Celebrity Traitors winners crowned after James Blunt’s last-minute fire-pit move backfires
The series finished in another nail biting end game (BBC)
Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian “Bash” Croft were crowned the winners of The Celebrity Traitors 2026 after James Blunt’s last-minute decision to banish again backfired and saw him voted out.
The BBC One finale, which aired on Friday (30 October), ended with Ranganathan and Croft as the last Faithful standing, securing the £83,000 prize pot for their chosen charities.
Going into the final, Maya Jama and King Kenny were the remaining Traitors. Jama was banished at the last roundtable, including receiving a vote from fellow traitor Kenny.
The endgame then moved to the fire pit, where the group had to decide whether to banish again or end the game. Leigh-Anne Pinnock was next to be banished, leaving four players: Ranganathan, Croft, King Kenny and Blunt. A history-making tie between King Kenny and Blunt led to host Claudia Winkleman asking Croft and Ranganathan to decide who to banish, and they chose King Kenny.
With three Faithful left, the game could have ended there. Instead, Blunt opted to banish again, and Croft and Ranganathan voted him out, sealing their victory. A “show source” quoted in the Daily Star joked: “James Blunt was always saying he’d got it wrong across the whole series, and he was mostly right about that. At least he was consistent.”
Who are the Celebrity Traitors winners and where does the money go?
Ranganathan and Croft split the £83,000 prize pot between their charities. Ranganathan’s half was going to Refugee Council, while Croft’s half was going to Choose Love.
Croft is best known to many viewers for playing Ben Hope in Netflix’s Heartstopper. He becomes the third consecutive gay male winner of the series – following Alan Carr’s win of last year’s Celebrity Traitors and Stephen Libby’s joint win of the 2025 civilian version of the show.
What happened with James Acaster in the semi-final?
In Thursday’s (29 October) semi-final, James Acaster admitted he was a Traitor at the roundtable, described as a first for the show. The Independent reported that filming was paused so producers could intervene when Acaster became distressed.
The BBC said its “highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part”, adding: “Players are closely monitored and supported throughout by production which includes a dedicated and experienced welfare team.”
The civilian version of The Traitors is set to return for its fifth series in January 2027.
