Why I'm a Celebrity was cancelled despite contestants being 'safe' from Storm Arwen

I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! has been canceled temporarily due to Storm Arwen—but it's not to protect its contestants. 

ITV pulled Saturday and Sunday's episodes of the reality show yesterday after its set at Gwrych Castle was battered by the European windstorm, shortly before announcing that it had removed its contestants from the hazardous Welsh spot. 

The I'm a Celebrity 2021 lineup has now been placed in quarantine, where they will remain until it is safe to return to camp. The disastrous disruption comes just two days after Richard Madeley's hospitalization forced him to unexpectedly leave the show. 

ITV's decision to withdraw the 11 remaining contestants from Gwrych Castle, where the show is being filmed due to travel restrictions, has reportedly little to do with safety concerns for the celebrities themselves. 

According to Dr. Mark Baker, chair of the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, the 19th-century fortress is more than able to withstand the force of Storm Arwen. 

"Because it is a medieval site, what they would have chosen back then are locations where it’s incredibly sheltered from bad weather," he told the Sun. 

"So the castle’s at the base of a hill and it’s in a recess. When you get the northerly and westerly gales, they literally blow over the top of the castle."

With its protected position, Gwrych Castle is, ironically, one of the best places to seek refuge from Storm Arwen. "You could be stood in the middle of the castle, this storm raging around you and it’s like it’s the calm at the center of the storm," Dr. Baker added. 

Unfortunately, not everybody involved with I'm a Celebrity can hide inside the castle. While the campers are shielded behind the stone walls, production staff—who stay mostly on the periphery of the castle—are at high risk of being injured by the storm's mighty force. 

The crew was reportedly left "terrified" by Storm Arwen after its merciless winds nearly blew them into the air, sending them frantically in search of emergency shelter. Their marquees and canopies were also severely damaged by the gales, which are estimated to be traveling at a speed of up to 90 mph. 

I'm a Celebrity producers are reportedly now rushing to re-establish the set in the hope of resuming filming as quickly as possible.