No one is safe as we enter The Traitors finale (Picture: BBC / Studio Lambert)
The countdown to the dramatic finale of The Traitors is on after a shocking twist in the penultimate episode that changes everything.
The third season of the BBC series has been packed with plenty of memorable moments from the nation mourning OG Traitor Minah’s unjust banishment to fake Welsh accents to Linda and Fozia’s hilarious showdown.
Our final five – Charlotte, Frankie, Leanne, Jake, and Alexander – banished the recently-turned (and immediately betrayed) Traitor Freddie on Thursday when his story about why Leanne was targeted for murder despite having the shield completely crumbled.
But there was no time to relax as Claudia Winkleman announced that Frankie had won the most money during that episode’s challenge and therefore secured the coveted Seer power meaning she could uncover one person’s true identity.
At the last minute, she picked the final Traitor standing, Charlotte, in a misguided bid to confirm a fellow Faithful. Talk about tension!
Now fans are scrambling to figure out exactly how things will play out in the final with Charlotte’s identity at peril and a roomful of distrustful Faithfuls ready to pounce on anyone.
Charlotte is the only Traitor left in the final five (Picture: BBC / Studio Lambert)
Now Frankie has chosen Charlotte with her Seer power, chaos will ensure (Picture: BBC)
It’s crucial to remember that no one is allowed to reveal their identity after banishment throughout the final. So it’s truly up to the Faithfuls to feel confident they have weeded everyone out before securing the cash prize.
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Keeping in mind all the moving factors, there is one theory that several viewers are pretty confident will pan out, and it doesn’t just put Charlotte in danger.
Reddit user BigHollowman laid out the sequence of events that seems most likely to happen.
Frankie reveals Charlotte is the Traitor; Charlotte denies the claim and says Frankie must be the Traitor for lying; The Faithfuls vote them both out to be on the safe side.
Then Jake and Leanne are still mistrustful of Alexander despite voting out three Traitors in a row; Jake and Leanne vote Alexander out and split the prize money.
The same user pointed out that Charlotte may have ‘overplayed her hand’ by throwing Freddie under the bus with the shield tactic when suspicion was already on him, and it could ultimately prove her downfall.
Plenty of fans have thrown themselves behind this popular theory but others think the show could take a different route.
Although there is a universal agreement that at least one more Faithful will be dragged down.
The prevailing theory believes Charlotte, Frankie and Alexander could all be in jeopardy (Picture: BBC / Studio Lambert)
‘I think Alexander still has more to give and won’t go down without an epic fight.
‘We saw a different side of him when he was interrogating Charlotte; more of a glimpse of the shrewd diplomat than he’s given before,’ HelicopterKey9743 commented.
Evening_Elderberry48 posed: ‘As logical as it is to vote both out, it would also be illogical for Frankie to say Charlotte is a Traitor if she’s Faithful.
‘It would be much more logical to confirm she was faithful and maintain the trust of that player and aim to swing the vote of another.
‘I don’t think Alexander will vote for Frankie, so I think the tension in the final will come from tied votes and potentially a random banishment between two faithful following a second tie.’
And Nw5gooner even posed a way Charlotte could survive this fatal turn of events.
The user wrote: ‘I think there’s still a way Charlotte can play this, but she’d have to give a truly Oscar-winning performance.
‘As soon as Frankie comes out and says she’s a Traitor she needs to look absolutely dumbstruck, let people demonstrably see the cogs turning in her head while side-eyeing Alexander and Frankie before delivering the truth she’s just discovered.’
They argued Charlotte could attempt to pin Frankie and Alexander as fellow Traitors. Especially since Alexander was seen helping Frankie secure the Seer position by offering his money during the task.
We may have no idea who will win but it’s shaping up to be a chaotic finale filled with the usual dose of backstabbing and betrayal – what’s not to love?
The Traitors airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
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