Myha’la’s bias claims spark debate over Celebrity Traitors’ treatment of non-white contestants
Actress Myha’la said unconscious racial and cultural bias may affect how contestants are judged on Celebrity Traitors, after she was banished early in the series. Her comments have prompted scrutiny of whether the game treats non-white contestants differently, while BBC insiders and people close to the show dispute that interpretation.
Myha’la acknowledged she had made herself a target by defending Traitor Richard E. Grant before voting him out, and said contestants had not consciously treated her unfairly. The article says six contestants were non-white at the start of the series, which has yet to have a non-white winner; Amol Rajan, an Asian contestant, was the first to leave after Traitors Maya Jama and Richard chose to recruit James Acaster instead. One episode drew 10.3 million viewers.
- Myha’la raised concerns about unconscious bias on Celebrity Traitors.
- She said her own choices helped lead to her banishment.
- BBC insiders dispute that the game is racist.
New here? Start with this
Celebrity Traitors is a version of the reality game The Traitors, in which contestants try to identify hidden players called Traitors while completing challenges. The Traitors secretly remove other contestants, and the group can vote to banish someone they suspect.
Myha’la is an actress who took part in the series. Her comments have drawn attention to how race and cultural differences might affect contestants’ decisions and how viewers interpret them; people close to the programme have disputed that view.
The discussion also reflects the make-up and history of the show’s contestants: six were non-white at the start of this series, and no non-white contestant has yet won it. The format depends on trust, suspicion and group decisions, so questions about whether contestants are judged consistently matter to how the game is understood.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Myha’la’s experience raises a reasonable question about whether unconscious cultural assumptions shape who seems trustworthy, suspicious or out of place in a game built around judging others. The show’s record of no non-white winner, alongside the early departures of non-white contestants, may merit scrutiny even without evidence that anyone intended to discriminate.
The case against
The game is designed to make contestants suspect and vote out one another, so early exits can reflect strategy and individual choices rather than racial bias. Myha’la herself noted that defending Richard before voting him out made her a target, and she said contestants had not consciously treated her unfairly; the available examples and outcome record alone cannot establish that non-white players were judged differently.
Americas Celebrity Entertainment World
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Is Traitors really racist? How actress Myha’la’s complaints of ‘unconscious racial bias’ have left bosses dumbfounded and contestants furious… as insiders tell KATIE HIND why her claims couldn’t be further from the truth”.