"He's a hero": Romesh Ranganathan just "rescued" the entire Celebrity Traitors series - here's why

In case you missed it (surely not?!), Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian 'Bash' Croft just secured a Faithful win for the second series of The Celebrity Traitors, splitting the winnings between two charities in support of refugees after an emotional final fire pit. All the players were fantastic this series – not in terms of tactics, god no, but certainly for lovability and entertainment – but we have to give a special shoutout to Romesh, who was a consistent legend.

Through it all, Romesh delivered hilarious moments, sharp wit, and fantastic gameplay. He dived headfirst into the missions, even when he found them ridiculous. He was also, might we mention, very hot, and we have developed a new crush as a result. In short, Romesh is a key component of why this series was great – he is a hero and the show's saviour. Let us recap some of his best bits...

When his friendship with Rob was no help at all

In the final episode, Romesh acknowledged that having Rob Beckett in the castle with him was a disadvantage – something we called in week one. But can we remember fondly the brilliance of the interaction between the duo after the Traitors were selected? Their realisation that they couldn't read each other at all? Brilliant.

When he got really invested in dancing around the fire in the creepy cabin mission

'Ring, ring, ring, this world will let you in. Ring, ring, ring, your dying wish we'll bring.'

Romesh entered this task by noting that his mother would flip out about him 'summoning the devil' and in his confessional said his wife would definitely get the ick. Cut to him gleefully holding hands and circling around like a kid playing Ring a Ring o' Roses, chanting with all his might.

When he really didn't want to give Leigh-Anne the key in the crypts

When Ross Kemp, Rob Beckett, Leigh-Anne, and Romesh Ranganathan were presented with the chance to give a life-saving key before they entered some crypts. Ross and Rob agreed to be chivalrous and hand it to Leigh-Anne. Romesh, meanwhile, was bold enough to kick up a fuss, ultimately accepting 'the democracy' but declaring he was 'not happy'.

His unexpected friendship with Jerry Hall

Romesh and Rob, mimicking Jerry's Texan drawl. A moment that should go in the history books. But up until Jerry's banishment, Romesh's friendship with her was lovely to watch. 'I love my boys,' said Jerry. We do too.

Every single one of his quips

From the first episode – 'it's a win-win' when Joe worried that giving Julie the shield could end up killing her – Romesh was quick with his witty remarks. Throughout the season he joked about disliking other players, said he was glad Rob had been murdered, called out Joanne's misunderstanding of the word 'complicitly', and on and on.

His self-deprecation

We suspect Romesh doesn't have the highest self-esteem around (hence the need for this ode to his greatness). He remarked on his testosterone levels, referenced that he was concerned about being murdered because the 'good-looking' people were safe, described himself as a 'dud', and ended the entire series by declaring: 'I’ve got to be the worst winner in the history of this game'

His reactions to the missions

Our favourite had to be the penultimate mission, when Romesh got the giggles and even managed to make Claudia crack, but every mission delivered excellent moments from Romesh. When he was locked in a cage and looked extremely grumpy! His offence taken at people not rushing to be his partner! His declaration that he was a 'screamer'! How unsettled he was by the scarecrows!

The maintenance of his poker face

‘I’ve got resting indifferent face,' Romesh told Claudia. 'I’m unreadable'. He is entirely right. And it worked in his favour.

Each time he was baffled or offended

In the final episode, Romesh indignantly said he was 'baffled' to have received votes at the Round Table. This was highly entertaining. We also enjoyed when Joanne suggested that Romesh couldn't be a Traitor because Claudia wouldn't trust him with the job, and Romesh was immediately offended. 'I’m not, but I could be if I wanted to be,' he said. That's right, Romesh. Believe in yourself.

The epic emotions of that finale fire pit

Romesh backstabbed James Blunt by having last-minute suspicions of him and declaring them loudly. Sebastian soothed his worries and convinced Romesh that James could indeed be trusted. Then, because he was so hurt by Romesh's betrayal, James – entirely needlessly – decided to continue the game and banish again, resulting in him departing the castle. Excellent TV. Thank you, Romesh.

And the wonderfulness of the big win

Sebastian and Romesh were so happy to have got it right and secured a Faithful win. Watching them do a jumping hug was adorable, and the similarity in their chosen charities even more so. Lovely.