Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft won the second series of Celebrity Traitors. Claudia Winkleman crowned the two Faithfuls after they banished the last Traitors, Maya Jama and King Kenny, and then saw James Blunt vote himself out of a share of the prize. The 83,000 pounds will be split between the Refugee Council and Choose Love.
Seven celebrities began Friday's final, from a cast of 21. Michael Sheen was murdered in the first action of the episode. "I am incredibly disappointed," he said. "Gutted that I got so close to the end." Leigh-Anne Pinnock was banished at the round table after Kenny voted to remove her. That left Kenny, Ranganathan, Croft and Blunt at the fire pit. Friday morning's piece set Jama and Kenny as the Traitors still standing, after James Acaster's confession on Thursday.
How the fire pit turned
Kenny had already turned on Jama, his fellow Traitor, at the last round table. At the endgame the four remaining players had to decide whether any Traitor was still among them. James Blunt and Kenny tied in a vote. Croft, known on the show as Bash, persuaded Ranganathan to banish Kenny. That vote won it for the Faithfuls.
"Absolutely devastated. Almost scraped it," Kenny said. "I was so close, I smelled the victory." The series has made him a mainstream name anyway. The further twist belonged to Blunt. When three players remained, he alone chose another round of banishment. Ranganathan and Croft had both chosen to end the game. Had Blunt done the same, he would have shared the win. He was evicted by his own vote. "I've loved trying to work it out, I've loved getting it wrong so often," he said.
The audience, and the argument about the series
The finale drew an average of 11.2 million live viewers, a figure that will rise once catch-up is counted. Other episodes this series have passed 15 million including catch-up. Thursday's semi-final, the night Acaster gave himself up, had a live audience of 10.7 million and a 62 per cent share. The BBC said on Friday that the welfare of players is its highest priority, after reports that filming paused when Acaster became anxious and was checked by staff. He did not appear on Friday's Uncloaked.
Croft, 24, left in tears. Ranganathan hoped his mother was proud, and his youngest son Charlie, who had wanted him to take part. The civilian Traitors returns for a fifth series in January 2027. Celebrity Traitors will be remembered for two players who announced themselves: Richard E Grant in episode two, and Acaster at Thursday's round table. It will be remembered, in the end, for a tied vote and a Faithful who talked his partner into the right name.
The Final, in Order
- Winners: Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft, both Faithfuls.
- Last Traitors banished: Maya Jama and King Kenny.
- Prize: 83,000 pounds, shared by the Refugee Council and Choose Love.
- Average live audience: 11.2 million. Catch-up will add to that.
- The next civilian series of The Traitors is due in January 2027.
If you missed the ending, the episode is on BBC iPlayer, with Uncloaked beside it. The castle game is over. The Sunday argument, in group chats and in the papers, is whether Blunt's last vote was bravery or a habit of guessing, and whether a Faithful win feels like the right close after a series some viewers found too friendly until the final night.