We’ve watched betrayals, banishments and murders galore - and now, impossible as it seems, The Traitors is finally about to draw to a close.
Over the last few weeks, 22 contestants have been whittled down to five, and with only one Traitor at play, the tension about who will survive the finale and walk away victorious is once again at nail-biting levels.
As the nation gets ready to gather around the TV at 9pm tonight, let’s take a look at the people who’ll be scrapping it out for the £100,000 cash prize.
Charlotte
Strengths
The tonal mismatch of how sweet she seems to be on the outside - and how ruthless she appears to be on the inside. “You’re a natural,” Minah told her once she’d been recruited - and then Charlotte brutally backstabbed her. I mean, true Traitor material there.
Finest moment
We’re slightly unsure if Charlotte deciding to use a Welsh accent at the start of the game “because it’s the most trustworthy” was a stroke of genius or a moment of madness. Either way, she’s committed and none of the other contestants seem to have twigged that it might not be genuine. And she’s still in the game, so…
Worst moment
Brutally turning on her fellow Traitor Minah from almost the moment she donned the cloak. While Minah thought that the ‘sisterhood’ was strong, Charlotte started spreading rumours about her from the beginning. Hardly neighbourly, but certainly tactical. And Freddie’s final attempt to out Charlotte might land her in hot water in the last episode.
Odds
Considering last night’s cliffhanger, this could go one of two ways: really well, or really catastrophically badly. A mean of five out of ten Shields for this.
Alexander
Strengths
He’s one of the savviest contestants left - scratch that, probably the savviest. Unlike the others, he uses logic at the round table and has made some deductions that have brought him within a hair’s breadth of identifying the Traitors.
Finest moment
Too many to pick from, honestly. Alexander playing badminton and falling into a hedge. Alexander going into the haunted house with the creepy dolls and ending up doing opera as he tries to sing nursery rhymes backwards. Alexander sassing Joe at the table for being disrespectful. We love to see it.
Worst moment
Almost certainly, trying to reason his way through the train carriage situation at the start and ending up volunteering to be one of the three contestants to get off early - along with Fozia and Jack. The trio did end up reappearing later in the game, but they did so suspended in cages and dependent upon the mercy of their fellow contestants to get them back in the game.
Odds
Decent. I’d give Alexander eight out of ten Shields for this - we trust his diplomatic power will see him through at the final round table.
Frankie
Strengths
Though Frankie is quiet, her opinion is respected. She and Alexander appear to have teamed up: a formidable combo. Plus, of course, she’s the Seer - the one person who can discover if a contestant is really a Traitor or a Faithful, as that bombshell cliffhanger last night made all too clear…
Best moment
Running to rescue Alexander (who was in a coffin on a boat, on a lake) wearing the most inappropriate footwear one could imagine: “snakeskin slingbacks!” An iconic moment.
Worst moment
Being convinced that Alex was a Traitor, and coming under suspicion herself after he declared himself to be a Faithful, post-banishment. Then, falling apart at the round table. Also, when she broke down after it turned out Joe had been murdered.
“I really wanted for him, maybe more than me, to stay in the game until the end and I'm gutted for him that he hasn't',” she said at the time. With an attitude like that, how will you win?
Odds
Not great - a four out of ten Shields that she makes it into the final. Surely the Traitor(s) will be gunning for her, given her new position?
Jake
Strengths
Mostly, it’s the fact that everybody seems to know that Jake is a Faithful - in fact, he’s been dubbed the ‘Traitor Hunter’ (slightly overegging it there) for his supposed abilities to sniff out treacherous contestants. That would be for his conviction that Linda was a Traitor, which did turn out to be true, though to be fair, she wasn’t exactly subtle about it.
Finest moment
Linda finally being voted out, and Jake being exonerated as a Traitor hunter in chief. He’s also been dubbed the ‘leader of the pack’ for his achievements: quite the glowing endorsement.
Worst moment
A light dash of sexism. “They can’t all be women,” he told the gathered Faithful at the breakfast table at one point. “There has to be a man.” Does there really, Jake?
Plus, then casting his vote for Freddie at the round table, when the rest of the group banished Minah - who of course turned out to be a Traitor. Traitor hunter…?
Odds
Jake might well have to rely on his reputation to get him through this one, but there isn’t much else going for him. Five out of ten Shields.
Leanne
Strengths
Leanne is one of the most forceful voices in the group and somebody the other Faithfuls look up to when it comes to deciding which way the table should vote. She’s also ruthless, and has defended herself so vigorously that she’s never been in danger of elimination. A strong contender.
Finest moment
Single-handedly carrying her own stone head up the hill during the challenge with the Easter island-style statues. And beating Leon to the top when the pair were carrying the torso. Tough as nails. Oh, and also pretending to be a beautician instead of an army veteran - and really committing to the theme. Sadly, this has come into play less than I’d like, but the rest of the contestants still seem to be none the wiser.
Worst moment
There are a couple here. Firstly, jumping down Freddie’s throat when he ventured the opinion that she, Leon, Jake and Livvy were a clique. Leanne’s resulting fury almost brought Freddie to tears. And the second? Well, that’s probably then turning on Leon and helping get him voted out towards the end of the game. Loyalty? What loyalty?
Odds
Leanne’s ruthlessness has stood her in good stead - and the fact she won the Shield last night, at a critical moment, saved her place in the game when the Traitors tried to murder her. The odds are good of her making it through: six out of ten Shields.
The Traitors finale will be airing tonight on BBC One at 9pm
