CELEBRITY Traitors isn’t just killing off paranoid big-name celebs, it’s murdering its telly competition too.
And a surprise victim of the programme’s success appears to be its glitzy BBC stablemate , for two decades the station’s flagship entertainment show.
An industry insider tells The Sun: “The reason Strictly has had arguably its most Z-list line-up in years is because of The Celebrity Traitors success. Back in the day, Strictly was always seen as the prestigious reality show, and I’m A Celeb was the one that was the big pay day, but now a lot of celebrities who would have once considered Strictly want to hold out to see if they can get a spot on Celeb Traitors instead – that franchise has the credibility and the prestige, as well as the bigger ratings.
“The jungle still has the big pockets because neither Strictly nor Traitors pay the big bucks as its BBC and license payers’ money, but in the past Strictly could always lean on being the jewel in the BBC’s crown, but that has now being seized by the Traitors.
“The sad thing is, even low rent stars want to be on the Traitors rather than Strictly. Once upon a time, all anyone talked about was wanting to get booked on Strictly, but now those conversations between celebs and agents are all about how to get onto Celebrity Traitors.
“The other thing is, if you do Strictly, you know it’s very unlikely The Celebrity Traitors will touch you for at least a couple of years, so now a lot of the celebs who might have once been persuaded to do Strictly are hedging their bets and waiting for the call from the castle. It’s created a real headache for the casting team at Strictly.”
The allure of the ballroom had top industry names champing at the bit to get on the show year in, year out.
There have been A-listers in the audience such as when she cheered on husband Greg Wise in 2021 and superstar performances from and .
As for the celeb dancers, big name politicians like Ed Balls and glam pop stars Ashley Roberts and Alesha Dixon have squeezed into sequins and strutted their stuff.
But there’s a feeling behind-the-scenes at the Beeb it’s now harder than ever to secure top talent with Celebrity Traitors hoovering up stellar names.
Having been hit by a string of scandals in recent years – from bullying row to Wynne Evans’ dismissal from the show tour for unacceptable behaviour – there is an air of risk associated with Strictly.
Not to mention the added burden of the gruelling 50-hour weeks of rehearsals, the pressure of pleasing the judges, the spectre of the Strictly curse and intense scrutiny unlike any other show on the box.
It all makes the few weeks filming a pre-recorded Traitors series in a luxurious castle in the Highlands that much more appealing.
Our insider said: “Traitors isn’t exposing at all, they don’t have to show their personalities or talk about their personal lives, whereas to stay on Strictly, they have to be emotional in the VTs, show vulnerability and talk about their journey.
“That just doesn’t appeal to the big names, they’d rather pop up to Scotland, have some fun playing at goodies and baddies, and then go home with a similar paycheck that they would have got for Strictly.”
Savvy celebs sign up safe in the knowledge the show will secure a major publicity boost in a much shorter timeframe and with a fraction of the physical exertion; though it must be said The Traitors can be emotionally and mentally taxing at times too.
When contacted by The Sun, a Strictly spokeperson stressed that the success of Celebrity Traitors has had no impact on their ability to secure talent.
They said: “Strictly and The Traitors are two of the BBC’s biggest shows, with entirely different premises and filming commitments. It is completely false to suggest that the two are in competition with each other.”
And a BBC insider backs this notion up, telling us: “It’s unfair to suggest Traitors is having a negative impact on Strictly bookings. Many of the Celebrity Traitors cast have been in the public eye for some time – if they were going to do Strictly, they would have done so years ago.
“The numbers show that there is very little overlap between the two series. There have been 40 Celebrity Traitors contestants so far, but only three of these- Kate Garraway, Jerry Hall, Tameka Empson- have previously taken part in Strictly, with the most recent, Tameka, doing so a decade ago.”
They continued: “Strictly and The Traitors complement each other perfectly – one brings viewers together through the joy and celebration of dance, while the other keeps them gripped through suspense and surprise. Together they are arguably the most talked about and anticipated entertainment shows currently on TV in the UK.”
Yet despite BBC refuting claims that one show is cannabilising the other, the murder mystery series has certainly won out over Strictly in its first two series, especially when the two casts are laid side by side.
This year’s Traitors has the likes of , Miranda Hart, Jerry Hall, and Ross Kemp, while last year Jonathan Ross, Paloma Faith and Alan Carr all starred.
It’s been a year of great upheaval for Strictly. It said goodbye to long-serving hosts and and brought in Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, but the trio is still finding its feet.
Bookers have also turned to social media and reality TV types with Kim Kardashian‘s hairdresser Chris Appleton and YouTuber John Nellis on the books, as well as Love Islander Cach Mercer.
It’s a move that hasn’t gone down well with former show pro James Jordan, who believes the programme risks “p***ing off” its core fanbase.
And that appears to be reflected in the viewing figures with 4.5 million tuning into the first results show compared with 6.2 million last year. While the series launch attracted 6.68 million — on par with the last couple of years, but nearly 1.3 million down on the 2023 opener.
Meanwhile, The Celeb Traitors launch show pulled in almost 9 million, up 40 per cent on last year’s programme.
However, James is adamant big name celebs do still want to do Strictly, but claims Beeb bosses need to remember what made it such a hit in the first place.
He told The Sun: “I mean, Traitors is amazing, right? Everyone loves it. It’s a new thing, it’s fresh, isn’t it? If it was in reverse, if Traitors had been going for 20 years and then all of a sudden Strictly comes on the scene, it would be exactly the same.
“People would be like, ‘oh, do you think Strictly is taking over?’ Well, it would, because it’s fresh. It’s like anything, isn’t it? If you drive around in an old car and then all of a sudden you’ve got the opportunity of getting a new one…
“I don’t think it’s anything to do with the show. With the celebrity side of things, I think it’s by choice that they are choosing those people.
Speaking on behalf of WhichBingo , he continued: “It’s not that there are celebrities out there that we all know and love, whether it be rugby players, footballers, cricketers, EastEnders, or all the way it used to be. Those people would still do Strictly. I think they’re choosing to get TikTokers and famous hairdressers that, ‘oh, yeah, he did Kim Kardashian‘s hair, so maybe we’ll get her followers’.
“They’re missing the point. People are watching it in England and want to see people that they love and recognise on TV. I don’t think it’s because those people don’t want to do it. I think it’s because the BBC are choosing to go a different route.”
The Sun has contacted Strictly for comment.
