Celebrity Traitors star Myha'la has claimed that "unconscious racial and cultural bias exists" in the show after she became the first Faithful to be banished.
The Industry actress, 30, left the show on Friday, with suspicions first raised after she defended Traitor Richard E. Grant before switching allegiance at the last second - and giving him a suspicious wink before voting him off the show.
Following Amol Rajan's murder, it means that two of six people of colour have left the show in its early stages, continuing a theme across multiple seasons of the show.
Defending her co-stars
Despite claiming her race might have played a role in her banishment, Myha'la also strenuously defended her co-stars for voting her out, saying that she sealed her own fate.
Underneath a post on Instagram, in which she discussed her experience on the show, hair and skincare entrepreneur Chantel Sachanna claimed The Traitors is a "racist show".
She wrote: "Unfortunately you were banished because you are BLACK. This is a consistent thread in this racist show."
In response, Myha'la wrote: "I sealed my own fate! And that early in the game there is VERY little to grasp on to, and I gave them… a lot.
"However, I do agree that unconscious racial and cultural bias exists in this game where my authenticity or honesty or the ways in which I choose to express myself look suspicious to people who are unfamiliar with people like me.
"I had this fear coming into the game, as I am a BIG fan and also clocked right away how prevalent this is in this game. And I came in knowing I'd be the only American (apart from Honorary British National Treasure Jerry Hall).
"I'm not saying it's right, I'm not saying racism doesn't exist, but I do have to defend my dear friends on this show who in no way consciously put bias on me because of my race."
Call for more conversation
The actress added that games like The Traitors should "allow more conversation around unconscious bias" and how, when under pressure, people gravitate towards things they know and understand.
She finished by writing: "It's all love, and I REALLY genuinely appreciate your support."
Myha'la had fought back tears during the roundtable scene, but despite her attempts to defend her name, she received the most votes from her castmates and was banished. In her closing speech, she said: "I have loved getting to know you all; thank you for loving me.
"I will say to the Faithfuls, I don't think the Traitors are as dumb or as silly or as confused as you think they are. I think they are a lot smarter. But I have been a Faithful."
In her exit interview, she said that trusting Richard was her downfall, adding: "Really, I shouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him, which is ultimately, I think, my demise."
Pattern across shows
Previous seasons of the show have frequently seen contestants from ethnic minority backgrounds eliminated in the early stages of the competition.
Three of the first Faithfuls eliminated in series four earlier this year were all minority ethnic players. TV presenter Scarlette Douglas also commented on the idea of "unconscious bias" after being voted out second on reality show I'm A Celebrity in 2022.
She told Good Morning Britain at the time: "There is a pattern that we cannot ignore. I'm not here to say the whole country is racist but we do have to talk about the fact is that there is an unconscious bias there."
Research conducted by The Guardian had previously shown further evidence of unconscious bias, with a report finding that non-white dancers on Strictly Come Dancing were 71% more likely to get voted into the bottom two.
