Ed Gamble, the host of Traitors and Celebrity Traitors aftershow Uncloaked, has addressed claims of unconscious racial and cultural bias on the series.
Since the series debuted in the UK in 2022, there has been discussion surrounding unconscious bias on the show – where ethnic minority players are often deemed more “suspicious” than white players.
This reached a head earlier this month when Industry actor Myha’la was banished from the celebrity version of the series, and one viewer suggested she had been banished from the show due to racism. Myha’la defended her fellow contestants, saying that she “understood” why the writer felt this way, and “may have agreed” had she not “sealed her own fate” by playfully winking at Richard E Grant, which is what caused many to suspect her of being a Traitor.
Gamble was asked about the subject in a new Guardian interview, and he said: “I certainly wouldn’t like to counteract anyone’s lived experience. I also think Myha’la said that she signed her own death warrant with the wink, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not true, and it’s something that needs to be discussed and looked at.”
In her statement after leaving the show, Myha’la wrote: “That early in the game there is VERY little to grasp on to, and I gave them… a lot. However, I do agree that unconscious racial and cultural bias exists in this game where my authenticity or honesty or the ways in which I choose to express myself look suspicious to people who are unfamiliar with people like me.
The Bodies Bodies Bodies star continued: “I’m not saying it’s right, I’m not saying racism doesn’t exist, but I do have to defend my dear friends on this show who in no way consciously put bias on me because of my race. That’s not a fair or complete assessment of what really happened in my case.
“And! I do think games like this should allow more conversation around unconscious bias and how, when under pressure, people (society) gravitate towards things they know and understand or subsequently push away from things they don’t. It’s all love, and I REALLY genuinely appreciate your support.”
When another fan wrote that she was “exhausted” watching the suspicion cast towards Black players on shows like The Traitors, Myha’la replied: “I totally agree! It is exhausting, and we have every right to be tired of it. Sending love to you.”
Unconscious bias on reality television is by no means exclusive to The Traitors. A Guardian report found that non-white dancers on Strictly Come Dancing were 71 per cent more likely to get voted into the bottom two.
Discussing the subject in The Independent earlier this year, journalist Micha Frazer-Carroll wrote: “I don’t think that the show or any of its players are consciously discriminating against people of colour or disabled people. Rather, The Traitors is a game of social judgements, and so our socialisation comes into gameplay. Players are asked to assess abstract traits like trustworthiness and untrustworthiness – at times, purely based on vibes.
“We’re socialised amid a load of ideas about people of colour being suspect, criminal and dangerous. So, of course, internalised biases will inform group consensus on who is ‘shifty’ or ‘just a bit off’.”
The Celebrity Traitors continues on Wednesday, with 13 stars remaining in the competition as it heads into its penultimate week.
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