Reality TV has a ‘race problem’. Just look what happened to Nella Rose

I’m A Celebrity’s Nella Rose has become the second star voted out of the jungle, following in the footsteps of Frankie Dettori. And I’m not remotely surprised that she’s gone so soon.

It’s not a shock (for me, at least) that the 26-year-old social media influencer was in the first cohort of those to be voted out on this particular reality television programme: Black people often are. It’s a bit like horror movies – Black folks are typically the first to disappear.

In fact, I was quite happy not to watch I’m A Celebrity, for this very reason. I’ve long been disillusioned and rather triggered by programmes that routinely do Black people a disservice. But I’ll admit it: I was curious. I watched it for Nella, a popular online star whose work I’m familiar with. I wanted to see how she would fare as the lone Black woman in the jungle and offer a bit of solidarity from afar, too, by tuning in.

My heart sank when I saw how she was subjected to abuse and vitriol by sections of the British media and online trolls from day one. It all started after an on-screen disagreement with First Dates star Fred Sirieix, following comments he made about being “old enough to be her dad”. She also had an interaction with Nigel Farage over the issue of cultural appropriation – and his track record on immigration.

Nella accused Nigel of wanting people like her “gone” from the UK as she spoke to him about remarks he has made previously about reducing immigration numbers. “Let’s not be best buds,” she told him.

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But her response to both white men divided viewers. Ofcom reportedly received thousands of complaints following both exchanges. “I want that woman dragged out the jungle because she’s racist,” TalkTV presenter James Whale said, adding “She’s thick” and “ITV should be ashamed of themselves”.

When I heard this, I was reminded that Black reality television contestants simply do not have the luxury of making mistakes or overreacting to situations, even if they are young or (as in Nella’s case – she’s lost both parents – bereaved and emotionally triggered).

Black people are not afforded that grace. They are all too often held to unrealistically high expectations of perfection, and woe betide anyone who falls short.

A 2023 study revealed the extent of racial and gender discrimination in voting on a US reality TV programme – and it makes me wonder if the same is happening on I’m a Celeb, too. For example, it is telling that Marvin Humes, pop star and the only other ethnic minority contestant in the jungle, also received the least number of votes, alongside Nella.

Yes, someone always has to go home first in shows like this, but we can’t ignore the fact that prejudice and ‘entertainment’ go hand in hand.

I’m not making this up: Black former reality contestants such as former Love Islander Mike Boateng, The Circle contestant Manrika Khaira and The Apprentice star Souleyman Bah have all called for more representation at the top, better care for people of colour and greater understanding of how the editing process can impact social media trolling.

There are countless examples of ethnic minority contestants receiving a smaller number of votes from members of the public compared with their white counterparts – from Nella Rose and Charlene White’s recent appearances on I’m A Celebrity, to Alexandra De-Gale and Charley Uchea on Big Brother. Not to mention Joanna Jarjue and Bianca Miller on The Apprentice, and Misha B on The X Factor.

Ever since this year’s I’m A Celebrity line-up was announced, I was concerned ITV would not only be responsible for the rehabilitation of Nigel Farage – a man who has a long track record of deeply inflammatory comments on race and immigration – but they would pay him handsomely for it, too (reportedly more than £1million). My other concern, however, was that people like Farage would be living in a jungle with two Black people. It feels to me as though the broadcaster has failed in its duty of care to both Black and Asian viewers and contestants alike.

There’s one more factor that’s important to highlight – and that’s the way that Black female contestants often face a double whammy of sexist and racist abuse: a phenomenon known as misogynoir.

In 2020, singer Alexandra Burke talked about the negative language that was used to describe her during her time as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, saying she was labelled “aggressive” and told to “smile more” because she’s Black. Black comedian London Hughes also recently talked about how much abuse she received while participating in the Celebs Go Dating reality TV show in 2019.

As reality TV debates rage on, I’m reminded how easily the dehumanisation of Black people is normalised. It is both exhausting and predictable. We’ve even seen corporate retailers such as Moonpig and Boohoo jump on the Nella-hate train by launching satirical greeting cards (the former) and even tweeting a “thumbs down” (the latter) next to her name.

Here’s the thing: reality TV is just a microcosm of the society we already live in – reflecting the lived experiences of people around the nation.

Coming out to the mammoth hate machine that’s been churning against her won’t be easy for Nella – someone who’s already been through so much, having lost both parents and grappled with homelessness. It’s little wonder she abruptly cancelled her first planned media appearance earlier today. I’d do the exact same thing.