The second series of BBC One’s The Celebrity Traitors concluded on Friday with comedian Romesh Ranganathan and Heartstopper actor Sebastian “Bash” Croft emerging as the two winning faithfuls. The final episode marked the end of four weeks of suspense as the original 21 celebrity contestants were whittled down to a final group of seven.
The Endgame and Victory
The winning pair successfully banished the remaining traitors, Love Island host Maya Jama and YouTuber King Kenny, in dramatic fashion to share the £83,000 prize for their chosen refugee charities, the Refugee Council and Choose Love. The finale drew a record average live audience of 11.2 million viewers, as part of a series that has attracted more than 15 million people.
Kenny reached the endgame after turning on fellow traitor Maya at the final round table. He was joined in the climax by Romesh, Bash, and singer James Blunt at the fire pit. When James and Kenny tied in a vote regarding who was a traitor, Bash persuaded Romesh to banish Kenny instead of James.
“Absolutely devastated. Almost scraped it,” Kenny stated, adding that he was close to victory. James then chose another round of voting and was evicted himself, leaving Romesh and Bash as the last men standing.
“This might actually be the best day of my life,” said 24-year-old Bash through tears of joy. Romesh reflected on his win by stating he hoped his mum and youngest son Charlie, who encouraged him to join the show, would be proud.
Earlier Exits and Final Departures
Actor Michael Sheen was murdered in the opening action of Friday’s episode, describing himself as gutted to get so close to the end. During the endgame, Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock was swiftly banished after Kenny voted to remove her, leaving her feeling surprised but proud of her accomplishment.
Singer James Blunt was the last to be eliminated after choosing to banish again when it came to the final three, unaware that Romesh and Bash had chosen to end the game. Earlier celebrity participants in the series included Ross Kemp, Jerry Hall, Miranda Hart, Joe Lycett, Hannah Fry, and Amol Rajan.
The series also featured unorthodox moments when actor Richard E Grant accidentally revealed his traitor status in episode two, and comedian James Acaster unexpectedly gave himself up under pressure during Thursday’s penultimate episode. Reports indicated filming was paused and Acaster was checked by welfare staff after becoming anxious, with a BBC spokesperson stating that player safety and welfare remained the highest priority.
