This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Colin Fassnidge Tipped To Replace Pete Evans On I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

The MKR judge could be heading into the jungle after his former co-star was reportedly dropped from the lineup.

Pete Evans won’t be appearing on ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!’ but his former ‘My Kitchen Rules’ co-star may be.

The controversial chef’s apparent replacement on the Channel 10 show is tipped to be Colin Fassnidge (sorry Manu Feildel fans).

The Australian reported on Monday that the 45-year-old chef from Dublin will step in as the ‘renowned chef’ in the Aussie jungle after Pete was ‘dropped’ from the show following a social media post featuring a white nationalist symbol used by extremist movements and neo-Nazis.

Colin Fassnidge, pictured in Sydney in April this year, is tipped to appear on 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'
Don Arnold via Getty Images
Colin Fassnidge, pictured in Sydney in April this year, is tipped to appear on 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'
Colin Fassnidge (R) starred on 'My Kitchen Rules' alongside Manu Feildel (L) and Pete Evans (C)
Channel 7
Colin Fassnidge (R) starred on 'My Kitchen Rules' alongside Manu Feildel (L) and Pete Evans (C)

Colin has appeared on Channel 7′s ‘MKR’ since 2013 as a guest judge and mentor to the teams in the kitchen. He’s known for being very direct with contestants and as his own website quotes, is a “no-nonsense chef”.

Earlier this month he went to hospital after discovering he had high aluminium in the blood. Since then he’s hinted at a speedy recovery, posting of domestic travel and cooking on his Instagram account.

While Channel 10 won’t confirm or deny his involvement with the show, a network spokesperson said in a statement to HuffPost Australia:

“Some say Australia is the foodie capital of the world, so when it comes to renowned chefs, there’s quite a smorgasbord to choose from. Stay tuned, to see if we serve up a celebrity platter, fit for the Irish fella on Sunday, January 3.”

A few weeks ago many Twitter users called for Pete, who had been rumoured to be part of the ‘I’m a Celeb’ cast, to be dropped from the lineup by Channel 10 after he shared a cartoon of a caterpillar wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat from Donald Trump’s US presidential campaign, speaking to a butterfly with wings featuring the Black Sun wheel.

The Black Sun is a prominent white nationalist symbol that was used by extremist movements and neo-Nazis who marched during the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. The symbol was featured on the body armour worn by the gunman who killed dozens of worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, last year. He had declared his hatred for Muslim immigrants in Europe and idolised US extremist movements.

Andrew Jakubowicz, a professor of sociology at University of Technology, Sydney, told HuffPost Australia the narrative behind the cartoon Evans shared is “truly nasty and terrifying”.

Referring to Pete’s post, he said, “The cartoon refers to a conversation between a slow-witted [Trump supporter, the caterpillar] who is slightly behind the times but who will transform into a butterfly/moth with the 12 zoned sun which shows Sig runes,” which are Nazi lightning bolt symbols.

“Essentially the neo-Nazi tells the caterpillar it’s only time until Trump supporters will ‘naturally’ transmute and become Nazis and stormtroopers and mass murders.”

Pete didn’t respond to HuffPost Australia’s request for comment. He said in an Instagram post later that, in his defence, he had to “google what neo-Nazi meant”.

On the same day, a Channel 10 spokesperson didn’t confirm whether Pete was ever in the initial cast lineup but told HuffPost Australia in a statement, “Network 10 can confirm that Pete Evans will not be appearing on this season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!”

Big W, Dymocks, Woolworths, House, and Coles also distanced themselves from products related to the cook.

Pete, who was dumped by Channel 7 from ‘My Kitchen Rules’ in May, has made headlines for peddling misinformation to his millions of followers.

He recently said face masks should be thrown in the bin while calling for a “vaccine to be replaced with organic food, plant medicines, sunlight, functional medicine doctors and other natural health practitioners, breathwork, homeopathy, and great sleep”.

Earlier this year, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) fined him for claiming a gadget could cure “the Wuhan coronavirus”. He’s also called COVID-19 a “bullshit virus” and questioned the role of people’s lifestyle choices in whether they die of coronavirus.

“Now it’s very controversial, but how did these people live their lives?” he asked on the Ideas Digest podcast.

“What choices did they make through their lives to get Type 2 diabetes or heart disease, or this or that or the other?”

Never miss a thing. Sign up to HuffPost Australia’s weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusives and guides to achieving the good life.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.