With I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here 2018 getting under way last night, bookies already have a runaway favourite in the shape of Torchwood star John Barrowman. bet365 has the popular star as the 11/4 favourite to become the non-gender specific crown holder of the jungle (the gender fluidity of the title is at Barrowman’s request) with nobody coming close to competing.
Is it a guarantee?
As Biggins proved in the past, there are no guarantees that time in the jungle won’t quickly lead a contestant to lose favour with the voting audience, so Barrowman’s victory is by no means ensured at this point. If Barrowman does find his chances ruined, as we all know can happen, Anne Hegarty, from popular television show The Chase is a somewhat unexpected second favourite, currently at 6/1 at bet365. After that, James McVey and Sair Khan are both at 7/1, with Harry Redknapp and Emily Atack at 8/1, and other contestants floundering behind.
Is it worth a go?
The bookies favourites tend to fare well in the show, with 2017’s winner Georgia Toffoly and 2016’s eventual victor Scarlett Moffett both being pre-show favourites that went on to take the title. You have to go back to 2015 to find a point the bookies got it wrong, picking George Shelly from Union J, before Vicki Pattison arrived a few days after the other contestants and struggled her way to the top, endearing herself to viewers along the way. While it is entirely possible that ITV will run the same trick again, having an unexpected addition arrive to throw a spanner in the works, it doesn’t seem like the most likely result. At around 3/1, Barrowman is definitely the wisest bet, but whether he depends will depend on how he handles the Bushtucker Trials!