'Candles lit' for Traitors hopeful as final place comes down to chance

Spoiler warning: This article contains details of the ongoing series of The Traitors.

The best friend of Traitors finalist Rachel Duffy has said the "candles are lit" and prayers are being said in the hope she can win the game's cash prize.

Fans of the hugely popular BBC show were left on a cliffhanger on Thursday, when the episode ended with Duffy's place in Friday's final set to be decided by a game of chance.

Kathy McCaughey said she will be at a watch party in Duffy's hometown of Newry, where she will find out her friend's fate as the final airs.

"We're texting everybody in the country to pray for her," McCaughey said.

The opening of the final, which airs at 20:30 GMT on Friday, should reveal whether Duffy or fellow contestant James Baker is banished.

Speaking to BBC Radio's Good Morning Ulster, McCaughey said she had long been a fan of The Traitors, but seeing her best friend compete has been "so strange".

"From Rachel was a wee girl, honest to God she just loved party games," she said.

"That carried through to her teenage years, I mean she was a quiz fanatic, treasure hunt fanatic and I think she is just playing an excellent game."

Faithfuls Jade, Faraaz and Jack, along with traitor Stephen, secured their places in the final on Thursday night.

However, the episode ended in a deadlock, with votes split between Rachel and fellow contestant James.

Their fate was left to the "Chests of Chance", meaning Rachel's place in the final will only be revealed at the start of Friday night's episode.

McCaughey, who runs a singing and choir school in Newry, said she will be watching the final at the choir studio in a Traitors-themed party and hopes Duffy has "the shield in the box" which would see her through.

Duffy, 42, who works in strategic communications, has previously described herself as a "sociable person that loves finding out things", but someone who is also very competitive.

"I will do anything to win. Nothing's off the table," she said.

Former Traitors contestant Diane Carson from Bangor, County Down, became a fan favourite thanks to her no-nonsense demeanor - she said she too would be watching the final with interest.

She said for Duffy to be eliminated from the show on a 50/50 game of chance would be a "horrendous way to go".

"She's a very clever player and she's proved herself as such and she's swayed everybody," Carson said.

"She beat off two very fierce attacks from Harriet and Fiona. So she's every chance of taking it home, really."

Contestants take part in daily tasks, which can help them build up the prize fund - which this series is up to £120,000.

The majority of the show's 22 contestants are faithfuls, and it is their job to root out and banish the traitors at the end of each day.

While the audience at home is aware of everyone's identity - bar the secret traitor - the faithfuls do not know who is a fellow faithful and who is a traitor.

Every night there is a round table, where people can air their suspicions about who they believe is a traitor, before a vote is taken to banish someone and ending their time in the game.

The fourth regular series follows the hugely successful celebrity spin-off, which aired in the autumn and attracted 15 million viewers.

After the banishment, traitors then assemble in the cloaks and "kill" a faithful.

In order for the remaining faithfuls to win the money, all of the traitors must be eliminated before the game finishes.

However, if even one traitor remains, they will take home the prize.

Matthew Hyndman, a creative director from Northern Ireland now living in Edinburgh, who was eliminated from the show earlier this week said he is team traitor all the way and would like to see Rachel win.

Traitors can be watched on the BBC iPlayer.