The im a celeb vote is turning a pre-recorded series into a live event at the very end, and that shift matters because it changes who holds the power. Instead of campmates deciding the winner, the public will choose between the final five in a live broadcast from London. For a format built on controlled timing and edited drama, the decision to hand the result to viewers marks a sharp break from the show’s own recent history, and it arrives after a week of exits, tension and unfinished business.
Why the live Im A Celeb Vote matters now
The finale is set for Friday, 24 April, even though the series was filmed months earlier in South Africa. The final will air in two parts, with the first running from 7. 30pm to 9pm before viewers get one hour to cast their vote through the im a celeb vote. The winner will be revealed in the second part from 10pm to 10. 30pm in front of a live audience at Versa Studios in London.
That structure matters because it replaces the franchise’s usual in-camp decision-making with a public verdict. In the previous South Africa series, the final came down to a head-to-head Bushtucker Trial, and Myleene Klass emerged as the first-ever legend after beating Jordan Banjo. This time, the live result shifts the emphasis from survival in camp to audience support outside it.
What changed in the final stretch
The run-up to the finale has been marked by exits that underline how unstable the camp has become. Sinitta left midway through a trial during Wednesday’s episode, while Jimmy Bullard withdrew during the Rancid Run after being paired with Adam Thomas. The fallout was immediate, with Adam left angry after what he saw as a damaged chance to progress.
Jimmy later said Gemma Collins’ earlier exit with David Haye affected his determination, and he also pointed to his father’s ill health as a factor in his decision. Reports since then have suggested the dispute between Jimmy and Adam remained unresolved, while Jimmy hinted on social media that more context would emerge during the live final. That uncertainty gives the im a celeb vote a more volatile edge than a standard ending.
The camp’s shrinking field and the public role
So far, the eliminated campmates include Gemma Collins, who finished 10th, Beverley Callard, who finished 9th and left due to her health, and Jimmy Bullard, who finished 8th. Five contestants remain in contention for the title, with Harry Redknapp and Scarlett Moffatt still listed among the campmates left in the series, alongside the other finalists.
The public vote changes the meaning of the finish line. In a series where contestants have already been separated from the outside world for weeks, the live audience now becomes the final deciding force. That is a major editorial and structural change for a format that has otherwise stayed pre-recorded throughout the season.
Expert signals from the series itself
Dec Donnelly framed the shift as an intentional move away from the previous ending, saying the team wanted to “leave it up to the public. ” He also said the path to the final had been made “tougher than ever, ” suggesting the producers wanted the finalists to arrive at the vote through a harder route than before.
That remark is important because it points to a balancing act: the show is preserving its challenge-driven identity while opening the final outcome to viewer control. Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly remain the hosts, but the decision-making model is no longer solely embedded in the camp.
Regional and broader impact for the format
Broadcast from the UK and tied to a live audience, the finale may reset expectations for future spin-off seasons. The change also highlights how reality television can adapt when a pre-recorded run needs a more immediate ending. For viewers, the live vote adds urgency; for the production, it creates a real-time climax inside a series that has otherwise been locked in advance.
With five contestants still standing and the im a celeb vote about to decide the winner, the final question is no longer only who survived the trials, but who can convert a season of pre-recorded survival into a live public triumph?
