Every year 10 sets minds (and media) racing with their favourite guessing game of celebs going into I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

This year they include a Hollywood Sitcom Star, Soap Royalty, a Master Chef, a Jungle Princess, a Stand-up Comedian, a 90’s Pop Star, a Reality Bridezilla, a Radio Queen, a Reality TV Bad Boy, an AFL A-Lister, a Logie Winning Actor, and International SuperModel, and a Rugby League Romeo.

Luke Bateman, fitting the latter clue, is the only confirmed name thus far but more are set to be announced across the weekend ahead of Sunday’s premiere.

Bearing in mind the series has frequently entertained TV faces from Love Island, Married at First Sight and UK Reality, here’s a few other rumours for your bingo card: Rebekah Elmaloglou, George Calombaris and Barry Williams aka ‘Greg Brady’ anyone?

After Maureen McCormack in S1, he would make the second time there was a Brady in our yard.

“I’m not commenting!” Tamara Simoneau VP Content, Paramount Australia answers in response to those names.

“But we love the guessing games, and we love people talking about it even if they get it right, because you come and check to make sure you got it right… Some of the clues are really obvious for a reason, because it has to be a winnable guessing game.”

10’s pitch against the might of the Australian Open and early weeks of Married at First Sight and Australian Idol is family-friendly, spectacular trials, gruesome food challenges and tea-spilling celebrities.

This year’s season, save for the winner, is all in the can, filmed in South Africa prior to Christmas. More on that later…

“We’ve really turned the screws on those poor, poor celebrities and Robert and Julia say it in the first segment of the show, I think….this is the toughest season ever. I’m not just saying it -it’s true!

“All the things will still be there. The horrible eating trials that make are hilarious to watch, but awful to experience, I’m sure,” she continues.

“There are terrifying trials like we’ve had in year past, where people have been really pushed to the edge of their limits, and they have to decide if they’re going to take a leap, or not, metaphorically and actually. Then out of all that, which is the pure joy of the show, you see those moments where people push through what seems like the impossible, and they are victorious.

“But there’s lots of big revelations as well, some things that we that we as producers might have known about on the DL, but other things where our jaws were on the floor over what was revealed in Camp Fire chats…. You’ve got a sprinkling of everything. There’s lots of tea spilt, there’s some really big moments of drama and obviously, lots of fun as well.”

Conditions and worlds colliding often brings unexpected character arcs to the series.

“Some people start as besties, and then it changes, and some people start judging each other out of the gate, judging books by covers, and then realise they might really like someone, and they walk out of the jungle as best friends for life. So that’s all part of the beauty, of the beauty,” says Simoneau.

“I think two years ago Denise Drysdale and Callum became besties, and nobody saw that coming,. They’re still good friends outside the show.”

This year 10’s season will screen across 5 weeks.

Simoneau says pre-recording the series gives the network more flexibility in how the show is post-produced and the way the narrative rolls out.

“If people think they know I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and how it will roll out…this year will be different. Things will happen along the way that will shock people,” she teases.

“Pre-recording gives us an opportunity, editorially, to spice things up a bit…..We don’t have to follow a 24 hour turnarounds and rely on a formula as much… that’s been a superpower for this season, actually, and the viewers will really notice that.”

But with pre-recording (which was also done during 2021 covid season), it also means the audience neither votes celebs into trials, nor eliminates them from the show?

“That’s going to be all part of the toughest season ever. People will have to watch to see that…. each one has a bit of a twist to it about how they play out. But the good news is, for everybody who loves to vote, is that Australia still will vote for the winner.”

Which also means multiple endings filmed with the last celebs standing.

“We could have done it another way, but we wanted Australia to make the choice, so we have engineered the show so that the most important choice of all, which is who’s King or Queen of the Jungle, is made by the fans,” she explains.

“Once we get down to the nitty gritty and the pointy end of the season Australia then chimes in and will vote for the winner.”

Simoneau denies the pre-recording was for cost saving measures, or even to work around in-demand Robert Irwin’s commitments.

“It wasn’t about Robert’s January,” she insists. “The moving came first. It was an editorial choice.

“We’ve bought ourselves a couple of weeks to assess, ‘How editorially do we now plot this show out so it’s the most interesting and dynamic for the audience?'”

That includes giving the network the ability to screen the show Sundays – Wednesdays, thus avoiding celebs sitting around in camp without trials, awaiting Live to air episodes.

On air it will still carry all the DNA the show is famous for, with celebs put through the wringer, with nasty critters and terrifying trials hosted by effervescent Julia Morris and the always-joyous Robert Irwin.

“There are quite a few jaw dropping moments, and lots of tea spilled. I can’t give away too much, because that’s the beauty of this show. Robert & Julia are in fine form and very funny, and actually really revel in the fact that they’re pulling this crew through some territory that we haven’t been before,” she continues.

“There’s probably more drama than there has been for many years inside the camp.

“It is really twisty and turny, and the celebs will be put through things that no other cast of celebs have been put through on this show before, which makes for an excellent ride for the viewers.”

But let’s cut to the chase. Does Irwin get shirtless for cameras again? Does he get in the water?

“Hmm, does he get in the water” Simoneau mulls.

“There are some very in...

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