I’m A Celebrity contestant Barry McGuigan has slammed campmate Dean McCullough’s “overdramatic” performances in bushtucker trials.
The former boxer pulled no punches in his synopsis of the controversial BBC Radio One presenter as he took on another trial on Monday night.
Dean has done the majority of trials on the series so far, having been repeatedly voted in for the gruelling challenges by the public. He has drawn criticism for failing to consistently secure stars for the camp, even calling out ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ to quit the trial last week.
But Dean rectified this record on Monday as he successfully earned a meal for the camp, the Mirror reports. The radio star won 10 out of 12 stars in his Jack and the Scream Stalk trial, stunning hosts Ant and Dec with his surprise victory.
Ant exclaimed: “10 stars, a new personal best – you even got a round of applause from me today. You do make us proud, you did try!”
This praise was echoed by Dean’s co-stars when he returned to camp. Barry joined in the celebrations, but was quick to reveal his true thoughts on Dean’s performance in private.
Speaking in the Bush Telegraph, Barry quipped: “He screams, he shouts and he’s overdramatic.”
Dean’s redemption comes after Ant and Dec begged viewers to stop voting for the radio presenter in for bushtucker trials, to allow other celebrities to win stars instead.
Speaking on the spin-off show I’m A Celebrity … Unpacked, Ant begun: “Right, let’s all have a serious talk, and I’ll look directly in the camera here.”
“Oh God!” Dec jokingly shouted, realising that his TV partner was about to put his foot down.
Ant continued: “I think it’s good to see other faces down there. This is not a personal thing, and it’s not about Dean.”
The host got more passionate as he went on: “It’s about us just seeing different people down there! And I think we want to see different people on the show being featured. Some people unfortunately aren’t getting – you know what, I’d like to see Barry do a trial, let’s see Melvin down there, Oti!”
He added: “But we find this every year when someone gets voted multiple times. You just get to a point where you go, ‘Who’s still voting for Dean?’ I don’t get it.”
Viewers also voiced their frustration with Dean’s repeated appearances in the trials, calling on other celebrities to take his place.
One fan fumed: “Time to watch Dean do another challenge. How boring the British public is,” while another posted: “The Dean show is starting now” along with an eye roll emoji.
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