Richard E. Grant has been banished from the Celebrity Traitors castle, making him the first star to be booted out via the roundtable vote. The actor was eliminated in the second episode of the BBC programme after an almost unanimous vote by the other contestants.
Although he was liked by the other players, they couldn't get past his previous admission. Richard made a huge blunder when he told a room full of Faithfuls that he was indeed a Traitor, just minutes after he had been selected by host Claudia Winkleman.
Mistaken confession sparks suspicion
The 69-year-old revealed during his confessional that the admission was a complete mistake, and hoped to clear his name in the coming days. But the confession naturally sparked suspicion across the castle as some players questioned if it was honest or part of a larger game plan.
Before they headed to the roundtable, though, Maya and Richard recruited comedian James Acaster as their third villain, but his promotion led to the murder of journalist Amol Rajan. He sadly missed out on the first banishment, during which the contestants almost unanimously voted for one person.
One-of-a-kind exit celebrated
The actor was disappointed but still celebrated his one-of-a-kind exit. "I have managed to checkmate myself, which, as far as I'm aware, has never been done," he said after being axed. This means the Faithfuls have already eliminated a Traitor less than a week into the game, pushing them one step closer to victory.
Despite his early banishment, Richard lived out "one of his dreams" in the programme. Speaking before he was chosen as a Traitor, the author said: "If I was lucky enough to be a Traitor that would be one of my dreams come true. In real life, you have so little control over anything."
Viewers react to the banishment
The banishment didn't come as a surprise to fans at home, but viewers were sad to see him go. One X user posted: "It's annoying man, because I think that Richard would of been brilliant if he stayed longer lol #CelebrityTraitors." Someone else agreed: "Absolutely gutted for Richard. He would've given us so many iconic moments. #Traitors #CelebrityTraitors."
Meanwhile, others shared supportive words for the axed star. "What a glorious exit from Richard! Bring him back next year! #CelebrityTraitors," commented one. And a final viewer shared: "no way these lot did it first round table #CelebrityTraitors." The Celebrity Traitors season 2 is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
