I’m A Celebrity 2020: Jordan North conquers his fear of snakes as he wins 9 STARS in the Viper Vault

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Jordan North triumphed over his fear of snakes during Monday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! as he and Shane Richie won nine stars for the camp.

The BBC Radio DJ, 30, admitted he was the most terrified he’d ever been in his life for The Viper Vault trial where he and Shane were locked inside one of two vaults that were built into the castle floor and were greeted with dozens of snakes. 

Jordan had a near meltdown before the trial as he teared up while telling Shane he didn’t think he could do it, citing his fear of snakes and the narrow confines of the vault.   

The star got down on his knees and buried his face in his hands before the trial as Shane tried to comfort him. 

The actor said: ‘Even if we just get five stars, even if we just get a couple. Come on, you’re fine mate.’

But Jordan wasn’t feeling confident, saying: ‘I can’t, I just can’t. There’s f***ing snakes coming out of there and I’m claustrophobic, I can’t do it, I can’t do it. I can’t do it.’ 

Inside each vault were five locked safes, each containing a star. Host Ant McPartlin added that each of the safes were numbered (1-10) and they would require a code to open them. 

The code to the first safe was with them in the vault and they had to work together as a team to open all the safes. 

Jordan and Shane had 10 minutes to find 10 stars, each star was worth a meal for camp and only the stars in their bag at the end of the trial would count.

Things went from bad to worse for Jordan as the trial began and he started to scream in terror as the snakes slithered into the vault.  

During the trial, Ant tried to provide words of encouragement as he said: ‘Calm down Jordan! Breath’.

Jordan continued to scream as the snakes filled the vault and tried to keep himself calm by thinking of his ‘happy place’, Turf Moor, a football stadium in his native Burnley. 

Ant and co-host Declan Donnelly both tried to stifle their laughter as Jordan screamed throughout the task.  

At the end of the trial, Jordan quickly got out the vault and couldn’t have been happier he said: ‘My brother said to me….’ Shane, quick as a flash added: ‘Why didn’t you do Strictly Come Dancing?’ as Ant and Dec laughed.

Jordan laughed and continued: ‘My brother, who is a paratrooper said to me no matter how scared or cold you get to think of your happy place.’

After the trail, Shane admitted he didn’t have much faith in Jordan’s chances as he said: ‘As soon as the vault closed I was expecting Jordan to say, “I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!” ‘

Jordan told Ant and Dec: ‘That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I feel like crying.’ 

The group cheered when the pair returned to camp and revealed they had won an impressive nine stars. 

However, the camp were left surprised when the dumb waiter delivered dinner and they discovered they would be having eel.

Talking in the Telegraph, Jordan said: ‘I’ve just been in a piggin vault full of snakes and get home to my castle and I’ve got eel. Eating eel – fish snakes, not fish cakes.’

Shane sang ‘jellied eels’ in a cockney voice while Giovanna Fletcher and Victoria Derbyshire tried to be positive they had eel to enjoy. 

After the meal, Mo Farah said in the Telegraph: ‘The taste of the eel was different, I’m not really a big fan of fish. I took a bite of it and it was slippery…eurgh.’

Meanwhile, Jordan joked: ‘Nine stars for that, it was minging’. 

Ahead of the trial, the DJ held back tears as he said: ‘I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever been this scared in my entire life.’.

Ant, 44, said: ‘As the name suggests, you won’t be alone down there. You can stop the trial at any point by saying I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! That will stop the trial for you and your partner. Any further stars will be lost.’

Reassuring the contestants that the task was not compulsory, presenter Dec, 45, added: ‘And you don’t have to do the trial, you never have to. You can go back to camp, but you’ll go back empty handed.’

Soap star Shane weighed out their options as he asked his co-star: ‘Think of it like this, do we have enough rice and beans?’, to which a scared Jordan joked: ‘Yes!’

Jordan had previously told MailOnline: ‘I’m so scared of snakes. I’m hoping with it not being in Australia there won’t be any snakes or any big poisonous ones anywhere.’

The media personality already faced his fear of heights in the launch show, after the group of ten were forced to abseil over a cliff to retrieve backpacks filled with supplies for their first night in camp.

From the start, Jordan struggled with the prospect of abseiling down the perilous cliff and was sick in the grass before saying: ‘I can’t believe I was sick, I’ve only been here five minutes and I’m puking up already.’

Jordan won’t get a break from the pressures of the trials for long as it was revealed at the end of the episode the star has been chosen to take part in tomorrow’s trial, Frights of the Round Table. 

The DJ was chosen by the public along with TV presenter Vernon Kay and Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard. 

The task looks set to be a stomach churning one as in a preview of what is to come, Dec said: ‘Three celebrities are about to enjoy a feast fit for a bin.’

Ant added: ‘At the banquet that puts the evil in medieval’ while Dec said: ‘The only thing spinning more than the table will be their stomachs’. 

Elsewhere during Monday’s episode, Jordan and Vernon proved they’re already working as a team as they helped each other shower. 

During their attempt at washing in the chilly climes, the funny duo joked and laughed as they took turns pumping water for each other to freshen up.

It didn’t take long for the pair to realise showering was now a two-person job as the water pump was on the other side of the bathroom. 

Determined to help each other, Jordan took control of the pump first and was seen shouting over to Vernon as he stood in a metal tub with a grubby white curtain.

After he was all freshened up, Vernon swapped places with Jordan and pumped the water while wrapped in a grey towel.   

During the bathroom trip both of the radio hosts appeared to be in great spirits as they laughed with each other. 

Talking in the Telegraph about the experience, Jordan joked: ‘I think I’ve peaked already a couple of days in, I’ve showered Vernon Kay.’  

Early in the episode, Mo suffered a hilarious blunder as he accidentally fell out of his hammock in the middle of the night.

Shane was woken up by the noise but Mo just decided to sleep on the hard floor underneath the hammock as opposed to trying to get back in.

Talking in the Telegraph, Shane said: ‘In the middle of the night it was all quiet and all of sudden a ‘whack’, I looked around and Mo wasn’t in his hammock, he was underneath it.”

During his turn in the Telegraph, Mo explained: ‘Sleeping in the hammock was a bit different, at some point in the night I must have fallen from it and just hit the ground and went “oh well”‘. 

This year’s stars will experience the most brutal living conditions in the show’s 20-year history, after ITV relocated from Australia to Wales due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hosts Ant and Dec, who will be presenting from their new studio next door, will enter the castle’s living quarters at the end of each episode to reveal which celebrity has been voted by the public to do the trials – which, like always, will feature critters.

ITV hired the 19th century castle for six weeks costing £1 million after COVID-19 ruled out the usual setting in Australia.

MailOnline was given special access to the show’s brand new set located inside the eerie Gwrych Castle, ITV hired the 19th century castle for six weeks costing £1million after Covid-19 ruled out the usual setting in Australia.

The contestants will sleep on rusty old beds, covered by a newly installed plastic roof, with only the campfire located inside the adjoining living quarters providing any heat.

If the campmates need the toilet at night, they have to wander outside in the Baltic conditions to visit the Privy, a battered old shed, which has replaced the traditional dunny.

And the usually pampered celebrities will bathe in a tiny tin bath and wash their hair using water from an old watering can hanging above – their modesty covered by a mouldy shower curtain.

The live shows will air in the evening for the guests – instead of morning time in Australia – which means the tasks will be held late at night, with a torchlit staircase replacing the famous bridge.

Executive producer Tom Gould told Mirror Online: ‘This is the equivalent of our trials bridges in Australia. So this is where they go down and face their fears in the trials.

‘Obviously it will happen at night, after the live show, so these flaming torches will all be lit and it will be very atmospheric.’

The 2020 series is also expected to only last 20 days – two shorter than normal.

ITV announced an extreme COVID Management Plan to ensure the series runs smoothly, including the celebrities being tested every three days and crew members wearing proximity buzzers, wear masks and get temperature checks on arrival.

The celebrities also had to isolate for two weeks ahead of their arrival.

I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! continues on Tuesday at 9pm on ITV.