Ross Kemp is playing Celebrity Traitors like his life actually depends on it. Has anyone told him that at no point will he be brutally hacked to death in front of national treasure Claudia Winkleman? Please, nobody tell him. It's TV gold.
Ross Kemp is putting himself in serious danger by drawing so much attention to himself, but the memes we're getting out of these historic Kemp crash-outs are fantastic. The no-nonsense TV hard man has been on high-alert ever since he stepped into the castle, fiercely paranoid that his fellow celebs are plotting to off him at any given moment.
Hat and arm scares
He had us in stitches when he suspected Game of Thrones star Bella Ramsey had killed him in "plain sight" via deadly hat. The soap star is suspicious of everyone on Celebrity Traitors - and we love to see it. His fight or flight kicked in again when Leigh-Anne Pinnock affectionately brushed his arm.
It seems poor Ross Kemp can't even enjoy a nice glass of vino in peace without fearing a Little Mix star is going for the kill. TV's Grant Mitchell isn't taking any chances, or any sip of that herbal tea you just made him.
Narrow escape and banishment
We all saw Ross (a Faithful) freak out on Thursday night (October 15) when he narrowly avoided death after a tense game of hide-and-seek. Although Ross and James Blunt were in the firing line, it was comic Rob Beckett who was killed off by the Traitors, and Cambridge boffin Hannah Fry ended up getting banished by the Faithful at the roundtable.
At times it seems like he's gone full Grant Mitchell with his fiery antics. He admitted that he was genuinely "quite angry" at the Traitors for using him "like a donkey". Nobody puts Kemp in the corner! The tomb on the other hand...
Iconic celebrations and risk
When they caught Hannah, Ross gripped James Blunt and King Kenny like his physical life depended on it. Last week, when they caught their first Traitor, Richard E Grant (Goodbye My Lover), Ross gave poor Blunty a bit of a shock when he pounded on the table and roared: "Get in there!" His celebrations are nothing short of iconic.
Let's face it, he's drawing an awful lot of attention to himself with his chaotic ways, and it might prove to be his undoing. Big personalities who often point the finger at others can often find themselves on the chopping block in the world of The Traitors. But I love it, and we need it as viewers. It's exactly this kind of passion and dedication to winning the game that keeps us hooked, that helps us immerse ourselves in the magic of the game. We want to suspend our disbelief and believe that Taskmaster favourite James Acaster could slowly transform into a cold blooded medieval killer.
The huge success of Celebrity Traitors proves that there is still a hunger for reality TV, even in this new streaming era we find ourselves in. It's also proved that if your show is strong enough, you can get top-tier celebrities wanting to sign on the dotted line. It's exciting, and we, like Ross, should embrace the chaos. Protect Ross Kemp at all costs. And don't buy him a hat for Christmas.
