Celebrity versions of reality TV shows are nothing new. We all know about Love Island All Stars, and who could forget Celebrity Big Brother? But it’s a famous person version of The Traitors that we’re currently eyeing up, which the BBC have confirmed is in the works. OMG.
Here’s everything we know so far about celebrity The Traitors.
What’s been said about a celebrity The Traitors?
On 22nd August 2024, the BBC revealed a celebrity version of The Traitors was officially coming. In a press release, they wrote, “The multi-award-winning hit psychological game format The Traitors, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, has been commissioned for a fourth series as well as a nine-part celebrity version.”
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC added: “The Traitors has well and truly established itself as an unmissable highlight of the year and the news of… a brand new celebrity version coming to the BBC, will take the series to a whole new level. It will once again be fascinating for our audiences to see who’ll outwit, outplay, and outlast. Let the mind games begin!”
Get Diane back on our screens again!
On 22nd January 2024, speculation broke that producers were considering a famous version of The Traitors, thanks to the success of the BBC’s second season of the original show.
“Bosses want big names as the show is getting big viewing figures, and they know they’ll have plenty to choose from as The Traitors has huge fans within the showbiz world…” a source told The Sun. “But they also want stars who are likely to be great game-players and who have great survival skills, the ability to double-cross or a way of sniffing out a back-stabber.
“Rumours of a celebrity series have naturally swirled since The Traitors launched in 2022 and the show became an instant hit — but they have been unfounded gossip until now.”
Wait, what’s The Traitors again?
The Traitors is a game show based on trust and deceit. In amongst a group of Faithfuls is a number of hidden Traitors, who are trying to mask themselves as Faithful. Each day, the Faithfuls are given the opportunity to banish someone, in an attempt to find the Traitors, while each night, the Traitors are allowed to ‘murder’ one of the Faithfuls.
The aim for the Faithfuls is to make it to the end of the game without getting killed, while a Traitor wins *all* the money if they go undetected and make it all the way to the final.
Who might star in a celebrity The Traitors?
While there’s been no confirmation of an actual cast just yet, rumours have been swirling about who could head into the Scottish castle. Those include:
- Colleen Rooney, a TV personality and Wayne Rooney’s wife
- Rebekah Vardy, a TV personality and Jamie Vardy’s wife
- Alison Hammond, This Morning and GBBO host
- Gary Lineker, football pundit
- Rylan Clark, This Morning host and presenter
- Greg James, Radio 1 DJ
Previously, host Claudia Winkleman floated the idea of a celebrity version of the show, alongside some of the names she wanted to see. “Victoria Coren, Kirsty Young, Adam Woodyatt, Stephen Fry, Alison Hammond… let’s do that,” she said.
Who might host celebrity The Traitors?
What would The Traitors be without Claudia Winkleman? The presenter has already been confirmed for the third and fourth season of the BBC show, which is a good sign, and almost definitely will be at the helm of the celebrity one. Also, AJ Odudu and Will Best have been announced as hosts of the new Celebrity Big Brother, with Maya Jama also at the helm of Love Island All Stars, so continuity with hosts of celebrity versions of shows definitely does exist.
Honestly, we’re so excited by the prospect.
Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.