Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler has revealed that he was paid less than some of his co-stars, despite claims all of the cast were given the same fee.
In stark contrast to some reality shows, where salaries can vary wildly depending on the level of fame, it was thought that the cast of the hit BBC show were all given the same flat fee of £40,000.
But Joe, who as a Faithful made it all the way to the final, has now revealed that he was given less than the number that was shared.
The rugby player, 35, was one of the breakout stars of this year’s Celebrity Traitors, and despite failing to stop Traitor Alan Carr stealing the prize fund, he was quickly cemented as a fan favourite.
Richard Osman and Marina Hyde had shared that stars were paid £40,000 on their podcast The Rest In Entertainment, and Joe said his wife Daisy heard the same.
He said: ‘Yeah, Daisy read that too. She said to me, ”Hold on, I thought you only got 30?”
Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler has revealed that he was paid less than some of his co-stars, despite claims all of the cast were given the same fe
The rugby player was one of the breakout stars of the BBC show, and despite failing to stop Traitor Alan Carr stealing the prize fund, he was quickly cemented as a fan favourite
‘I said, ”Yeah, I did.” No, I don’t think everyone got paid the same. But I’m not bothered. It was 30 grand whether you lasted two days or three weeks — a no-brainer.’
Alan eventually won the series after being the sole traitor to avoid banishment, and he claimed the entire £87,500 prize pot, which was donated to his chosen charity Neuroblastoma UK.
During the interview with The Times, Joe also took a swipe at fellow faithful Stephen Fry, admitting it was wrong move to form his own game plan based on the longtime presenter.
When it was noted that Stephen’s intelligence was praised, despite failing to catch any traitors, Joe added: ‘Well, my game plan originally was obviously I’ll just do what Stephen does, because he will be good at this.
‘Then after a couple of times, I realised, he’s not good at this. This is not a good plan.’
Joe previously spoke about his ‘heartbreaking’ show loss following Thursday’s nail-biting series finale.
In a twist that nobody could have seen coming, Alan somehow managed to hoodwink Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga into believing he was a Faithful, ensuring that as a Traitor he won the entire £87,500 prize pot.
Despite Joe correctly guessing that Alan and Cat Burns, 25, were the remaining Traitors, he failed to convince the others and was brutally banished at the last minute after being double crossed by Nick.
In stark contrast to some reality shows, it was thought that the cast of the hit BBC show were all given the same flat fee of £40,000, but Joe has said he was given just £30,000
During an appearance on Saturday Kitchen the rugby legend admitted he had been devastated by his pal’s betrayal, but said they have since made up.
‘He [Nick] didn’t stick to my plan, he went with his gut, which was a shame. But I still was so in love with him, because that little dicky bow, his little face, the three little love hearts he put by my name [on the blackboard during the vote].’
Before adding: ‘Although in that moment, I was heartbroken.’
In the episode, the final five – Cat, Joe, Nick, David, and Alan – faced an epic final mission aboard the show’s famous steam train.
Their mission sounded simple enough: board the train, find the keys, unlock the crates, and collect the gold — all within 20 minutes.
But, in true Traitors fashion, host Claudia Winkleman added a dramatic twist, revealing that the crates were rigged with explosives.
Thankfully, the team were able to get the gold and disembark the train before they were detonated, rounding up the prize fund to an impressive £87,500.
The group then faced one last roundtable where suspicions ran high.
Joe, believing Alan and Cat were the Traitors, made a pact to vote against David while secretly plotting to expose them later.
Viewers watched with baited breath as David desperately defended himself, before Cat was voted out after Joe made a last minute U-turn.
Remaining Traitor Alan told viewers Cat’s departure had ‘thrown a spanner in the works’ as he had to battle it out for the win solo.
Suspicions a Traitor was still lurking in their midst were still high as the songstress did not reveal her true identity in her departing speech.
Alan Carr won the series after being the sole traitor to avoid banishment, and he claimed the entire £87,500 prize pot, which was donated to his chosen charity Neuroblastoma UK
Reflecting on her time, Cat said: ‘I wouldn’t change a thing. I got to the final. I’m proud of myself.’
Nick then turned on ‘true Faithful’ Joe in the final moments as the last four headed to the firepit to cast stones and reveal if they thought there was still a Traitor among them.
In a shock change of heart, Nick said he doubted Joe after spotting him say ‘I’m sorry’ when he banished Cat.
Nick said: ‘I adore you, honestly I didn’t believe it but you voting for Cat is what sealed it, but I love you.’
Joe said after being banished by his fellow Faithful: ‘I read it so wrong. It hurts to be stabbed in the back last minute like that.’
With just David, Alan and Nick, it was up to them to decide if there was a Traitor in their midst.
David said: ‘I’ve never believed Alan is a Traitor.’
Nick also voted to end the game. The actor said: ‘I genuinely believe both of you are Faithful. I think we did it’ – only for Alan to pull the rug from under their feet when he made his bombshell revelation.
