I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Betting: Rating the runners and riders in the 2009 edition

I'm a Celebrity / Alan Dudman / 19 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

Katie Price AKA Jordan is among the early favourites to win IACGMOOH

"With Jordan and Sam Fox in the house, you would think the competition for 'jungle's largest breasts' would be sewn up. It isn't, as Kim Woodburn's (celebrity cleaner) are so big they have their own postcode. Kim's price of [8.4] is tempting, but she's already upset Katie with a random tirade. She could be too outspoken in my view considering previous winners Blackburn, Biggins, Pasquale and Swash."

Al Dudman steps out of his cuban heels and into his jungle boots to take a look at the contestants in this year's I'm A Celebrity...

I have briefly swapped my tight, ill-fitting hipsters and sequinned shirt from Strictly Come Dancing for the less glamorous yet equally fun I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here (or CGOOH as it's known in the trade). It's series nine of ITV's 'jewel in the crown', and it's time to reveal the market leaders, ahead of the future market stall holders.

In the build up to this first column, the editors of B.B wondered if I could empathise with this year's contestants by swigging a bowl of beetlejuice followed with a bath with crocodiles... both were fairly hard to find in north London - everyone knows we only have walk-in showers here.

Having said that, celebrities seem pretty thin on the ground for the 2009 version.

We're barely a week into the competition and there's been plenty of drama. Camilla has left the building (I can't say I had noticed - and she had no chance anyway), Joe Bugner entered on Wednesday, and the marquee signing of Katie Price (now model and businesswoman) has stirred up the rather Z-list looking bunch following her arrival on Monday.

I think I even heard Jimmy White speak on Tuesday.

Having been glued to my TV set for the last 72 hours, it is clear this is fast becoming the Katie Price show. She can be backed in the winner market at around [7.60], which on first glance looks a touch big. Although in just a matter of days - the public are keen on getting her involved in every single 'Bushtucker Trial'. 'Katie - it might be you' is the watchword/words of the week thus far.

Price is the classic 'love or hate' character. I would imagine half the public do hate her, but they'll still watch Celebrity and those dreadful 'What Katie did next' programmes. The former Jordan however knows the game, and plays it well. She is back for some closure and privacy (in front of 12 million viewers), and her gameplan is far stronger than anyone else's - having been in the jungle during 2004. She is proper 'car crash TV'.

The best play on Katie is a back-to-lay in the winner market. The viewers will want to keep her
involved but nominate her for the trials (having already done four). It's unlikely they'll want to get rid of her too early (neither would the bosses, considering her £450,000 fee).

TV Chef Gino D'Acampo is an early favourite at [5.30], and would be the first celebrity chef to land the prize. I like him, so do the camp mates as he cooks, and cooks, and cooks. He seems very amiable - but the bitching has yet to start. Hold-fire on him for a bit, have a look how he fares with the upcoming camp split.

With Jordan and Sam Fox in the house, you would think the competition for 'jungle's largest breasts' would be sewn up. It isn't, as Kim Woodburn's (celebrity cleaner) are so big they have their own postcode. Kim's price of [8.4] is tempting, but she's already upset Katie with a random tirade. She could be too outspoken in my view considering previous winners Blackburn, Biggins, Pasquale and Swash.

The ones who cannot win are Stuart Manning [38.00], Jimmy White [11.50], Sabrina Washington [40,00] and Colin/Justin. Manning is the pretty boy, but about as interesting as a root canal. He would be odds-on bordering no offers in the world's most boring man market.

By process of elimination, the early interest lies with former page 3 model Sam Fox [7.00] and Lucy Benjamin [17.50]. Both seem chirpy, fun, honest and likeable. Fox's price is tempered slightly having remembered her outbursts in that bar-running reality show a few years ago, so the value has got to be with Benjamin. Who again, is not without a sizeable chest.

Question of the week meanwhile came from the 'celebrity chest' task........What was the 7th track on Mis-teeq's greatest hits album? Sabrina (singer in Misteeq) didn't know. She is not alone.