I'm a celebrity get me out of here 2009

By Nishant Joshi

Dear readers, for the next few weeks, your writer will subject himself to some of the most hideous self-torture known to man, all in the name of some profit. Watching a few D-list celebrities frolic in the Australian jungle is not exactly how I prefer to enjoy my nights in, but that is exactly what I will be subjecting myself to.

So far, we have seen Italian TV chef Gino D'Acampo as jolly across the boards, but it is apparent that he is a false favourite if there ever was one. His good looks and Italian charm have the potential to boost his popularity, but he has already come across as sexist, arrogant and over the coming weeks I am adamant that the public will grow tired of him.

In a field where I had heard of less than half of the line-up, I have decided to go with the candidate who is already the most popular. Like her or loathe her, Katie Price (aka Jordan) is a must bet at prices of up to

A preposterously huge "fan base" Katie Price

6.0. With precious little competition, prior experience of the jungle (finishing 5th in Series 3), her fan base is now preposterously huge. I am fairly certain that she will have been the most photographed and written about 'celeb' in the UK in 2009. Katie Price's fan base has grown steadily, along with probable equal numbers of people who despise her. Ironically, I am in the latter camp, but will be cheering her on here.

It is frightful to think that Price's fan base may run into the hundreds of thousands, and it is nothing short of nauseating to think that it could easily have already breached the 1 million mark. No doubt this is more than the rest of the bunch put together, multiplied by a few times. Although she is nothing short of a money-hungry conniving whore - although scorned men such as myself may apply that description to most of the XX population - Price is extremely media-savvy and publicity-hungry. With PR Guru Max Clifford on board back in the UK, she is bound to continue to receive the headlines in the rags and the glossy magazines, and it is incredible to see her not trade as favourite in such a relatively anonymous field.

Already, Price has received the most attention from the voters, being voted into doing all of the Bushtucker trials so far. I feel that there is a strong chance of Price winning over her more gullible doubters (not me), with her sob stories about Peter Andre leaving her, and how much she misses her child. There is already a feeling among the rest of the camp that she is fairly 'down to earth' and a decent girl 'once you get to know her' - two phrases which irk me to no end, but are entirely reflective of the likely psychological shift of her potential voters. I feel that Price will win over some of her doubters here, and they will no doubt overlook the fact that she has abandoned her child to go to the other side of the world, to collect a 350k appearance cheque.

Even though value is almost entirely subjective in reality TV betting (there's a sentence I didn't think I'd say 10 years ago!), Price should be clear favourite while there is still time for some dark horses to emerge.

I recommend going in with a maximum bet here, although please note that there is a decent chance that we will look to add to our portfolio should any serious threats announce themselves - so stay tuned!

NJ's Bet:

Katie Price to win IACGMOOH! - 5pts @ 6.0 (Boylesports)