Latest Celebrity Traitors developments analysed in Psychology team’s podcast

The hit BBC TV show, presented by Claudia Winkleman, sees celebrities such as Ross Kemp, Hannah Fry, James Acaster and Jerry Hall compete for the £100,000 jackpot for their chosen charities while in the roles of ‘Traitor’ or ‘Faithful’, with contestants being ‘murdered’ or ‘banished’.

Dr Kevin Hochard, Dr Clea Wright and Professor Lisa Oakley, the original trio who first set up the Psychology Of… podcast series on Spotify – which has now recorded dozens of episodes on The Traitors, its celebrity spin-off and other interesting subjects – have discussed episodes three and four of the series.

Among the topics for discussion in this episode are the appointment of ‘reluctant traitors’ James Acaster and Hannah Fry, and the moral dilemmas and quick decision-making during the contestants’ missions.

Kevin talks about the cognitive fusion he experienced when wondering why the Traitors had not targeted James Blunt, given his organised approach to the missions, while Clea talks about the lack of collective suspicion among the ‘comedian club’. Lisa, meanwhile, talks about the emotional intelligence required for Celebrity Traitors, and striking the right balance between standing out too much and flying under the radar.

Kevin said: “While we await the next episode to find which celebrity has lost out in the deadly game of hide-and-seek, we have analysed how contestants managed the games of deception and deduction from episodes three and four, from Ross Kemp’s shout of triumph at uncovering the obvious, to Miranda Hart’s detective work on Hannah Fry’s nerves.”

To listen to the Psychology team’s new podcast, visit: the Psychology Of... on Spotify. The series also includes episodes on The Psychology Of… different subjects such as crime, humour, the football World Cup, reading fiction and families.

More information on studying Psychology at the University of Chester can be found here.