Devoted fans of BBC One's hit reality series The Traitors are convinced the two remaining secret saboteurs have made a catastrophic blunder that could end their game prematurely.
A Tense Episode Leads to a Traitor's Downfall
The latest nail-biting episode, broadcast on Saturday night and hosted by Claudia Winkleman, saw the Faithful players finally score a major victory. In a heated roundtable discussion, secret barrister Harriet successfully led a campaign to banish contestant Hugo, revealing him as the first successfully identified Traitor of the series.
However, the triumph was fleeting. With another murder imminent, the atmosphere in the Scottish castle remained thick with suspicion. The episode's major twist came when Claudia tasked the two remaining Traitors, Rachel and Stephen, with a dangerous mission to be completed in full view of others.
The 'In-Plain-Sight' Task That Went Awry
Their objective was to covertly mark nine portraits on a large family tree in the castle foyer using red paint, thereby selecting the next murder targets. The pressure of the very public task visibly rattled the pair.
At a critical moment, they found themselves standing before the tree with fellow contestant Reece. In what fans have branded a disastrous error, Rachel awkwardly turned to Stephen and said, “Speaking of dangerous, I need to give you a heads up on something…”.
Reece, sensing he was intruding on a private conversation, astutely offered to leave them to talk. This exchange, witnessed by Reece, has sent the online fandom into a frenzy, with viewers certain it has fatally compromised the Traitors' secret identities.
Fan Reaction and the Path Forward
On social media platform X, viewers were swift to condemn the move as potentially game-ending. One user, Wando, called it “Possibly the MOST stupid Traitors moment in the history of the entire series.”
Another, Maddi, stated plainly: “Rachel, you and Stephen have already blown your game wide open.” The prevailing theory is that Reece now holds the power to unravel their entire scheme, making him a likely target for the next murder to ensure his silence.
User Niamhcanyoubeliamh summed up the consensus, asking: “Surely they’re screwed if they don’t murder Reece??”
The only potential lifeline for the conspiring duo is that successfully completing their paint task unlocked a major new advantage: the chance to finally meet the mysterious Secret Traitor and form an alliance, after episodes of being manipulated from the shadows.
The Traitors continues on Wednesday at 8pm on BBC One, where the identity of the Secret Traitor will be revealed and the consequences of Rachel and Stephen's risky conversation may begin to unfold.
