Fans of I’m A Celebrity are becoming increasingly tired of James Haskell and Ian Wright’s behaviour on the show, dubbing their treatment of other campmates ‘bullying’ and filled with ‘toxic masculinity’.
Once fan favourites, Haskell and Wright have become the biggest characters in camp, often causing arguments or tension and contributing to a negative atmosphere. The two have also taken to defending each other's behaviour.
For example, on an episode over the weekend, Wright was seemingly unhappy with how the camp decided who was doing the latest bush tucker trail. When Jacqueline Jossa appeared despondent given the awkward atmosphere, Haskell told her ‘you have to excuse Ian because he can’t control his emotions.’ When she asked why she should do that, he told her ‘you’re more levelheaded.’
Earlier in the episode, Haskell was also seen creating tension after a Dingo Dollar Challenge saw the camp mates debating the answer to a question. Haskell was particularly rude to Kate Garraway, who wanted to take a second to decide on her answer.
‘It’s like a circus of stupidity,’ he told Andrew Maxwell later on. ‘I’m too intelligent and too switched on…I’m not going to kill my brain cells watching that shambles unfold. I have to put my foot down, watch what happens when I don’t put my foot down.
‘I’m not going to say anything anymore,’ he continued. ‘I’m just going to watch it umplode [sic].’
Yes, he did say ‘umplode’. The irony is glorious.
Many of the camp mates have commented in private on the frustrating behaviour, with Jossa stating ‘there’s no arguing with James it’s either his way or the high-way.’ Myles Stephenson tugged at viewers' heartstrings when both he and Haskell asked if any of the campmates had leftover food, only for all of them to be given to Haskell.
'James is bigger than me so he gets everyones left overs and I'm like the little runt brother on the side,' Stephenson said in the jungle diary room. Haskell on the other hand? 'My motto is get what you can when you can.'
As viewers continue to be annoyed by Haskell and Wright's behaviour, many were expecting them to be voted out on Sunday night’s show – only for Maxwell to be voted out instead.
‘James and Ian being kept in for “entertainment” just shows why bullying and toxic masculinity are still so present and normalised in society in 2019,’ one user tweeted.
‘James behaviour on this show is actually worrying,’ another added. ‘He’s arrogant and thinks he’s above everyone because he’s a man with an attitude problem? Fuck off with your bullying toxic masculinity it’s so frustrating to watch. [sic]’
In fact, some viewers have even called out I’m A Celebrity producers for not stepping in to improve the environment for other camp mates whose personalities are seemingly shrinking in the face of intimidation.
‘Rather than dismissing something as a ‘dingo dollar disaster’ how about you address the toxic masculinity that you are giving a platform to breed in?’ one viewer said in response to a video posted on the I’m A Celebrity Twitter account.
And while the toxic masculinity continues to infect camp, it’s hopeful that the viewers are well-informed enough to call out such behaviour on the outside. After all, with new camp mates voted out every day, both Haskell and Wright are bound to find out their behaviour is not acceptable pretty soon.
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