs were getting close to shutting down.”
The TV presenter said it took the celebrities a “long time” to recover from the “extreme” challenge, and that his body suffered for a while after, impacting his ability to do other challenges.
“I paid for it for days after,” he explained. “You try and keep pushing on because you don’t want to let your campmates down and it’s a group effort to find enough food every day.
“And we started doing this random challenge that comes up and I just kept falling over and passing out onto my bed with not enough strength as a result of tonight’s challenge. I get whisked off to the medic for a second time.”
It’s only week two of the reality show airing on TV, and from eating creepy crawlies to getting up close with snakes, the stars have been put through their paces.
Last week the program debuted with 10 famous faces: Abbie Chatfield, Ash Williams , Grant Denyer, Jack Vidgen, Jess Eva, Mel Buttle, Paulini Curuenavuli , Toni Pearen and Travis Varcoe. Since then Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico, Pettifleur Berenger, Colin Fassnidge and Alli Simpson have joined as campmates. Mel departed last Wednesday.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was pre-recorded over four weeks in Australia instead of being filmed live in the usual South African jungle. However, viewers will be able to vote for the eventual winner.
The celebrities will live on a diet of rice and beans and compete in physically demanding challenges in a bid to win $100,000 for their chosen charity.
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