Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from The Celebrity Traitors finale.
After weeks of betrayals, banishments and one now-infamous fart, the curtain has finally fallen on the first-ever Celebrity Traitors, and Britain’s new master of deception has been revealed.
Out of 19 contestants, only five survived to the finale: Traitors Cat Burns and Alan Carr, alongside faithfuls Joe Marler, Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga. By the end of the night, just three were left standing — and it was Alan Carr who emerged victorious in a twist that stunned viewers and contestants alike.
When Carr confessed to being a Traitor, his voice broke. “It’s been tearing me apart, I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, “I’m an awful human being.” The remaining faithfuls hugged him in disbelief, reassuring him: “You did brilliantly. It’s all right.”
Social media erupted within minutes. “Most awful traitor ever being the best traitor ever,” wrote one X user. Another called it “the TV moment of the year,” while others said there “could not have been a more iconic ending.”
Carr’s chosen charity, Neuroblastoma UK, will receive the full £87,500 prize pot — a gesture that softened the blow for some fans who couldn’t quite believe he had fooled them all.
Entertainment reporter Indigo Stafford summed up the national shock: “The idea of Alan, of all people, pulling off a masterclass in deception felt about as likely as him keeping a straight face through one of his own punchlines.”
On the post-show podcast Uncloaked, David Olusoga admitted he never suspected a thing. “Alan could have come down to breakfast in a green cloak and I still wouldn’t have thought he was a traitor. I was too busy laughing.” Singer Paloma Faith agreed: “Most people didn’t vote for [Carr] because, how can you vote for someone who is so loveable?”
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Carr later told producers he had “absolutely loved” the experience, adding with a grin, “I want to do it again... I don’t think it would work a second time!”
Thursday night’s extended 70-minute finale on BBC One opened differently from the usual ritual of the breakfast table — this time, everyone already knew who would appear. A recap of the finalists’ journeys played to unusually uplifting music before the mayhem resumed.
As always, fashion made its own statement in the castle. Carr arrived in a checked maroon suit reminiscent of a 1950s chat show host, later swapping into a bejewelled white jacket. But it was Nick Mohammed who stole the spotlight in a maroon velvet tuxedo — what a look, as one fan put it.
The day’s challenge took the cast aboard The Traitors Express, where they ripped up portraits of former players. Rugby star Joe Marler took more than emotional hits — he was accidentally clobbered three times by the lid of a heavy wooden box.
Before the tense roundtable, Burns and Carr made a pinky promise to stay loyal to each other. “We’ve come a long way, I’m not going to throw him under a bus,” said Burns, as Carr giggled beside her. But despite his promise, Burns was soon banished after drawing the most votes. Watching her go, Carr looked visibly pained. “Now I’m on my own, I feel terrified,” he said. “I’m a loose cannon, a rudderless ship.”
Fans were quick to mourn her exit. “Caaaattt! I did NOT want Cat to be banished,” wrote culture journalist Natalie Jamieson. “Cat Burns, you will forever be remembered in Traitors history.”
The endgame saw alliances crumble fast. The Nick-Joe partnership collapsed spectacularly when Mohammed voted to banish Marler. “It hurts to be stabbed in the back last minute like that,” Marler said later — and on the podcast, Olusoga revealed Marler now jokingly calls Mohammed “Judas.”
Finally, it came down to Carr, Olusoga, and Mohammed. When all three voted to end the game, Carr’s mask came off. He was the last Traitor standing — and the winner.
“To me, the most hated man in Britain,” Carr laughed, raising a toast beside host Claudia Winkleman. “Let’s face it, I started this game a bit of a nervous wreck. I’ve thrown some really good friends under the bus, I’ve murdered national treasures in plain sight. I’m clearly a better liar and traitor than I thought I was.”
Entertainment journalist Natalie Jamieson called the finale “beautiful TV” and predicted it “will be in the running for memorable moment at next year’s Bafta TV Awards.”
By the end, Carr had regained his composure — and his sense of humour. “What a rollercoaster. I was awful at lying, I had no poker face and here I am a winner,” he said. Then, in a cheeky nod to an earlier episode, he leaned towards Winkleman and quipped, “You’ve got something on your face, Claudia.”
And with that, the castle’s long run of scheming, backstabbing and laughter finally came to an end — a truly unforgettable mix of chaos, charm and camp that will leave fans talking for months to come.
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