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A tied vote during The Celebrity Traitors has led to a banishment by fate after players were unable to agree on the identity of the faithfuls’ murderous counterparts. Following two rounds of voting, presenter Claudia Winkleman announced the banishment would be left to chance after Scottish actor Mark Bonnar and historian David Olusoga received an equal amount of votes. The episode ended before the result of the banishment, which takes place following a round-table discussion that sees contestants debate the identity of the secret traitors who meet at night to plot their next “murder”, in a bid to take the charity prize pot from the faithfuls. At the end of Wednesday’s instalment, Winkleman, 53, told the celebrities: “Players, it is still a draw, therefore we will now leave this banishment to the hands of fate.” Earlier, Welsh singer Charlotte Church became the latest contestant to be “murdered” by the traitors – comedian Alan Carr, TV presenter Jonathan Ross and singer Cat Burns – who had plotted their next move during last Thursday’s episode. Reacting to her murder, Church, 39, said: “I thought I was going to be murdered. I’m outspoken at the round table, and I’m outspoken with my opinions, not that I was successful in being much of a threat to the traitors. “But as the game progressed, I hope that I would’ve been. I hope that that’s why they’ve gotten rid of me. Well played traitors.” Actors Celia Imrie and Sir Stephen Fry shared their suspicions that Ross, 64, could be a traitor while at the breakfast table. In private, comedian Nick Mohammed revealed his own suspicions of singer Burns but said he was not ready to share his opinion with the group. Also in the episode, Carr, 49, was launched into the air during a task that saw the celebrities answer a selection of questions about the contestants who have been banished or murdered. Players entered traps associated with the answer they thought to be correct while holding bags that added money to the prize pot. Carr stood on a trap associated with an incorrect answer and was flung metres into the air where he dangled from a booby trap attached to a tree branch. Describing the moment, Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway said: “He was just suspended up in the air plaintively crying.” Later, the celebrity contestants looked appalled when Burns asked “who is Helen Mirren?” in response to a question about a banished player, actress Tameka Empson, and whether she had acted alongside Dame Helen, Dame Judi Dench or Rebel Wilson. “Apart from Rebel Wilson I couldn’t tell you who any of those people were,” Burns said. Last Thursday, Irish actress Ruth Codd was “murdered” by the traitors and TV sports presenter Clare Balding faced banishment at the hands of the faithfuls. Since the UK version began in 2022, millions of fans have watched The Traitors on the BBC and it has picked up a Bafta TV Award for best reality and constructed factual programme, and best entertainment performance for Winkleman. The Celebrity Traitors, presented by Claudia Winkleman, continues on Thursday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
