It’s the final day of the ultimate game of deception and trust! The Traitors series 3 final five contestants have survived every banishment and murder, but it all comes down to today.
Will the Faithful weed out all the Traitors and be victorious, or will the Traitors remain undetected, and take the life changing sum of money all for themselves?
Ahead of the thrilling finale (on iPlayer and BBC One from 8.30pm on Friday 24 January) we caught up with the final five to find out what they've learned about themselves, learn more about their favourite missions and discover what winning would mean to them.
The Traitors concludes on Friday 24 January from 8.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer, followed by an extra special episode of The Traitors: Uncloaked on iPlayer, BBC One and BBC Sounds
- Watch The Traitors on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist
- More: The Traitors series 3 - everything you need to know
Meet The Traitors Series 3 Final Five Contestants
Alexander
How do you feel to have made it this far in the competition?
I thought I wouldn't mind if I went out on day one or day 12, but I'm really glad I made it back in after leaving the train, because I feel like that’s given me more of The Traitors experience. I'm glad to have seen the castle, I'm glad to have done all the Missions I could. I’ve had the full Traitors experience, I went in hoping to get as much from that as possible. And I've been super lucky to make it through all of that.
I have been really lucky that I've been under enough suspicion not to get murdered, but at the same time, I've not been under enough suspicion to get banished! I've also been lucky to find a crew of people at each stage of the game who've given me enough support, both emotional and votes at the table, in order to stay. It has been really fun, but also incredibly intense. It feels like threading a needle through the game to get to this point.
What has been the best moment of the experience so far and was it as you’d imagined?
I think the best part is the relationships that I've made inside the game, which I will take out the game, no matter what. There is an intensity to playing it, and a connection we have that I think is pretty unique, and that was one of the main things I've always wanted out of it, a sense of cohort collegiate-ness, and I've got it, so that's brilliant. I also feel like I've taken a lot of self-learning out of it. A day inside the game is worth a month of learning about yourself outside of it! I also look back with great fondness on the Death Match and the cages and the train, because I survived, and I'm proud of that.
What were your expectations coming into the show?
I didn't really have any, because I know how risky it is to think that you know what something will be like. I've been tripped up by that easily enough in life, working in conflict zones or working in the Middle East or Africa. I know that to remain open minded is incredibly important and to be able to adapt. I didn't really have that many expectations. What I hoped was I would get a community out of it with that shared experience and learn something about myself, and I did both of those.
Did you think you would make it to the final five in the competition?
I didn't really think about how far I'd get in the game. A friend of mine when I applied said to me that she thought I'd either go out in the first couple of episodes or make it quite far. I think she was pretty astute - I did both! In retrospect, I'm really glad I missed the first few days because we all have so little to go on that anyone can be targeted.
What would winning the show mean to you?
Winning the show would be the cherry on top of the cake. It would be a lovely thing to have, but either way I'm so happy I had the experience of playing the game. Don’t get me wrong, winning the money would be absolutely amazing, but if not, at least, I've had such a great experience here.
What’s been your favourite Mission?
The Missions were brilliant, I think the singing dolls Mission was really fun. It was so silly and a bit camp! I really enjoyed playing it with Frankie, who was equally up for having a bit of fun and singing nursery rhymes backwards to each other!
Then there were the Missions that were quite high pressure at the time but ultimately, I felt quite proud of, I enjoy looking back at, so things like getting out of the cages and giving a speech at short notice, getting out of the Death Match by finding the Life card and reading people. They were a bit like climbing a high mountain, it's hard work at the time but you look back on it fondly.
Throughout this experience have you learnt anything about yourself?
I think that my face is way more leaky than even I thought! It turned out it's even worse. I've always struggled to be somebody who shows their emotions, not least because when my brother died, it was so overwhelming, so deeply emotional, that I just I struggled to go back there. I try to shut all that off and I always think that if I make the best choices, I can avoid ever having to feel like that again. I think the game has really taught me of the importance of being vulnerable. I think that's something I learnt over the course of the game, that being messy and human and vulnerable is how you actually connect with people, and it's something I'll try to do more of.
Charlotte
How do you feel to have made it this far in the competition?
I never expected to get this far. In my view The Traitors is such a difficult game to win and so, to even have been able to play, has been incredible. To make the final is unbelievable and really unexpected!
What has been the best moment of the experience so far and was it as you’d imagined?
The best moment of my experience was definitely being recruited as a Traitor because it allowed me to see the game from the other side to a Faithful. Being a Traitor was something I really wanted coming into the game.
What were your expectations coming into the show?
Coming into the show I was excited to meet lots of different people and get the chance to play this incredible game that I'd seen on TV. It's not even enough to describe it as a life size, immersive game. It really is all-consuming - your life in the castle becomes the game. I'd say it's hard to fully understand on the outside that truly you live and breathe the game, and that's why the emotions are so real.
Did you think you would make it to the final five in the competition?
Never. Literally, never. I don't think you can go into The Traitors ever thinking you're going to win. That's why, whenever anyone has asked me, 'what would you do with the prize money?' it was hard to even imagine. It's nice to speculate, just like you might speculate what you would do if you won the lottery or something. But it's not something you ever expect to happen. There are so many forces in play. I think it's part luck, part skill, part randomness - part ruthlessness?!
What would winning the show mean to you?
Winning the show would be amazing. I think it would be really cool to have a recruited Traitor winning, because that is something that hasn't been done before in the UK version of the game. Without sounding too cliché, the experience is what I wanted, so I already feel I have won. I've come into this experience to play the game, meet new people, create new friendships and hopefully have an overall positive experience.
What’s been your favourite Mission?
My favourite Mission has been the dolls Mission! I was in the castle, and it was so much silly fun running up and down the hallway, I laughed so much while we were doing it and it was fun to diffuse the tensions of the game. We were all jumping up and down, chanting random sounds and it was great.
Throughout this experience have you learnt anything about yourself?
I have learnt that if I ever do another TV show, I probably (read - most definitely!) won't do it with a fake Welsh accent. It has been exhausting, and I think I may have permanently rewired my brain. But perhaps it has paid off after all?!
But seriously, behind the chatty facade I am quite a self-doubter and this whole experience has been something I'm truly proud of myself for. I've built genuine relationships with the other players and been able to show people my true self - even within a game of deception. I'm proud of my resilience when I've defended myself at the Round Table and really tried to play the game in its truest sense.
Frankie
How do you feel to have made it this far in the competition?
I am absolutely thrilled to have made it this far in the competition. I honestly didn’t think I’d make it past the first day. Literally every day I thought, right tonight is the night I’m going to get murdered or banished and the next day I was still there!
What has been the best moment of the experience so far and was it as you’d imagined?
I think the Missions have been some of the best experiences, just because I was really worried about doing them and whether I would be fit enough or be able to do them and I really surprised myself. They were just so much fun and I really enjoyed being part of a team.
What were your expectations coming into the show?
I didn’t really know what to expect! I did think it would probably be quite intense, which it was. I didn’t realise I would make such good friends, which has been lovely, and I definitely didn’t think I would get as far as I have. I also underestimated how emotional it can be and how immersive the experience is.
Did you think you would make it to the final five in the competition?
I hoped and hoped I would get towards the end, but I didn’t think I would make it into the final five. At the beginning I looked around and I thought I’m not going to make it through the first day; everyone is really impressive.
What would winning the show mean to you?
Winning the show would mean so much to me on so many different levels. It would be so lovely for my sons to see me win and to see me doing something different. To prove to them that anything is possible. On a personal level as well, it’s probably one of the greatest challenges I’ve ever taken on, so it would mean a lot to me for my sense of self as well.
What’s been your favourite Mission?
My favourite mission was probably the boat mission, although lots of people didn’t like that one! The scenery around it was breathtakingly beautiful and I actually shed a little tear when I saw it. I was also really missing my sons that day and I just felt, I’ve got to get this boat and the rest of the team to these pontoons, and I managed to steer the boat down the loch which was pretty fun, and I was very chuffed about that.
Throughout this experience have you learnt anything about yourself?
I’ve learnt so much about myself. I’ve learnt that in some cases I can sometimes underestimate myself, but I can push myself, like I did in the Missions, and do in everyday life. I’ve also learnt that my way of playing the game was to be myself and to be kind and caring and actually that goes a long way.
Jake
How do you feel to have made it this far in the competition?
I feel very blessed and lucky to be here. I’ve met so many wonderful people on this journey from all different walks of life and I’ve loved every minute.
What has been the best moment of the experience so far and was it as you’d imagined?
I don’t think you can beat the feeling of getting a Traitor out. Getting Linda out was a highlight of mine because I had been hunting her from day one! That feeling of joy when we got her out was a magical feeling.
What were your expectations coming into the show?
I didn’t really know what to expect, I was just going in to be myself and make as many friends as I could and be as flexible and adaptable as I could be. I wanted to be alert with what was to come. Always expect the unexpected was my motto going into the game. Never get complacent and try and make sure you’re aware of what’s going on around you.
Did you think you would make it to the final five in the competition?
Not in a million years. I thought I’d be lucky to get past the first week. It helps when you spot a Traitor early on. I knew I needed luck, but a lot of it is building friendships and relationships and there is also a bit of skill involved, finding Traitors and being good at Missions - but I didn’t expect to get this far so I’m pretty lucky.
What would winning the show mean to you?
I’d be over the moon. One of the big reasons I came on the show was to represent the Cerebral Palsy and disability community, showing that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Also to be able to give something back to my wife and my family as they’ve always been my biggest supporters and given me confidence in myself.
What’s been your favourite Mission?
I think the gunpowder Mission at the very beginning. I love a good physical challenge and the incentive and pressure to get that immunity. It was such a big relief when we did. Everyone was working as a team, and I really enjoyed every aspect of it.
Throughout this experience have you learnt anything about yourself?
I’ve realised how resilient I am as a person. I’ve learnt that you need to understand people and their different personalities and how that impacts their decision making. There are a lot of different emotions throughout the competition and trying to control how I’m feeling was something I didn’t realise I could do as well.
Leanne
How do you feel to have made it this far in the competition?
Completely overwhelmed and it was so unexpected. I’m proud of myself that I haven’t slipped up on my job situation just yet and I’m just happy to be here!
What has been the best moment of the experience so far and was it as you’d imagined?
It was a lot harder than I imagined emotionally. I came into the game really, really wanting to be a Traitor, but I found it hard enough being a Faithful. So, I know how difficult I would have found it as a Traitor, because of the relationships that you build along the way, the friendships, it would be so hard to stab a friend in the back. That's what we are now, we’re friends. My favourite part outside the game, is the friendships that I've made, because genuinely, they are going to be friends for life, more so like family. My favourite part in the game is the amount of shields I've won. I’m very proud of that.
What were your expectations coming into the show?
It was harder than I imagined. When I came in, I felt a little bit out of my depth, because there's so many huge personalities, and I never considered myself as a big personality. So, I did feel a little bit like, woah, at the beginning, and then every day for me was just surviving. I never imagined getting as far as I did. So, every day I just wanted to make it to breakfast. I wanted to complete another mission and that's all I had in my head. Before I knew it we were at the final.
Did you think you would make it to the final five in the competition?
Genuinely I had no idea, I really didn’t. My goal was to make it to one breakfast and one Mission, that’s how low my expectations were!
What would winning the show mean to you?
Everything. It gives us another chance to have another baby and expand our family. It’s something for my little boys to look back at in a couple of years and think, wow, my mum did that.
What’s been your favourite Mission?
I think I’ll have to go with the three cages, when the three players came back. It was very physical, I absolutely ran for my life and my goal was to get Fozia down, get her to put trust in me and to in turn, give me the shield. That was my aim, and I succeeded. I also remember thinking back to when the three players did their speeches. Alexander explained his job and I panicked. I was thinking, oh my god, it's military related, is he lying about his job? Is he military officer? Is he going to catch me out? So, then my head was spinning,
Throughout this experience have you learnt anything about yourself?
Maybe I need to have a bit more confidence in myself, that maybe I do belong in places a bit more, and I can do more than I think I can. I think I’m good at putting on a front. I did feel like, as the days went on, I got more and more confident. With that first day there I was just wondering how did I even get here? How have I even been picked? And then every day, I settled more and more and built the friendships that I did and then grew more confident.
