I’m a Celebrity South Africa 2026 confirms major format shake-up

Ant & Dec have confirmed that the final episode of I’m a Celebrity South Africa 2026 will have a major format shake-up.

I’m a Celebrity South Africa is the all-star version of the beloved ITV show and will see celebs take on harder trials than ever before all in a bid to be crowned the “Legend of the Savanna”.

Usually, most of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! is filmed live with Ant & Dec appearing from the studio in Australia, with an 11-hour time difference. Viewers are also able to participate and vote for their favourite camp mate, with each elimination also carried out live on air.

However the first season of the South African all-stars series of the show that aired in 2023 was all pre-recorded – meaning that viewers weren’t able to vote for trials or the winner.

But Ant & Dec confirmed today at the London launch event that while season 2 was pre-recorded last year in South Africa, the grand final will be held live with the winner yet to be confirmed.

Rather than making the 12-hour flight back to the southernmost country of continental Africa, the entire celebrity cast will instead gather in a UK studio and the public will able to vote to crown this year’s I’m a Celebrity Legend.

Ant and Dec will return with a new series of I’m a Celebrity South Africa instead. ITV

Discussing the format shake-up with former King of the Jungle and Unpacked host Sam Thompson, Ant & Dec said: “It’s going to be here in the UK, live on the television.

“We’re going to get all the cast back, we’ll have the finalists in the studio. It’ll be a live vote like we do in Australia and the public will decide their Legend.”

Just because the final will be held in the UK doesn’t mean the celebs had it any easier in camp. In fact, the trials in the new season are expected to be particularly brutal.

“Myleene Klass won it in South Africa last time, doing the best final head to head, Bushtucker trial thing we’ve ever seen. So we thought we want to leave it up to the public, but to get to that point, to be a finalist, we’ve made it tougher than ever,” Dec confirmed.

With I’m a Celebrity South Africa season 2 due to air on screens sometime next month, only time will tell who is crowned this year’s Legend.

I’m a Celebrity… South Africa returns next month.

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