The Traitors 2026: Judy and Netty's early departures spark 'racism and unconscious bias' row
TV presenter Scarlette Douglas argued 'there is a pattern that we can't ignore'
The Traitors 2026 has found itself at the centre of a racism and unconscious bias row, following Netty and Judy’s departure from the castle.
Today (January 7), speaking on Good Morning Britain, A Place in the Sun and ex-I’m A Celebrity… contestant Scarlette Douglas spoke to GMB hosts Ranvir Singh, Susanna Reid and Ed Balls about the two women of colour exiting the castle first.
Netty was murdered in episode 2, and Judy was banished soon after.
Traitors fans have also picked up on the pattern, taking to social media to argue that it extends way past The Traitors and into other celebrity reality shows, including I’m A Celebrity… and Strictly Come Dancing, where people of colour have historically been voted off first…
Complaints over ‘unconscious bias’ on The Traitors
After Judy and Netty exited The Traitors castle, one viewer declared: “The unconscious bias is always SO loud. I’m surprised they don’t coach the group on that ahead of filming.”
Another commented: “It’s always ‘I just don’t trust him/her’ or ‘I just have a gut feeling’. Yes, I wonder what you mean by that! So freaking disappointing, year after year.”
Others argued that “it’s not just a Traitors thing”. “Any and all British reality shows go this way, especially in the early stages before contestants get to know each other (or public gets to know them). It’s depressing.”
“It’s ALL British reality shows,” said another. “The minority’s get voted off or removed so quickly. Doesn’t matter what channel, it ALWAYS happens.”
Commenters on TikTok agreed, with many posting videos highlighting the issue on The Traitors, as well as other UK reality TV shows.
@inspiringvanessa a traitors video essay to cure your attention span 😚 anything i missed out? #thetraitors #whattowatch #videoessay #bias #neuroscience ♬ original sound – Vanessa Sam 💌
Scarlette Douglas on The Traitors ‘race row’
Speaking on GMB today, Scarlette was asked for her take on what they called the show’s ‘race row’.
“I want to start this by saying, no matter what I say here, I know there is going to be a backlash. Someone on social media will say I’m using the race card. It’s very sad to know that and feel that I should be worried to sit here and talk about my experience in television.
“When I came out of I’m A Celebrity… second, for me, I thought it was because I was one of the less known people in there. But I remember coming out and seeing all the newspaper articles and it saying it’s racism, it’s racism. And I thought, I’m in there with people like Boy George and Mike Tindall, maybe I’m just not known as much.
“However, then when we do look at what’s happening with other things, like what’s happening on The Traitors and what’s happened on so many other shows. There is a pattern that we can’t ignore. And we do need to talk about it a lot more,” she argued. “I’m not here to say the whole country’s racist or reality TV’s racist. But we do need to talk about the fact that there is an unconscious bias there.”
‘Judy couldn’t win’
Speaking about Judy, Scarlette added: “When we look at Judy, for example. Judy came in and she was told she was too quiet. Then she spoke up. She couldn’t win either way. If she was too quiet she was suspicious. If she spoke up she was an angry black woman.
“At what point can we just be ourselves and not worry that anything we do is going to put us in a bad light?”
‘Maybe they deserved to go first’
Predictably, Scarlette was attacked on social media for her comments, with many GMB viewers arguing against her.
“Here we go again. Maybe, just maybe, they deserved to go first,” one commented. Speaking about Scarlette’s I’m A Celebrity… exit, they added: “Maybe, just maybe, you’re annoying!”
Another asked: “Why do we make everything about gender and race nowadays? Would it be racist if a white male was voted off?”
Others were on Scarlette’s side, though. One agreed with what she’d said and added: “It’s a shame when talent takes a backseat to bias.
“Maybe if the public paid more attention to skill than stereotypes, we wouldn’t keep seeing the same old pattern.”
Read more: Run Away actor James Nesbitt reveals exact reason for turning down Celebrity Traitors
