Celebrity Traitors fans are convinced they know who will be banished first, and it would set a UK TV record. Following Friday's cliffhanger, viewers of the BBC show flocked to social media to say that Richard E. Grant would be the first to be sent home.
Fans predict a landslide vote
At the end of the episode, the celebrities had debated who was likely to be a Traitor and were told it was time to vote. Many names had been mentioned, including Leigh-Ann Pinnock, Hannah Fry and Julie Hesmondhalgh. But no one caught more suspicion than Richard, who had already told everyone he was a Traitor.
Though the show ended before a single vote had been cast, fans were sure Richard would be the one banished. "Richard may actually be cooked," one said. Another added: "I'm gutted to say I think Richard is in trouble."
A third added that they thought the show cut away before the votes because the vote was a landslide: "Well I'm assuming we didn't see any of the vote tonight because it goes Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard Richard."
A potential UK record
If this is the case, it will set a record for the earliest Traitor catch in the history of the UK show. A Traitor has never been caught in the first banishment. Hugo, from series four, was caught in the second banishment, while Ash, from series two, and Armani, from series three, were both caught in the third banishment.
It won't, however, be an international record, as the first series of the New Zealand version caught Traitor Loryn in the first banishment they held.
Claudia Winkleman on Richard's gaffe
After Richard's huge mistake in the first episode, Claudia Winkleman said she believed the gaffe was not because he was nervous, but because he was giddy with excitement after achieving the role he'd always dreamed of. Claudia said that Richard, 69, was so desperate to be a Traitor, she had no choice but to tap him on the shoulder.
"You just couldn't not give it to him, because he wanted it so much," she laughed at a screening last week. "I couldn't believe he was literally in the castle. And yeah, he was giddy. The genius of the game is that everyone plays it completely differently, and he took that to the next level."
"I think it was excitement. I think he was genuinely so happy. He came into the church. He loved the game. He had to eat. He wanted to be a Traitor. He got picked for a Traitor. He just wanted to tell everyone."
The Celebrity Traitors airs on Thursdays and Fridays on BBC1 at 8pm.
