The dagger was supposed to deliver a devastating blow, breaking a deadlocked Round Table vote and sealing the fate of one of two Faithfuls fighting for survival.
asserted
dagger → suppose → survival
But instead it was millions of Celebrity Traitors fans who were left feeling 'stabbed in the back' when the BBC cut to the credits before King Kenny revealed which contestant he had banished with his game-changing power.
asserted
he → leave → power
The 'pointless' cliffhanger has enraged viewers, who now face a six-day wait to discover whether Irish comedian Joanne McNally or Scottish actress Sharon Rooney has been banished from the castle.
asserted
McNally → enrage → castle
Four contestants chose Ms Rooney, 38, and three backed Ms McNally, 43, leaving Kenny, 29, with the deciding double vote.
But as host Claudia Winkleman asked him to turn over his slate, the credits rolled.
asserted
credits → choose → slate
One viewer who has watched both celebrity series told The Mail on Sunday: 'They are not creating suspense any more.
asserted
They → watch → suspense
They are just refusing to show us the ending.
asserted
They → refuse → ending
Friday's cliffhanger was especially pointless because there is only a twist if Kenny changes his vote.
asserted
Kenny → be → vote
Otherwise, they have made millions wait six days to watch him make the same choice twice.
asserted
him → make → choice
I am still hooked, but by Thursday you are trying to remember why you cared.
asserted
you → try → Thursday
With only two episodes left, they should have finished the banishment.
asserted
they → leave → banishment
The BBC has left millions of Celebrity Traitors viewers feeling 'stabbed in the back' after cutting to credits before King Kenny revealed which contestant he had banished (Pictured: Scottish actress Sharon Rooney)
Viewers now face a six-day wait to discover whether Joanne McNally or Sharon Rooney has been banished from the castle (Pictured: Ms McNally pictured in last night's episode)
'
asserted
McNally → leave → episode
Last year the drama came from the contestants.
asserted
drama → come → contestants
This time it feels as though the editors are trying to wring two episodes out of every big moment.'
asserted
editors → feel → moment
It is the second Friday in succession that the BBC has stopped the action at the crucial moment and forced its audience to wait almost a week for the payoff.
asserted
BBC → stop → payoff
The previous Friday's episode ended during a murder in plain sight after Traitors Maya Jama and James Acaster attempted to make either Ross Kemp or Jerry Hall yawn in a room sprayed with 'sleeping powder'.
asserted
Kemp → end → powder
The programme cut away before either celebrity succumbed and six days later, viewers learned that Kemp, 62, had yawned first and been murdered.
asserted
Kemp → succumb → ?
And when the programme attempted to preserve another mystery this week, its own edit appeared to betray the answer.
asserted
edit → attempt → answer
Thursday's episode ended with Kenny beginning to write the next victim's name on a scroll after the Traitors narrowed their choice to Miranda Hart, Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian 'Bash' Croft.
asserted
Traitors → end → Hart
Fans noticed that his pen appeared to move upwards from the bottom of the page and concluded he was forming an 'M' for Miranda.
asserted
he → notice → Miranda
A capital 'R' or 'B', they reasoned, would usually begin at the top.
asserted
they → reason → top
Their theory was confirmed within minutes of Friday's episode starting, when Ms Hart was revealed as the victim.
asserted
Hart → confirm → victim
The viewer added: 'You cannot keep making viewers wait for an answer and then accidentally show it to them.
asserted
viewers → add → them
It is still brilliant television, but it does not feel as sharp as last year.
asserted
it → feel → year
The verdict on social media was equally unforgiving, with viewers saying the 'cliffhanger trick' is beginning to wear thin.
asserted
trick → say → media
One dismissed Friday's ending as 'pointless', while another said: 'God, I hate these cliffhangers.
asserted
I → dismiss → cliffhangers
It feels borderline insulting to the viewers.
asserted
It → feel → viewers
A third accused the BBC of being 'sadistic' for making its audience wait almost a week for the result.
asserted
audience → accuse → result
Despite the complaints, viewers are still watching in extraordinary numbers.
asserted
viewers → watch → numbers
Thursday's episode attracted an overnight audience of 10.03million on BBC1.
asserted
episode → attract → BBC1
EastEnders, the next most-watched programme, drew just 2.40million.
asserted
EastEnders → watch → 2.40million
The final two episodes will air on Thursday and Friday at 8pm.
asserted
episodes → air → 8
Even their castle has a secret... it's £2million in debt
asserted
it → have → debt
The business behind the 19th century castle used in the series is said to owe millions of pounds to a mystery company
asserted
business → use → company
As the home of the Traitors, its shadowy rooms – and turrets – are used to a fair bit of intrigue.
asserted
rooms → use → intrigue
But Ardross Castle is harbouring a secret of its own.
asserted
Castle → harbour → own
Companies House documents reveal that the business behind the 19th century castle in the Scottish Highlands owes millions of pounds to a mystery company.
asserted
business → reveal → company
The latest accounts indicate the business, Ardross Castle Enterprises Ltd, owes creditors almost £2.6million, putting it £2million in the red.
asserted
business → indicate → red
The debt is largely due to an outstanding loan from Alness Ltd, which will not ask for its money back for at least a year 'or until the company has sufficient funds', according to the documents.
uncertain
company → ask → documents
It is not clear why the business required such a loan.
asserted
business → require → loan
The castle and its 100-acre estate is 95 per cent owned by an offshore company based in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, Frontex Investments, while the remaining 5 per cent is owned by Donald McTaggart, whose family bought the castle in 1983.
But while the castle may be temporarily in financial difficulty, the Traitors effect may be paying off.
uncertain
effect → own → difficulty
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
