So far, this year’s Strictly line-up promises glitz, glamour… and a dog trainer called Graeme. Huh? Or rather, who? That was the question posed in floods of comments as Graeme Hall, the star of Channel 5’s Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, was unveiled as the latest “celeb” to join the class of 2026.

I’ve not encountered Hall before, and maybe that’s on me; he does have 165,000 followers on Instagram where he, unsurprisingly, mostly posts pictures of dogs. But I’m clearly not alone in my bewilderment. As his spot on the Strictly line-up was claimed, fans on social media were quick to declare this year’s group of celebrities the “weakest” in the show’s 22-year history, and crack jokes about the whittling away of the BBC budget. Given the BBC is currently aiming to make £500m in budget cuts, and is reportedly putting Strictly out to competitive tender next year, à la Doctor Who, they might be onto something.

But between two ex Love Island contestants, two EastEnders stars and Kim Kardashian’s former hair stylist – who infamously filmed his wedding for The Kardashians then filed for divorce one week after the episode aired (Google it) – Strictly’s current cast is lacking a little lustre. Frankly, it’s feeling far more Dancing on Ice than Strictly in its heyday.

Yet there’s surely another reason the big-name slebs aren’t donning their ruffled shirts and spray tans this year. Like Claudia Winkleman, who said goodbye to the ballroom in 2025, they’re choosing the BBC’s other star vehicle: The Celebrity Traitors. For decades, Strictly has been a tried and tested format with big commitment leading to big rewards. Sacrifices had to be made, sure, in terms of time and the possible state of your marriage. But then a new, shinier project arrives; one that takes a small percentage of the time and comes with none of the baggage that has plagued Strictly in recent years.

For a long time, the common wisdom was that nothing could enhance a celebrity’s career like Strictly. This was an upmarket take on reality TV, providing the contestants everything from week-on-week screentime to the chance to appear vulnerable and construct an underdog story in front of the public. You didn’t even have to eat wallaby testicles in the process! Many stars have used their dancing skills to move into a career in musical theatre, from boybanders Jay McGuinness and Aston Merrygold to Olympic golden boy Louis Smith. But there’s an indirect boost to be gained too, one allowing influencers (sorry, “social media stars”) to go mainstream and soap actors to get known beyond their niche audiences.

But back-to-back scandals have caused the image of Strictly’s as the nicest show on TV to crack. Prospective contestants have a better sense of what’s asked of them when they agree to take part, the answer being “a lot”. It happens to everyone, and will likely continue even with the impending shake-ups to the presenter and pro dancer line-ups. You could have the dream partner and a delightful experience, and still find the intensive training regime taking its toll. The Strictly curse is obviously a pop culture phenomenon these days, but spending that long in rehearsals with anyone is going to impact your relationships out of the show. Throw in the inevitable trolling from the show’s most opinionated viewers, and the question of whether it’s worth it lingers.

Still in its infancy, The Celebrity Traitors avoids those negative connotations. Filming takes place over a few weeks in Scotland: removed enough to get caught up in the game, but not so long it takes over your life. And yes, the game, which requires players to backstab their old friends (hello, Alan Carr and Paloma Faith), can be tricksy and infuriating and bring out the worst side in people. But it’s always done with the sense that it’s nothing more than a game. The public are far less quick to blame players, and little animosity remains.

Produced by independent production company Studio Lambert, The Celebrity Traitors is not solely reliant on BBC funding, and has therefore been able to attract a far higher calibre of star than Strictly ever did back in the halcyon days of 2004. Once certified national treasures Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie signed on for series one, a new standard was set for what was possible. The love of the game made them want to play, and now, Richard E Grant, Jerry Hall, Michael Sheen and Maya Jama are lining up to have a go. Given the ubiquity of many of the cast of season two, you have to assume that’s a draw here too; particularly Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, who surely cannot physically be on television more than they already are.

But for the slightly less famous among the very famous cast, The Celebrity Traitors can prove an incredibly effective branding exercise. Musician Cat Burns saw her social media following skyrocket during series one. This proved well-timed – the final coincided with the release of her new album. Rugby player Joe Marler’s hit podcast, released weeks after that same series wrapped, has barely left the charts since it began. Bright young Bella Ramsey, Myha’la and Sebastian Croft all seem ripe for this kind of boost.

So I don’t blame the stars for seeing what The Celebrity Traitors has done for their peers, noting how comparatively little time it took and how much fun they had, and making a beeline for the Scottish Highlands. With a new presenting line-up incoming, Strictly is in a state of flux, while the Traitors format goes from strength to strength. Of course they’d pick the latter. Unless they’re really angling to play a T-Bird in the national tour of Grease, I think it’s the wise choice.