BREAKING: James Acaster becomes third Traitor on Celebrity Traitors as Amol Rajan is first celebrity eliminated

James Acaster has been selected as the third Traitor on Celebrity Traitors — despite admitting before the series that he wanted to be a Faithful — while Amol Rajan has become the first celebrity to leave the BBC hit.

The dramatic decision follows one of the biggest twists in the show’s history, with Maya Jama and Richard E Grant forced to choose between Acaster and Rajan for the third Traitor position.

The decision came after the opening episode ended on a huge cliffhanger, with the pair summoned to meet the two existing Traitors and make their case for why they should be recruited.

Read Jame’s Traitors interview, here.

Celebrity Traitors twist explained

• Maya Jama and Richard E Grant were initially chosen as the first two Traitors.
• Claudia Winkleman revealed that the Traitor team would not begin with its usual full complement.
• Maya and Richard were instead given the power to select a third Traitor.
• They chose James Acaster and Amol Rajan as the two potential recruits.
• Acaster and Rajan were brought face-to-face with the Traitors and told to argue why they should be spared.
• The celebrity selected would become the third Traitor.
• The celebrity rejected by Maya and Richard would be murdered immediately.
• James Acaster was ultimately chosen to join the Traitors.
• Amol Rajan became the first celebrity casualty of the series.

The twist put both contestants in an extraordinary position: rather than trying to prove they were Faithful, they had to convince two secret Traitors that they would make a useful addition to their team.

James Acaster gets the role he didn’t want

Acaster had previously made it clear that he would prefer to play as a Faithful.

In pre-series interviews, the comedian said he liked the idea of figuring out who was lying rather than having the information held by the Traitors.

He also admitted that he wasn’t naturally comfortable with lying, making his eventual recruitment all the more ironic.

Acaster’s recruitment also creates an immediate problem for the other contestants: he had been one of the people most suspicious of Richard E Grant.

During the first episode, Grant had already caused chaos by accidentally telling fellow contestants that he was a Traitor shortly after Claudia selected him.

That meant Acaster’s knowledge of Grant’s behaviour could now become useful to the Traitor team — while simultaneously making Acaster a potentially suspicious figure if the Faithfuls notice his change in behaviour.

Amol Rajan becomes the first casualty

For Rajan, the twist ended in the worst possible way.

The broadcaster had made a strong case for why he should be recruited, arguing that his reputation for spotting deception could actually help the Traitors.

But Maya and Richard ultimately chose Acaster.

Rajan therefore became the first celebrity to be murdered in series two, leaving the remaining contestants to continue the game without knowing that Acaster is now secretly working against them.

The show’s biggest opening audience ever

The dramatic launch has also delivered huge ratings for the BBC.

The first episode attracted an average 8.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched opening episode in the history of The Traitors franchise, according to overnight figures.

The episode also achieved a 54.9% share of the television audience, with viewing peaking at 9.1 million.

That’s a substantial increase on the first Celebrity Traitors series, whose opening episode attracted around 6.1 million overnight viewers.

The record-breaking audience means millions of viewers watched as Claudia unveiled Maya and Richard as the initial Traitors before dropping the bombshell that their team was not yet complete.

Richard E Grant’s Traitor blunder

The opening episode had already delivered one extraordinary moment before the Acaster-Rajan twist.

Grant, seemingly overwhelmed by being selected as a Traitor, accidentally told fellow contestants that he was one.

The actor then attempted to pass the admission off, leaving the castle divided over whether he had genuinely let the secret slip or was simply playing an elaborate game.

The moment immediately put pressure on the Traitor team — and ultimately helped influence the decision to put Acaster and Rajan in the firing line.

Now, with Maya Jama, Richard E Grant and James Acaster secretly working together, the Faithfuls face an even harder task.

And Acaster has gone from wanting to hunt down the Traitors to being one of them himself.

The Celebrity Traitors continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with the latest episodes airing on Thursday and Friday nights.

Share this post with someone you think would like it…