Nikki Osborne reveals the truth about reality TV behind the scenes

Comedian, TV personality and veteran of two reality series, Nikki Osborne has shared eye-opening behind-the-scenes secrets of reality television, from hidden perks to unexpected dangers.

Radio host, comedian, and reality TV veteran Nikki Osborne — who has appeared on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! and Dancing with the Stars — has pulled back the curtain on the realities of life on a reality TV series, revealing behind-the-scenes secrets and hinting that some contestants may have received special treatment.

Speaking on Nova 106.9’s Ash, Luttsy & Nikki Osborne breakfast show on Wednesday morning as part of “Nikki Ask Me Anything: Reality Show Edition!” segment, Osborne opened up about the extreme conditions she faced during her time on the 2020 season of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!

Nikki Osborne appeared on the reality TV series 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' in 2020 and came 13th. Photo: 10play.

“There’s a lot of things that don’t go to air because it makes it look bad,” she admitted.

“I got nine ticks that I had to remove. Miguel [Maestre] got a tick that burrowed in. They had to remove that. He tried to remove it with a knife in the middle of the night.”

But while she battled hunger and wildlife — including an aggressive baboon that “took a fancy” to her every time she showered — not all celebrities appeared to endure the same struggles.

Osborne suggested British reality star Charlotte Crosby may have been fed off-camera.

“I can’t confirm this, but I have my suspicions, because when I was in the jungle, I was pretty sure that they’d cut a deal with Charlotte Crosby,” Osborne said.

“She was not eating anything … and she was living off nothing, yet she wasn’t losing any weight, and she was always disappearing. And I know that she got into the control room at one point.”

Charlotte Crosby on reality TV series 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' in 2020. Photo: 10play.

Crosby, best known for her time on Geordie Shore, outlasted Osborne by several weeks in the jungle, eventually making it to the top six.

Osborne, who was the second contestant eliminated that season, confessed that her decision to sign up for I’m A Celeb was purely strategic — hoping it would help sell tickets for her planned 2020 comedy tour.

“You go on I’m A Celeb when you hit rock bottom,” she admitted. “I was doing gigs in some crusty venues, doing stand-up, and I had this big plan to do a massive tour in 2020. So I said, ‘I’ll do I’m A Celebrity to set up my tour so I could flog tickets to my tour.’ But you know what happened in 2020 … Covid is coming.”

Nikki Osborne admits to going on reality TV to boost her career. Picture Jay Town

While the pandemic forced her to cancel her shows, Osborne said the exposure did help her in unexpected ways.

“It did raise my profile. In fact, it did help me, because then I got to flog crackers online for about six months after that,” she said. “I ended up getting the Fantastic Crackers account. So I wrote and created all the ads for that from home.”

And after enduring weeks of jungle rations, Osborne’s first meal back in the real world was a simple yet satisfying one.

“All I wanted was hot chips,” she said.

“Hot chips and chai, and I mixed them together.”

She also spilled some secrets from other reality TV productions, revealing that cooking competition shows may not be as high-stakes as they appear.

“I do believe they get a bit of a heads-up just before, right about the recipe,” she revealed. “It is quite hectic, but I think they get a very quick heads-up. Well, the celebrities do anyway.”