"Bring out the draw straws!"- The Caretaker upon discovering the vote is undecided
"Draw Straws" is a gameplay element in "Trapped" which occasionally occurs during an episode. It decides the trapped unfortunate in the event of tied voting.
Description[]
After all the votes are tallied, there may be an occasion in which two or more unfortunates have received the same number of votes. In this scenario, a small black metal hexagonal box with "Trapped" written on it is opened up and the unfortunates are then forced to each pick a straw from a choice of six all of varying lengths. It is unknown how long each straw is and the unfortunates don't know the length of their choice until they pull it out. They are then placed side by side and whoever has picked the shortest straw is the unfortunate who will be left behind. The loser is announced by The Voice with "(Losing unfortunate's name) You have drawn the short straw, therefore you are the unlucky one". The procedure goes back to normal once the draw straws have concluded and The Voice reveals the identity of the real Saboteur. Draw Straws can only happen if the challenge has failed, if a challenge is passed but the voting is tied, the saboteur is still trapped, regardless if they are part of the tied vote or not.
For the majority of instances throughout the series, the Draw Straws has been between two unfortunates, with the exception of Series 1, Episode 4 (Ipswich) on Floor 6, Goblet of Ice where it was between three unfortunates; namely Dionne, Derryn and Jodie. There have been three instances where each unfortunate receives one vote each (two on Floor 4, one on Floor 3); the first instance being Series 1, Episode 8 (Manchester), on Snake Attack between Renee, Sam, Tim and Oaiss, the second being Series 4, Episode 3 (West Bromwich), on Millicent And The Moths between Tariq, Paige and Kadeem, and the third being Series 4, Episode 8 (South Shields), on Split Ends between Abigail, Ellis, Amy and Abbie. Normally this would require for all four unfortunates to draw, however all these instances occurred when the challenge was passed, therefore the draw straws weren't required and the real Saboteurs (Oaiss, Tariq and Abbie) were trapped regardless of the ties.
As there has never been a tie in The Fight For Freedom, it is unknown what would happen in the event of a tie and if the draw straws (or another method) would be required or not. However, The Caretaker has confirmed that they are not allowed to trap both of the last two finalists,[1] which implies that both unfortunates wouldn't both be trapped in the event of a tie in The Fight For Freedom, and of course, the rules state only one can escape, therefore also implying that they had a way of deciding who goes free, which has never been required as there have not been any ties in any of the Fight For Freedom challenges.
List of all Draw Straws and Unfortunates involved[]
| Episode | Unfortunates | Losing Unfortunate | Challenge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1, Episode 2 (Willesden) | Frankie and Tia | Frankie | Freaky Factory |
| Series 1, Episode 3 (Cambridge) | Fabien and Puja | Fabien | Witch's Brew |
| Series 1, Episode 4 (Ipswich) | Dionne, Derryn and Jodie | Derryn | Goblet Of Ice |
| Series 1, Episode 4 (Ipswich) | Ben and Adam | Ben | Exploding Toad In The Hole |
| Series 1, Episode 7 (Brighton) | Sunaz and Benjamin | Sunaz | Witch's Brew |
| Series 1, Episode 8 (Manchester) | Jack and Oaiss | Jack | Black Widow |
| Series 1, Episode 10 (Newcastle) | Mauro and Kim | Mauro | Witch's Brew |
| Series 1, Episode 12 (Bow) | Shpresa and Bradley | Shpresa | Freaky Factory |
| Series 1, Episode 13 (Burnley) | Jessica and William | William | Exploding Toad In Hole |
| Series 2, Episode 1 (Wolverhampton) | Olivia and Schmichel | Schmichel | Body Shock |
| Series 2, Episode 2 (Watford) | Shaneece and Ryan | Shaneece | Poisoned Harvest |
| Series 2, Episode 6 (Sale) | Necho and Emy | Emy | Snake Attack |
| Series 2, Episode 7 (Brighton) | Ellie and Josh | Josh | Wall of Sorrow |
| Series 2, Episode 7 (Brighton) | Holly and Oliver | Oliver | Two Faced Liar |
| Series 2, Episode 8 (Bath) | Dylan and Hollie | Dylan | Goblet of Ice |
| Series 2, Episode 9 (Birmingham) | Jonah and Elvira | Elvira | Green Fingers |
| Series 2, Episode 12 (Newcastle) | Andrew and Jessica | Jessica | Two Faced Liar |
| Series 3, Episode 1 (Brixton) | Jaydene and John | Jaydene | Beware the Crowman |
| Series 3, Episode 2 (Wigan) | Zoe and Ellie | Zoe | Septic Sewers |
| Series 3, Episode 3 (Sutton Coldfield) | Olivia and Marcel | Olivia | Green Fingers |
| Series 3, Episode 7 (Eastbourne) | Harvey and Dani | Harvey | Septic Sewers |
| Series 3, Episode 8 (Paisley) | Adam and Matt | Matt | Body Shock |
| Series 3, Episode 10 (Hackney) | Dan and Callum | Callum | Spooked |
| Series 3, Episode 13 (Bolton) | Nathan and Meganne | Meganne | Goblet of Ice |
| Series 4, Episode 3 (West Bromwich) | Nicole and Connor | Connor | The Lost Invitations |
| Series 4, Episode 3 (West Bromwich) | Courtney and Paige | Courtney | The Frozen Princess |
| Series 4, Episode 6 (Bootle) | Harry and Fern | Harry | Split Ends |
| Series 4, Episode 7 (Pontypool) | Caitlin and Cerys | Caitlin | Wolf and the Nut |
| Series 4, Episode 13 (Bolton) | Joshua and Sam | Sam | The Lost Invitations |
Trivia[]
- Exploding Toad in the Hole and Witch’s Brew are the only challenges in which the Draw Straws were used in each of their appearances.
- No Floor 3 challenges have had Draw Straws involved.
- In Series 1, Episode 4 (Ipswich), Cloda is the only unfortunate to have not drawn straws.
- Eight unfortunates who were involved in the Draw Straws went on to escape the tower. These include (in order of episode appearance): Benjamin, Jessica, Holly, Ellie, Marcel, Dan, Nathan, Cerys,
References[]
- ↑ In Series 1, Episode 5 (Birmingham), The Caretaker, before the Fight For Freedom said: "I wish we was allowed to trap both of them"; thus proving that both cannot be trapped in the event of a tie in The Fight For Freedom, meaning that the draw straws (or another method) would be required to decide who goes free and who gets trapped.