James Acaster has already given us some classic nuggets of comic gold in series two of The Celebrity Traitors: from comparing the ever-changing team of Traitors to the Sugababes to suggesting James Blunt should be murdered simply for the crime of sharing his name. But perhaps the most entertaining part of his game is how reluctantly he has adapted to being a Traitor. He admitted last night, ‘I haven’t told a single lie yet’: which is why James Acaster’s ‘Faithful Traitor’ tactic could win The Celebrity Traitors.
James has made no secret of not wanting to be a Traitor. When Maya Jama and Richard E. Grant recruited him, he said he was ‘gutted to not be Faithful anymore’ and that he ‘didn’t like lying’. You can see that reluctance whenever he’s in the turret. While Maya and Richard had been practically glowing with the murderous side of the job, James often looks as though he’d rather be anywhere else.
That reluctance may be more than a funny character quirk. It gives James a very different way to play the game: instead of leaning into elaborate lies, he can present himself as a genuine Faithful trying to work out who the Traitors are, as that’s actually what he wants. We’ve been watching his game plan take shape, whether or not he knows it himself. This is how the ‘Faithful Traitor’ tactic works and why it means he may just outdo his fellow Traitor, Maya.
What is James Acaster’s ‘Faithful Traitor’ tactic?
In last night’s episode, Traitors Maya and James revealed themselves to their new recruit, YouTuber King Kenny. He seemed genuinely shocked: neither Maya nor James had been under much suspicion from the group. As Maya explained their game plan, she described James as ‘what we call a Faithful Traitor’. It sounded like a throwaway joke, but it neatly sums up his approach perfectly.
James says he is ‘basically playing the games as a Faithful’ and ‘I haven’t told a single lie yet’. That doesn’t mean he’s not deceiving the others: he is, after all, hiding the fact that he’s a Traitor. But, rather than constantly inventing stories, he seems to be relying on his genuine wish to catch Traitors and making choices he can explain as a Faithful.
It’s a delicate balancing act. James still has to protect himself and Maya, but he can still do that while appearing to follow the same logic as the Faithfuls. He has said he wanted to be a Traitor hunter, not a Traitor, because he thought that would make the game more fun. Now that he’s on the other side, that detective’s mindset may be his best cover. So how is he managing it?
Why James Acaster’s ‘Faithful Traitor’ tactic works, and why it’s better than Maya Jama’s
James has never looked like a conventional Traitor. When Richard came under fire at the Round Table, James mostly stayed quiet and listened before voting to banish him. Richard later said James ‘never uttered a word’ until he was asked to explain his vote. That silence didn’t prove James was Faithful, of course, but it let him avoid making a big, suspicious show of defending Richard or calling him out. That neutrality is how he avoids out-and-out lying. Keeping his conscience clear, which players definitely pick up on, and wrongfully interpret as being Faithful.
He did something similar when Hannah Fry became the focus of suspicion: he voted to banish his fellow Traitor again, but making his decision look like a Faithful’s conclusion. He only votes for the correct Traitor when there’s no other option, as to do otherwise is not what a true Faithful would do. James’s strategy seems less about telling convincing lies and more about watching the room, weighing up the mood and making choices he can pass off as honest.
Maya is playing a clever game, too, but in a more familiar way. She has kept a relatively low profile at the table, letting others lead conversations rather than drawing attention to herself with a stream of theories. That can make her seem harmless, but it may only work for so long: once the Faithfuls have worked through the more obvious suspects, they could start asking why the quieter players have stayed under the radar.
James, meanwhile, has the advantage of looking like he’s helping with that hunt. His reluctance seems genuine, which makes his performance feel less like a performance.
What does James Acaster need to do to win The Celebrity Traitors?
Last night, James hinted at one way he could keep his Faithful act going: let the other Traitors take on more of the dirty work. He joked that having Kenny on the team was like when someone new starts at work and you can ‘just hold a broom and look like you’re doing something’ while they do all the actual work. It got a laugh, but there may be a strategy tucked inside the joke.
If Maya and Kenny take the lead on the more obviously treacherous tasks, likely as they both seem keen to do so, James can keep his own hands relatively clean. He can avoid making unnecessary accusations or telling direct lies, while still benefiting from their decisions. It’s a handy arrangement for someone who would apparently rather be hunting Traitors than being one.
But he can’t leave all the risky decisions to his teammates. His votes, reactions and choices about whom to protect will still add up. The more James can make those choices look like a Faithful’s best guess, the longer he may stay in the game.