Hidden heaters, covert beach trips, cold food & gossip ban: TV show secrets from I’m A Celeb to Love Island & Masterchef
WE'RE a nation hooked on reality shows, be it watching someone marry a complete stranger, bonk under the covers in a room full of other half naked influencers or celebrities battling through grim eating challenges.
But what happens when the cameras aren't rolling on I'm A Celeb, Strictly Come Dancing, Love Island and Married at First Sight?
Yesterday The Sun revealed stars taking part in this year’s I’m A Celebrity have been treated to a secret supply of hot water, packs of cigarettes and a heated cabin.
It came after producers promised this year’s series at Gwrych Castle in North Wales would be the "toughest" yet.
In reality, Emmerdale actor Danny Miller, 30, music producer Naughty Boy, 36, and French football legend David Ginola, 54, have been allowed out of the camp to smoke.
A source said: “The castle is certainly no holiday camp, but the stars are being afforded much more luxury than the viewers are told.
“The castle itself is really cold, but the shower does get warm enough to be more than comfortable to wash in... Bosses can flick the hot water on in a second, just like your average punter can with their boiler at home.
“All of the tasks they have to do in order to ‘fire up’ the boiler are just for show. The producers decide when the water is hot or cold."
I'm A Celeb isn't the only reality show that fails to be entirely transparent with its viewers.
Here we reveal behind-the-scenes secrets and the things you never knew about your telly favourites.
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Strictly Come Dancing
Many of us tune into the Sunday night results show to see who gets the boot from Strictly.
But the extra programme is actually filmed after the live show on Saturday, so the dancers find out that night who is going home.
In order to keep the illusion of a separate event, prominent audience members are moved around.
With all that moving and shaking on the BBC One dance show, you might expect to see more wardrobe malfunctions.
But in order to avoid any embarrassment, male celebrities will often have their shirts stitched into their trousers.
Head costume designer told BBC Radio 5 Live: “The shirts are often stitched on to pants, on to boxers.
“It’s an all-in-one garment, so then when they’re dancing their shirt is not going to unravel.”
As well as glittery costumes, fake tan is also a staple of the show.
Strictly’s spray tanner Jules Von Hep isn’t afraid to get intimate to make sure celebs have the perfect glow.
He said: "I learnt that if you have a person with big boobs, you can’t be afraid to ask them to lift them up so you don’t get white bits.”
He also schedules tans around women’s menstrual cycles because it develops differently depending on their time of the month.
“They would tell me when they were on their period so I could adjust how much I used,” Jules said.
Love Island
Viewers of the ITV dating show are often baffled that the Islanders rarely seem to eat - bar munching on an occasional snack.
This is because lunch and dinner is provided by a catering agency. Food is delivered to the larder and the contestants chow down while sat at foldaway chairs and a table.
On non-filming days, the Islanders are treated to covert beach days with no microphones and cameras.
The only catch? They’re not allowed to gossip about their relationships on the show and are "watched like a hawk".
Love Island's 2017 winner Kem Cetinay, 25, previously revealed: "When you take the microphone off you're not allowed to talk about anything to do with the show or the couples, you have to talk about home life and things.
“And you're being watched by an eagle hawk, by the producers because they don't want you to talk about what's going on.”
The girls also get weekly lash and nail appointments to keep their beauty treatments topped up.
Host Laura Whitmore, 36, revealed: “On Saturday, when there is no show on, their eyelashes and acrylic nails get redone.”
Dancing On Ice
It might look like a winter wonderland, but the entire studio for the ITV hit was built at a Hertfordshire airfield.
Pro skater Matt Evers, 45, has a personal connection to the location.
He told the Huffington Post: “My grandfather used to fly out of here as an American pilot in WWII. He was based in Bovingdon.”
The studio is surrounded by cabins and marquees which contain toilets and a canteen.
When you see celebs coming through the tunnel to perform, they’re on their way from the training rink.
It's where they can practice their moves ahead of the performance, and the celebrity dressing rooms are all in this area too.
Before going onto the ice the dancers apply a special non-slip spray to their hands.
This gives them added grip while attempting the tricky lifts and jumps.
Female skaters also make sure not to moisturise their legs before hitting the ice.
Unsurprisingly, the set of the show gets very cold. This led judges to ask for personal heaters which they stash below their desks.
The Great British Bake Off
Everyone taking part in the filming process of the Channel 4 baking show is well fed.
When judging, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood only take tiny bites out of each bake, leaving the majority of the bakers’ creations intact.
Once the cameras stop rolling, contestants are free to tuck into their opponents' treats and check out the competition.
Bake Off’s chief home economist Faenia Moore told : “It’s important for the bakers to eat what they’ve slaved over, so after each challenge I make up a ‘baker’s basket’ to go to their lunchroom.
“Then any leftovers go to the crew’s lunch. Everyone gets quite excited.”
Filming the series, the bakers get through an incredible 1,500 eggs, 150 kilograms of sugar and 130 kilograms of flour.
Sophie Faldo, who won the 2017 series, explained that bakers are given an allowance for their ingredients.
“You’re essentially given expenses,” she explained. “You’re given an allowance for however many shows you do to source the ingredients.”
Last night Giuseppe Dell'Anno was crowned the winner of the 12th series.
First Dates
The Channel 4 show is set in a restaurant which throws open its doors for singletons looking for love.
It used to be set in London’s Paternoster Chop House but is now filmed at Manchester’s The Refinery.
While the restaurant is real, the staff who work there are not on the regular payroll.
The show’s maître d'hôtel Fred Sirieix previously worked at exclusive Galvin at Windows restaurant, while bartender Merlin Griffiths owns London pub the Priory Tavern.
Contestants are given £25 each towards the cost of their meals, but must pay the rest themselves - so the scenes you see of them deliberating over the bill are real.
The other people in the restaurant aren’t members of the public – they are what's known as “background daters” and are on real dates, too.
Members of the public can apply to be a “background dater” and producers will match you up with someone to enjoy a first date with.
MasterChef
While the dishes served up on MasterChef might look delicious, the judges tend to find they're tucking into a cold plate of food when tasting, as filming takes so long.
But they do try to sneak bites before the dish is plated. Former MasterChef finalist Jack Layer “John [Torode] and Gregg [Wallace] are always wandering around when they’re not on camera, trying little bits.”
They also give contestants on the BBC One show advice on how to improve their dishes.
Jack Lucas, from MasterChef 2014, told Cosmopolitan: “I loved John and Gregg. They are so supportive, and you don’t see that on camera.
"John knows a tremendous amount about food and gave lots of tips.”
Once those lukewarm dishes have been tested, the MasterChef crew get to sweep up all the leftover nosh.
Married At First Sight
The “social experiment” sees single people marry total strangers after being matched by a panel of experts.
After adopting the Australian format, viewers of the E4 show couldn’t wait to tune in to the ever-explosive dinner parties.
But more often than not, they're not filmed at dinnertime.
Some days the couples start filming at 8.30am and cameras end up rolling all day.
Given how long they go on, it’s perhaps not surprising that some contestants stash booze in their handbags.
Business protection specialist Bob Voysey, 26, told Grazia: “I think as soon as a bottle of wine was gone during the first dinner party, they would just replace it.
“And then we were smashed, and it ended up in a massive argument. So then the second week, they took away a bit more alcohol.
“But we all thought, ‘Sod it, we're all going to bring our own drink!’”
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Despite living in the same apartment block as other couples, the cast weren't allowed to speak to each other and had to be chaperoned on walks.
“It was like you were being taken for a walk like a dog,” cast member Luke Dawson, 37, said.
