Celeb traitors - why do the celebs take over everything?

[mids2019]

I am old enough to remember come dancing with non celebratory amateur/professional dancers before someone decided normal people weren't engaging to watch and decided it has to become a vehicle for celeb promotion.

Why do we need traitors with it's original concept which allowed the man and woman from the street to become another celebrity fest? The conversations seem staged and there is probably no conversation broadcast without the agreement of the celeb or agents so it all seems artificial (or more artificial) to me.

I was thinking the same thecat - I’m sure on normal they are all over the place for ages whereas a few are already onto JR on this.

yes in many ways it’s more fun to watch!

I have enjoyed all three series of normal but I think Celebrity Traitors is even better. I think the fact that they all know or know of each other adds a dimension to the games, splitting Charlotte & Cat up for example (although I noticed Nick was amazing at that too) or putting Nick on the puzzles and Joe on the winch in that challenge and whizzing through it. Their relative status adds an element too, as Joe has noted with his theory of it being “big dogs”. I think it also counted against Niko and Ruth as they were banished at a stage when people were tiptoeing around the “national treasures”. What I would really appreciate is almost a spreadsheet of who does know who and how. Clare and Tom was an obvious one but I hadn’t realised how many of them had been in St Trinians together until Paloma mentioned it. Has Jonathan interviewed all of them or just some of them? Have (or if they haven’t, would) the two Joes have met in real life as they seem to be having a great time together.
I also think this series must be much more fun for Claudia as she must know so many of them. Perhaps harder for her too.
For those who aren’t listening to The Rest is Entertainment follow along, I really recommend it. There are some insights which just hadn’t occurred to me - like just how much faster they did the challenge with the pulleys than the producers anticipated.

@RedwallMattimeo - we were saying the other night how enjoyable it is watching the unlikely alliance/friendship between the two Joes!

I think if it's a success the original non celeb version will be shelved. I like the ordinary people in the show warts and all. Even though you know they are after some minor celeb status there is something just a little more natural and we could imagine ourselves on the show. There is a danger of it just becoming another celeb or opportunity to grab media column inches. 👩‍🎤

I think (unlike e.g. game shows where celebs are crowding out non-celeb versions), I think there are such different dynamics between celeb and regular Traitors that they can definitely do both and they probably both enhance rather than undermine each other.

I have several points:

• I hope they don't shelve the non celeb version! It's pure social science! Which I think is what drew Stephen Fry to it.
• I haven't lived in the UK for 18 years and still recognise most of the celebs, so please stop with your faux oh I don't know who they are nonsense.
• I've seen the UK, USA and both Danish versions. The UK is absolutely the best version. The prizes are bigger, the challenges are harder - brilliant TV!

How rude!

I do read thanks very much, but I like to chill in the evening w my DH and watch some fun TV. Does that make me a an uneducated heathen?

I know most of the celebs but if you haven’t lived under a rock for the best part of 30 years, then most people would.

Yes. Also Stephen Fry, Clare Balding, David Olusoga have all written a lot of books. Proper books too, not just celebrity fluff.

Kate Garraway’s books on grief have been bestsellers.

So maybe if @APTPThad actually read a ‘fucken’ book or set foot in a bookshop recently, she’d recognise more of the names.

Joe Wilkinson Lucy Beaumont and Nick Mohamed all have done 8 out of 10 cats does countdown. Joe was a regular for a bit alongside Lucy’s ex Jon Richardson so I imagine they know each other quite well

Jonathan Ross is also producer of Big Fat Quiz Of The Year which I’m sure they will have been on at some point

It’s just entertainment OP. I think you’re over thinking it

Joe certainly has I think and both are hosted by Jimmy Carr

what did strike me though was Claire Balding being adamant about her Alan Carr Paloma Faith theory when I just saw that as a crime of opportunity rather than Alan giving it any thought!

the celebrity is a different game because it is about the game and not the money - when it comes to winning the money they all instantly work together to get it because that is the aim.

Stephen Fry wants to win and get a traitor - he I assume doesn’t particularly mind what charity the money goes to there are many worthy causes so the end destination for the money is probably irrelevant to quite a few of them

We know that the Palmoma murder was probably just Alan panicking about how he could get away with touching someone’s face without drawing attention to himself. But none of the faithful know that, all they’ve really got to go on is “who would / wouldn’t murder Paloma?” so thry can bring their knowledge of existing friendships/connections into it.

I like that this adds a different dimension to it - whereas on regular Traitors they are all complete unknowns to each other, on this one ever in is coming in either with knowledge of preconceptions of what everyone else is likely to do.

They haven't heard of you either.

Besides, if you haven't ever come across any of those people, your own television viewing, radio listening and sports watching has to be somewhat questionable.

It will be interesting to see how the calibre of the celebrities wishing to take part in the traitors changes for subsequent series.

I recently saw the announcement of the "celebs" for Celebrity Masterchef which has been going for quite some time. Alfie Boe OBE, Alun Wyn Jones OBE; Antony Costa, Ashley Cain, Chris Hughes, Dawn O’Porter, Gaz Choudhry MBE, Ginger Johnson, Jaki Graham, Jamie Lomas, Jodie Ounsley, Katie McGlynn, Michelle Heaton, Noreen Khan and Uma Jammeh.

That is a whole different level of "celebrity" to Stephen Fry, Clare Balding and Jonathan Ross.

Yep which is what makes it interesting to watch the fact that for this one the motive was just panic!

it is also interesting actually to see whether your preconceived ideas of people are true. Joe W is coming across really well to me, Cat seems genuinely good at the game but Jonathan I think is for me coming across negatively

Ruth I have realised wasn’t acting that much in the series I have seen her in and Kate Garraway is annoying

I’m finding it annoying that the only thing I ever notice about Kate Garraway is her apparent lack of ownership of a hairbrush.

I honestly didn’t know I’m so shallow …

Same. Celia, Lucy, Charlotte, Alan, Stephen, Mark, Johnathan, Claire all well known. I don’t watch celeb versions normally but I am loving this. Usually I am lucky if I know 1 or 2 when I see the line up for things

I haven't watched the normal Traitors but what I don't get his this... if they correctly guessed Ross and Carr within a short time, what happens then? Is it show over when they've got a number of episodes to go?

Does anyone suspect it's fixed to avoid this? How come everyone was talking about it being Ross and then at the Round Table start mentioning Charlotte?

It's shown over several weeks for us but is it only taking place over a week for them. so it's harder for them to figure out who it is?

I enjoy the show because there's less at stake for the celebs, money wise.

I’ve only watched the first season so not an Traitors expert but I think they get to recruit new traitors.

Though if that is the case, what would be the advantage for the faithful in eliminating traitors early? Why not just keep your suspicion quiet then eliminate them later in the game? Rather than have to start again figuring out who the knee traitors are?

Richard Osman talks about this a lot as the fundamental flaw in the concept.

but one we’re all willing to ignore for the sake of entertainment.

But they know it was a murder in plain sight, so they can probably work out that if you’ve got to do something slightly unusual (which the murders in plain sight always are), it’s going to probably be more opportunity than strategy or tactic.

Quite agree! From that list, the only people I have ever heard of are Alfie Boe and Katie McGlynn!! At least I know of a good 75% of those on Traitors!