Steve Granitz/Getty Images; Frank Micelotta/Getty Images; Jeffrey Ufberg/Getty ImagesHere's some reality for Rod Blagojevich: His TV career is over before it began.
The former Illinois governor has been bounced from competing in NBC's summer series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here after a federal judge in Chicago refused to give the helmet-haired politico permission to travel to the Costa Rican jungle for filming.
While Blagojevich's lawyer hinted that NBC might relocate the series to the U.S. to accommodate the would-be star, the Peacock quickly shot down that idea.
"There are no plans to move the show," a network rep said.
U.S. District Judge James Zagel suggested that Blagojevich would be better served if he stayed in town to focus on his defense against corruption charges for allegedly attempting to sell political favors, including President Obama's Senate seat.
"I don't think this defendant fully understands...the position he finds himself in," the judge said at Tuesday's proceeding. The disgraced governor, who has pleaded not guilty to all counts, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Because he needed judicial approval ahead of time, Blagojevich had been the only confirmed member of the I'm a Celebrity cast. NBC has been waiting until this Friday to announce the rest of the crew, although recent reports have said Fox News' Geraldo Rivera, former America's Next Top Model judge/Surreal Life trainwreck Janice Dickinson, Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman, American Idol has-been Sanjaya Malakar and MTV twosome Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are also on board.
I'm a Celebrity is scheduled to premiere June 1 and air over four weeks.