The cast includes retired pro-boxers\u00a0Nicola Adams and Chris Eubank, Love Island<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0Chloe Burrows, former professional footballer\u00a0Paul Gascoigne, The Wanted\u2019s\u00a0Max George, Gogglebox\u2019s\u00a0Scarlett Moffatt, actress\u00a0Donna Preston and comedian\u00a0Chris McCausland<\/a>, who is visually impaired.<\/p>\n The Bunker, located in a 146,000 square-foot hangar, has been specifically designed to shut out all light, except in the toilets \u2013 that\u2019s the only place where there\u2019s a dim light. Episodes will be broadcast across five consecutive nights, where 50 infrared cameras will capture the celebrities\u2019 eight-day stay.<\/p> They must also complete challenges in total darkness to win back some time in the light. Their first task is to find five key things that have been taken from their bags, like a toothbrush and socks, within two minutes \u2013 or they\u2019ll have to go without them. At the end, the winner will be chosen by the other contestants.<\/p>\n Host Dyer is joined on the show by clinical psychiatrist Dr Tharaka Gunarathne, who said: \u201cThe dark can be a direct fear or a reminder of a collateral fear that triggers a memory of a time when, for example, someone was alone in a room in the dark. When the lights go out, psychological uncertainty is at an all-time high \u2013 and we need certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n As well as general visual input, complete darkness can also remove social cues and the ability to connect with each other, thanks to an inability to read facial expressions. On the flipside, it also removes the need to keep up appearances, whether that\u2019s putting on make-up or a false smile.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a challenge for these celebrities because much of their professional life is very much in the spotlight. It\u2019s making a mockery of the social game and seeing how people survive,\u201d explained Gunarathne.<\/p>\n He points out that ex-boxer Adams is always smiling, for example, even in the dark (\u201cit releases positive endorphins and the ability to focus and be more relaxed\u201d), while Burrows, who is petrified of the dark, has a panic attack in the first episode. \u201cBeing an influencer is hugely visual, so hats off to Chloe for immersing herself knowing it\u2019s going to be painful, uncomfortable and scary,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Moffatt is a late entry to the team, at first trying to remain undetectable to the rest of the celebs. \u201cShe brings a lot of laughter in that place, which they need, because where there\u2019s increased laughter, there\u2019s increased oxytocin, which promotes trust and bonding.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, George\u2019s \u201cschoolboy playful side\u201d comes out, but \u201che\u2019s also able to be very serious\u201d and Preston\u2019s \u201csuperpower as a comedian is the ability to innovate and think on her feet\u201d. On the other hand, Gunarathne added: \u201cIt was very clear she [Donna Preston] found it very shocking and that\u2019s going to take a massive mental toll on you. You would expect to run into tiredness and exhaustion at times.\u201d<\/p>\n What about McCausland, who\u2019s surely at an advantage? \u201cWe have this assumption that Chris is going to be the expert, but there are so many different psychological dynamic factors at play that confound how well he could or could not do,\u201d Gunarathne continued. \u201cMany blind people who don\u2019t have conscious vision still have what we call unconscious vision, where your retina picks up light unconsciously, so putting Chris in the bunker still deprives him of that, so there are a lot of new variables for him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Gascoigne vocalises how worried he is going into the experiment, but he\u2019s \u201cvery open about the weaknesses and vulnerabilities he\u2019s been going through\u201d, Gunarathne added. \u201cYou empathise with that and you can see how painful it is for him. Then it makes you worry about how long he\u2019s actually going to manage this.\u201d<\/p>\n Eubank, meanwhile, takes instant offence to anyone swearing and isn\u2019t afraid to tell them so. \u201cIn the dark we might reveal what\u2019s important to us, which could be an issue of value,\u201d noted Gunarathne. \u201cSometimes when we\u2019re anxious, we want to control our environment. I really felt like he was regulating his own emotional energy when he went in, he had a winner\u2019s mindset.\u201d\u00a0He also maintained his unique sense of style, despite being \u201ccompletely invisible to everyone else\u201d.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, perhaps it\u2019s not the dark itself we\u2019re afraid of, but of looking inward when we\u2019re there, of truly seeing ourselves, and this format offers a penetrating \u2013 and oddly emotional \u2013 glimpse behind the celebrity mask. 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