The second series of BBC One's The Celebrity Traitors concluded on Friday night with comedian Romesh Ranganathan and actor Sebastian Croft emerging as winners, having played as faithfuls. The pair were the last two remaining at the firepit, after players voted out traitor and TV presenter Maya Jama during the final roundtable, with her fellow traitor, social media star King Kenny, sealing her fate.
Winners Revealed as Faithfuls
Speaking as they revealed their identities, Croft told Ranganathan: “I began this game as a faithful, but I’m ending this game as a faithful.” Ranganathan responded: “Bash, I began this game as a faithful, and I’m ending this game as a faithful.” The pair then cheered and embraced, shouting “oh my God”.
In an emotional cutaway scene, Croft said: “That was just incredible, this might actually be the best day of my life.” Ranganathan added: “I just really hope my mum’s proud, and also my youngest son Charlie, who wanted me to come on the show. Dad won, please show me some respect.”
Final Roundtable and Banishments
The finale began with all contestants deciding to banish again in the first round at the firepit, with former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock receiving the most votes and being banished, with all of her fellow players voting for her. Players chose to banish again in the second round, with Ranganathan saying he thought singer James Blunt was a remaining traitor, with the You're Beautiful singer replying that he was “entirely wrong”, but Kenny opted to end the game.
The second banishment saw two votes each for Blunt and Kenny, splitting the vote, leaving Ranganathan and Croft to vote again to break the deadlock, eventually deciding to banish Kenny. Players were then given the option to banish again, with Blunt choosing to banish again despite Ranganathan saying his conversation with Croft had changed his mind on whether he was a faithful or a traitor.
Final Mission and Prize Pot
Earlier in the show, the final mission saw the teams tasked with finding two underground bunkers in the Scottish Highlands filled with gold, with one team boarding a helicopter and others getting into buggies. Once they found the bunkers, they had to blow them up with dynamite. To find the bunkers, the team in the buggies had to answer questions, before waving in the helicopter team to drop off the dynamite and detonator, with Jama, Croft, and Pinnock hanging off the side of the helicopter to deliver the equipment.
The group successfully found and detonated both bunkers, adding £18,500 to the prize pot, bringing it to £83,000. After being voted out at the final roundtable, Jama did not reveal her identity as a traitor as per the rules for the last episode, but told her fellow players: “Thank you, alright, love you all, good luck, you’re going to need it.”
Michael Sheen's Murder and Charity Donations
Actor Michael Sheen was murdered at the beginning of the final. The murder followed a meeting between the pair of traitors in the turret, which saw Kenny opt for Sheen as he was “too authoritative on that table”, but Jama worried that the murder may turn the heat on her. After discovering his fate, Sheen said: “The time has come, can’t say I’m surprised, but I am incredibly disappointed, gutted that I got so close to the end. It’s been absolutely unforgettable, and I’ve loved every minute.”
Heartstopper actor Croft said he would be donating his £41,500 half of the prize pot to the charity Choose Love, while Ranganathan said he would be giving his money to the Refugee Council. Croft said of his charity: “It’s an organisation that I used to volunteer at. The money will be going to refugees and displaced people, but predominantly queer refugees and displaced people, and they are just the best organisation.” Ranganathan added: “I am playing for the Refugee Council, helping displaced people who need help, and of course it’s very close to my heart. So I’m very, very grateful for this.”
Presented by Claudia Winkleman, the show sees 21 celebrity contestants take part, with those assigned as faithfuls attempting to identify those who have been made traitors. The traitors “kill off” players in the middle of the night. The stars play the game at Ardross Castle in the Highlands, with a cash prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice up for grabs.
