LONDON — The jungle drums are beating louder than ever, and it’s not just the Bushtucker Trials rattling the vines — it’s the cold, hard cash figures that just leaked from ITV’s vaults, sending shockwaves through the casting couch and straight to social media. In a twist that’s got everyone from Manchester millennials to Ozzy Osbourne superfans doing double-takes, 25-year-old rapper Aitch has clawed his way to the top of the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2025 payday pyramid, reportedly pocketing a jaw-dropping £250,000 for his stint Down Under. That’s a cool quarter-mil for three weeks of kangaroo chowder and zip-line terror — beating out glamour puss Kelly Brook’s £80,000 and even Jack Osbourne’s £200,000 grief-fueled grief, and proving once again that in telly’s wild kingdom, Gen Z clout is the real king of the beasts.

The leak, spilled to The Sun by a TV insider who’s clearly got more dirt than a dingo’s den, dropped like a Bushtucker pie in the face of early rumors. Everyone had pegged Loose Women’s sultry siren Kelly Brook as the cash queen, with whispers of £300,000 floating around her DJ gigs and Hollywood heartthrob tales. But nope — Aitch, real name Harrison Armstrong, the Manchester lad behind bangers like “Deadbeats” and “My G,” swooped in with a negotiator’s swagger that’s got execs salivating. “Aitch is a very savvy operator and already loaded from his music, property flips, and Threads clothing line,” the source dished. “But he’s eyeing that mainstream glow-up as he hits his late 20s, and ITV sees him as the youth serum to pump ratings among the TikTok crowd. That 2.2 million Insta army? Pure gold for viral clips of him freestyling over frog legs.”

Hot on his heels? Jack Osbourne, the 40-year-old black sheep of rock royalty, who’s reportedly banking £200,000 just months after dad Ozzy’s heartbreaking passing earlier this year. Insiders say producers are banking on Jack’s raw family yarns — think Sharon’s tough love and Kelly’s sibling shade — to tug at heartstrings and spike transatlantic buzz. “It’s a great addition post-Ozzy; viewers will eat up his take on loss and legacy,” the leak-monger added. “That Osbourne name still sells syndication stateside.” Kelly Brook? She’s slinking in at £80,000, a snip compared to her rumored haul, but bosses are betting her bombshell stories — from Jason Statham flings to Heart FM hijinks — will spice up the campfire confessions. “Kelly’s glamour on a budget,” quipped one exec anonymously. “She’ll dish the dirt without breaking the bank.”

The full cast payout pecking order reads like a survival-of-the-fittest ledger: Former Lioness Alex Scott and football TikToker Angry Ginge (Morgan Burtwhistle) both netting £100,000 for their sporty swagger and viral potential. Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp, EastEnders’ Shona McGarty, Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley, and comedy queen Ruby Wax are all hovering at £95,000 — solid mid-tier moolah for soap suds and ’80s nostalgia. And scraping the bottom of the barrel? Comedian Eddie Kadi at a “humble” £75,000, though his quick quips could turn that into comedy tour gold faster than you can say “I’m a Celeb spin-off.”

Compared to last year’s payday palace — where Coleen Rooney allegedly raked in £1.5 million for her Wagatha Christie woes and Nigel Farage pocketed the same for his Brexit banter — this year’s totals feel like a budget Bushtucker. “ITV’s tightening the purse strings post-strikes and streaming wars,” a production mole whispered to Heat. “But Aitch’s fee is an investment — think Stormzy-level crossover, minus the grime filter. Jack’s grief arc? Emotional dynamite for the over-40s. Kelly? Eye candy with a side of scandal.” Still, the leak’s timing — just days before the cast jets to Australia for Sunday’s launch — has sparked a firestorm of “unfair pay” gripes on X, with #JunglePayGap trending at 1.2 million posts. “Aitch for £250k? Fair play, but Eddie’s £75k for laughs? Robbery,” fumed one user, while another sniped, “Kelly Brook at £80k? In this economy? She’s worth double just for the bikini bits.”

Aitch, who’s been coy as a croc in camo, teased his jungle jaunt on Insta last week with a cryptic “Down Under for the culture — snakes, stars, and survival mode incoming 🐍🌟.” Fans are frothing: Will the BRIT Award winner trade mic drops for meal trials? Can he out-rap the crocs? And with his property empire and Threads streetwear empire already minting millions, is this just a vanity vacay or a calculated career pivot? “He’s not hurting for cash, but visibility? Priceless,” his camp told Capital FM. Jack, meanwhile, got the green light from sis Kelly and ma Sharon post-Ozzy’s death, spilling to The Mirror: “They said go heal in the bush — and maybe snag some Bushtucker for the family chat.” Kelly Brook? She’s flipping her “never say never” script from last year’s podcast shade, telling Elizabeth Day: “Life’s too short — time to eat witchetty grubs and spill the Statham tea.”

ITV’s not commenting on the “alleged” figures — standard protocol for these salary sideshows — but ratings bosses are banking on a youthquake. “Aitch is our TikTok Trojan horse,” one exec leaked to Variety. “Last year’s boomer bait worked, but 2025 needs scroll-stoppers.” As the cast preps for Ant and Dec’s zip-wire welcome (airs Sunday, November 23 on ITV), the real trial might be surviving the pay parity backlash. Will Aitch’s payday prove prophetic, or will the jungle chew him up like last night’s croc chow?

One thing’s certain: In the land of trials and triumphs, the biggest bushwhack was this payday plot twist. Grab your torches — the fire’s just getting lit.