Viewers of hit BBC show The Traitors have slammed the ‘local carnival budget mission’ despite the host’s admission that it was their ‘favourite’.
The episode on Thursday (January 9) was packed with more tears and intense face-offs. Although the Traitors didn’t commit any murders, there was an unsuccessful attempt to recruit a new member and another Faithful was sent packing after a high-stakes Round Table.
Its aftermath was all dissected on the companion visual podcast Traitors Uncloaked, hosted by Ed Gamble. Ex-contestant Diane and comedian Nish Kumar joined him on the panel to chat about the recent episode, including the mission.
Pairs of contestants had to choose their way through a sequence of circus-themed doors, reports Wales Online. Choosing correctly allowed them to continue, with each successful pair adding money to the prize pot and the first team to finish gaining shields.
But a wrong choice meant facing a killer clown who would not only scare them but also burst their balloon, knocking them out of the mission. Ed commented: “This is my favourite mission, which is why we’ve got the (clown) mask there.”
Nonetheless, fans did not echo his enthusiasm, expressing their opinions on social media. One viewer critiqued: “What on earth is this local carnival budget mission they’ve just put up a load of doors in the nearby field.”
They weren’t alone in their critical perspective. One user bluntly asked: “Have [they] run out of mission ideas[? ]”
Another chimed in: “This mission would have been way more fun if it was more Takeshi’s Castle.”
A different viewer expressed frustration with contestants describing patterns instead of simply numbering the options. As a fan of the Channel 4 programme Taskmaster, they felt the task lacked depth, commenting: “There’s four doors on each, don’t describe the pattern just say which number is correct. Also, I would’ve looked through the red curtain to see if there were clues.”
The Traitors continues tomorrow at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer followed by Uncloaked on BBC Two.