JUNGLE TROUBLE

DID NBC *TORTURE* SPENCER AND HEIDI PRATT ON THE SET OF "I'M A CELEBRITY . . . GET ME OUT OF HERE"???

We desperately wanted to IGNORE all of the insanity surrounding NBC's "I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!" . . . but the situation has become so absurd over the past few days, that we're forced to bring it up.

Here's what you should know: "Hills" HEIDI PRATT was HOSPITALIZED in Costa Rica . . . (--where the show is being filmed) . . . after allegedly becoming violently ill while she and her husband, SPENCER, were being punished for quitting the show last week.

In order to return to the show, NBC had them spend a night in isolation . . . in a place called the "Lost Chamber." Spencer and Heidi had already been in there for an earlier challenge. That time, the room was filled with bugs, spiders and rodents.

This time, the room was cleared of all that, but the Pratts didn't know that. Instead, NBC played mind games with them, by doing things like: Using a fishing pole to drag an acorn across the floor, and using a small tube to blow air on their backs. The timetable is a little vague . . . but at some point Heidi reportedly became "ill", and was, "convulsively throwing up." She was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a GASTRIC ULCER. She's since been released.

Spencer's sister, STEPHANIE PRATT, claims that they were, "locked in a dark room for three days with no food or water" . . . but other "sources" tell the site that they spent eight to 10 hours in the hole, WITH food and water. Obviously, you'll want to take ALL OF THIS with a grain of salt. There are a ton of conflicting reports going around the Internet . . . and it's in the best interest of everyone involved (except us) for this nonsense to get as much publicity as possible.

For example, some so-called "show insiders" say Heidi wasn't visibly sick OR vomiting . . . and she forced the show's medics to get her to the hospital. An NBC suit says Spencer ALSO had a freak out in the "Lost Chamber" . . . claiming that he'd somehow DISLOCATED HIS THUMB. One of the show's medics investigated, and found his thumb to be perfectly fine.

Anyway, here's the latest word: Spencer and Heidi want off the show for good . . . and Spencer is planning on SUING the show for TORTURING them. But NBC denies any wrongdoing . . . and says they have video proof. The show's producers say they had cameras on them non-stop . . . including infrared cameras in the dark. They also say they had medics on the scene the whole time.

The production company, ITV Studios, has issued a statement saying, "The health of the celebrity participants are of the utmost importance . . . allegations of the celebrities being deprived of food and water are completely untrue."