After four weeks of double-dealing, farting in cabins, giant mechanised traitors playing chess and huge ratings for the BBC, on Thursday we finally banish the first series of The Celebrity Traitors to iPlayer. <\/p>\n
While some (including this writer) worried that the prefix \u201cCelebrity\u201d might dilute or degrade the show, we\u2019ve been treated to a rip-roaring game of Highland wink murder from start to finish. Big dogs, national treasures, comedians and musicians, sportspeople and presenters have thrown themselves enthusiastically into the game, but they can\u2019t all be winners.<\/p>\n
With 70 minutes of nail-biting silliness left, only five of the original nineteen players remain. The traitors Alan Carr and Cat Burns have been pulling the strings in the turret from the start. Joe Marler is leading the charge for the faithful (keen to avenge the death of his bestie Joe Wilkinson), with his pal Nick Mohammed seemingly also convinced they\u2019ve found the traitors. The final faithful, David Olusoga, is more of what might be described as a floating voter.<\/p>\n
After an initial vote in the castle, usually the round table is replaced by a fire pit for the finale, so expect an outdoor extravaganza as we whittle the five down to the winners and losers. The rules state that anyone banished from this moment on will not reveal if they are a traitor or a faithful, making it all a bit more tricky, and the game doesn\u2019t stop until the players vote to stop banishing. <\/p>\n
So who is going to take home the \u00a3100,000 charity donation (or a share of it) and who will be licking their wounds and ruing their missed chances as Claudia Winkleman watches on from a flickering flame-lit castle garden?<\/p>\n
Here are seven scenarios that could play out; delivering victories for both the faithful and the traitors\u2026<\/p>\n
Scenario one: everything goes smoothly and all three faithful bring it home <\/p>\n
It\u2019s three against two, and the two traitors, Cat and Alan, are under heavy suspicion from Joe and Nick. This means that without any unexpected twists in the gameplay of the final, the most likely result is a faithful win. The most straightforward (and least entertaining) way for this to play out is for David to side with Joe and Nick at the fire pit, and for the three of them to vote out first Alan (who doesn\u2019t seem to stand a chance any more) followed by Cat (who both Joe and Nick are now sure is a traitor). At this point, satisfied that they have rooted out the baddies \u2014 and pleased with David for siding with them \u2014 the faithful stop the voting to reveal they have won the show as a trio.<\/p>\n
Result: faithful win \u2014 Joe, Nick and David share the prize <\/p>\n
Scenario two: the faithful sacrifice David to be sure<\/p>\n
As above, David helps Joe and Nick to dispatch Alan and Cat, but instead of stopping at three faithful, the vote goes on. Both Joe and Nick have had their suspicions of David at different points in the game (indeed, he\u2019s only still in it thanks to a tie-break after he and Mark Bonnar received five votes each at the round table) and that doubt is something David has failed to shake off. Could Joe and Nick, who believe each other to be \u201chundies\u201d (Joe\u2019s word, not mine), take a belt-and-braces approach to the game and eliminate any slight chance of a traitor being among them and banish David too? After all, if David was a traitor, he would win the game if they let him stay. <\/p>\n
Result: faithful win \u2014 Joe and Nick share the prize <\/p>\n