This dark horse Celebrity Traitors star could be the show’s deadliest threat

It’s always the quiet ones who you need to keep a close eye on.

Celebrity Traitors kicked off last week, immediately captivating sleuth-loving TV fans across the nation.

From the get-go, there were certain members of the cast who were bound to attract attention, whether because of their personalities, or their A-List status. 

Claudia Winkleman instantly making Alan Carr a Traitor was genius, while Jonathan Ross is clearly living his best life conniving behind people’s backs (even if he claims he didn’t enjoy doing so). 

And we can’t let Celia Imrie’s fart admission from last night’s challenge go unmentioned.

But there’s one person who isn’t being spoken about enough, who I believe has the power to overturn the whole game: Joe Marler.

I’ll admit it – before the show got underway, I knew barely anything about the former England rugby union player. 

However, that didn’t stop me from suspecting he could be a strong competitor from the off.

I know the producers and casting team weigh up contestants carefully, so I was certain that there must be a reason they thought that he would be a worthy contender, even if he was one of the celebrities I was least familiar with. 

Amid the big names and stars whose personalities were well-documented, I was convinced that Joe must have skills that could make him a threat in the game.

And now, that prediction has been proven right.

Three episodes in, several celebrities are still lingering on the sidelines. Stars like actor Nick Mohammed, comedian Lucy Beaumont and historian David Olusoga are yet to make a distinctive mark, despite boasting high levels of intelligence and observational skills that make them capable of rooting out Traitors.

I’ve been told that both on and off the rugby pitch, Joe is mischievous and known for being something of a prankster. 

However, my impression of him so far on Celebrity Traitors has been that of a man who takes things very seriously.

During Wednesday night’s challenge, he looked completely unfazed while chained inside a cabin as dirty water rained down on him and the other celebrities who were yet to escape. 

But the 35-year-old wasn’t resting on his laurels. During the roundtable later on, he divulged a theory that he’d clearly been cooking up in his head for a little while. 

And his revelation had an immediate impact.

‘That Claudia’s chosen to wage a war between two big dogs. And one’s leading the Faithfuls and one’s leading the Traitors,’ he announced. 

Then, Joe dropped a further bombshell, continuing: ‘If I was Claudia, I’d go, “Let’s go with big dog JR and big dog SF,”’ referring to Jonathan and Sir Stephen Fry. He then added: ‘But I can’t work out which you are.’

In response, Sir Stephen admitted that he’d had a similar thought himself, before insisting (truthfully, as the audience knows) that he’s not a Traitor.

Jonathan, doing his best to remain calm and composed, was clearly squirming under the surface as the Faithfuls inched closer to sussing him out. 

In addition to Joe spreading his theory, fellow Faithful, actress Ruth Codd is also convinced that the talkshow host was lying about his identity because of his recent betrayal of YouTuber Niko Omilana.

While Joe wasn’t the first to suspect Jonathan, his theory provided the other cast members with an opportunity to think about how the game works in a unique way. 

And, as those of us screaming at the TV know, his theory is on the money. 

Jonathan is indeed a Traitor, while Sir Stephen is a Faithful. Two big dogs, the two best-known names in the show, firmly pitted against each other, as Joe said.

This hypothesis carried even more weight during the subsequent roundtable vote. 

Singer Cat Burns voted for Sir Stephen, a choice that she claimed to have made due to Joe’s ‘big dog theory’. Although of course, viewers know that she’s a Traitor hiding in plain sight, and so jumped on a bandwagon that could help save her own skin.

Comedian Joe Wilkinson went for Jonathan, citing the same theory, while fellow comedy star Tameka Emson – who was eventually banished – decided to throw out a vote for Celia Imrie, explaining that she was also going for a ‘big dog’.

Unfortunately, while rugby star Joe had a stroke of genius with his suggestion at the roundtable, he failed to stick to his own guns, voting for Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway instead. Our dark horse clearly doesn’t have this race all figured out quite yet. 

Nonetheless, it’s evident that Joe’s mind is whirring away, cleverly deciphering how the cogs tick in the complicated clockwork of Celebrity Traitors. 

Perhaps even more importantly, his opinion is well-respected in the castle, and his voice has the power to influence others, as we witnessed last night. 

This could make him an extremely threatening Faithful as the series goes on… or even a brilliant choice for the Traitors to recruit for their stable, should the opportunity arise. 

I desperately hope that Traitors Jonathan, Alan and Cat don’t murder Joe, because in my eyes, he is definitely one to watch as the game heats up. 

Sadly, it’s for that same reason that I think he could be at risk. Hopefully this dark horse lives to keep galloping on, and maybe even find himself in the winner’s enclosure. 

The Celebrity Traitors returns tonight at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

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