The ST raises some interesting strategies and dilemmas.
It's a really hard place to win the game from. The three traitors are after you as well as the faithful. And you can only hide from them for so long - you have to keep putting the same names on your shortlist if you understand the game.
The role of ST means you have to be both strategic and clever as well as an utterly charming person who can build relationships - including with the other traitors. Ideally you want to identify one as the other traitors as your ally and persuade them to take out one of the other two traitors and then recruit someone who you think you can manipulate as their replacement.
You have to understand this dynamic to the role if you want to win. Psychologically it's a particularly stressful role too so it has to be someone who can handle the additional pressures.
Otherwise you are playing the role just to cause chaos but aren't serious about winning unless you are wildly arrogant.
For me this rules out a few people.
Sam doesn't fit the bill unless he's the wildly arrogant type. He is playing too hard too fast and that makes him a target. As a player that doesn't suit the BBC - they will want to have someone who they think will remain undetected for some time. They will prefer someone low profile, sensible and can hold their own to cast in that role.
There's a few other that I ultimately rule out for that reason.
Amanda I struggle with. She's the obvious candidate for the role. But she's also got the role of 'detective' within the cast. You want the police detective to detect rather than go undercover. It could be her but I think it'd be a shame. I also think she'll be perceived as too much of a threat to others reasonably early.
Jade is a good pick, but I am not convinced she'll stay below the radar enough to pull it off. I've not eliminated her yet. She's a possibility but I'm not convinced. Too much of a risk of her ruffling too many feathers.
Fiona is a strange one. I think she's murder not banishment material. She's very likeable and unassuming. I'm not sure if she's ditsy or putting it on. If she's ditsy she's not strategic enough to pull it off. So it's working out if the ditsy is real or an act. She may be difficult to vote off though. She's a traitors shield.
The assumption is the BBC will want to drop hints to viewers. I really don't think they will do that too much. They don't want it to be obvious.
For me I think it will be someone keeping head down early on, so possibly not getting too much airtime.
The ST will want to put those who look most faithful up for murder first - the ones least likely to be banished and leave the more suspicious ones - with Fiona being their exception and shield. I absolutely wouldn't put Fiona on the murder list. She will draw attention as being the possible ST but the Traitors will struggle to get rid of her. If they try and go for her, I suspect at least one of them will self destruct / fall under suspicion which is exactly what you want as the ST. It's also why you might pick her as ST tbh.
Right now the three I'm looking at most are Jack, Harriet and possibly Faraaz. They are solidly in the pack, seem off radar and likeable. They all also seem strategic and intelligent and likely to go some distance in the game.
But I'm very much open minded and don't think I'll hitch my wagon to anyone for another couple of episodes tbh.