I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here - NBC Is Ruining It

I don't know if many of you even remember the first time I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here aired. It was on ABC and I thought it was the greatest show. All of these celebrities stuck out in the middle of an Australian jungle and the entire first episode all they did was bitch and complain because it wasn't what they were expecting. I think they were all expecting nice air conditioned trailers and that while the actual show was taping they would be brought out and be forced to sit in the elements for an hour.

The show aired back in 2003 and I was glued to the set every night in which it aired. The contestants were Cris Judd who had just got divorced from Jennifer Lopez. It was so interesting to see every celebrity on the show ask him a million questions just like any of us would. They wanted gossip. Melissa Rivers was on it and I remember her talking about her new boob job at the time and she and Nikki Ziering had a very long discussion about what size is a good size to get. John Melendez was on and that is what eventually got him the Tonight Show job. Other than Howard Stern listeners, no one knew who he actually was, and when they saw him, they liked him. Bruce Jenner was on and he was such a control freak and Tyson Beckford was on there and Robin Leach. Alana Stewart was on and also Downtown Julie Brown and Maria Conchita Alonso.

Even today you have heard of all these people, and probably would still find what they have to say interesting, especially when you put them all together in the Outback. Unfortunately no one really watched I guess and the show never aired again.

Every year it has aired in the UK, and I have wanted it back ever since. Well, now I finally got my wish, and they are basically ruining it before it even starts. The only saving grace to the show is that it will have Stephen Baldwin, who is in my mind the best celebrity reality contestant ever. Whatever you think of him personally, this is what he does best.

Speidi is going to be on the show which is a disaster. The only thing intriguing about that is if they will throw each other under a bus. Sanjaya is on the show. Why? Does anyone care what he has been doing? Was William Hung unavailable? How hard would it have been to get Clay Aiken? Ruben? Fantasia? Katharine McPhee? You don't think they are above taking a decent sized paycheck? John Salley is on it and he is a decent enough guy, but it is just going to be like watching paint dry. Janice Dickinson is on and she has been on the UK version. I just don't know who she is going to play against in this. For her to be funny and to work, she needs to find someone to rail against, and I don't see that person here. Maybe, maybe Heidi or Spencer.

Lou Diamond Phillips will be interesting, but only if he decides to flirt with Torrie Wilson. Otherwise I think he is going to sit in a corner and mumble about how he was in La Bamba once and that his wife left him for another woman.

And the final spot? The wife of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Seriously? You could have had Verne Troyer or anyone else from any Surreal Life episode and you pick her? Why? What is the point? Does NBC think that all the celebrities are going to have long, in depth discussions with her about politics?

And finally, to make the show even more unwatchable NBC brought in Mylene Klaas. Who you ask? Well, to be fair Mylene is a huge deal in the UK and hosts their version and is great at what she does, BUT, no one here knows her and they are paying her a salary like she is on the cover of People every week. They are paying her about $500,000 for a month's work to host this thing.

I had such high expectations when they announced the format was returning, and the way they have handled the casting is just atrocious and will result in some really low ratings and I doubt we will ever see the show again.