‘Who are they’? Truth behind brutal reaction to I’m A Celeb contestants

It makes for an awkward I’m A Celeb premiere when even the stars don’t recognise each other and Hughesy’s the most famous person there.

Eleven seasons in, it’s become a familiar cry each time I’m A Celebrity premieres for another season: “Celebrities? This lot? As if.”

And like clockwork on Sunday night, as this year’s crop of contestants stepped on screen, social media lit up as viewers insisted they had no idea who these so-called celebrities were.

There were awkward scenes on screen too, as they all met each other for the first time, and more than a few were clearly unrecognisable to their fellow “celebrity” contestants.

“So … what’s your talent?” Married At First Sight “star” Samantha Moitzi asked sporting great Sam Thaiday, who patiently informed the fellow Queenslander that he’d played for the Brisbane Broncos for years. Aww, good for you babes!

It’s an easy laugh – a MAFS wannabe not recognising actual talented athlete with a long and accomplished career – but it also demonstrates the increasingly segmented nature of fame nowadays.

Who and who? This year’s I’m A Celeb campmates.

Reality TV wannabes like Moitzi, former Bachelor Matty J and Love Island’s Tina Provis will only really register to people who’ve watched their respective shows.

Zack Touhy seems like an affable beardy Irish guy you’d chat to at the pub … unless you follow the AFL, in which case you’d know he’s a Grand Final-winning legend of the game.

And if you’re under 30, the name Nicky Buckley probably doesn’t mean much to you – but this 40-year-old is telling you to show some respect, because her cool blonde glamour made Sale of the Century appointment television in the mid-90s (I mean, we weren’t all watching that show to see what Glenn Ridge was wearing).

Really, Dave Hughes is probably the only member of this cast who could make a case for being a ‘household name’ here in Australia in 2025 – and as he himself acknowledged in the premiere, a sizeable proportion of the people who do know him find him very annoying (equal only to the “who are these people” sentiment on social media last night was the vocal anti-Hughesy brigade, many wondering aloud how long they’d have to endure the divisive comic in the coming weeks).

Don’t worry, they don’t even know each-OTHER’S names.

Among the B, C and D-listers, Max Balegde is arguably the biggest outlier this season, a “UK social media sensation” who, despite his big following online, will likely be a brand new face to most Australian viewers.

But remember that prior fame is no indication of success on I’m A Celeb. Often, it’s quite the opposite. The handful of contestants who’ve quit the show are among the biggest names to appear: Frankie Muniz, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Bernard Tomic. All found it tougher going than anticipated and crashed out of the competition amid vocal viewer disappointment.

By contrast, some of the lesser-known celebs – those who copped the brunt of the “who even are you” fan reaction when they started – have done incredibly well.

TV royalty Kerri-Anne lasted just a couple of days in the jungle. Picture: Channel 10

… whereas literal random dude David Subritzky made it all the way to the top five.

Callum Hole, Nathan Henry, Aesha Scott Vicky Pattison – all of them international reality TV exports who many Aussies didn’t know before they went on I’m A Celeb (and likely haven’t heard from since). All finished in the top five of their seasons, winning new fans and charming viewers.

Even one of the show’s most controversial contestants, season eight’s “fake celebrity” David Subritzky (read: Just a random guy Ten threw in the mix for a laugh), managed a top five placing in his season, beating popular celebs like Poh Ling Yeow, Tottie Goldsmith and the late Cal Wilson in this audience-voted show.

To viewers grumbling about the lack of a Hemsworth or a Beyonce in this year’s line-up, I have good news and some less-good news.

The good news: Tonight, another celebrity contestant enters the show.

The less-good: It’s someone who many fans on social media have already picked as … some bloke off Bondi Rescue.

I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! Sunday At 7.00pm And Monday to Thursday At 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play

Originally published as ‘Who are they’? Truth behind brutal reaction to I’m A Celeb contestants