Joey Essex cops brutal dressing down from Nathan Buckley on I’m A Celeb

Tensions are running high in the I’m A Celeb jungle, with the hangry stars lashing out over each other over seemingly insignificant issues.

AFL great Nathan Buckley and British reality star Joey Essex have locked horns on the I’m A Celeb campsite, with Buckley slamming Essex for an unhygienic cooking faux pas.

In a clip released ahead of tonight’s episode, Essex is seen preparing dinner for the group, absent-mindedly putting the wooden spoon in his mouth for a taste before returning it to the pan.

While Essex was called out for the cheeky yet seemingly innocent act by the other stars, Buckley wasn’t willing to let it go, making for a tense environment as the other celebs awkwardly stood by.

The offending bite.

“You haven’t put that in your mouth?” Buckley barked at Essex repeatedly as the reality star nodded sheepishly.

“Don’t be a rude pr**k … You’re not cooking for you you’re cooking for everybody,” Buckley exclaimed.

“Fair enough mate, everyone has done it haven’t they … Mate let’s all have a good time,” responded Essex in an attempt to calm the situation.

“Is it fair enough? You’ve accepted that?,” Buckley continued.

“Yeah of course it’s fair enough … I’ve accepted it,” Essex said as the other celebrities dispersed, looking shocked by the outburst.

Joey Essex copped a sensational dressing down from the AFL star.

Approaching Essex shortly after, Buckley insisted he “wasn’t having a go,” which prompted Essex to bite back.

“I’ve seen every single person do it. I’ve seen Poh do it all the time,” he said, adding that he’s sick of being “picked on”.

“No no, now you’re playing the victim. No one, not one person has put the wooden spoon in their mouth then stirred the food with it,” Buckley responded tersely.

Buckley was not letting Essex get away with the unhygienic move.

Speaking in a camera confessional, Essex defended himself again.

“We’re all living in the jungle, eating off each other’s plates and spoons and not washing our cutlery properly,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, country singer Brooke McClymont admitted the clash made her “uncomfortable”, while TV and radio star Dylan Lewis admitted the vibe in the camp was “weird”.

It’s certainly not the first time the stars have clashed over food.

Campmates were left stunned earlier this season by a surprising outburst by Beau Ryan over a missed treat.

The former NRL star, 36, exploded with profanities before storming out of the communal camp area and off to his bed after finding himself on the losing side of a challenge and being made to watch as his victorious co-stars were awarded a cookie each.

“This is bulls**t,” he muttered, before finally cracking it and walking away.

“I feel really mean right now,” admitted Dylan Lewis, as he nibbled at his prize. “If we could share, I would.”

The other campmates were left speechless as Ryan walked off, exchanging shocked looks.

I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! continues from 7.30pm tonight on Channel 10