Maya Jama has one big problem

This article contains spoilers for ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ This time last week, I wasn’t convinced that choosing Maya Jama as a Traitor was a good choice. I didn’t quite believe her promises to be ruthless and thrive in the skullduggery of the game, though she obviously convinced Claudia (and the producers, who obviously have a say in the matter). But now, after a couple of episodes of her reigning over the Traitors’ turret, I’m full speed ahead on the Maya murder train. All aboard! Murdering Bella Ramsey was a genius move by the Traitors, causing confusion and bewilderment among the Faithful. Depending who you asked, they were either a suspicious Traitor or a strong but wrong Faithful (they confidently banished Myha’la as a Traitor, before her banishment revealed her as a Faithful) – two theories that are incredibly helpful to the real Traitors. It would make no sense to kill them. There’s no doubt that Maya is the leader. When James told her that he wanted to “protect everybody in the game,” she politely but firmly shut him down: “I’m thinking differently. We’ve got to have fun. What are traitors here for? A little kill, a little laugh.” Immediately he fell into line and said if they wanted to cause chaos they “had to kill James Blunt“. And even though he was thinking more along the right lines, they still decided to kill off the person Maya wanted gone. James Acaster has said that he wants to ‘protect everyone in the castle’ (Photo: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)With the power in her hands, she is finding fun in the game, particularly in the machinations of being a murderous Traitor, telling those in the turret that “it’s the twist that the game needs”. At this point, she is the puppet master pulling the Faithfuls’ strings. But the same can’t be said for her fellow Traitors James and Hannah Fry. Both of them were recruited into Traitorhood – James in the second episode when Maya and the dearly departed Richard E Grant chose to murder Amol Rajan instead of him, and Hannah when the Traitors decided to recruit her rather than kill. Neither of them are enjoying being Traitors, and James isn’t shy about still wanting to protect the Faithful. “But I care about Hannah and Julie,” he said to the other Traitors after Julie’s banishment. “I don’t want to banish either one of them.” To which Hannah replied: “I know, it’s so hard.” Their reluctance to dive hooded-headfirst into the Traitor mindset is a huge problem for Maya, who is relishing the bedlam she’s causing. And she knows it. “I can’t be the only one out here killing people,” she told James and Hannah. “Where’s Richard when I need him? I need you guys to get into that mentality. I never thought I’d have to tell you to snap into murder mode, but here we go.” At this point, Maya is probably regretting recruiting both of them. If they continue to wobble and shun the murderous responsibility that has been thrust upon them, they could be the undoing of all her hard work covering her own tracks. Only Maya accusing Julie of being a Traitor saved Hannah from banishment (Photo: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry) Maya is playing an excellent game. Only Ross Kemp has voiced concern over her potential Traitor status – and that has been quickly forgotten. She’s quiet when she needs to be, avoiding Julie’s fate of being banished because she decided to keep her “cards close to her chest”, but puts forward theories when the situation calls for it. And the theories she chooses to push are always bolstered by cold, hard evidence – they’re never wild cards. The same can’t be said for James, who decided to randomly vote for Michael Sheen in Thursday’s Round Table simply because he seemed like a person Traitor Richard would “want to hang out with”. It was a strange, silly move – and one that has rightly drawn suspicion from Jerry Hall. Luckily for him, none of the Faithful seem to be heeding her warnings. Maya’s immediate issue, however, is the fire scolding Hannah’s toes. It was a tough Round Table for her, and she narrowly avoided banishment – largely thanks to Maya bringing up that Julie’s behaviour that day had been very out of character and fishy. Maya must decide how long she can stick up for Hannah before she finds the Faithful fingers pointing her way. We know from Richard’s banishment that she has no qualms turning on a Traitor to save her own skin. As long as she deals with her fellow Traitors – either by whipping them into shape or turning on them – Maya has the guts and the smarts to go all the way. It’s not just the Faithful who should be scared of her. ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ continues on Thursday 15 October at 8pm on BBC One