A double exit on ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ has a costly aftermath
After a 'murder' kicked off the episode, a costly mistake at the Round Table sent another celebrity home and weakened the Faithfuls' game.
The castle intrigue on the UK’s The Celebrity Traitors has claimed two more victims, with actress Julie Hesmondhalgh banished in a tense Round Table vote. Her exit came in the dramatic fourth episode on October 9, which began with the revelation that actor Bella Ramsey had been “murdered” overnight.
Hesmondhalgh received the majority of votes from her fellow contestants. Upon her exit, she confirmed their suspicions were wrong, revealing she was a Faithful.
“You know how much I have loved every second of this experience. It has been immense,” Hesmondhalgh said, according to Impartial Reporter. “Alas it may mean that I am not a phenomenal actor, I am indeed a faithful.”
A costly mistake for the Faithfuls
The incorrect vote left some of the Faithfuls reeling. According to the Mirror, actress Miranda Hart reportedly berated singer James Blunt for leading the charge against Hesmondhalgh. Blunt apologized for his mistake.
“I’m so sorry that was all my fault… I’m just so useless at this game,” Blunt said, as reported by the Mirror. “I’ve been wrong every step of the way. I just feel so stupid.”
Hesmondhalgh’s departure follows the previous banishments of fellow Faithfuls Myha’la Herrold and Amol Rajan, Tom’s Guide reported. After her exit, she told the Mirror that fellow contestant Ross Kemp was her “unexpected love” in the series, calling him “wonderful.”
A ‘murder’ to start the show
The episode began with the news that the Traitors had chosen to “murder” actor Bella Ramsey. Ramsey took the elimination in stride, telling the Evening Standard it was a smart decision by the villains of the game.
“I think this is a clever move by the traitors,” Ramsey said. “I was going to reset and start from the beginning because I got it so wrong with Myha’la. I think that they were right to murder me because I think I would have maybe figured it out.”
Who are the Traitors?
The Traitors pulling the strings are TV presenter Maya Jama, comedian James Acaster, and mathematician Hannah Fry. According to The Guardian and The Independent, Fry was recruited after the group successfully banished the first Traitor, actor Richard E. Grant, in an earlier episode.
Fry’s gameplay has earned praise from viewers, according to the Mirror. In a quote reported by The Independent, Fry explained the Faithfuls’ strategic errors. “The mistake that we see the Faithfuls make time and time again is they take the people that stand out, the most trustworthy, the people who’ve got a reputation for being smart… and then the Faithful kill them and then you weaken the Faithfuls overall,” she said.
The Independent also reported on viewer speculation that a verbal “slip-up” by Fry at the Round Table, where she referred to the Faithfuls “killing” players, might put her in the hot seat in a future episode.
What comes next
The fourth episode of the BBC One show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, ended on another cliffhanger. According to inkl.com, the next murder will be decided by a “deadly game of hide and seek,” leaving the fates of Romesh Ranganathan, Rob Beckett, and Ross Kemp hanging in the balance.
