Real Reason Ant and Dec Hide Their Watches on I’m A Celebrity as New Camp Secrets Emerge

For years, viewers of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! have been baffled by one strangely consistent detail: Ant and Dec always appear with their watch faces covered while presenting the hit ITV series. It’s a small but unmistakable quirk that eagle-eyed fans have debated season after season, spawning internet theories, backstage speculation, and countless social media posts attempting to crack the mystery.

Now, as new behind-the-scenes details surface and former contestants speak out, the real reason behind the watch-covering rule has finally come into focus — and it has far less to do with aesthetics and much more to do with protecting the psychological structure of the camp itself.

A Mystery That’s Sparked Years of Fan Theories

Over the past two decades, dozens of theories have circulated online. Some fans speculated that Ant and Dec’s covered watches prevented light from reflecting onto cameras during camp visits. Others believed it was a continuity decision, ensuring audiences wouldn’t see glimpses of filming schedules or time discrepancies during challenges and nighttime scenes.

But the most popular fan theory has always revolved around secrecy and psychological manipulation — the idea that celebrities are kept unaware of the time to intensify the isolation, stress, and unpredictability of their jungle experience.

As it turns out, that theory is the closest to the truth.

A Rule That Applies to Everyone — Not Just The Hosts

Former contestants Scarlett Moffatt and Joel Dommett revealed the real purpose of the policy back in 2017 on I’m A Celebrity: Extra Camp. They confirmed that anyone who interacts with campmates — presenters, producers, medics, runners, task supervisors — must hide their watch faces or avoid wearing watches entirely.

“It’s all part of the experience,” Moffatt explained. “None of the campmates are allowed to know the time, and no one around them can give it away.”

Dommett added that the rule is universal throughout filming, even during off-camera interactions such as health checks or safety briefings.

Why Time Is the Jungle’s Biggest Secret

The show’s executive producers have hinted at the reasoning over the years: I’m A Celeb is designed to remove everyday comforts, routines, and reference points. Knowing the time would give structure to the celebrities’ days, weakening one of the core elements of the show — the disorienting feeling of being completely cut off from the outside world.

Without clocks, phones, or natural markers of time (especially in the controlled lighting of camp and nearby sets), campmates quickly lose track of:

how long they’ve been awake
when they last ate
how long they’ve waited for a trial
how long they’ve been in the jungle overall

The result is a heightened emotional environment where hunger, nerves, and tension feel more intense — compelling television, but also a carefully managed psychological experiment.

By covering their watch faces, Ant and Dec help preserve this illusion, ensuring no inadvertent clue slips through.

The “Watch Tape” That Keeps the Show Running

Fans have often commented on the grey or black tape wrapped around the hosts’ wrists during trials or camp visits. This tape serves two purposes:

Blocks visibility: Even a quick flash of the watch hands could reveal the time to a perceptive contestant.
Stops reflective glare: Though not the primary reason, blocking shiny surfaces helps avoid catching studio lights, torches, or camera flashes.

In some seasons, the hosts have even worn completely blank watch faces to play things even safer.

Campmates Confirm the Disorientation Is Real

Former celebrities have repeatedly described the loss of time as one of the most surreal parts of the experience.

“You genuinely feel like you’re losing sense of reality,” one ex-contestant admitted in a radio interview. “You don’t know if it’s 6am or 2pm. It messes with your head.”

Another said the deprivation becomes a major talking point inside camp, with wild guesses about the time becoming a daily group activity — often wildly inaccurate.

The inability to tell time also makes the show’s unpredictable schedule feel even more chaotic: waking up to Trials, waiting hours for Bushtucker announcements, and being whisked to challenges with no idea if it’s morning or night.

A Small Detail With Big Impact

While it may seem trivial, Ant and Dec’s watch-covering rule is part of the show’s broader strategy to maintain its unique psychological environment. It ensures that celebrity reactions are authentic, the social dynamics remain raw, and the disorientation that fuels some of the show’s most iconic meltdowns, arguments, and emotional moments stays intact.

As I’m A Celebrity continues to reveal new behind-the-scenes secrets each season, one thing is clear:
even the tiniest detail — like a taped-over watch — plays a crucial role in creating the jungle’s unforgettable drama.