The Traitors’ banishments spark *another* TV race row

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When the first contestants were eliminated on the latest season of The Traitors, some viewers noted that the first two people voted off were Black women.

A troubling pattern keeps appearing on UK reality shows – from Love Island to Strictly Come Dancing – and it’s time we talk about how Black women are treated on these programs.

Every year, discussions about diversity happen online, but even when shows try to be inclusive, Black and brown contestants are frequently eliminated early on.

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Netty, a nursery school teacher, was the first person killed and the first to depart the castle. The 42-year-old from Glasgow expressed feeling devastated and believed she would have been a loyal participant.

Judy, who works as a child liaison, was the first contestant eliminated on Friday night. This followed a difficult conversation where fellow contestant Sam voiced his concerns about her, leading to her removal from the competition.

We’ve seen similar dynamics on other reality TV shows. It’s telling that Scarlette Douglas and Charlene White, the only two Black women on I’m a Celebrity in 2022, didn’t receive enough votes to stay in the competition, especially considering how long someone unpopular like Matt Hancock lasted.

Viewers reacted strongly to the decisions made on The Traitors, with many expressing concerns about racial bias. One viewer wrote online, stating that the show consistently sees people of color targeted and eliminated early, suggesting an underlying pattern of prejudice and assumption. They voiced frustration with this recurring trend, using the hashtag #TheTraitorsUK and #TheTraitors.

Narinder Kaur, known from Big Brother and for her social commentary, pointed out on X (formerly Twitter) that Black contestants on the reality show #TraitorsUK are consistently eliminated early. She believes the pattern suggests racism, stating it’s no coincidence that two out of three people on the ‘murder list’ are people of color, a person of color is frequently accused, and the first two contestants voted off were Black women. She argues that the data supports a recurring theme of racial bias in the show.

One viewer pointed out a concerning pattern with the show #TraitorsUK: it seems players with darker skin tones are more likely to be eliminated.

Recently, on The Traitors, Tameka Empson was eliminated early, following Niko Omilana. Many viewers felt this was unfair, suggesting that Black women on the show face extra scrutiny and aren’t given the same benefit of the doubt as other contestants.

The Traitors airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer. You can read the release schedule here.

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2026-01-04 00:19