The Traitors has never been more dramatic thanks to its first ever spin-off series packed with a celebrity cast who haven’t held back in delivering jaw-dropping twists, furious wars of words and ruthless gameplay that’s left viewers hooked.
There’s no surprise tensions are sky-high, with big personalities and even bigger reputations on the line, the battle to survive has seen friendships fracture and tempers flare.
And with suspicions rising, strategy starting to unravel, and meltdowns becoming more frequent, Ardross Castle has become a pressure cooker.
From Alan Carr killing off pal Paloma Faith, to Jonathan Ross furiously hitting out he ‘no longer likes’ Joe Marler, and Tom Daley giving Kate Garraway major side eye, the drama is spilling out well beyond the game.
Clearly, the nation can’t get enough, with the viewing figures hitting a record high, with more than 11 million tuning in to see the launch show alone, setting a new viewership record for the BBC.
Here, we take a closer look at some of the most explosive rows, real-life feuds and petty acts of revenge that have happened through the series so far.
Joe Marler and Jonathan Ross furious roundtable clash
He described the chat show host as the ‘head of the snake’ of the Celebrity Traitors as he started sniffing around for answers about whether Jonathan, 64, was a Traitor.
And after gunning for Faithful Mark Bonnar in the roundtable on Wednesday, former rugby ace Joe, 35, would not be led astray from the scent once again.
Celebrities so far had been trying to keep the peace often by explaining to one another that voting for someone at the roundtable didn’t make it ‘personal’.
But Jonathan threw that out the window on Thursday night, when he hit out at Joe that he simply ‘didn’t like him’ as a person anymore after the sportsman voted for him at the roundtable.
‘I’m trying to find a traitor,’ Joe declared at the roundtable as he eyed down Jonathan, to which Jonathan shot back: ‘So you think it’s me? Looking at me like that.’
‘I’m trying to find a traitor,’ Joe replied, before Jonathan fired back: ‘We are all trying to find a traitor, Joe.’
But Joe was not backing down, snarling at the chat show host: ‘We’re not all trying to find a traitor, are we?’ before laying out his charge against Jonathan.
‘Someone as clever as you would use that as a double bluff,’ he correctly told him, and when Joe revealed that he had voted for Jonathan for banishment, the TV star brutally hit out against him: ‘I don’t like you anymore.’
Joe was not backing down, snarling at the chat show host: ‘We’re not all trying to find a traitor, are we?’ before laying out his charge against Jonathan
David is said to have clashed with co-star Stephen behind-the-scenes of the BBC One series
Stephen Fry and David Olusoga explosive debate
Earlier this month, the Daily Mail revealed broadcaster Stephen, 68, had a brutal clash with historian David, 55, during scenes cut from the show.
The pair locked horns during intense discussions over who was a Traitor, leading to a behind-the-scenes fallout that saw the pair fuming at one another.
Insiders said it was ‘surprising’ to see Stephen so impassioned during the debate, but it showed how invested both he and David were in filming the series.
A TV insider told the Daily Mail: ‘Stephen and David had a big argument, as they both accused each other of being a Traitor.
‘They were so invested in the game, and it really showed during their debates.
‘For some members of the cast, it was surprising to see the pair disagree, and it quickly became a talking point behind the scenes.
‘The discussions between them are unlikely to be shown on Celebrity Traitors, as producers felt they didn’t follow the narrative. There were lots of subplots and conversations that haven’t aired.
‘The irony is, neither Stephen nor David were Traitors, so they fell out for no reason, but that’s just part of the hilarity of the game.’
However, a Traitors spokesperson insisted: ‘To claim there was any tension between Stephen Fry and David Olusoga outside of the game is simply untrue.’
Stephen, 68, had a brutal clash with historian David, 55, during scenes cut from the show
There’s been no surprise tensions are sky-high, with big personalities and even bigger reputations on the line throughout the BBC One series
Jonathan Ross and the Ruth Codd revenge murder
She outspokenly came for the TV host at the roundtable, hitting out that he’d mercilessly voted out YouTuber Niko Omilana after ‘allying’ with him.
The actress presented evidence alongside co-star Clare Balding to try and garner trust from her fellow Faithful that Jonathan was one to be watched – but attentions were instead turned elsewhere.
And things went from bad to worse for actress Ruth, 29, when she correctly predicted she’d ‘put a target on her back’ by passionately speaking up against Jonathan.
The Midnight Club actress was chosen by Jonathan, alongside his fellow Traitors Alan Carr and Cat Burns, to be murdered for speaking out against him so openly.
Revealing his reason for the revenge killing, the ITV star admitted: ‘Ruth is not going to let it go and I feel like the cloak is getting tighter round my neck.’
Walking into her room to find the letter killing her, Ruth admitted: ‘I knew this was coming… I put a target on my back.’
Jonathan managed to get away with the petty kill as he predicted by ‘double bluffing’ his co-stars with the brazen murder, as the Faithful became convinced Jonathan would not do something so ‘obvious’ after being accused by Ruth.
Jonathan and his fellow Traitors decided to kill off Ruth after she spoke out against him at the roundtable in a heated discussion
Tom Daley and his epic Kate Garraway side-eye
It was the side-eye seen around the nation: Olympian Tom, 31, couldn’t hide his feelings as Kate Garraway’s over-the-top reaction set tongues wagging.
As Kate gasped ‘that is flabbergasting!’ watching Paloma Faith be murdered by the Traitors, her dramatic outburst had everyone’s heads turning, and none more so than Tom’s.
Standing right beside her, the Olympic diver shot her a look that could kill, before launching a full-blown tirade against her in the form of a whispering campaign.
Admitting he wasn’t buying Kate’s theatrical nature, he told his co-stars that ‘flabbergasted’ seemed a bit too much for the situation, and went on to confess his suspicions during the roundtable.
Those suspicions influenced the dynamic with a number of the celebrity contestants putting Kate under scrutiny – seeing her have to defend herself as ‘a ham’ when it came to her reactions.
Alan Carr’s betrayal of best pal Paloma Faith spills over
Jonathan, Alan, 49, and Cat, 25, made the shocking decision to eliminate the comedian’s pal, singer Paloma, 44, in plain sight after their first victim.
Despite the duo arriving at Ardross Castle together, and making no secret of their close relationship, Alan said he’d even ‘enjoyed’ his first taste of murder.
Devastated Paloma let the drama spill out way beyond the castle walls as she took to the Uncloaked podcast to hit out at Alan for ‘not being very nice’.
Olympian Tom, 31, couldn¿t hide his feelings as Kate Garraway¿s over-the-top reaction set tongues wagging in hilarious scenes earlier this series
Tom’s suspicions influenced the dynamic with a number of the celebrity contestants putting Kate under scrutiny during the roundtable
Reflecting on the betrayal, which saw Alan touch Paloma’s face with ‘poison’ from a lily, she said: ‘If the shoe was on the other foot, I would not have touched Alan’s face.’
‘Bang out of order. Bang out of order,’ Paloma added. ‘I hope they never call me.’
The singer went on to drop a series of hints she’s not forgiven her long-standing pal for his ‘gutting’ actions on the show – including replying to a fan who admitted they ‘thought she and Alan were friends’: ‘So did I.’
Another nail in the coffin came when Paloma was asked what her highlights of the show were as she waved goodbye to the castle for good – and left Alan out.
She told viewers: ‘I liked feeling how physically competent I was with the Trojan horse. That was such a thrilling group achievement and hard work.’
Alan, meanwhile, rubbed salt in the wound as he took to social media in a series of gags, including one where he asked his following if they fancied a late night tipple before adding: ‘I could murder a Paloma.’
‘Meeting people I’d never crossed paths with before: Celia is just an absolute dream, and I love, love Niko, he’s amazing.
‘It was so nice to meet Cat as well. Ruth Codd was one of the funniest, most brilliant people I’ve met in a long time!’
The Traitors airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.
Jonathan, Alan, 49, and Cat, 25, made the shocking decision to eliminate the comedian’s pal, singer Paloma, 44, in the initial episodes
Alan rubbed salt in the wound about his friendship with Paloma as he took to social media to make a series of gags at the singer’s expense