‘All I can do in the jungle is just be me’: Scarlette Douglas says she was the ‘underdog’ as she speaks out on I’m A Celebrity race row
Scarlette Douglas has waded into the I’m A Celebrity race row, suggesting she was voted out because she was the ‘underdog’ rather than because of her race.
The 35-year-old property expert was the second contestant to leave camp, after Charlene White was eliminated first, while Babatunde Aleshe also found himself in the bottom two.
Viewers quickly took to social media to voice their anger that the only two black females on the series were the first to leave.
Having her say: Scarlette Douglas has waded into the I’m A Celebrity race row, suggesting she was voted out because she was the ‘underdog’ rather than because of her race
This marks the second consecutive year the show has faced such accusations after Naughty Boy, Kadeena Cox and DJ Snoochie Shy were evicted early on in the 2021 series – leaving an all-white camp line-up.
Asked about the race row, Scarlette told MailOnline: ‘All I can do in the jungle is just be me. And I think when Charlene went obviously we were all so shocked because she was a big personality of the jungle.’
‘And then I can’t remember who it was, I think it was Boy George, he said people aren’t voting for who they want to leave, they’re voting for their favourite. So I’ve always come in here as an underdog. I’ve got the least profile of anybody else, you know, not everybody knows who I am. Hopefully they do now!
‘So I was never going to get the most amount of votes. You know, even if you’re just looking at something like Instagram, I always have the least amount of followers. If I go by something like that. I’m not going to get all the votes. So for me all I could have done in the jungle was do my best and hope people like and hope that people voted for me.’
Outrage: The 35-year-old property expert was the second contestant to leave camp, after Charlene White was eliminated first
Fans of the ITV show accused viewers of racism on Twitter following Scarlette’s shock departure, with one saying: ‘Notice how not one single black person has ever won I’m A Celeb.’
Another tweeted: ‘Stop bringing race into it, two out, both black women when there’s horrible problematic white men still in there. And let’s not forget a black person has never won this show. Race is relevant when there is an obvious pattern.’
A third viewer said: ‘If you still need proof that racism is very much alive and kicking in this country, two black women have now been consecutively voted out and the only black man in the jungle was in close danger of leaving. Still think we’re pulling the race card, boomers?’
Accusations: Viewers quickly took to social media to voice their anger that the only two black females on the series were the first to leave, while Babatunde Aleshe also found himself in the bottom two
Another said: ‘Charlene, now Scarlette. Love Island, Strictly. Black women don’t stand a chance on reality TV. It just shows how racist and sexist this country is.‘
And a fifth echoed: ‘Anyone who doesn’t question the possibility that the Charlene/Scarlette result could be racist, be it conscious or unconscious, is ignorant. It can’t be proven either way but that uncertainty should make us all feel uncomfortable – not just blindly state it isn’t racism.’
The ITV show’s winners have been consistently white throughout its 20-year history.
Angry: Fans of the ITV show accused viewers of racism on Twitter following Scarlette’s shock departure, with one saying: ‘notice how not one single black person has ever won I’m A Celeb’
A source close to Scarlette told MailOnline: ‘All Scarlette could do was be herself on the show and she did everyone proud.
‘There’s nothing she could have done differently, if she isn’t the public’s favourite then that’s that but she did everything she could to show viewers who she really is.’
Scarlette’s fans also tweeted in their hundreds about Matt Hancock and Boy George surviving the second public vote, despite the property expert being a fun and positive energy in camp.
One tweet read: ‘Two black women are the first ones out before Matt Hancock lol try and tell me this country isn’t racist’ while another said: ‘Why was Scarlette voted out over Boy George when she was so calming and motivating towards all her campmates?’
Anger: Scarlette’s fans also tweeted in their hundreds about Matt Hancock and Boy George surviving the second public vote, despite the property expert being a fun and positive energy in camp
Second uproar: This marks the second consecutive year the show has faced such accusations after Naughty Boy, Kadeena Cox and DJ Snoochie Shy were among the first to leave the 2021 series – leaving an all-white camp line-up
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