The twenty-fifth series of I'm A Celebrity launched on Sunday evening, with presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly returning to open the show.
The milestone series began with contestants confronting fish entrails and offal during their initial trial in the Australian jungle, but fans were left frustrated and distracted by tech issues with the voting app.
Among those taking part were television personality Kelly Brook, actor Martin Kemp, former EastEnders actress Shona McGarty, rapper Aitch and comedian Eddie Kadi.
The opening episode introduced a new element where contestants competed for places in a luxury vehicle that would transport them directly to camp, complete with premium sleeping arrangements and steak dinners.
Mr Kemp acknowledged the expectations surrounding his participation, noting that his son Roman had finished third in the 2019 series.
The Spandau Ballet star expressed his determination to surpass that achievement, admitting he genuinely wanted to win the competition.
The contestants competed for access to the Getaway car by navigating through animal organs and viscous substances to retrieve a key fob.
Rapper Aitch and comedian Eddie Kadi successfully obtained the keys, earning themselves cocktails and canapés during their journey to camp.
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Some fans expressed dissatisfaction with modifications to the programme's opening sequence, questioning the changes to the title credits.
Technical difficulties also plagued the programme's voting system as viewers attempting to participate encountered widespread malfunctions with the official app.
Frustrated fans took to X to voice their complaints about being unable to cast votes due to missing verification codes.
"This app is s***, no code, can't vote. Great start #ImACeleb," one viewer posted, whilst another wrote: "@imacelebrity I'm trying to vote but I'm not getting my code sent to my phone!!!!!! #ImACeleb".
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A second added: "@imacelebrity I’m trying to vote but I’m not getting my code sent to my phone!!!!!! #ImACeleb."
"Just got sent a code but I can’t put it into the website as it keeps giving me error codes. Ah well maybe next time #ImACeleb," echoed another.
The authentication system failures prompted numerous users to abandon the application entirely.
"I just deleted the app. not sending a code to allow me to vote so no point in having it #ImACeleb," complained one frustrated viewer.
Even those who eventually received verification codes encountered further obstacles, with the website rejecting valid entries and displaying error messages.
The timing of the technical issues proved particularly frustrating for viewers, with some receiving authentication texts only after removing the application from their devices.
"Now I get my code texted to me, AFTER I delete the app #ImACeleb," one exasperated fan posted.
"Won't send a pass code to let you login. #imacelebrity #ImACeleb @antanddec," another user reported, tagging the show's presenters in their complaint.
The app's dysfunction marked an inauspicious beginning to the anniversary series, preventing audience participation during the programme's opening episode.