On Wednesday, October 8, at 9 p.m. GMT on BBC One, ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ got underway in the United Kingdom — and the three celebrities chosen as the series’ traitors were revealed.
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the first-ever UK celebrity incarnation of the show is a spin-off of the British version of reality series ‘The Traitors,’ which originated in 2021 in the Netherlands as ‘De Verraders.’
Like the main show, this celebrity edition of ‘The Traitors’ is set in and around the grounds of Ardross Castle in the Highland region of Scotland.
It also follows the premise of its parents series, with the celebrity contestants participating in a social deduction game similar to Mafia or Werewolf, as one of them is “murdered” by the traitors on a nearly nightly basis. The aim either is to quietly kill the competition as a Traitor or weed out the murderers as a Faithful. It’s fair to say the first episode kicked things off with a bang.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD — This piece will recap the first episode of ‘The Celebrity Traitors UK’ and reveal who the traitors are.
Celebrities Thrown in at the Deep End
It’s a really interesting lineup of celebrities, with all demographics covered.
They are (in alphabetical order): Comedian Alan Carr, 49, singer-songwriter Cat Burns, 25, actress Celia Imrie, 73, singer Charlotte Church, 39, television presenter Clare Balding, 54, historian David Olusoga, 55, former rugby player Joe Marler, 35, comedian Joe Wilkinson, 50, television presenter Jonathan Ross, 64, television presenter Kate Garraway, 57, comedian Lucy Beaumont, 42, actor Mark Bonnar, 56, actor Nick Mohammed, 44, YouTuber Niko Omilana, 27, singer-songwriter Paloma Faith, 44, actress Ruth Codd, 29, broadcaster Sir Stephen Fry, 68, actress Tameka Empson, 48, and former Olympic diver Tom Daley, 31.
In the first task, the celebrities were taken to a remote rural area where they were confronted with their own gravestones. They then had to dig their own graves while searching for an immunity shield that would keep them safe from the first murder. Ross, Wilkinson, Marler, Garraway, Imrie, and Church were successful in achieving that goal.
The celebrities were then gathered around a table in the castle and blindfolded. Winkleman then went around the room tapping three of them on the shoulder. The tap meant they had been chosen to be the series’ traitors.
The next challenge required them to use their collective physical strength to push a two-tonne Trojan horse up a path. Along the path were four locked gates. To get through those gates, the celebrities either had to answer questions correctly or give up a shield to win £15,000 for the prize pot. Church gave her shield away to get through one gate.
Clare Balding immediately aroused suspicion when she failed to read one of the questions correctly and locked in an incorrect answer. However, the celebrities ultimately prevailed and headed back to the castle for the evening.
‘The Traitors’ Reveals Its Celebrity Culprits
The three celebrity traitors were revealed to be Jonathan Ross, Cat Burns, and Alan Carr.
While Ross and Burns seem like great candidates to perform their role in secret, Carr is clearly the series’ wildcard. He’s boisterous, jumpy, and he sweats profusely when he’s anxious. It’s going to be intriguing seeing if he can hold his nerve when performing traitorous activities.
Speaking of which, the trio’s first murderous task was for one of them to rub their fingers on a poisonous plant inside the castle, then touch their chosen victim on the face. The show ended with Carr having caressed the plant, but the victim hasn’t yet been chosen.
Carr told the production team, “It’s the touching the face that’s the problem. How the hell am I going to do this? What am I gonna do?”
Viewers will have to tune in for the second episode on BBC One at 9 p.m. GMT, tonight, Thursday, October 8, to find out what happens next.
2 thoughts on “UK ‘Celebrity Traitors’ Revealed in First Episode of Spin-off Series”