The Traitors series 3 comes to dramatic end as winner of £94,600 jackpot is revealed

The Traitors series 3 has come to an end… but who won? (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)

After weeks of lies, betrayal, brutal murders, and shocking banishments, the winner of The Traitors series 3 has been declared.

Series 1 of Claudia Winkleman’s smash hit BBC reality show saw team Faithful split a whopping jackpot three ways before Harry Clark stole over £95,000 right from under his friends’ noses in series 2, leading to him being declared the ‘Ultimate Traitor.’

But which way did victory swing this time around?

Having built up the prize pot to a staggering sum of £94,600, it was, in fact, the Faithful who emerged the winners, with just two, Leanne Quigley and Jake Brown, splitting the five-figure amount.

The highly anticipated finale aired to millions across the country, beginning with Faithfuls Leanne and Jake, plus Francesca Rowan-Plowden Brown and Alexander Dragonetti, going up against Traitor Charlotte Berman.

But in a dramatic twist, the final also showed Francesca having secured the power to unmask the identity of one of her fellow players in a private meeting.

Leanne and Jake are the winners of The Traitors! (Picture: Paul Chappells/Studio Lambert)

They both voted to continue banishing until just two remained (Picture: Paul Chappells/Studio Lambert)

They now split a whopping £94,600 (Picture: Paul Chappells/Studio Lambert)

At midnight, as the ‘seer,’ she chose to meet with the last Traitor standing, Charlotte, who was exposed in tearful scenes.

Naturally, chaos ensued at breakfast the following morning, when both Francesca and Charlotte accused one another of Traitor behaviour, only adding confusion to everyone else’s theories.

‘You realise, this doesn’t leave this room. As in, I’m not a Traitor on the outside of this,’ Charlotte told her.

Emotions running high, the final five competed in one last gruelling mission to add a cool £21,000 to the pot.

It was then time for one more roundtable, during which, thanks to Francesca’s convincing, Charlotte was banished and four Faithfuls remained.

The episode concluded with the endgame when the group was given the chance to keep voting out contestants until unanimously deciding no Traitors remained.

Charlotte was the only Traitor left in the final five (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)

Emotions ran high when ‘seer’ Francesca met with Charlotte (Picture: BBC)

Charlotte’s Traitor identity was exposed (Picture: BBC)

Unfortunately for Alexander and Francesca, they became the final victims of banishment, as seeds of doubt had been firmly planted in Leanne and Jake’s minds.

However, in a major shake-up to the format, this year’s finalists did not reveal whether they were Traitors or Faithfuls upon being banished, meaning extra critical thinking and thorough gameplaying were required to reach the very end.

It was only after ex-soldier Leanne and project manager Jake were officially declared the champions that Claudia informed them of the fallen three’s identities.

Naturally, social media was ablaze with excitement in the build-up to what has already been referred to as the TV event of the year.

And after the drama all concluded, X users couldn’t help but scream and squeal, rejoicing after several weeks of enthralling television, which has broken viewing figure records.

A new twist meant she did not reveal her Traitor status to the group upon banishment (Picture: BBC)

The remaining Faithfuls weren’t convinced that Charlotte was the sole Traitor (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert)

Viewers raged as Alexander was banished (Picture: BBC)

Francesca fell at the final hurdle (Picture: BBC)

But, in true Traitors style, the outcome ruffled quite a few feathers, with fans up in arms that loyal Faithfuls Alexander and Francesca were axed.

‘Frankie gave you a traitor on a plate and you all betrayed her’, raged katebishopfrfr.

Juzzy_Aylett added: ‘Gutted for Alex. He was robbed. What a chap’.

But it wasn’t all negative, as while some argued the finale was ‘unsatisfying,’ superTV247 tweeted: It has to be said, a happy ending for the show is really quite something to see. Even with 4 faithfuls that was STRESSFUL. Good for them!!’

There was also plenty of praise for host Claudia, who burst into tears as Leanne and Jake celebrated their win.

Claudia Winkleman’s BBC series has shattered viewing figure records (Picture: Cody Burridge/BBC/Studio Lambert/PA Wire)

The host joined the finalists for a special screening to celebrate the series ending (Picture: Ian West/PA Wire)

‘She offered and accepted one of the best hosting jobs in the world and she really is perfect for it. Her emotional connection with the players has been amazing to watch,’ wrote KSmarties.

A celebrity edition of The Traitors is now in the works, with names such as Stephen Fry, Clare Balding, Tom Daley, and Jennifer Saunders all rumoured to be heading to the Scottish Highlands.

Meanwhile, the BBC has already confirmed that the version of The Traitors that we know and love will be back for a fourth series.

Catch up with The Traitors UK on BBC iPlayer.

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