James Acaster made history on Celebrity Traitors by confessing to being a Traitor at the round table, a move never before seen on the BBC show. The comedian crumbled under pressure and was banished after his admission.
Confession at the Round Table
In the penultimate episode, Acaster admitted he had been recruited as a Traitor, telling the shocked cast: "I was made a Traitor without wanting to be." Throughout the competition, he had stated he never wanted to be a Traitor and played as a faithful despite wearing the green cloak and conspiring with Maya Jama and King Kenny in the castle turret.
His confession led to a unanimous vote by his fellow contestants to banish him. Maya, stunned by the revelation, called it the "hardest day" of the show so far. While Maya had faced similar pressure from Michael at the round table and fought back, Acaster appeared defeated when the heat was on him.
Aftermath and Reaction
Reports indicate Acaster turned to the show's psychologist for support while filming in the Scottish Highlands. Speaking on the spin-off show The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, he said he was at peace with his decision: "They caught me fair and square. Now we've got a proper final on our hands."
He added: "With three traitors in it? It would have been a foregone conclusion that we were going to win. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was hilarious at one point that we were just going to walk our way to the final and win the whole thing. But this is much better isn't it?"
His decision appears to contradict the show's oath, which requires Traitors to lie and deceive, commit murders every night, and "keep your identity and the identity of your fellow Traitors a secret." However, insiders said Acaster was not in trouble for flouting the rules, as he did not out his fellow Traitors or implicate anyone else; his punishment was simply banishment.
Sharon Rooney's Murder
Earlier in the episode, Scots actor Sharon Rooney was murdered after surviving a tied vote for banishment, with Joanne McNally being sent away from Ardross Castle. In her parting words, the Two Doors Down star said she suspected Maya as a Traitor, claiming she had been "flying under the radar." She also named Kenny and James A as Traitors while admitting she "didn't want it to be either of them."
Sharon, who dubbed herself the Poundland Poirot, said: "I tried my best, it's a shame people didn't listen to me." She was murdered as people knew she was getting close to uncovering the Traitors' identities.
