Big Brother contestants Sam Giffen and Alex Cannon have been ejected from the reality show in a surprise double eviction, just a day before the final.

The two contestants were made to leave by the back door of the house with no fanfare.

There was no crowd and they were not interviewed by host Emma Willis.

During a carnival task they were told by fortune telling machine Zoltar that they were the least popular housemates and immediately evicted.

After receiving the news, Alex said he was “devastated,” adding: “I had a feeling something was going to go do down. It doesn’t half test you and test your character.”

Sam said: “I’m ready to go home. I’m ready to get out of this mad house but devastated to not to get to the end. I’m proud we have come this far. It was absolute mental torture but an amazing experience.”

The other housemates were devastated by the news, with Jason Burrill saying of Alex: “I’ve lost a guy who helped me get through hard times in here, who stood by me and understood me and who I thought would probably win this.”

Later, the remaining six housemates told they were finalists on the show.

The news was too much for Evelyn Ellis, who confided in Hughie Maughan: “I’ve got so excited I wet myself.”

The group were shown a slideshow of their time in the house.