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Why is Tom Arnold so damn miserable?

HE’S a “hilarious stand-up comedian”, but Tom Arnold seems like he’d have more fun in Guantánamo Bay than on I’m A Celeb. Here’s why.

Nick BondNick Bond
@bondnickbond
2 min read
February 2, 2017 - 1:14PM
JMO speaks to Tom Arnold from I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

HE’S had a thirty-year career making people laugh in movies, television and on stage, so you’d be forgiven for assuming comedian Tom Arnold would bring a little levity to the jungle on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Less than a week in, though, the Hollywood funnyman looks set to take the mantle as most miserable Celeb contestant ever. Hell, even Pricey’s got more vitality than this guy.

While the Aussie contestants on the show certainly find him funny at times, Arnold seems to be hating every minute of his time on this program.

He appears especially unhappy with his fellow contestants’ chipper attitudes, retreating from the group whenever the others join in on wholesome group activities.

When Jay Laga’aia gives the gang a gentle wake-up call by strumming his ukulele, Arnold threatens to throw it in the fire.

When Lisa Curry asks if he’d like to participate in a singalong, he refuses.

When the group pleads with him to come and join in a game of darts, he throws exactly three darts at the board before slinking off again.

For the most part, Arnold prefers to quietly wait out his time on the show, laying on his bed, staring at the sky and waiting for his inevitable elimination:

Gripping television.
Gripping television.

His complete lack of interest in participating in the program hasn’t gone unnoticed, with many viewers on social media expressing their disdain:

So what exactly is Tom Arnold’s problem? Did he get confused and think he was signing up for Dancing With the Stars?

Perhaps a difference in cultures is part of the problem — telling footage this week showed a few of the camp’s more ocker contestants conversing in Aussie slang, as Arnold looked on, dumbstruck. “I have no idea what anyone’s saying,” he confessed. And remember many of the Aussie celebs on the show would’ve known each other beforehand — even if only in passing. Arnold, on the other hand, didn’t even know who any of them were. No wonder he feels like a bit of an outsider.

Arnold in a rare upright moment.
Arnold in a rare upright moment.

But in tonight’s episode, Arnold makes a confession that best explains his unhappiness: He signed up to do the show under the assumption it was all staged. You know, ‘Celebs please assemble at the campsite for an hour of filming, then we can all go back to our luxury hotel and order room service’ kinda staged.

In a pre-trial chat with hosts Chris Brown and Julia Morris in tonight’s episode, Arnold makes no secret of the fact that he’s hating jungle life — and says that if he knew what the show actually entailed he’d never have signed up.

“It’s horrible, are you kidding me? It’s the worst thing I’ve ever been through. I didn’t know it was going to be real, or I wouldn’t have signed up for it,” he moaned.

Cut to: Snakes crawling all over his face during his trial. Umm ... hang in there, Tom.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/why-is-tom-arnold-so-damn-miserable/news-story/1dbe86451c14e770c7d4482f1935fdb5