The popularity of the Claudia Winkleman-hosted programme was so great that fans left their living rooms and flocked to public venues to watch the second series of the show.<\/p>\n
The series\u2019s psychological mind games are what appealed to Calum, a regular viewer and account manager from Edinburgh who was waiting to watch Thursday\u2019s semi-final at a bar in Clapham. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s how good people are at lying and then how that translates into normal life. You can almost second-guess anyone you\u2019re around,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The intensity from fans had not only caused venues to screen each episode of the hit show, but offer an entire night of entertainment inspired by the programme. In south London bar Arch Clapham, attenders sipped Claudia Winkleman-themed cocktails, ate \u201c100% Traitor\u201d chocolate coins and twice took part in their very own banishment ceremony. Banishment, in which contestants vote out a peer they suspect to be a Traitor near the end of each episode, provokes some of the most visceral reactions from fans.<\/p>\n
Punters at Arch Clapham participating in a Celebrity Traitors game during the semi-final screening on Thursday. Photograph: Andy Hall\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Calum and his friend Ali had previously \u201cstumbled\u201d into Arch Clapham\u2019s watch party for the first series\u2019s finale of The Celebrity Traitors last year, and they were captivated by the crowd\u2019s excitement. \u201cThere were people cheering like it was football,\u201d Ali said. \u201cI\u2019m not personally too into sports, but I like having the atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s run of treacherous celebrity TV had 3 million more viewers than the previous year\u2019s iteration. Ali explained that the programme had encouraged friends, co-workers and even strangers to discuss each episode, with many seeking to avoid spoilers at all costs.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI think back in the day, everybody was watching X Factor. There\u2019s not really been anything since then that everyone\u2019s been watching, so it\u2019s quite nice. You can probably pick out a random person and they\u2019ve probably been watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon Bolland, a supervisor at Arch Clapham, said the bar had screened every episode of the latest series after the previous two finales of The Traitors\u2019s standard and celebrity versions drew in a lot of punters. \u201cWe were packed. It was really, really popular,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During Thursday\u2019s semi-final, those attending the Traitors-themed night were equally jubilant and appalled when comedian James Acaster shocked audiences by revealing he was a reluctant traitor.<\/p>\n
It was these bombshell TV moments \u2013 such as when actor Richard E Grant made the unexpected decision to reveal he was a Traitor in the game\u2019s first episode \u2013 that made the act of watching the show together more enjoyable, Bolland said.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cIt\u2019s like watching the World Cup when this is on. People are jeering and shouting like they\u2019re watching a football game.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793449090_832_500.jpg\")
<\/p>\n