Fans of The Celebrity Traitors have criticised the BBC show's repeated cliffhangers, saying the format is 'ruining it' and 'kills tension'. The Claudia Winkleman-hosted series has drawn complaints from viewers who say the suspense hooks are now unnecessary and make each episode feel drawn out.
Historic banishment follows week-long wait
Claudia Winkleman welcomed 21 new contestants to the Scottish castle last week, with Ross Kemp, Jerry Hall, Michael Sheen and Romesh Ranganathan among the line-up. During Thursday's episode on October 8, actor Richard E Grant became the first Traitor ever to be eliminated during an inaugural banishment.
That moment followed an intense cliffhanger from the previous week, when the programme ended just as the celebrities prepared to cast their votes for the first departure. Many fans had already suspected Richard was facing elimination after he told the group Claudia had selected him as a Traitor, before realising his mistake and trying to take the statement back.
Viewers say cliffhangers 'kill tension'
Audiences were unimpressed that producers kept them waiting several days before the roundtable revelation. Many believe the series' numerous cliffhangers prolong proceedings unnecessarily and force viewers to watch the same sequences multiple times, reports Wales Online.
One viewer commented on Reddit: "I get doing it in the first series as it made people want to come back, but by now the show is so successful that you don't need these hooks of suspense. I personally think every episode should end with the murder cliffhanger or a big moment. I'm not a fan of the round table getting the cliffhanger treatment, especially when we now have to wait until NEXT THURSDAY. It's more annoying than exciting for me personally."
Another added: "I dont even hate the third episode having a cliffhanger for a key moment but the repeated cliffhangers for every decision is bizarre and kills tension. It's ruining it as every decision is gone over ten times."
A third viewer wrote: "It just does the opposite of make me excited. I'm all on board and engaged as the episode is reaching the conclusion, then there is a cliffhanger and it just feels like.. uh.. i guess ill find out next week. By the time the next week rolls around the reveal doesnt hit the same because I'm going in cold again, im not riding on the buildup of the episode anymore so it loses something."
Hannah Fry recruited as Traitor
Following the resolution of the roundtable cliffhanger, Hannah Fry was enlisted to replace Richard as a Traitor, joining Maya Jama and James Acaster. Yet viewers are already predicting her downfall, seeing her as the most obvious recruit given she poses one of the greatest threats to the Traitors, meaning her fellow Faithfuls will be scrutinising her every move.
Fans have also pointed out that suspicion will grow around Hannah as she continues to escape being murdered, since the Traitors would logically target her if she were truly a Faithful. One viewer posted on X: "Recruiting Hannah was such an obvious mistake; she's never going to be able to explain her continued state of not having been murdered. Had they recruited anyone else she would still be under suspicion for, you guessed it, not being murdered. #CelebrityTraitors".
Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
