Richard E Grant banished on first vote of Celebrity Traitors after revealing he was a traitor
Richard E Grant was banished in a landslide vote on Thursday after telling the other celebrities he was a traitor. He received 18 votes, including from both of his fellow traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster.
The first vote
Richard E Grant was banished from The Celebrity Traitors on Thursday in what the BBC described as a landslide vote. The Independent reports that he received 18 votes from his fellow contestants, including from both fellow traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster. It is the first time a traitor has been banished on the first vote of the show.
After the vote, Grant stood before the group and confirmed his identity.
I have been annihilated.
He later added to the camera: "I have managed to checkmate myself, which, as far as I'm aware, has never been done." The other celebrities cheered as he left the castle, and comedian Joanne McNally said she had not voted for him and had completely believed him.
How Grant was exposed
According to RTE, Grant slipped up and said he was a traitor moments after host Claudia Winkleman chose him and Maya Jama as the first traitors of the series. The Independent says he accidentally revealed he was a traitor in the first episode, so the accounts differ on when the slip happened. The BBC describes his revealing his identity to the other celebrities in the bar as a deliberate strategy.
Winkleman told the group:
Players, this has never happened before. Your first try and you got one.
Reactions and suspicion
Julie Hesmondhalgh told Grant she would vote for him, and actress Miranda Hart and mathematician Hannah Fry both noticed a change in his demeanour after the traitors were selected. The BBC reports that Hesmondhalgh also made a long speech after noticing Myha'la winking at Grant before she voted, insisting it was a traitor-on-traitor moment.
Jama responded after his banishment:
Richard, you messed it up, but you didn't take me with you. So see you on the outside, my love.
What comes next
Jama and James Acaster remain as the traitors. The BBC reports that the remaining traitors met in the turret and chose to recruit Hannah Fry rather than murder Jerry Hall or Fry. The Celebrity Traitors continues at 8pm on Friday on BBC One.
