Ant and Dec Reveal Their 'Worst Ever' I'm A Celebrity Contestants
As the second series of I'm a Celebrity... South Africa launches this week on ITV1 and ITVX, featuring 12 legendary former campmates battling for the title of "Ultimate Legend 2026", hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have taken a moment to reflect on past contestants who failed to impress them. While the presenting duo typically maintain a light-hearted and professional demeanour, they have occasionally expressed strong views about individuals they found particularly troublesome or disappointing.
Controversial Campmates Who Tested the Hosts
Katie Hopkins (2007) stands out as one of Ant's least favourite contestants. The media personality, who rose to prominence on The Apprentice before appearing in the jungle, made little impression during her time on the show. Ant described her as someone who "didn't really shine", explaining to The Sun that viewers saw so little of her on screen because she failed to make a memorable impact.
Matt Hancock (2022) presented unique challenges for the hosts. From the moment the former Health Secretary was cast, Ant and Dec foresaw "uneasy tensions". Fans accused them of favouritism for being more accommodating towards other campmates while keeping a strict distance from Hancock during trials. The hosts deployed their trademark wit to take gentle swipes at him throughout the series, with Ant ridiculing him as a "typical politician who wouldn't stop talking" during one challenge.
Dec later admitted to HuffPost UK that it was "very, very difficult" to stay neutral, given how everyone across the country had been affected by Hancock's pandemic decisions. He conceded that those who argued it was wrong for a sitting MP to appear on the programme had a viewpoint with "some validity".
Frustrating Performances and Longstanding Feuds
Dean McCullough (2024) tested the hosts' patience with his early withdrawals from trials like "Sinister Sarcophagus" and "Drown in the Dumps". Ant later admitted on spin-off show Unpacked that he felt "unprofessional" for allowing his irritation to show on camera, confessing he was "angry" because he believed the trials Dean abandoned were "doable". The hosts eventually stared directly down the lens to plead with viewers to stop voting for Dean, remarking that watching the same person repeatedly fail was growing "boring".
Kelly Brook (2025) brought a longstanding "feud" into the jungle, dating back to her short stint on Britain's Got Talent in 2009. In their autobiography Ooh! What a Lovely Pair, Dec recalled attempting to calm a nervous Kelly on her first day, only for her to apparently respond, "And what do you do on the show?" The hosts were reportedly irritated that Simon Cowell had appointed a fourth judge without seeking their input. During the 2025 series, they made light of the rumoured feud on Unpacked, with Dec playfully asking Ant, "What's your problem with Kelly Brook?" to which Ant swiftly shot back, "Don't you start!"
The 'Worst Ever' Season for Challenges
Ant and Dec officially labelled the 2022 campmates the "worst ever group" for their dismal showing in challenges throughout the series. During a live Instagram session called Jungle Club, Dec told followers: "I think they're officially the worst at the challenges," with Ant backing him up, describing them as the "worst ever!" Ant went even further, branding the 2022 stars a "bunch of idiots" after they got 7 out of 10 questions wrong in one challenge, including failing to correctly identify how many studio albums Adele has released.
Remarkably, despite their exasperation with the 2022 contestants' challenge performances, the hosts had initially responded enthusiastically to the lineup announcement, with their reaction video capturing them yelling "Yes!" and "Oh he's going to cry!" upon first seeing the cast list. This contrast highlights the complex relationship between the presenters and their campmates, where initial excitement can sometimes give way to frustration as the jungle experience unfolds.
