Why Cat Burns, Joe Marler and Nick Mohammed could be the real winners

Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from The Celebrity Traitors

By now, you’ll probably know who’s won The Celebrity Traitors.

But some of the other contestants could end up being the real winners from the hit TV series.

Cat Burns, Joe Marler and Nick Mohammed have been widely tipped by industry experts as the names most likely to see the biggest career boost thanks to their appearance on the show.

Compared with the likes of Sir Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie, they were relatively less well known when entering the castle.

But all three have been “magnificently entertaining”, and could find themselves facing a string of lucrative offers, TV reporter Siobhan Synnot tells BBC News.

We’ve been looking at who the breakout stars of the series are – and what might lie ahead for them.

The singer-songwriter, 25, sailed all the way to the final, her cool-as-a-cucumber persona making her a traitor to be reckoned with.

Burns first got everyone talking during an early task involving a general knowledge quiz, in which she confessed she didn’t know who Dame Judi Dench or Dame Helen Mirren were (although she later said she would have recognised their faces).

Celebrity Traitors fans have enjoyed her quick thinking and acting ability, and she managed to slip under the radar for most of the game.

In Thursday night’s nail-biting finale, her luck ran out – as she was banished at the roundtable despite making a pinky promise with fellow traitor Alan Carr, who went on to win.

But this is far from the last we’ve seen of Burns.

Her second album, How To Be Human, has just entered the charts at number five – our colleague, music correspondent Mark Savage, said it showed a softer side to the Traitors star.

She’s all over social media (what are we supposed to do without those epic cloaked Cat-Alan videos now the show is over?)

And last weekend, she even made a special performance on another prime-time BBC One show, Sunday night’s Strictly results show.

Culture journalist Natalie Jamieson says she hopes Burns can do “whatever she wants next”.

“She’s a brilliant singer-songwriter already, and no doubt has her own ambitions and career plans – but I’d bet there’s still a degree of her being seen by some as ‘just’ a musician.

“None of us are just one thing, and if her success on Celebrity Traitors broadens the minds of any industry gatekeepers to open doors or create unexpected opportunities, or just ask if she wants to be in the room where something is happening, then Cat can choose if that’s what she wants.”

The former rugby union star, 35, has won over a whole new audience beyond sport thanks to his bromance with comedian Joe Wilkinson, his super-sleuthing, balletic bridge balancing and all-round wit.

Speaking about his faithful nemesis on Traitors Uncloaked, traitor Jonathan Ross said of Marler: “I think this show will do him a lot of good because people will see just how funny he is and how smart he is and how likeable he is.

“And that was always there, but it was hidden behind that gruff man mountain exterior.”

Along with Wilkinson, Marler was the architect of the epic Big Dog theory involving Ross and Fry.

And rather than fly under the radar, Marler took the risk of spouting his theories openly, and was arguably the most bullish at the roundtables, even managing to ruffle Carr’s feathers.

“Joe Marler has undoubtedly become a breakout star of the show due to his authentic personality and deadpan humour,” says entertainment reporter Indigo Stafford.

“He also seems to be one of the only faithfuls this season to actually have had a clue who the traitors might be, yet he cleverly managed to conceal how much of a threat he is to them in order to not get eliminated [until the very end].

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a huge career boost for him after he left the show.”

Marler signed up with talent agency M+C Saatchi earlier this year, and there are already rumours that he is set for more mainstream TV opportunities, which Stafford says would “make sense”.

“Having retired from his impressive England rugby career, he will be looking to move on to the next big thing – the world of showbiz,” she said.

Meanwhile TV reporter Siobhan Synnot thinks Marler could be heading for next year’s Strictly. We can see him doing the Viennese Waltz already.

The comedian and actor has hugely grown his fan base during his appearance on Celebrity Traitors.

He’d already starred in hit TV shows like Ted Lasso and Slow Horses, but despite that, not everyone knew who he was before the show.

While big personalities like Carr and Ross may have immediately stolen the limelight, Nick has gained a cult following due to his whip-smart – and often, spot on – theories, his cool, calm demeanour, and the way he powered through the tasks like a man possessed.

He attracted attention early on when helping Imrie secure the final shield in the first mission, protecting her from murder by digging up her grave.

But it was his incredibly speedy puzzle skills in the Trojan Horse challenge that really caught the eye.

“Celebrity Traitors has introduced him to a whole new audience that are obsessed with his sharp observations and intelligent gameplay. Moving forward, I could totally imagine Nick hosting a new game show,” says Stafford.

Synnot agrees: “Nick and his gift for unravelling puzzles may find himself inundated with quiz host offers.”

Burns, Marler and Mohammed aren’t the only ones who will see a huge boost from their time on the show.

Since his spectacular win on Thursday, social media has blown up with speculation that Carr could be the next host of Strictly Come Dancing.

The BBC has not commented. But just imagine that. Winning Celebrity Traitors, then landing one of the most coveted roles on British television.

Synnot, for her part, suspects he could end up going in a more unexpected direction.

“Sweaty Alan Carr is a cert for Sure adverts,” she says. If you know, you know.

And what for Imrie, the beloved veteran actress who stole the show with her nervous fart in episode three?

“Maybe Pepto Bismol can make a deal for her,” jokes Synnot.

You heard it here first.