Romesh Ranganathan has admitted feeling “utterly humiliated” after viewers branded the Faithfuls the “worst of all time” following Friday’s episode.
In a major blunder, the group selected Maya Jama, James Acaster and King Kenny as the three contestants they trusted most, handing them the chance to gain a special power.
Speaking about the experience behind the scenes on his Radio 2 show on Saturday, 48-year-old Romesh said the decision was particularly painful to watch back: “If you’ve been watching, the thing that is probably paramount in your mind is the complete and utter humiliation of being asked in the scarecrow task to pick the people we trusted most to potentially get the special power — and we chose the Traitors.”
“I’m going to tell you now, not ideal. I had to stay off social media, with loads of people making TikToks saying, ‘Oh my God, how thick are they? This has got to be the worst set of Faithfuls I’ve ever seen in my life!’ It’s more difficult than it looks, but that was humiliating — really humiliating.”
Romesh also explained that appearing on the show involves two separate experiences: filming the competition and then watching it unfold on television. “You’re seeing things that you didn’t know were happening, and I’m seeing conversations that I never had any awareness of,” he said.
Romesh Ranganathan has described feeling “utterly humiliated” after the Faithfuls were branded the “worst of all time” during Friday’s episode
In a spectacular own goal, the group chose Maya Jama, James Acaster and King Kenny as the contestants they trusted most, giving them the opportunity to secure a special power
Romesh said he was watching the episodes alongside the audience and had no idea that the Traitors had fallen out during the shield challenge, after James Acaster refused to remove his blindfold and sabotage the shields.
The comedian added that he had sacrificed himself for the group in two challenges, but felt the other contestants’ lack of concern was “insulting”.
“If you watch the episodes back, there are two consecutive missions where I’m eliminated early because I sacrifice myself,” he said. “The lack of concern from the other contestants is what I would describe as insulting!”
Viewers have now questioned whether the Faithfuls have any chance of winning the jackpot after Friday’s episode saw them name all three Traitors as the contestants they trusted most.
The mishap took place during a challenge set in a “field of screams”, where scarecrows bearing the contestants’ names stood beside a series of pitchforks.
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The celebrities worked in pairs, with one contestant collecting bags of gold worth £500 while their partner hung them from the pitchforks to bank the cash.
When three bags were placed on a single pitchfork, its scarecrow exploded, eliminating that contestant from the contest for a secret power.
Kenny ultimately won a dagger carrying a double vote, while the group raised £13,500 for the charity prize fund, bringing the total to £59,500.
Kenny won a dagger carrying a double vote, while the celebrities added £13,500 to the charity prize fund, taking the total to £59,500
Viewers took to X, with one writing: “As if they’ve picked the three actual Traitors to have the possibility of winning the special power. The worst set of Faithfuls of all time.”
Another posted: “No way the three they chose were the three Traitors.”
A third viewer wrote: “Wow, the Faithfuls are so bad at this game.”
Another added: “All three of the Celebrity Traitors were the most trusted of the group. Yeah, it’s definitely a Traitor win this year!”
‘By the end of this series, there won’t be any Faithfuls left.’
‘These Faithfuls haven’t got a clue . The three they named the most trustworthy are the three Traitors?!’
His advantage was set to prove decisive when the Round Table vote left Sharon Rooney, 38, and McNally, 43, fighting for survival.