She may bitch about it all the time, but I have no doubt her co-host advised her that the guaranteed way to get air time every night, other than doing trials, is to be the camp's goto 'chef'!
From day one, the first thing I remember her saying was 'I really like cooking and I'm a good cook' marking her territory straight off.
Even when she has declared she needs a break from it due to the bickering, she has managed to ensure herself airtime by still 'controlling' even from her bunk.

What happened this year, to 'camp chef' having sous chefs helping with the prep etc.?
seems to me Mel has even done most of the peeling, chopping etc. as well as the cooking.

So in my opinion, those who are upset or questioning her final four ranking..... King (splutter) Gino is who we can thank

Correct, Gino admitted this last week on ITV This Morning, he said she had asked him for some advice for when she went in and he said to do the cooking….ha, she definitely took him seriously, however, he was appreciated for it, let's face it he can cook and he allowed others to help out. I really liked Mel before she went in but she has quite surprised me, very controlling and argumentative…I just hope she doesn't win…...

So that's why she was being territorial?...hmmm

Let's face it, Gino is probably the best winner of I'm a celebrity. He was absolutely hilarious. But not only is he a fantastic cook he sneaked in condiments and spices, so made the food more tasty which the camp mates thoroughly enjoyed! He may well have advised Mel but no different to anybody else that has gone in the jungle and who knew somebody else going in and advised them.

I don't think Mel is controlling at all and not really argumentative either, both those tags go to Edwina for me!

I think weve got the message now that you like Mel and dislike Edwina. Youve said it enough times

Yes, oh so true! But no different to you, just the other way around. I find it amusing how many people that have slated Mel on here but when I put anything negative about Edwina you don't like it!

It's hardly "insider knowledge", anyone who has ever watched IAC knows being the cook will get you airtime.

I give Mel being territorial about the cooking a pass, those who have been like that before have said it was an escape from going stir crazy when you aren't getting out of camp for trials, I can believe that. It's just her being so up and down with seemingly no middle that grates on my nerves.

Even when she was pissed off with the cooking she couldn't bear anyone else taking over. Probably in case they took over for good.

Now when i think about it, this is why I cant bear any celebs who automatically take on this role. It's too obvious that they are desperados to win.

So the neurotic outbursts were only cooking related by proxy of being desperate to win?

Makes sense.

But why can't they all have a go at cooking, I understand Gino being the chef all the way through because he is a chef, but Mel is no chef.
Why disn't anyone else say that they want to cook, I'm sure most of them could cook just as well as her. !!!

Because she would have bitten their head of, I guess for a quiet life they decided just to let her get on with it, shame though it would have been better seeing others cook.

Mel has taken big advice from her pal Gino D'campo about the chief cook role and how they are adored due to being starving, and why she got so annoyed at anyone giving her advice on how to prepare or cook the food.. shes in to win.. but went right off and enjoyed Edwina much more... Mel should have left last night.

and yet Edwina won the 'most annoying' and 'most argumentative' campmate. I think ITV showed us only half of the story as usual.

And this was from her camp mates. I'm sure they seen Edwina being a lot more annoying and argumentative than we did.

Still, it made for better viewing if ITV gave us a ' villain '. This year it was Mel.

It's as obvious as their ramming Jake down our throats

and her campmates would know her better than we do, they get to be with her 24 hour a day.

No answer to that really other than - as we say in my part of the world "well I'l go to the foot of our stairs"

That is very true - and perhaps some people make the other half up and see ot think what they wish to do.

I doubt if anyone would dare give Mel a negative vote. She had a strop when not given most hardworking......

Why am I not surprised. It's not her damned food and she has no right to take total control over it without question.

. He's a trained cook and could manage alone. She can't and used it to totally control everyone else and think she was entitled to some bloody goddess status. Complete with childish hissy fits.

Great points and couldn't agree more.. on all fronts!

Jeez she went right over the top about her control freak martyrdom.

They certainly seemed to make up most of the stuff about Mel, some of it very imaginative.

Several of them said that they tried - Mel, subsequently, threw a strop. They didn't pursue the idea, in order to keep the peace.....

It was anything to keep the peace. She hated letting anyone even help, apart from her faves. It's not her bloody food! Foggy is telling some home truths at the moment and Mel is whinging, of course, making every excuse under the sun