James Acaster has thrown the Celebrity Traitors into disarray after admitting he was a Traitor during the penultimate episode, a move that could spoil the final for viewers and the remaining cast.
The comedian, who was reluctantly recruited by Maya Jama and Richard E. Grant at the start of the series, confessed at the roundtable on Thursday night (October 29) after facing scrutiny from Michael Sheen. He told the stunned cast: "I just want to explain my situation. I was made a Traitor without wanting to be."
An Unwilling Traitor
James explained that he had wanted to be a Faithful throughout the game, despite being forced to select murder victims in the turret each evening. He said: "I've had a unique experience on this, that no-one's had before, where I wanted to be a Faithful, that's all I wanted to be. I couldn't just go, 'Guys, it's me, vote for me.' But that's... that's all I can do, really."
He added: "I've been thinking about it long and hard. I was not playing the game that I wanted to. I wanted to be a Faithful so much that, at the beginning, I made sure I pointed out the perfume bottles to everyone, so no-one forgot them. I am so proud of you guys for catching me the way that you did, and I wanted it to be that I was found logically, and in the way that was that you followed clues and got me."
Impact on the Final
The Faithful did not expose James; he revealed himself. This was not his first blunder, as he had previously declined to assist his fellow Traitors, Maya and Kenny, during a money-building challenge. The revelation could lead the Faithful to deduce that James was not an original Traitor, since Claudia Winkleman would likely not have selected a devoted Faithful. This implicates Maya, who had progressed smoothly until now.
The confession raises questions about the integrity of the competition, as future Traitors might emulate James's approach when under pressure. The BBC may need to intervene to prevent the show from descending into chaos.
Despite the pressure likely directed at Maya and Kenny, both deserve to win the prize, as it is the Celebrity Traitors after all. The show is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
