Well, the penultimate episode of the second series of The Celebrity Traitors was a corker, wasn't it? After a mission that delivered heights of entertainment equal to Celia Imrie screaming into that well in series one, Michael Sheen got into gear and did some proper, logical detective work. This culminated in him laying out a spot-on case for James Acaster being a Traitor, delivered with the flourish of a point squarely in his direction at the Round Table.
(As a side note, this practically guaranteed Michael Sheen's place in the final three around the fire pit.)
James Acaster responded by owning up. 'I just wanna explain my situation,' he told the players. 'I was made a Traitor, without wanting to be. I've had a unique experience on this that no one's had before, where I wanted to be a Faithful, that's all I wanted to be. I couldn't just go "Guys, it's me, vote for me." But that's all I can do really.'
After that, everyone at the round table voted James Acaster out. He stood up and, just so everyone was absolutely sure, confirmed he was a Traitor. And out he went.
The reaction online has been mega. Many have accused James of 'ruining' the game, others have jokingly imagined how James's chosen charity must have felt watching and there have been many, many questions about how it all played out. One question: did James Acaster break the rules? Another, popping up all over X and Reddit: knowing James was a Traitor, why didn't the Faithful keep him in tactically, vote someone else out, and then know who to eliminate in the final? We've done some digging for the answers.
Did James Acaster break the rules on The Celebrity Traitors?
Think back to the early episodes and you'll recall that before Traitors are given their velvet green cloaks, Claudia Winkleman asks them to agree to the Traitors Oath. She asks: 'Do you commit to lie and deceive throughout the game? Are you willing to murder your fellow players every single night? And do you vow to keep your identity and the identity of your fellow players a secret?'
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Now, we didn't actually see James recite the oath after he was recruited, but given he was given a cloak and access to the turret, we have to assume he did. In that case, you can see he did indeed break the rules in last night's episode. If James vowed to keep his identity a secret... he broke that vow explicitly at the Round Table. He was almost as blatant as Richard E Grant.
But interestingly, he may have been a massive rulebreaker even before that pivotal moment. Look again at the oath: 'Do you commit to lie and deceive throughout the game?'
James made a point of playing the game as a 'Faithful Traitor' and prided himself on being honest. That's a far cry from lying and deceiving! He broke his oath over and over, simply by his commitment to telling the truth.
The moment James Acaster revealed his identity
Now, a few other points to raise on the dramatic moment when James told the players what was going on. Many viewers have picked up on the fact that the sequence of events seems to have been chopped up in the edit – Romesh's apparent reaction to James's revelation has his chalkboard in its holder in view, suggesting his expression actually wasn't as James was speaking.
You're not imagining things. We reckon that there had to be quite a bit of production and editing involvement for this particular Round Table. Previous reports said that a player had become so overwhelmed during filming that production had to pause filming and step in. While the BBC hasn't officially confirmed whether this was the moment it happened, it appears likely – especially as James A has gone on to share how much of a mental toll playing the game took on him.
A representative for James A has declined to comment, while the BBC has issued a statement reading: '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.'
Here's how we think things actually played out. Michael made his accusation, James became overwhelmed and broke down, revealing that he was a Traitor and then worrying that he'd ruined the game. At this point, we imagine the cameras were cut, production got involved, and it was agreed that James would be voted out – and allowed to tell the truth so he had the moment of honesty he wanted at the Round Table.
We imagine that 'reaction' shots had to be a bit cobbled together to make everything make sense for the viewer, while still protecting the players' welfare and not making James or any other players any more upset.
Why didn't the other players tactically keep James Acaster in?
Lots of viewers have wondered why the players didn't respond to James's admission with some sneaky strategy. They suggested that the players should have kept James in and voted out another suspected Traitor – that way, the players would enter into the final knowing two players' identities rather than just the one. That would then allow the final to be an easy win for the Faithful.
Well, as explained above, we suspect some production involvement in how it all went down. We imagine that production explicitly instructed all of the players to vote James out and give him freedom from the game.
Adding weight to this theory? The fact that James Acaster didn't display his vote. Our theory is that after the interruption to filming and the involvement of the welfare team, it was agreed that James wouldn't be allowed a final vote – because, having admitted he 'tried to help' the Faithful, he might use the opportunity to dob in another Traitor... and that would really ruin the game.
How James's speech and the remaining Traitors' tactics have wrecked their chances of winning
Eagle-eyed viewers noted that James told Michael and James Blunt: 'I'm so proud of you guys for catching me.' This all but confirms to the players that both Michael and the remaining James are Faithful. And here, we think, is where Maya and Kenny missed a real trick.
The moment Michael brought back up the murder in plain sight, leading him directly to James, Maya or Kenny should have planted the seed of an idea: yes, James A was the Traitor responsible for murdering Ross Kemp, but in fact Michael and James Blunt were Traitors, too. They should have suggested that the entire Round Table was a moment of Traitor-on-Traitor aggression, with Michael and James Blunt setting up James Acaster as a sacrificial lamb.
There's still time for Maya or Kenny to attempt this line of play, but it'll be trickier now. They would have to make the argument that James Acaster's praise for Michael and James Blunt at the Round Table was actually a final deception. He did, after all, say that he also tried to protect his fellow Traitors.
