Good Morning Britain hosted a debate on Wednesday about alleged racial bias in reality television, following the early elimination of two black women from the latest series of The Traitors. The BBC show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, saw Netty Österberg and Judy Wilson voted off first, sparking discussions about unconscious bias.
Scarlette Douglas, who appeared on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2022 and was voted out second, said the issue cannot be ignored. Speaking on Good Morning Britain alongside Ranvir Singh, she stated: “When I came out second, it felt as though I was one of the least-known people in there. Everyone said it was racism, but I spoke up and said I was in there with people like Boy George and Mike Tindall, maybe I'm just not known as much?”
She added: “There is a pattern that we cannot ignore. I'm not here to say the whole country is racist but we do have to talk about the fact that there is an unconscious bias there.” Referring to Judy Wilson, she said: “When we look at Judy, for example, she couldn't win either way. If she was too quiet, she was suspicious; if she spoke up she was an angry black woman.”
Douglas also claimed that such attitudes have affected her personal life, saying: “We are the least desired. I've had many situations and relationships when I didn't feel as if I was attractive or that anyone wanted to date me.”
Judy Wilson, a 60-year-old child liaison officer, received 16 votes from fellow contestants at the roundtable. Despite being banished, she said she would not change a thing: “I didn't have a strategy. I just thought there's no point in changing myself.” She is now backing her daughter Roxy to win the show.
