On The Traitors, talking too much is often a death wish.
And Barrister Hugo learnt that lesson the hard way last night as he became the first Traitor to be banished in a shock early exit which left viewers stunned.
Just three episodes into the series, it was a rare early victory for the Faithful who voted the 51-year-old out after he made a clumsy speech at breakfast and was betrayed by a fellow Traitor Stephen after he went on a lengthy rant about Ben being banished from the competition.
Hours after the second murder of the series, which saw retiree Ben, 66, eliminated overnight by the Traitors, Hugo appeared determined to steer the conversation at breakfast when he launched into an oddly commanding defence of Ben that immediately raised eyebrows among the group, who had no idea he was a Traitor at that time.
‘Whoever has done that is beyond mean,’ he said, after speaking at length about how hard Ben had worked in the previous challenge.
And watching on, fellow Traitor Rachel could barely hide her alarm.
Just three episodes into the series, it was a rare early victory for the Faithful who voted a Traitor out after he made a clumsy speech at breakfast
Barrister Hugo learnt that lesson the hard way last night as he became the first Traitor to be banished in a shock early exit which left viewers stunned
‘Oh my god, why did he do that, like he literally commanded the room,’ she later told the camera. ‘That’s a little bit much.’
By the time the players gathered for the roundtable, Hugo was firmly in the firing line, with his breakfast monologue repeatedly cited as the moment things turned.
Leading the charge was crime writer Harriet, 52 – a former barrister herself but something she has chosen to keep from her fellow co-stars – who delivered a forensic takedown that proved decisive.
In an ironic twist, Harriet told the group that Hugo’s profession had always placed him under scrutiny.
‘It has occurred to me from the moment that I found out that you were a barrister that you would be a prime target for the traitors to take out,’ she said. ‘You have experience at cross-examination, you’re good at presenting your case and you’re highly articulate.’
‘You certainly threw your weight around at breakfast,’ she added. ‘The speech this morning in the breakfast room that was the piece that I felt was overacting.’
And other players quickly piled on.
Ellie, 33, said the speech at breakfast struck her as ‘odd,’ while sweet shop assistant Reece, 27, and creative director Matthew, 35, both confirmed they had voted against Hugo for the same reason.
It was a rare early victory for the Faithful who voted the 51-year-old out after he made a clumsy speech at breakfast and was betrayed by fellow Traitor Stephen (seen)
The banishment and betrayal from Stephen came after Hugo went on a lengthy rant about Ben (seen) being banished from the competition at breakfast, which immediately raised eyebrows among the group
By the time the players gathered for the roundtable, Hugo was firmly in the firing line, with his breakfast monologue repeatedly cited as the moment things turned
Ellie, 33, said the speech at breakfast struck her as ‘odd,’ while sweet shop assistant Reece, 27, and creative director Matthew, 35, both confirmed they had voted against Hugo for the same reason
When the votes were revealed, Hugo received the most – including a jaw dropping one from fellow Traitor, Stephen, who opted to throw his ally under the bus to protect his own position
When the votes were revealed, Hugo received the most – including a jaw dropping one from fellow Traitor, Stephen, who opted to throw his ally under the bus to protect his own position.
‘Stephen has turned on me, he’s voted against me,’ Hugo said to the camera. ‘What on God’s green earth has just occurred?’
In his final speech, the barrister attempted one last time to frame himself as a wrongly accused Faithful.
‘You are sending home someone who has the forensic skills to find the Traitors,’ he said. ‘You’re all super smart, lovely people and I’ll never have an experience like this again in my life, so thank you all so much.’
He then went on to reveal: ‘I am a traitor.’
The castle erupted as contestants leapt from their seats, celebrating a shock early success for the Faithful and one of the earliest Traitor banishments ever seen on the show.
Behind the scenes, the remaining Traitors were also quietly delighted by Hugo’s exit.
Stephen later admitted that he had not expected to turn on his former ally, but that he felt Harriet’s intervention left him with no choice.
During Friday evening’s instalment of the hit BBC series, Netty become the first faithful to be murdered by the traitors
‘This is crazy,’ he said. ‘I hadn’t expected to be throwing a fellow Traitor’s name around this early in the game. However, Harriet jumping in the way she did with such an eloquent monologue it meant that I could only take one path.’
Rachel, who told Stephen she was ‘delighted’ at Hugo’s banishment, said the barrister had ‘dug his own grave.’
The pair then made a pact, vowing never to write each other’s name down as they set their sights on reaching the final together and splitting the £120,000 jackpot – something no pair of Traitors has managed before.
The Traitors continues on January 7 at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
