I'm A Celeb's explosive cooking rows that stirred up camp
Every series of I'm A Celebrity finds too many cooks spoil the broth.
Cooking rows have always stirred up the I'm A Celebrity jungle camp.
This year of course First Dates star Fred Sirieix was always likely to want to take on the mantle of camp cook in I'm A Celebrity, thanks to his hospitality background.
The French TV star is also good mates with Gordon Ramsay and Gino D'Acampo from their cooking shows together, so it's safe to say he knows a thing or two about food.
But Sirieix has upset some fans with his bossiness over the cooking after friction with TV presenter Josie Gibson, who was named camp chef this week.
But the pair are far from being the only campmates to have fallen out around the campfire.
We take a look back at these notable kitchen spats that have played out over the years...
Charlene White and Boy George
Last year's camp saw newsreader and Loose Women star Charlene White seize the role of camp cook early on, which left Boy George bristling.
White gave her campmates strict instructions on the cooking, leading to accusations that she was being controlling.
TV presenter Scarlette Douglas said of her: "This camp, aka 'Charlene’s kitchen', you do what she says, when she says it, get it right."
Boy George added: "It’s so weird, that [food] bag comes down and Charlene just turns into an entirely different person. It’s amazing, she issues orders and tells everyone what to do. I’m like, ‘Wow’. You know, it’s like, ‘Who are you?’"
He told the other contestants: "I just feel like Charlene’s very controlling. She tells you what to do and it really rubs you up the wrong way. I’m struggling with that, but I’ll get over it.
"It’s fine, she’s very sweet as well so it’s a real contradiction. There’s this controlling side and then there’s this caring side and it confuses me."
Giovanna Fletcher and Vernon Kay
Queen of the Jungle Giovanna Fletcher might have gained a reputation for being the caring camp mum in 2020, but when it came to the cooking, even she managed to have a falling out.
Proving that cooking is the one thing sure to cause a row between contestants, she gave Vernon Kay a death stare as he suggested she was using too much oil and that it was burning.
Fletcher later told the Bush Telegraph: "There’s definitely some micro management going on, and when you’re in that situation, you’ve got to see it as people trying to be helpful rather than just sticking their oar in."
Her husband Tom Fletcher also noticed the moment and said on social media: "Look, if there’s one thing you don’t want to do, it’s try to tell Giovanna how to cook something. I’ve been there, I’ve done that, I’ve made that mistake.
"I mean, no one likes that, nobody likes being watched – isn’t that the worst thing? Especially when you’re cooking hare."
James Haskell
James Haskell managed to rub up various campmates the wrong way over his hangry outbursts in 2019, throwing insults and getting increasingly grumpy.
The ex rugby player was used to eating way more than jungle rations allowed, so he quickly became possessive of how what little food they did have was prepared.
Things came to a head in one episode where eventual winner Jacqueline Jossa got frustrated as she suggested a stir fry - and then Haskell spoke over her, suggesting he cook a stir fry as if it was his idea.
Nick Knowles
Every celebrity contestant needs to find a role in camp, and TV presenter Nick Knowles marked out his territory early on as the camp cook.
Knowles was insistent on taking on campfire duties whether anyone else wanted to be involved or not, but when he was voted out he had to relinquish his pots and pans to the others.
After leaving, he explained: "I had just done more stuff in the wild than they have. Especially with the cooking, you don't want to mess up the cooking."
But he added: "The skills are transferable and they are all brilliant in there now."
Janet Street-Porter and Brian Harvey
A cooking-related row between Janet Street-Porter and Brian Harvey in 2004 was particularly unsavoury, as the pair fell out about the East 17 singer's wind problem caused by a diet of rice and beans.
Things blew up as Street-Porter was preparing dinner one night and snapped at Harvey to stop farting.
He exploded: "You're cooking dinner! You're f*****g over there, I'm over there. Don't keep f*****g having a go at me about farting!
"Just because you think it's wrong doesn't mean everyone else thinks it's wrong. I'm farting because I need to f*****g fart, because all I've eaten is f*****g beans!
"I take it very personal because you know that there's 16 million people watching!"
Read more:
I'm A Celebrity campmates have falling out over meal (Digital Spy, 3 min read)
Josie Gibson cries over leaving son for I'm A Celeb (PA Media, 2 min read)
Nella Rose justifies I'm A Celeb spat with Fred Sirieix (Evening Standard, 3 min read)
