Alfonso Ribeiro dances his way back into jungle contention

Alfonso Ribeiro has laid down a marker on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! after finally opting to showcase his trademark dance moves as a bad case of disco fever descended over the group.

The US television star remains a rank outsider to win the show at odds of 66/1, with TOWIE star Joey Essex still in pole position for victory at 8/13, but he is likely to have improved his chances with his mesmeric mish-mash of arms and legs.

Up until this point the 42-year-old has been something of a disappointment, with the jungle’s array of creepy crawlies and cramped conditions failing to prompt the kind of high-pitched screams and flailing arms that made Carlton such a great comic creation on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

But some of the old magic returned this week, as Ribeiro led his campmates in an impromptu dance tutorial, where the moves that became familiar to millions were on display again.

All it required was a pep talk from fashion designer David Emanuel, who was keen for the TV star to show some of the spark he previously demonstrated during his brief cameo on the Graham Norton show last year – a clip that generated millions of views on YouTube.

“When I met you I thought you were a fabulous, larger than life character and really funny but now that guy has gone….buck up a bit….you don’t want to go down in history as boring,” he told Ribeiro.

Since his dance antics Will Smith’s former co-star has also seen his chances of victory boosted by the eliminations of Vincent Simone along with Matthew Wright and though Essex remains the runaway favourite, there could yet be room for a bet on ‘Carlton Banks’.

With Ladbrokes now offering customers a Without Joey Essex market the odds of 33/1 on Ribeiro coming out on top look a tempting prospect.

The Westlife man is the 1/4 favourite in this particular market, while he can also be backed to win outright at 9/4 with Ladbrokes.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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