I’m A Celebrity's camp pest Merv tested by slithering snakes

HE'S been grating on the nerves of his celebrity camp mates, but it's Merv Hughes' nerves that will be tested on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! tonight.

In the reality show's latest tucker trial, during which the show's stars confront gross and scary challenges to earn food to supplement their basic rice and beans diet, Hughes will face his fear of snakes.

The cricket legend will be asked to put his head inside six suspended boxes filled with different kinds of creepy crawlies to retrieve stars, each of which represents one meal.

The other five boxes are filled with locusts, ants, rats, cockroaches and spiders.

"The more I think about it, the worse it's going to be," Hughes says.

"I'm going to need treatment after this."

The show, hosted by Julia Morris and Dr Chris Brown live from South Africa, airs tonight at 7.30pm on Channel 10.