Celebrity Traitors fans have taken to social media after saying they spotted the moment of editing as James Acaster made a huge confession on Thursday night's episode (October 29). Reports have emerged that filming was halted mid-shoot, with the welfare team called in to check on the celebrity cast.
James Acaster unmasked as reluctant Traitor
Thursday night's episode saw comedian James Acaster unmasked as a "reluctant Traitor". In an unexpected moment at the roundtable, James gave himself away as a Traitor after actor Michael Sheen pointed the finger at both him and fellow Traitor Maya Jama.
He was swiftly banished by his fellow contestants, leaving Maya Jama visibly displeased. However, it has emerged that the episode required significant editing after production was brought to a standstill when the mounting pressure proved too much for James, reports the Daily Star.
Filming halted for welfare checks
A source told The Sun: "What you don't see is the moment when James got upset as he crumbled when he could see he was about to be caught. Both the producers and the other celebrities could see how he was struggling with the pressure of keeping his true identity secret and he reached some kind of breaking point when he was confronted.
"That saw the team feel compelled to intervene, and filming was brought to a halt as they assessed the situation. They spoke to both James and the rest of the stars and didn't allow filming to resume until they were sure everyone was in a fit state."
The insider revealed that "very little" was filmed and that "what little" footage existed didn't make it into the final cut of the episode. James had only wished to compete as a Faithful and found being a Traitor challenging throughout the series.
Fans 'clock' moment of editing
Fans have taken to social media after they "clocked" the moment the show was edited. Traitors fan @CharlieHerb9 wrote on X: "Just clocked that during this confession you see Romesh has already voted for James, no doubt something happened at this roundtable, feel so sorry for James."
@jakonian said: "It would explain why the edit kinda went ballistic and we got an entire confessional from him mid-roundtable. The others must've asked for him to get a break, and then production tried to comprehend everything that was going on."
Then he added: "Furthermore, apparently some shots during his confession show Romesh with his voting chalkboard held up, before they had voted. Might mean they voted first, then let him explain more fully, or they had no shots of normal reactions prior to voting because it was so insane."
@the_mediaman1 said: "I bet that every Producer on the Traitors collectively went "Oh c***" when they realised the edit showed Romesh already voting for James when he reacted to him saying he was a traitor Bet that was a fun WhatsApp group last night."
Speaking after departing the castle, Acaster said: "Now we've got a proper final on our hands. With three Traitors, it would have been a foregone conclusion that we were going to win.
"Don't get me wrong, I thought it was hilarious at one point that we were just going to walk our way to the final and win the whole thing, but this is much better, isn't it?"
He added: "As a Traitor sometimes, when you see people have real life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad. I would have to remind myself they don't have a game without you, literally, if no one's doing this stuff, they can't play, and they all want to play. So you are doing an important job here. When they catch you, they'll be really happy and they'll like it."
In a statement after the show, a BBC spokesperson said: "Our highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part. Players are closely monitored and supported throughout by production which includes a dedicated and experienced welfare team."
The seven finalists are Maya Jama, King Kenny, Sebastian Croft, James Blunt, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Michael Sheen, and Romesh Ranganathan.
