Warning: the following contains huge spoilers for episode nine of The Celebrity Traitors, 2026
Fans of The Celebrity Traitors may already know that the group allegedly sings the Hunger Games’ haunting Hanging Tree song before casting their votes at the drama-packed roundtable.
But recently banished Faithful, comedian Joanne McNally, has shared some details about what happens after a contestant is voted off, too.
In her podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me, which she co-hosts with Vogue Williams, Joanne said: “You get off the podium [where you announce whether you’re a Faithful or Traitor], they rush you out the side door… you’re bailed into a van, like Whitney Houston”.
The podcast host was referencing a moment in The Bodyguard, which saw the singer and actor’s character Rachel Marron get bundled into a vehicle with “a pashmina over her head”.
Then, Joanne continued, exiled participants “have a little pack, a backpack,” stating all players keep “an emergency backpack in the castle at all times so that it’s the night that you do go, you have your essentials”.
After that, she claimed banished players go to a different hotel, “and then the next day, you actually have a full day’s work to do in the castle, because you’ve to do all your B-shots”.
In her case, she said the video of her in the bath was shot at this time, as was “all that stuff… your final interviews”.
Joanne even suggested that going to the loo on the hit show is a bit of a fuss, because production have to make sure the path in the castle is “clear” from recently voted-off players getting extra footage for the show.
“They were making sure no-one crossed paths,” she said.
“It’s such a huge production and they run it so.. it’s like military.”
HuffPost UK has reached out to the BBC for comment.
Joanne’s comments come after a first-of-its-kind banishment – fellow comedian James Acaster outed himself as a reluctant Traitor in the deliberation stage of roundtable discussions.
Rumours had previously suggested that a more “unthinkable” and jaw-dropping moment than Richard E Grant‘s unbelievably chaotic day one admission would appear later in the season.
The Sun has also claimed that production had to stop filming for the 41-year-old comedian’s safety after he became upset, and that he had received a welfare check before the roundtable.
The BBC has since said, “Our highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part.
“Players are closely monitored and supported throughout by production, which includes a dedicated and experienced welfare team”.
