Wednesday’s episode of The Celebrity Traitors was thrown into chaos as the round table was hit by the first tie-break in the show’s history.
In a jaw-dropping episode, the stars’ attempts to banish who they thought was a traitor ended in a stalemate, with the next name to be axed left hanging in the air.
As the episode came to a close, it was revealed that David Olusoga and Mark Bonnar were tied on four votes each, and host Claudia Winkleman sternly warned that no stars would leave the round table until someone was banished.
This meant that all of the stars, Mark and David excluded, would be asked to vote again, and if there was still a draw, then their fate would be left to chance.
Both Mark and David issued desperate pleas to the rest of the round table, and then each of the stars were asked to cast another vote for either of them to be banished.
But even after yet another vote, both Mark and David were tied with five votes.
Wednesday’s episode of The Celebrity Traitors was thrown into chaos as the round table was hit by the first tie-break in the show’s history
In a jaw-dropping episode, the stars’ attempts to banish who they thought was a traitor ended in a stalemate, with the next name to be axed left hanging in the air
Claudia then revealed that their fate would be left to chance, with Alan Carr noting this was the first time it had happened in the show’s history.
However, viewers will be left waiting until Thursday to see who is banished, with some fans fuming to see yet another episode end on a cliffhanger.
Posts on X included: ‘ My face when it ends on a cliffhanger like that;
‘I should know by now that every Wednesday will end on a cliffhanger;
‘Hate this cliffhanger, especially when at least one Traitor isn’t even involved;
‘Going to bed after waiting six days and not seeing a banishment on #CelebrityTraitors like…;
‘How can they leave us hanging?!
‘NOT ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER and also a double tie, I think those celebrities are useless;
As the episode came to a close, it was revealed that David Olusoga and Mark Bonnar (pictured) were tied on four votes each
It was then revealed that the celebrities would be asked to vote again for either Mark or David (pictured) to be banished, and if it was a tie once again, their fate would be left to chance
‘Cliffhanger when a traitor is not even involved in the final two;
‘The crashout next episode when they realise they’ve banished yet another faithful is going to be one for the ages.’
Earlier in the episode, another Faithful also succumbed to the Celebrity Traitors, in a bid to avoid their identities being uncovered.
Last week’s episodes of the smash hit BBC show ended on a huge cliffhanger as the Traitors Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr and Cat Burns were seen discussing their next target.
Thursday’s installment ended with Jonathan, 63, Alan, 49, and Cat, 25, sealing the fate of one famous face in the form of a sealed letter, setting the sights on singer Charlotte Church, historian David Olusoga and Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway.
And the victim was finally revealed in the opening minutes of Wednesday’s new episode when Charlotte failed to turn up for breakfast.
Before the big reveal though, early breakfast arrival Stephen Fry mused that the singer could have been a Traitor, pointing out the last week’s banishment Clare Balding suspected her
Alan showed off his acting chops as he jumped in and told the others ‘watch her reaction when she sees who has gone.’ As Kate and David entered the room Stephen cried: ‘How wrong we were!’
The Traitors decided on Charlotte as the murder ‘doesn’t throw any suspicion on us,’ with Alan gleefully declaring the impact would ripple through the group as Cat agreed, saying ‘it makes no sense!’
Psychologists have revealed the science behind Jonathan and Alan’s success in fooling the Faithfuls on Celebrity Traitors.
Speaking on the Psychology Of… Celebrity Traitors podcast, three experts from the University of Chester analysed the cast of the hit BBC One reality gameshow to explain why some contestants are thriving.
Jonathan and Alan, alongside singer Cat Burns, 25, have been busy killing off their fellow famous players since the trio were selected as the first ever Celebrity Traitors by Claudia.
So far, Jonathan, Alan and Cat, have managed to send seven Faithful celebrities packing from Ardross Castle – killing Charlotte, Paloma Faith, Tom Daley and Ruth Codd, and banishing Clare Balding, Niko Omilana and Tameka Empson.
Explaining the psychology behind their success, Professor Lisa Oakley, Dr Clea Wright and Dr Kevin Hochard said that a lot of it is due to their natural personalities and how people react to them.
But even after yet another vote, both Mark and David were tied with five votes, with the entire round table on tenterhooks as Claudia Winkleman announced their fate was out of their hands
The experts agreed, for instance, that Carr’s ‘nervous, chatty’ public persona is a natural disguise, masking his real anxiety and making him appear consistent and trustworthy.
‘It’s consistent with the persona that he already portrays, it’s just a slight accentuation,’ Dr Hochard said of the comedian’s nerves, adding that he has, however, noticed a giveaway.
‘I picked up on a colour change, he goes bright red. It’s actually a good tell. He can’t control that sympathetic nervous system activation to cope with his anxiety.’
Dr Hochard, head of Psychology at the University of Chester, was initially surprised none of the Faithfuls picked up on this behaviour from Carr.
He explained their lack of observation, saying: ‘Although we are seeing it because the cameras are showing us, the rest of the group are not fixated on him because they have got so much to watch.’
Professor Oakley agreed with Dr Hochard’s take on Carr, adding: ‘Because his public persona is nervous, chatty, anyway, it seems to cover up his actual nerves.’
Proving just how trustworthy Carr came across, Dr Wright noted how contestants didn’t pick up on the ‘nonsense’ the comedian told the Faithfuls after the Traitors secretly ‘murdered’ Paloma Faith.
He was asked if his pal had named any suspected Traitors and he falsely declared that the singer said she mentioned having two in mind but refused to reveal any names.
The psychologist said: ‘Everyone is throwing names out, everyone is talking about it and they were really close friends, so if she had names she would have told him.’
Professor Oakley added that Carr’s main advantage is his humour, which has helped him progress through the episodes without raising suspicion.
She said: ‘We know psychologically that humour does a number of different things, it releases tension, it’s good for psychological well-being and stress.
In the early moments of Wednesday’s episode, it was revealed that Charlotte Church had become the latest faithful to be murdered
Psychologists have revealed the clever tactics that Alan Carr (pictured on the series) and Jonathan Ross are using to fool the Faithfuls in Celebrity Traitors
While the Faithfuls are beginning to suspect Jonathan Ross, his confidence as a TV interviewer has helped him
‘The social element is so important because it builds social bonds and this is a social game. While it’s great to watch, it’s also doing something psychologically [to people].
‘It might be the only way Alan survives because he uses humour to deflect, when he is asked a question he often laughs or says something funny.’
While the Faithfuls are beginning to suspect Jonathan Ross, the psychologists observed that his social confidence helped him navigate the early episodes and described him as a natural leader.
Noting his authority among the three Traitors, Dr Wright said: ‘He is a talk show host, he’s used to talking to people. That leadership role in a social setting feels quite at ease for him.’
