Not all Traitors finalists are created equal: here’s who deserves to win the prize pot

It was always going to be a difficult task to follow The Celebrity Traitors, with Alan Carr constantly sweating with guilt, Celia Imrie letting rip during a tense moment in a cabin and Nick betraying his bromance with Joe, leading the faithfuls to defeat. Truly some of the best TV moments of 2025. How could they top that?

Season four of The Traitors has been stuffed full of surprises: multiple hidden relationships, a secret traitor and one of the most explosive attacks on a fellow traitor we’ve ever seen before. 

After a steady start, new formats were introduced, and it unsettled our amateur detectives (even the FBI-trained ones). But by episode three, season four served up some of the wildest drama, including Fiona going all guns blazing for fellow traitor Rachel, and Harriet using her one opportunity to talk to the traitors to threaten them, as Rachel and Stephen looked on in wide-eyed terror while out of sight in the confessional box. 

All the while, certain faithfuls have been painfully on the money with their suspicions (justice for Harriet and Jessie), only to be met with murder and banishment. There’s rarely been a dull moment since the game picked up in episode three, when Fiona’s status as the secret traitor was revealed. It’s been pure TV gold. 

After one of the most explosive seasons, the final seven have two episodes left and everything to play for with an ever-growing prize pot on the table. Will the remaining traitors, Rachel and Stephen, be able to shrug off suspicion one last time? Will they finally succumb to the faithfuls tireless thirst for traitor blood? Only time will tell. Until then, here’s our ranking, in reverse order, of the most worthy winner as we head into the final episodes. 

Jack has been an understated addition to season four, forming a close-knit group with fellow faithfuls James, Jessie, Adam and Faraaz. His problem is that he’s not really listened to his teammates’ suspicions and steered others away from the people he can’t possibly see as a traitor. 

As a personal trainer, he’s thrived in physical challenges, but the terrifyingly fast carousel finished him off and left him walking back to the castle.

Like Roxy, Jack has failed to remember the main rule of the game: trust no one. Since Stephen offered to give him a shield in a former trial, Jack remarked that he’s in his debt, but all the camaraderie is clouding his judgment. Until now. 

Faraaz has finally aired his suspicions about Rachel, and it seems to be music to Jack’s ears. Could these two faithfuls team up and take down the traitors? I’m not sure, but I hope to see them try. 

One player who never fails to share his theories/conspiracies and bounce ideas about with absolutely no evidence, just vibes, is James. 

Bringing some much-needed chaotic energy, James has been a delight to watch. Candid to a fault, he oozes faithfulness as he tries (and fails) to band together with the faithfuls to banish a traitor. The problem is, he always chooses the wrong player, and that’s probably going to be his downfall. 

Yes, his theories might have been off the mark, but his passion for the game never falters – ensuring the group won the penultimate mission, while also projectile vomiting. From secretly stealing a shield in a mission (and not telling his team) to offering plenty of eye-rolls at the round table, James has been a memorable presence for his enthusiasm for every game, trial and conversation that’s come his way. 

Whether he’s under fire or pitching his latest case for banishment, he’s handled himself well, respecting other players and even reprimanding himself for his errors. I don’t think he’ll make it through another roundtable, having led the march against Matty, but he’s still one to watch as you truly never know whose name he’ll say next. And trust me, if he thinks you’re a traitor, you’ll know about it, and you’ll find it very hard to convince him otherwise. 

It’s been hard to watch Jade at times as she’s remained under fire right from the first roundtable, when Amanda’s watchful and well-trained eyes (though her judgment was misplaced here) decided that she just had to be a traitor. 

Sure, her name has cropped up on the slate nearly every other night, but the PhD student has flown under the radar in the day-to-day drama, dipping in and out of different theories and mostly becoming suspicious of anyone who seems to have it out for her – understandable, really. She has been on the defensive most of the time, but honestly, who can blame her? It’s been relentless at times – give the girl a break. 

It was good to see her come into her own at the round table last night, and in trials, she’s been a delight. Squealing through the horrors of Claudia’s creepy cabin, letting out burps as she was spun horrendously fast around the carousel and finding some catharsis in ripping apart teddies. 

Jade knows she’s been set up, but what’s slightly sad about it all is that it’s been at the hands of the other faithfuls. She might not have come with the best theories to the table, but she has one of the best wardrobes. From the chunky knit rainbow-coloured cardigan from Northern Irish brand Hope Macaulay, to a chic cherry-clad cream stripe jumper from House of Sunny, Jade has given us standout looks every day.

Ultimately, I feel as though what this girl really needs is a hug, an apology, and to drop all her wardrobe details, stat. 

If a faithful were to win this season, I hope it’s Faraaz. Sure, he’s not led the charge like Sam or James. Nor has he come all guns blazing at the traitors like Harriet. However, he has slowly been gathering evidence and has arrived at the right conclusion: Rachel is a traitor. The baby of the group is a quiet assassin, that we’ve all been sleeping on. 

His suspicions are now spot on, and it’s unnerved Rachel as he turns up the heat in an articulate and relaxed manner. Connecting the dots between Fiona’s outburst, his own survival thus far in the game, and the position of trust and confidence that Rachel has earned herself in the castle, Faraaz has started to sow credible seeds of doubt. Will he succeed? Or will his final act be in vain?

Smart, strategic and compassionate, with the FBI certificate to prove it, Rachel has been a triple threat, cementing herself as a trusted ally in the castle, all the while orchestrating every single move the traitors have made this season – even when a fellow traitor threatened to implode her game. Nice try, Fiona, but you were never a match. 

Not only has Rachel played an excellent game, staying calm when she’s come under fire, taking measured risks to eliminate strong players (sorry, Matty) and offering up an inscrutable poker face to balance out Stephen’s terrified expressions, she’s also delivered some of the best one-liners. 

Whether it was describing Fiona as “sweet but a psycho” and telling her to her face that “I kind of want to murder you right now” to asking Ross if “Hugo [was] this dramatic in the turret?”, Rachel made it a season to remember. And it wasn’t a result of dramatic scenes, throwing shade or an eccentric, extroverted personality, but simply from never losing sight of the fact that this is a tough game. She stayed focused and remains a formidable adversary to anyone who tries to take her down. Just ask Fiona and Harriet… they didn’t really stand a chance against Rachel’s well-executed blend of genuine kindness mixed with a measured appetite for murder. 

That said, I’m worried she’s going to fall at the final hurdle and won’t be able to shrug off this heat she’s come under at the last minute. But that’s ok, because there’s another traitor I’m cheering on even louder. 

Surely we can all agree that Stephen and his delightfully expressive eyes deserves victory.

Part of the joy of watching Stephen this season has been his sheer inability to keep a straight face in any situation. Shock, confusion, fear – like Alan Carr in the celebrity version, it’s all written across his face, as he blushes through every roundtable when he’s under suspicion, somehow managing to survive by the skin of his teeth. 

Stephen has struggled to keep his composure at times, often turning red and admitting he started to sweat from the moment he received that ‘you’re-a-traitor’ tap on the shoulder. And the series has been all the better for it. 

Rocking a distinctive 70s and 80s style – and even Jonathan Bailey-esque slutty little glasses at one point (they were his grandfather’s) – Stephen has been a warm, stylish contestant with endless meme-able facial expressions. 

A fan-favourite (with Jessie) for good reason he has navigated every accusation with compassion and kindness, even sobbing when he had to banish fellow traitor Fiona – but it’s not all sweetness and light as we saw when he started throwing Rachel’s name around as an act of self-protection last night. He has also managed to navigate a tricky game with fellow traitors throwing grenades, small slip-ups (eg revealing confidential information and not realising that only a handful of people knew), and a tirade of accusations… and emerged as our favourite to win. 

From giving Claudia a cheeky wink when he was first handed his cloak to giving us our favourite new saying (we’re throwing ‘a cat among the chickens’ now), it’s safe to say that sweet Stephen has had an impact on us all and deserves to take home that prize. 

Images: BBC