James Acaster’s confession exposed a confusing loophole in The Celebrity Traitors’ rules

James Acaster‘s shock confession during the penultimate episode of the Celebrity Traitors has left a rather big question hanging over the game: Was he actually allowed to reveal his own identity?

After weeks of keeping his cards close to his chest, James finally admitted he was a Traitor at the roundtable, potentially putting the remaining Traitors in a very awkward position. Given the show has an entire oath dedicated to keeping identities secret, it’s raised questions about whether James broke one of the game’s biggest rules.

Via BBCA

While it’s understandable that the pressure might have become too much, surely announcing you’re secretly working against everyone isn’t exactly part of the plan?

The Traitors’ Oath is an agreement contestants make to ensure the game is played fairly. It is designed to stop Traitors exposing one another to the Faithful, which would effectively ruin the whole point of the competition. Traitors also have to commit to murdering another player every night.

As Claudia Winkleman explains in the first episode, the contestants are asked three questions before officially beginning their secret mission.

She asks: “Do you commit to lie and deceive throughout the game? Are you willing to murder your fellow players every single night? And do you vow to keep your identity and the identity of your fellow players a secret?”

So, does James admitting his own identity count as breaking that final promise?

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There seems to be some debate over exactly how the rules work, particularly when it comes to revealing your own identity rather than exposing another Traitor.

Via BBC

People have suggested that James’ confession might not have been quite as straightforward as it looked on screen. The Sun claimed he reportedly had a panic attack and filming had to stop, meaning producers needed to work out how to handle the situation.

Ultimately, the exact consequences of revealing your own identity aren’t entirely clear. The oath explicitly asks contestants to keep both their own identities and those of their fellow Traitors secret, but how that applies in an unusual situation like James’ confession is less obvious.

And while the rules are there to protect the game, James’ roundtable moment has certainly shown what can happen when the pressure gets a little too much.

For all the latest news and drops about The Celebrity Traitors, like The Holy Church of The Traitors on Facebook.

Featured image via BBC