As we get set to return to the South African jungle for another instalment of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! for 2026, some significant changes will have the reality show feeling very different.
From the show being pre-recorded for the first time ever to the ‘live’ finale twist, how much the stars really get paid and what hosts Julia Morris and Robert Irwin get up to off-camera, we lift the lid on everything you need to know.
Read on for more…
Pre-recorded series shock
While I’m A Celeb has always been known for its live daily shows and eliminations, this year the whole series has been pre-recorded.
In fact, the whole production will have wrapped prior to the first episode going to air on Sunday, January 18.
Celebrities were flown to South Africa in late November, with filming in Kruger National Park said to have wrapped just prior to Christmas.
“It’s a bubble,” a production insider notes. “Phones are gone, they’re under strict contracts and they’re surrounded by a crew that can swell to several hundred people when you include camera operators, medics and security.
“Once you’re in, you’re in until production lets you go.”
Alternate ending twist
In order to protect the integrity of the show and stop spoilers about the winner emerging, three alternate endings were filmed with each of the three finalists.
Woman’s Day has learnt that the final three flew home not knowing which of them has actually been crowned King or Queen of the Jungle.
Per the show’s previous format, the Australian public will cast their votes for the winner – who walks away with $100,000 for their chosen charity – when voting opens during the finale episode’s broadcast.
“Australia still chooses the winner,” our mole confirms, “but whichever ending matches the public vote is the one that goes to air. The others never see the light of day.”
Contract changes mean less cash for contestants
Million-dollar pay packets have lured some seriously big names into the jungle and onto our screens in recent years.
But sadly, that’s all a thing of the past.
According to insiders, a new structured tiered contract system has been put in place this year, with contestants paid according to where they sit on the totem pole.
Household names on the top tier can expect to pocket close to $250,000 to sign on, but the majority of the cast will sit around the mid-five to low-six-figure mark.
Mid-level TV favourites will find themselves on the middle of the ladder, with reality stars and influencers relegated to the lowest rung.
Along with a sign-on fee, time-based bonuses are allocated in order to keep contestants in camp for as long as possible.
Insiders report that “many contracts” now also include an additional daily fee of around $5000 for celebs who surpass the 10-day mark.
“That’s why you suddenly see people digging deep and ‘finding their strength’ at about day 10,” a source spills.
“You’re not just fighting for your charity at that point; you’re fighting to make all of the agreed rate.”
Inside Robert and Julia’s luxe I’m A Celeb digs
Returning for his third season as co-host alongside Julia Morris, Robert Irwin is sure to draw in an audience off the back of his recent US Dancing with the Stars win.
But while the campmates are slumming it on hammocks and using drop toilets, Robert, 22, and Julia, 57, are living it up in their luxury accommodation.
Insiders tell Woman’s Day the pair are based at a private safari-style game lodge just a short drive from camp, complete with proper beds, hot showers, 24/7 security and wi-fi.
“It even has giraffes wandering nearby and the sounds of African wildlife at night,” they reveal. “They’re doing long days in the studio, often into the night, and they need somewhere secure and quiet to crash.”
Why do stars line up to appear on I’m A Celeb?
Despite reports calling the cast “the cheapest ever”, celebrities are still flocking to the reality show, with a Network Ten executive calling this season “a cracker!”.
A huge drawcard thanks to the exposure it garners contestants, it’s the perfect platform upon which to relaunch a career, rehabilitate a profile, turn micro fame into mainstream success and for older talent to be discovered by a whole new generation.
“Everyone talks about money, but the real currency is profile,” a long-time publicist spills. “If you last the distance and avoid controversy, the phone starts ringing the minute you’re out of ‘the jungle’.”
And with this season pre-recorded for the first time, it allowed production time to ensure this is the best season yet for fans.
“The fact we had more time to work on what you see has paid off, and Network Ten are pumped for audiences to see it,” an insider says.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! returns Sunday, January 18 on Network Ten
