A Celebrity Traitors star has revealed how lying to the leader of the KKK will help him in the BBC reality game show.
Niko Omilana, a 27-year-old influencer and YouTuber who boasts 3million followers on Instagram, is certainly no stranger to bending the truth.
Best known for posting prank videos and running as an independent candidate in the 2021 London mayoral election and 2024 UK general election, the social media star will be join a slew of other celebrities as they head to Scotland for the ultimate game of treachery.
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, 19 A-listers will battle it out to win £100,000 for charity as the eagerly anticipated series begins on October 8.
Following the release of the official trailer, fans were already convinced which two players look as though they’re going to be Traitors.
But perhaps flying under the radar could be YouTuber Niko, who when asked whether he has a good ‘poker face’ gave a very interesting response.
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‘I lied to the leader of the KKK, telling him I was with the BBC,’ the 27-year-old told the BBC ahead of the new series.
‘He believed me, so yes, I have to have to have a good poker face particularly when I’m in a high-risk situation like that.’
The prank in reference was during a fake BBC interview in 2022 when he convinced Thomas Robb, the national director of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, into giving ‘Black Lives Matter’ a shout out.
In a video posted to YouTube, which received 46million views, Niko travelled to Harrison, Arkasnas, a town regarded by many as the ‘most racist’ in America.
He then managed to get Thomas to shout out a fake person called ‘B-yell-eem’, pronouncing it BLM.
Asked whether people are going to be wary of him in the game, Niko continued: ‘I’m going to be one of the younger people and I imagine most won’t actually know what to expect from me at all.
‘I can just say I was that guy who ran for Prime Minister in children’s glasses, and I don’t think they’ll have really delved into my content.
‘I feel like you only really understand the way my mind works if you watch my content. If you look at it just on the surface, it just looks like stupid stuff. So that’s what I’m hoping for, that I’ll be underestimated.’
Also speaking to the BBC ahead of the series, Claudia revealed how she almost ‘welled up’ speaking to Stephen Fry during the filming of the show.
Discussing the celebrities taking part, she said: ‘It’s an absolute honour. I could barely breathe when I saw them all in the Highlands.
‘I’m such a fan of every single one of them. The whole team were just in awe, it was hard not to scream “you’re here!”
‘When I talked to Stephen Fry I almost welled up, I told him “this was my dream”. We’re incredibly lucky to have the cast that we have. Each one of them is tremendous.’
The presenter went on to say that the biggest challenge was being ‘strict’ and not being able to chat with all of the stars.
‘All I wanted to do was chat and be friendly but my role is aloof and grumpy. I found it hard not to just sit down with them and have a cup of tea,’ she added.
‘My family and I are obsessed with Joe Wilkinson, I had to stop myself getting his autograph for my son.’
Meanwhile, Paloma Faith claimed that she doesn’t want ‘boring’ housemates and will ‘vote people out’ if they are not contributing to her entertainment.
She said: ‘I’d still vote out boring people if I’m a Faithful. If I don’t think someone is contributing much to our entertainment, I’ll just exert my influence at the Round Table.’
The series trailer for Celebrity Traitors showed the likes of comedian Alan Carr, Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway, Olympian Tom Daley and rugby player Joe Marler excitedly entering the Scottish Highlands castle.
Also among those taking part are Welsh singer Charlotte Church, talk show host Jonathan Ross and broadcaster Clare Balding.
The Celebrity Traitors launches on Wednesday 8th October 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer. There will be two episodes per week on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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