Maya Jama and King Kenny have added fuel to romance rumours after the two last Traitors standing reportedly spent time together at her north London home. Content creator Kenny – real name Kenny Oghenovo Ojuederie – is said to have stayed over for two nights this week, sleeping 'on the sofa' at Maya's request.
Kenny, 29, was seen arriving back at Maya's flat after filming for BBC's Uncloaked in time for the broadcast at 8pm on Friday night. The former boxer also shared content on social media that appeared to be taken at the 32-year-old TV presenter's home.
Finale antics and social media clues
Ahead of the finale, which saw Faithfuls Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft split the £83,000 prize pot, Kenny and Maya lipsynced to a viral sound about seeing off their competition. 'And then there were two,' Kenny says in the clip he shared on Instagram, with Maya laughing, 'Nobody likes us. The two b*****s are left!'
After the result was revealed, Kenny posted a selfie joking about how close he came to winning the jackpot for his charity. 'I WAS SOOOO CLOSE 😭😭😭😭 I let u man down 🤣🤪 what a rollercoaster that was !!!!', he wrote in his caption, with the background of his shocked selfie strikingly similar to snaps Maya has shared from her apartment. With white walls and identical matching curtains, the pics appear to have been captured in the same spot.
Source insists they are 'just friends'
However, a source close to the Masked Singer panellist has insisted a new relationship is 'not on the cards'. Brushing off the speculation, the insider told The Sun on Sunday that the two are 'just friends'.
'Kenny has been firmly on the sofa this week, and the pair find it hilarious that their relationship could be anything else,' they added. 'They've seen fans of the show talking about them online and find it really funny, but romance has not and is not on the cards. Maya has a group of friends staying with her at the moment, and Kenny has also been coming to hang out with them.'
The pal added that they 'built a stronger bond through being on Traitors together' and are 'genuinely' mates. But Maya is 'single and enjoying spending time with her friends as well as working right now'.
Fan reactions and game dynamics
Throughout the series, viewers have been pleading for Maya and Kenny to become more than turret troublemakers, suspecting 'flirty' behaviour in the castle. Comments on Kenny's latest post included 'the way he looks at her tho', 'can you guys just get together x', 'I ship you guys', and 'Damn, you two are 🔥 together'.
Even comedian Romesh poked fun at Kenny's crush on Maya when the influencer quipped he wouldn't be able to 'look at her the same' if she were outed as a Traitor. 'I don't believe that for a second,' Romesh fired back.
While Maya and Kenny had every intention of making it to the endgame together as Traitors following James Acaster's shock confession-based banishment, the heat got too intense for Kenny to continue defending her. He ultimately sided with the Faithfuls and voted to banish her to avoid placing suspicions on himself.
However, the other players' trust in him came crashing down when just four remained, as Kenny voted to end the game, insisting he believed Romesh, Bash, and James Blunt were all Faithfuls, while they chose to keep banishing. Kenny's cover was then blown, despite playing a blinder following his recruitment.
After a final banishment from singer James, Romesh and Bash were left to take the gold. Romesh announced his half would be donated to the Refugee Council, for which he became a patron in September, while Bash revealed he'd be backing Choose Love, giving them his £41,500, with both organisations supporting refugees and displaced communities.
