Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian 'Bash' Croft have been crowned the 2026 winners of Celebrity Traitors, with Romesh jokingly declaring himself 'the worst winner in the history of this entire game' before the fireworks. The finale highlighted how the comedian's humor proved to be a winning strategy, silencing critics who question his TV ubiquity.
Traditionally, winning as a Faithful required being forgettable (like Bash) or consistently wrong (like James Blunt). However, Celebrity Traitors has introduced a third route: being a comedian. This was evident last series when Alan Carr won, as the Faithful dismissed his suspicious behavior as simply 'Alan being Alan'.
Comedians' Advantage in the Castle
Throughout the season, comedians in the castle could defuse situations with a joke, making it easier to avoid banishment. Romesh benefited most from this dynamic, even as Michael Sheen acknowledged his own bias in giving James Acaster a free pass. The only woman in the final five, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, was voted out first, a point she rightly made in the diary room, with her crime being thrusting hips and laughing with Miranda Hart.
Romesh proved his Faithful status by sniffling through the creaky floorboard mission, but his humor also helped him dodge murder. This series focused less on gameplay and more on celebrities enjoying themselves, with Romesh as a quip machine who had the castle and BBC viewers in stitches.
Final Decision and Impact
In the final bag-tossing segment, Bash chose Romesh over Blunt, whom he had said he was most sure was a Faithful, because he had grown close to him. Blunt's vengeful self-own did not help his case. Romesh's low suspicion level, despite being one of the biggest names, shows he cannot be the worst winner in Traitors history.
While he wasn't great at Traitor-hunting, surviving is the aim for a Faithful. With Alan and Acaster as Traitors, future comedians might face harder times, but Romesh has shown humor can be a winning force, suggesting another comedian victory is possible. Celebrity Traitors is available to stream on iPlayer.
