Rat cooking lands TV show in hot water

[THUNDERDUCK]

SYDNEY – Two stars of the "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here" television show have been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly killing and cooking a rat to eat during filming.

Chef Gino D'Acampo, who won the viewer-feedback contest series, and actor Stuart Manning were charged after animal welfare activists lodged a complaint about a segment for the British TV program, which was filmed in Australia, the activists and British media reported Sunday.

In a statement to The Associated Press, New South Wales state police said Sunday that two men, aged 33 and 30, were charged with animal cruelty for acts in connection to the program but did not give names or other details. They have been asked to appear in court to face the charge on Feb. 3. The maximum penalty is three years in prison.

The performers and ITV, the network that produces the show, did not immediately respond to media inquiries about the incident.

"The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable. The concern is this was done purely for the cameras," David O'Shannessy from the New South Wales RSPCA told the British Broadcasting Corp.

He said producers were normally required to have animal welfare officers on set when animals were used during filming, but in this case it did not take place.

"I'm a Celebrity" strands C-list celebrities in the Australian Outback, subjects them to a series of icky trials involving spiders and snakes, and allows the public to vote them off the show one by one.

[kuno_thunder]

I'm reminded of that time that Sandara Park had to kill a chicken by herself on SCQ and then couldn't eat it later, because she didn't want to kill a living being.  Yet, I still eat fried chicken.

[shurastriker]

well even if there is no law about this... is clear that everything you do on TV can hit you back so must be extremely careful with the silly details (specially those) now it all depends on how the management handle the issue (but seriously, killing a rat on TV? HOW DISGUSTING)

[Asmodai]

I'm more concerned that they had rats on the set of a cooking show.

[Tuffty]

^ It's not a cooking show though, it's Z-list celebrities being stuck on an island trying to survive the conditions and the public vote. Terrible, terrible program where the only redeeming feature was seeing Myleene Klass showering in her swimwear.

[~Dan~]

I'm more concerned that they had rats on the set of a cooking show.

They were in the Australian "outback" or "bush" or whatever.  In truth they weren't very far from civilization and the whole thing is very manufactured but the viewer doesn't see that.

I watched it.  I don't think you even saw them kill the rat, just them cooking and eating it.  They killed the rat because they weren't given enough food.  They have to do various challenges to win food and if they do badly they don't win much food.  One of those challenges is to eat live cockroaches, witchety grubs, worms, etc so it's funny they didn't get in trouble over that, or the many insects, spiders etc that were stomped.

[kuro808]

it must be worth the crime 

but yeah survival has no limits so even if there weren't cameras they would have to find a way to survive so idk if that would hold up

[tru_harmony]

i think the whole point of the charge is that they did it in a show... and there ARE cameras