Has anyone else noticed that Celebrity Traitors has been, er, lacking something this series? Yes, we’ve had all sorts of fun in the form of dance routines, dirt moustaches and murder by yawning – but what about the backstabbing, Round Table showdowns and the ruthless gameplay that made the show so addictive in the first place? Yes, that.
While this year’s celebrities have been busy making friends and delivering plenty of comedy gold, there’s one baffling flaw that could be making the endgame far more predictable than it should be - the fact that only one celebrity is actually playing the game. Not only is it a little bit annoying, it also means it’s far too obvious who’s going to make it to the final and spoiler, it’s not James Blunt.
Here’s exactly what the flaw means for the show – and who we’re expecting to see at the Fire of Truth.
What is the flaw in Celebrity Traitors series 2?
There are a lot of things that make Celebrity Traitors work, but the most important one? Gameplay. Quite frankly, if the Traitors and Faithful aren’t in it to win it, is there even a point to the whole thing at all? No. And in the latest episode, never was it was more evident than when the players were invited to build shields while blindfolded.
How exactly did it work? Each celebrity had to build a shield and the Traitors were given the opportunity to work together and sabotage the game. Did they do it? Not exactly. James Acaster refused to play at all: “I was too scared,” he later told Maya and Kenny in the turret. Kenny wasn’t exactly much help either.
This did, however, give our Faithful ample opportunity to identify them. "The floorboards were creaking next to me," Miranda said. She was onto something and she didn’t let it go, proceeding to tell James Blunt and telling him she suspected Joanne McNalley (she was wrong, sadly). But when it came to the Round Table and Miranda got her chance to actually play the game, it all went a bit sideways. “The bouncing floor theory. It’s debunked. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the person next to me,” she said. Her game was over before it had even begun.
So, who else could we rely on for a game plan? James Blunt. No. Sebastian Croft? Definitely not. How about Sharon Rooney? “My good friend Ross Kemp was murdered in plain sight last night,” she told the camera when she discovered the perfume picture. “When I saw the perfume, I thought, ah maybe Ross was murdered in plain sight by perfume.” Finally, she had something concrete. So, what does she do with the information? Er, tell James Acaster. Smooth… not. “Do you have any idea how happy that has made me?” James smiled in a confessional. But as a Faithful, yeah, now I might be in trouble”. Hardly, if Sharon’s reaction was anything to go by.
The “game” didn’t exactly get much better. It was soon time for the Round Table and each of our players had their opportunity to share the most convincing argument. “I genuinely thought Miranda rattled me,” Maya told the camera – safe to say, she didn’t. The most convincing argument did indeed come from Miranda but, let's face it, it wasn't exactly convincing at all. “Claudia picking Richard E. Grant and Jerry Hall, it’s just iconic. It would be very hard to refuse that,” she told her fellow players. It was hardly an argument and yet everyone jumped on the bandwagon. And in what might well be the most surprising banishment to date (the bar isn’t exactly high), it was time for Jerry Hall to pack her bags.
Who is actually playing the game?
Not to state the obvious, but has anyone else clocked that Maya Jama is practically running the entire show? For starters, she knows how to recruit. Hannah Fry? Clever. King Kenny? Genius. She also knows how to keep her fellow Traitor, James Acaster, in step. “I've got to remind you, I need you, I can't do this on my own, so please just stay a little bit treacherous,” she told him after Hannah Fry was banished.
But her boldest move came in the latest episode (number 7) when the celebrities took part in the shield game. While James refused to play and Kenny was, well, a bit useless, Maya took the lead. Yes, she risked drawing attention to herself (those creaking floorboards!), but she took pieces from her shield and threw them away in an altogether baffling move. “That was a demonstration of how not to play that game,” she told the camera afterwards – but the truth is, we’re just pleased someone is actually playing one.
Who will be in the Celebrity Traitors series 2 final?
If you ask us, it’s all become rather obvious, with three key players in line to be at the Fire of Truth.
Maya Jama
Of course she’ll be there. No one is on to her and, frankly, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that anyone will be over the course of the next two episodes. Could her fellow Traitors, James and Kenny, turn against her? No chance. She’s the ringleader for a reason and without her, Kenny and James would be well and truly up the creek without a paddle.
Romesh Ranganathan
Ah Romesh, our silent Faithful. Is keeping his head down all part of some genius game plan? We’re not entirely convinced, but there’s no denying that staying out of the drama has its advantages. And with Maya Jama seemingly calling the shots, we reckon she’ll have little reason to put a target on his back. After all, why get rid of someone who isn’t asking difficult questions?
King Kenny
Now, he’s no Maya Jama but she will need a fellow Traitor to help her get to the final and the second strongest player in the game? King Kenny, of course. No one is pointing the finger at him and he seems surprisingly content to simply go along with Maya’s game plan. We’ll be seeing you at the fire pit, Kenny.