Joe Lycett was banished from Celebrity Traitors on Friday night (October 16), becoming the latest famous face to leave the castle. His exit left Miranda Hart in tears, with viewers calling it a big loss to the show.
21 well-known personalities travelled to the Scottish Highlands earlier this month to compete in the ultimate test of deception and betrayal, hoping to secure a cash prize of up to £100,000 for their chosen charity. Claudia Winkleman selected her first two Traitors at the game's outset, with Maya Jama and Richard E. Grant entering the turret for the first time. They subsequently chose James Acaster to join their group.
Turret changes and recruitment
Significant changes have occurred in the turret since then. Richard became the first to be banished after he inadvertently revealed himself as a Traitor on the opening night. Professor Hannah Fry replaced him, immediately raising suspicions amongst the contestants, reports the Daily Star.
Hannah's stint in the castle concluded on Thursday (October 15) when she secured the highest number of votes at the roundtable. Maya and James then opted to recruit again, with content creator King Kenny shortly arriving in the turret to commence his campaign of duplicity.
Joe's fatal slip
The tension escalated on Friday when the remaining celebrities discovered there had been no murder the previous evening. Joe Lycett immediately anticipated he would face a "tough day" after repeatedly requesting recruitment in front of the entire group.
Joe wasn't the only Faithful facing scrutiny, as Joanne McNally came under the spotlight following her error at the previous roundtable.
Banishment and reaction
Joe was forced to exit the castle after securing the highest number of votes at the roundtable. During the discussion, Joe stated: "Let's say [the Traitors] were down to two last night and they recruited. There's so much heat on me for what I was doing last night that there's a good chance I'll go tonight, which means that they'll then have to recruit again tonight, denying them a murder."
James Blunt swiftly highlighted Joe's mistake, remarking: "I'm sorry, I thought maybe I completely misheard you. I thought you said, 'If you banish me tonight, they'll have to recruit another person tomorrow.'"
The contestants were left shocked when Joe disclosed that he was, in fact, a Faithful. "No!" they could be heard shouting, as Joe departed the roundtable for the final time. Miranda Hart was subsequently spotted in tears, having formed a bond with Joe during the game.
Viewers rapidly expressed their exasperation following Joe's departure, with one individual posting on X: "Joe Lycett did this all to himself, he did not need help from anyone else. Utterly baffling." Another wrote: "Faithfuls are as bad as the Traitors in season 2. Why are the Faithfuls slipping up like the girl who winked, Joe Lycett last minute slip up about 'recruitment' and Joanne saying the tombs were horrible."
A third said: "I'm sobbing!" A further viewer commented: "This is a big loss to the show. Joe Lycett brought what Alan Carr brought last year... laughter! Farewell Joe." A fifth viewer declared: "I'M SO MAD, NOT JOE."
Celebrity Traitors is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
