Comedian James Acaster made history on The Celebrity Traitors in the penultimate episode by confessing to being a Traitor at the round table, a move never before seen on the show. He was promptly banished by a unanimous vote from his fellow contestants.
Acaster crumbled under mounting pressure and told the shocked cast: "I was made a Traitor without wanting to be." Throughout the competition, he had insisted he never wanted the role and was playing as a faithful, despite donning the green cloak and conspiring with Maya Jama and King Kenny in the castle turret.
A Show First at the Round Table
His confession stunned both the contestants and viewers. Fellow Traitor Maya Jama called it the "hardest day" of the show so far, as her ally exposed his own status. Jama had faced similar intense pressure from Michael at the round table but fought back, whereas Acaster appeared defeated when the heat was on him.
Reports indicate Acaster turned to the show's psychologist for support while filming in the Scottish Highlands. Speaking on the spin-off 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."
Breaking the Traitors' Oath
Acaster's decision to out himself appears to contradict the show's oath, which requires Traitors to lie and deceive throughout the game, commit murders every night, and "keep your identity and the identity of your fellow Traitors a secret." However, insiders said he was not in trouble for flouting the rules, as he did not implicate his fellow Traitors; his punishment was simply banishment.
In the same episode, Scots actor Sharon Rooney was murdered after surviving a tied vote, with Joanne McNally being sent home from Ardross Castle. Rooney, who dubbed herself the Poundland Poirot, said: "I tried my best, it's a shame people didn't listen to me." She had suspected Jama, Kenny, and Acaster as Traitors, and was killed as she got close to uncovering their identities.
