Take Me Dancing - AJ Pritchard - I'm A Celeb 2020

Ten Stars

Demi P.O.V

I stomached the end of a sheep's penis. A. Sheep's. Penis.

We've managed to bag 8/8 stars so far. We have two more dishes to go, and whoever eats them is decided by spinning the table; whoever the sword lands on has to eat what's put in front of them.

"Who wants to spin the table next?" Jordan swallowed an entire fermented egg, which won us our 8th meal.

"You spin it, Jordan."

Jordan spins the table with an almighty push. The sword rolls around, testing fate with all of us, before finally landing on AJ. "AJ. This is for the 9th star."

A cloche is displayed before him.

"This . . . is 'spotted lick'. It's a cows tongue. You need to eat the precooked piece on the end."

"This isn't even funny anymore!" AJ cries whilst pulling the cocktail stick from the ginormous slab of meat. It looks like something you find in the reduced section of Aldi, that had then gone off, been rolled in cat hair and then served on a china plate. "I'm not even gonna think about it. It's just beef."

AJ pulls the meat off the stick and clenches down with his shining white teeth. He struggles to break it apart, having to throw it about his mouth in the process. AJ takes a few seconds and then wretches, leaning over his sick bucket. "Don't spew! You've gotten so far AJ. You can do this!" I tell him. "Chew and swallow! It's just an undercooked bit of beef. That's all."

It takes a couple of minutes to finally get the cow's organ down, but he succeeds in winning the 9th star. "AJ. You spin the table. You deserve to after that."

I watch AJ in awe. He's incredible. There is not a chance in hell I would be able to eat a cows tongue and not vomit.

The table is spun. The sword tempts us all, deciding who it's victim shall be. Who will attempt to win the final star for camp?

Of course, it lands on me.

"Demi!" Dec cheers with an unnecessary amount of joy. "Are you ready for the final dish?"

Jordan has eaten fermented egg, downed a smoothie of different bugs and digested a goats eye. AJ has chewed down on brain, fermented fish, cows tongue and rotten tofu. There is nothing that could be worse than that.

"This . . . is 'nuts roast'. It's a deer's testicle."

My stomach feels like the bag in a set of bag-pipes being vigorously squeezed; I feel sick to the bottom of my stomach. There are five or six testicles presented on a plate, with some beautiful garnishing to really take the piss. Each testicle is a purple colour - a sack of an ungodly liquid.

"You have to eat one whole testicle."

I pick up the squidgy bag of unspeakable gunk and raise it up to my mouth. "Put it all in in one go. Don't eat it in bites or it'll be worse."

I bite down on the testicle and it immediately spews out its insides. This is my worst fear; not spiders or snakes, but the eating trials. I violently heave. It tastes of a salty mix of rotten milk and bile. Jordan picks up my bucket and hands it to me as I gag, almost choking on the concoction.

I spit it all out into the bucket.

"That's the worst one." AJ cringes. "There is no way I would eat that."

The frustration builds up inside me. I should be able to do this. It's possible. I need that final meal for camp.

"Can I try again?" I ask Ant.

"I mean . . . if you want to?" 

I try again, grabbing a testicle from the plate and chucking it into my throat. This second one tastes just as bad, and the pop makes me wretch again. I clasp my hand over my lips and tap my feet on the floor, searching for a distraction.

"Think of your happy place. You're skating on Dancing on Ice, dancing around and performing. You're having a great time." AJ calms me. "You can do this, Demi."

I swallow, and burst into tears of joy.

"She's done it!" Dec gasps. "Somehow, you have ten meals for camp!"

Jordan and AJ jump out of their seats and wrap their arms around me whilst I begin to sob into my hands. "Demi. You are incredible." AJ musters into the crevice of my neck.

"That is one strong woman right there. You were not giving up were you?" Ant praises.

"No way. I needed that final star."

"Well, we won't hold you any longer. Go back to camp and tell everyone the news!"

AJ P.O.V

"Do you feel okay? You feel like you might be sick?" Jordan and I ask repetitively on the walk back to camp. "You want some water?"

"I'm fine, honestly boys!" Demi seems a lot more cheery than she did ten minutes ago. "I feel a lot better now I've stopped sobbing."

Demi pushes open the castle doors and is met with a huge cheer from the rest of the family. Giovanna and Hollie jump up from their chairs, rush over, and pull Demi in for a squeeze. "How did it go?"

"I think Demi should be the one to tell you."

"We got TEN STARS!" She cries, letting another tear fall onto her cheeks.

Giovanna and Victoria sit Demi on the stone bench and cuddle her from each side. She's clearly shaken up from the trial, which is no surprise. Demi undoubtedly had the worst dishes out of all of us.

"AJ and I had to eat some awful stuff. What was it we had?"

"Cows tongue; fermented fish and egg; sheep's brain," I list a few. "But Demi's dishes were the worst by far."

"She ate a sheep's testicle and spat it out. Then instead of giving up, she ate another one and won the final star." Jordan brags. "I think that deserves some applause."

We all clap our hands together in a symphony of applause. I've never seen anyone with so much willpower and determination to win anything before - it definitely shines through from her skating competitions.

The bell rings, signalling it's time to collect the food from the dumbwaiter. Demi stands, pulls down on the rope, and out pops our wicker basket full of treats.

She reads out the laminate. "Celebrities. As a result of AJ, Demi and Jordan winning ten stars in tonight's trial, you have quail, cumquats, and GARLIC!"

"Oh My Gosh!" Mo screams. "Something to add some taste! Finally!"

Whilst Giovanna and Shane cook the mini birds, I help cut up the vegetables and add them to the pan. I then grab the metal trays that we dish the food up into and give one to each campmate.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"AJ. I'm fine." Demi looks me in the eyes. The tears have disappeared and what's left is a pair of beautiful blue eyes that are framed by the freckles on her nose and cheeks. "I'm just going to eat, do the washing up and then have an early night."

Dinner tastes amazing, like a makeshift KFC. We keep some garlic aside for future meals and then collect up the dirty pots and pans.

"Mo and I are going to do the washing up. You just get some rest, okay?" Victoria tells Demi. "You did so well in the trial, facing your biggest fear."

"Thanks, Victoria."

Demi, Jordan and I walk through to the sleeping area. We all slide our shoes off, jump into our sleeping bags and snuggle in for another cosy night. "Night Demi. Night AJ."

"Goodnight guys," I call over to my other campmates, ready to end our third day in camp.

I doze off in seconds.

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