The Traitors has gripped fans and left viewers on the edge of their seats since the first series dropped on the BBC in November 2022.
The unique reality TV concept won fans over after its first series, attracting an average audience of 5.4million before winning two trophies at the BAFTA TV Awards.
And the hotly-anticipated second series didn’t disappoint, providing its usual dose of drama and unexpected twists and turns as the Traitors once again backstabbed the Faithfuls in a bid to steal the £95,150 prize pot.
The final made history as it became the most watched episode ever with 6.9million people tuned in to see Traitor Harry Clark claim his victory on Friday night.
The first series, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, saw Traitor Wilfred Webster narrowly miss out on winning the prize pot after tensions got to an all-time high in the Scottish castle, with tears shed over the dramatic betrayals.
As series two comes to an explosive end, MailOnline takes a look back at all of the most shocking moments in The Traitors’ first two epic seasons.
The Traitors has gripped fans and left viewers on the edge of their seats since the first series dropped on the BBC in November 2022 (pictured: Series two contestant Diane)
The unique reality TV concept won fans over after its first series, attracting an average audience of 5.4million (pictured: Series one star Alex)
As series two comes to an explosive end, MailOnline takes a look back at all the most shocking moments in The Traitors’ two epic seasons (pictured: Traitor Paul)
SERIES TWO
Harry’s epic win in ultimate betrayal to Mollie
The Traitors ‘ final made history as it became the most watched episode ever in UK with a staggering amount of 6.9million people tuning in on Friday night
The series peaked boosting an average 5.5million and a 33.5% share – making in the most watched programme in the last week – as Harry Clark emerged victorious
The British Army Corporal, 23, took home the eye-watering sum in Friday night’s nail-biting final, with Faithful Mollie Pierce, 21, storming out of the room in tears following the betrayal
Harry took home the £95,150 cash prize after outsmarting his fellow players in the nail-biting final.
The 23-year-old British Army Corporal fought off competition from 20 other contestants all vying to win up to £100,000 in the famous castle as part of the intense psychological game.
Co-star Mollie Pearce wrongly thought he was a Faithful in the hopes of the pair of them splitting the cash, as he revealed he had been a traitor all along, meaning he walked away with all the money.
After convincing Mollie he was Faithful throughout the show, she was left in turmoil as she weighed up whether to vote out Jaz or Harry at the end the game.
Yet Mollie stayed loyal to her friendship, changing the name on her chalkboard at the last minute from Harry, to Jaz only to find out the heartbreaking truth that Harry was a traitor.
Overcome with emotion, Mollie was brought to tears as she cried: ‘Oh my f*****g god,’ before storming out of the studio.
Congratulating Harry, Claudia announced: ‘Harry you did it, you’ve played the game of your life, you’ve played an extraordinary game…£95,150! At 22 years old you have beaten everybody, you are our winner!’
Paul and Harry turn against Ash
The second series of The Traitors brought villainous characters to screen once again, with Traitors Paul and Harry leaving fans shocked with their scheming behaviour.
Unexpected scenes saw the pair turn on their fellow Traitor Ash twice very early on in the game, after the Traitors’ in season one game plan was to stick together until later on.
Ash became the first Traitor to be banished at the round table after Paul and Harry united in leading the group to vote for her, after already turning on her once before.
Paul and Harry first voted for her after she came under suspicion from the group and got defensive at the round table, but she narrowly avoided going home as Brian was instead banished.
Harry told the camera at the time: ‘Me and Paul caught eyes and sort of raise of the eyebrows, but making sure no one else could see, but he knew exactly what needed to be done to protect the Traitors.’
While Ash said to them afterwards: ‘I’m very f*****g p****d off at both of you. This early on in the game we need to be a team if traitors are going to win.’
After the near-miss, the Traitors – including Miles – then launched a double-bluff ploy and put Paul and Ash in the dungeon in a strategy which they hoped would evade suspicion from them.
Ash had expected her fellow Traitors Miles and Harry to support her and placed her trust in them while she was in the dungeon, but she was left shocked at the round table when her teammates turned on her once again.
Paul revealed to viewers that his strategy all along had been to get Ash banished, as he criticised her for being a bad Traitor, and the group successfully voted her out.
The moment left viewers shocked as they urged Ash to expose her fellow Traitors in her exit speech, but she instead graciously left and has since insisted she is still backing them to win.
Very unexpected scenes saw Traitors Harry and Paul turn on their teammate Ash twice very early on in the game, leaving her less than impressed
She was reduced to tears after she narrowly survived a round table following their betrayal, and they once again turned on her as she launched a last-ditch attempt to save herself
Paul led the charge to get her eliminated from the game as he voted for her in two round tables and convinced the group of her guilt, leading to her banishment from the game
THAT family reveal
Arguably the most shocking moment of the second series was Diane dropping the bombshell that Ross is actually her son.
Viewers were left completely floored when the pair made the very unexpected revelation in the third episode, after seemingly entering the competition separately.
The duo didn’t reveal their secret family connection to their fellow contestants, but clued viewers in on the secret in a jaw-dropping to-camera reveal.
The iconic moment came after Zach shared his theory with the group that Traitor Paul was actually Diane’s son, prompting amused reactions from the contestants.
Retired teacher Diane, 63, laughed off his theory, before shocking viewers by sharing that she did in fact have a son on the show, but it was Ross, 28, rather than Paul.
Dropping the bomb, she told viewers: ‘I can’t believe that it was suggested that Paul is my son. He’s three times taller than me, he’s got red hair, Paul just couldn’t be my son! But Ross is.’
The pair then vowed not to tell their co-stars the truth no matter what happened, as they shared their strategy to work together in a bid to win the £120,000 prize pot.
Reacting to the unexpected family link, viewers took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their complete surprise.
One person wrote: ‘Ross and Diane hiding their mother son status from the rest of the group!’
While someone else shared: ‘Diane and Ross oh my LORD.’
Another astounded viewer posted: ‘What. Ross is her son. I don’t believe it.’
‘It’s very hard for Ross not to accidentally call Diane mum,’ predicted someone else.
One other viewer wrote: ‘Assuming they want to keep it a secret throughout, what price would you put on Ross slipping up at some point and calling Diane ‘Mum’? Could be a game changer.’
‘Thought some were related but wasn’t expecting that,’ wrote another viewer, while someone else shared: ‘Obsessed with Diane’s camp plot twist.’
Arguably the most shocking moment of the second series was Diane dropping the bombshell that Ross is actually her son
Viewers were left floored when Ross (pictured) and Diane made the very unexpected revelation in the third episode, successfully keeping their link a secret from their co-stars
Diane’s dramatic funeral exit
Fan favourite Diane was devastatingly murdered by the Traitors after drinking from the ‘poisoned’ chalice handed to her by Miles in nail-biting scenes.
Viewers were left hoping that she would skillfully refuse to drink from the glass after a cliffhanger ending, but were left disappointed after the agonising five-day wait when she was shown taking a sip from the chalice, sealing her fate.
But she didn’t exit quietly overnight like every other murdered Faithful, as she instead turned up for breakfast in a huge twist and had to attend her own funeral in tense scenes.
Claudia shared: ‘Yesterday, one of you was poisoned. Whilst their target is alive and well, sitting here now, by the end of today’s mission, they will be dead.
‘Think of today as a slow march to certain death. Please dress appropriately to pay your final respects.’
The group had to work out who had been murdered by the Traitors at the funeral and place their guesses, before Diane was shockingly shut into a coffin by host Claudia at the end of the challenge – confirming her murder.
Before learning of her fate, Diane already had her suspicions and began trying to ‘solve’ her own murder as she became convinced her demise was near.
She told the Faithfuls: ‘I got kissed by somebody yesterday, and I thought that was weird.’
Diane then quizzed Miles – who is a Traitor and condemned her with the poisoned chalice – asking him: ‘You gave me a glass of sparkling rose.’
However, he defended himself as he said: ‘I just didn’t want the fizzy rose.’
Diane originally said she completely trusted Miles, before sharing her theory just moments before her dramatic exit that he could have been the one to murder her.
Ross then had to watch his mother slammed shut inside a coffin by host Claudia, in the most dramatic exit from the BBC competition yet.
Her murder also sealed Traitor Miles’ fate, as suspicion fell on him for handing Diane a drink the night before, as he murdered her in plain sight.
Fan favourite Diane was devastatingly murdered by the Traitors after drinking from the ‘poisoned’ chalice handed to her by Traitor Miles in nail-biting scenes
But she didn’t exit overnight like every other murdered Faithful, as she instead turned up for breakfast in a huge twist and had to attend her own funeral in tense scenes
The group had to attend a funeral where they had to work out who had been murdered, before Diane was shockingly shut into a coffin by host Claudia at the end of the challenge
Ross’ secret message to viewers
Mother-son duo Ross and Diane have had their fair share of iconic moments this series, and have continuously sent fans wild with their antics on the show.
And Ross continued to surprise fans after his mother Diane’s murder as he was cheekily seen giving viewers a secret message – while his co-stars were none the wiser.
Despite Diane’s elimination, Ross vowed to keep their family connection a secret on the show, but couldn’t help but make a very heavy-handed hint.
On the way back from a mission, Ross joked with his fellow contestants Charlotte, Jasmine and Paul that Diane would be urging them to find the Traitors at the round table.
Doing an impression of her Northern Irish accent, Ross said: ‘Diane will be looking down on us now going ‘go get those Traitors guys, go get the Traitors now’.’
Jasmine then gushed: ‘I love her, she was like my mum,’ prompting Paul to make reference to Zack’s theory that they were related as he joked: ‘She was my mum.’
Ross used the opportunity to sneakily reveal the truth as he said: ‘She was my mum first! No stop it!’ all while his co-stars were completely unaware he was telling the truth.
He hilariously then gave a cheeky wink to the camera as he broke the fourth wall while cluing viewers into his amusing joke, leaving fans in complete stitches.
Viewers were quick to take to X – formerly known as Twitter – to hail Ross as an ‘icon’ – much like his mother Diane – as they were left in hysterics at his sly wink.
They wrote: ‘Still thinking about the ross moment in the car, what an icon;’ ‘Ross you delivish dog (sic);’ ‘Ross winking at the camera has done me in;’
‘Give Ross and Diane all of the TV shows the camp icons of our time;’ Ross winking at the camera just proves that being an icon is hereditary.’
Ross continued to surprise fans after his mother Diane’s murder as he was cheekily seen giving viewers a secret message – winking at the camera after joking that Diane was his mother
Harry seals ‘evil villain’ Paul’s downfall
Harry and Paul had proved themselves to be quite a team as Traitors, scheming to banish both Ash and Miles before recruiting Andrew to the dark side.
However, their relationship took a very shocking turn for the worst in a matter of moments after Harry was told that Paul had been bringing suspicion on to him.
Harry was left fuming after thinking that Paul might betray him and launched a plan to turn the tables on him, insisting that Paul wasn’t the ‘mastermind’ behind the game as he thought.
Up until Harry’s betrayal, Paul had seemed almost invincible as he avoided banishment time and time again, with viewers deeming his acting abilities as ‘Oscar-worthy’.
Paul had been described as the true ‘evil villain’ of the series as he broke down in tears at the round tables and managed to win over the Faithfuls, despite shining a huge spotlight on himself after his dungeon stint.
But it was Harry who sealed his fate as he blindsided Paul at the round table and began to plant seeds about his guilt, taking the business manager completely by surprise.
Harry said: ‘I’ve tossed and turned as to why I’m still here, people round this table know I’d walk through fire to win a mission, and another reason is I’m really close with someone. So I’ve got to go with yourself too Paul.’
Speaking to camera, Paul was completely shocked as he said: ‘Oh my God, what is going on? What on Earth has happened?’
Harry then threw more suspicion on to Paul as he said: ‘As soon as it comes to a round table you’ve been quiet, until it’s been a Traitor and then you’ve stuck your neck out.’
Though Jaz was the only one to originally suspect Paul, Harry managed to persuade the Faithfuls of his guilt with a very eloquent argument, and he was shockingly banished in an unexpected turn of events.
Reacting to the shock banishment, viewers were quick to take to social media to celebrate that Paul’s ‘reign of terror’ had finally ended after he threw his fellow contestants under the bus with his scheming behaviour.
They wrote: ‘Greatest round table ever;’ ‘Paul is out! Everyone is so happy, I love it;’ ‘Paul your reign of terror is over;’ ‘Bye bye Paul xoxo;’ ‘Darth Paul’s reign of terror over the galaxy is over.’
However, other viewers heaped praise on the ‘villain’ for providing quality ‘entertainment’ on the show and insisted he was perfect casting for the Traitor role.
One said: ‘You know what Paul, you deserve to take a bow. You played the villain role with relish and aplomb, gave us what we all wanted and kept us entertained for weeks. Take a bow Paul, and, as ever, take a bow casting team.’
Another wrote: ‘Paul’s made cracking TV as a Traitor. I’ll miss him! We all love a good Panto villain.’
‘Paul was a brilliant traitor and a great TV villain,’ a third said, and another added: ‘Paul. A villain for the ages. What a time to be alive.’
Shocking scenes saw Harry turn on his teammate Paul during the round table after becoming annoyed at his game-playing in a huge twist that even Paul didn’t see coming
Up until Harry’s betrayal, Paul had seemed almost invincible as he avoided banishment time and time again, with viewers deeming his acting abilities as ‘Oscar-worthy’
Reacting to the shock banishment, viewers were quick to take to social media to celebrate that Paul’s ‘reign of terror’ had finally ended after he threw his fellow contestants under the bus
Ross vows to avenge Diane as he becomes a Traitor
It looked like Harry was sailing through the Traitors easily, with no suspicion on him, but fans were convinced he made a grave error when he recruited Ross to his team.
Harry and Andrew were the only two Traitors remaining after Paul’s banishment, with Harry launching a very elaborate scheme in a bid to keep suspicion off himself.
He won a shield in a challenge but kept his victory a secret, planning to recruit another Traitor and then reveal the next morning that he had the shield, so the Traitors must have tried to kill him – in a bid to secure his status as a ‘Faithful’.
However, viewers were left doubting his plan after he decided to recruit Ross to the Traitors in what was described as a grave error by fans.
Upon Ross’ recruitment, Harry started bragging that they had murdered Diane because she was getting ‘too brave’ – completely unaware he was speaking to her son.
Ross was left fuming by Harry’s remark about his mother’s fate and shockingly vowed to take him down and avenge Diane – still keeping their family connection a secret.
When Ross slyly asked why they had killed Diane, Harry replied: ‘Diane was just getting too brave and stuff, so we put her in her place.’
Prompting Ross to say to camera in a huge twist: ‘I could feel myself getting to boiling point. My mum was murdered, so I will take revenge, if I have an opportunity, they’re getting it.’
It looked like Harry was sailing through the Traitors easily, with no suspicion on him, but fans were convinced he made a grave error when he recruited Ross to his team
Upon Ross’ recruitment, Harry started bragging that they had murdered Diane because she was getting ‘too brave’ – completely unaware he was speaking to her son
Ross said in a huge twist: ‘I could feel myself getting to boiling point. My mum was murdered, so I will take revenge, if I have an opportunity, they’re getting it,’ hinting at Harry’s downfall
SERIES ONE
Unexpected day one eliminations
Viewers did not know what to expect from the debut series of The Traitors UK in 2022, and the opening episode sure brought its fair share of surprises.
One very memorable twist saw two contestants savagely booted off the show before the 22 contestants had even stepped foot inside the Scottish castle.
Upon their arrival at the castle, host Claudia asked the contestants to get into a line ranking themselves from most likely to win to least likely to win.
Amos and Kieran modestly took their place at the bottom of the line, deeming themselves the least likely to win the BBC competition.
However, contestants and viewers alike were left completely floored when Claudia took them at their word and booted them off the show there and then.
Setting the tone for the series, she said in a shocking twist: ‘Every decision you make, every single one, has a consequence.
‘So you two, you think you’re going to lose, I am going to take you at your word. So I’m afraid, it’s goodbye. I’d like you to leave the grounds immediately. It’s called The Traitors.’
Kieran said of the bombshell: ‘Complete and utter devastation.’
However, Amos and Kieran later returned to the show in another unexpected turn of events, with Claudia revealing that in reality, you can only leave the game if you’re murdered or banished.
Reintroducing the pair, she said: ‘I’ve had them hidden away separately and they are now coming back to play the game.’
One very memorable twist saw Amos and Kieran savagely booted off the show before the 22 contestants had even stepped foot inside the Scottish castle – though they later returned
Contestants were left completely shocked after the pair were told to immediately leave the game after ranking themselves the two least likely to win the competition
Tom and Alex’s chaotic romance revelation
Tom and Alex had entered the first series of The Traitors separately, concealing the fact they were in a romantic relationship from their co-stars.
The pair decided to keep their pre-existing connection quiet because they thought it would ruin their chances of winning the show, and nobody suspected their bond.
Alex even grew close to her fellow Faithful Matt, who appeared to have developed a crush on her as they bonded and worked together in a bid to catch the Traitors.
However, in a very bizarre and unexpected twist, magician Tom completely panicked during one breakfast and revealed all to the group after Alex was accused of being a Traitor.
He famously declared to the group: ‘Alex isn’t a Traitor, straight up, she’s my girlfriend!’ prompting Alex to look stunned as the group’s jaws dropped.
The breakfast quickly descended into chaos as Tom then started accusing people around the table of being Traitors, all while Alex sat with her head in her hands.
‘I read people like freaking books, Hannah is the Traitor and Ivan is the Traitor,’ Tom boldly declared, all while true Traitor will stood nearby and watched the chaos unfold.
Hannah shouted through tears: ‘F**k this, f**k this, you two have been lying all the way through!’ as Tom urged her to ‘defend’ herself.
Matt was left especially upset by the bombshell revelation, as his co-stars thought he and Alex had formed a romantic connection, and broke down in tears – but later insisted there was no bad blood between them.
Tom’s dramatic breakdown ultimately sealed his fate as he was banished at the round table, before Alex was murdered by the Traitors after declining their recruitment offer.
Tom and Alex had entered the first series of The Traitors separately, concealing the fact they were in a romantic relationship from their co-stars
However, in a very bizarre and unexpected twist, magician Tom completely panicked during one breakfast and revealed all to the group after Alex was accused of being a Traitor
Wilf’s many betrayals
Traitor Wilf proved himself to be quite the mastermind during the first series of the BBC reality show, eventually making his way all the way to the final.
His shocking betrayals on the show blindsided both his fellow Traitors and viewers alike, as he pushed them under the bus in a bid to steal the £120,000 prize pot for himself.
Under fear of going home as he came under fire when the Faithfuls suspected strong characters of being Traitors, Wilf shockingly went for Alyssa during the round table.
The startling scenes saw fellow Traitor Alyssa left wide-eyed as Wilf declared he was going to ‘do something different’ and try a different strategy before going for her.
Wilf brutally said he didn’t ‘buy’ her acting and said she had began to ‘point fingers’ once the heat had turned on her, throwing her under the bus in a shock betrayal.
Alyssa looked devastated and tearful as she shook her head while listening to his fierce argument, as their fellow Traitor teammate Amanda looked stunned by the turn of events.
Alyssa said to camera: ‘Hearing him accuse me made me so angry. It’s the fact that he properly went against me, it’s so hurtful.’
Saving his own skin, Wilf said: ‘I have to get a Traitor, we have to find one for me to leave me alone.’
Amanda was left with her head in her hands as Wilf voted for Alyssa, while Alyssa joined many of the Faithfuls in voting for Wilf in a last ditch attempt to save herself.
The pair became embroiled in a tense row as they were both at risk of going home, before Alyssa was the one to be banished after Amanda’s vote sealed her downfall.
Wilf and Amanda both survived the round table and continued to work as a team, before Wilf once again shocked viewers with another unexpected betrayal.
Wilf had raised suspicion among the Faithfuls about Amanda ahead of the round table, before eventually sealing her fate with his vote in drama-packed scenes.
Amanda had become a fan favourite and had managed to stay under the radar due to her persona as a loving grandma and mother figure, until Wilf sealed her downfall.
During the round table, he said: ‘I’m really sorry Amanda, I put your name […] if I’ve got it wrong [about you being a Traitor], I’m really sorry.’
His scheming behaviour and ability to throw his fellow Traitors under the bus saw him make it all the way to the final of the BBC competition.
Traitor Wilf proved himself to be quite the mastermind during the first series of the BBC reality show, eventually making his way all the way to the final
He first completely blindsided his fellow Traitor Alyssa as he turned on her in a bid to save his own skin and successfully got her banished from the Scottish castle
Later in the series, he then turned on Amanda, who had managed to stay under the radar due to her persona as a loving grandma and mother figure, until Wilf sealed her downfall
Kieran’s ‘parting gift’
Wilf’s unexpected downfall came in the grand final after he recruited Kieran to the dark side in shock twist that ultimately sealed his fate.
Kieran was voted out by the other four finalists – Wilf, Hannah, Meryl and Aaron – after Wilf managed to turn the group against him and successfully pushed him out of the game.
However, Kieran refused to go down without a fight as he cryptically gave the group a ‘parting gift’ by revealing to the others that he thought Wilf was a Traitor during the round table vote.
Despite Wilf escaping banishment, Kieran’s vote left the other three contestants wondering if they could really trust the remaining traitor – as Wilf pleaded for trust.
Wilf put on quite a teary display, but it wasn’t quite enough to convince everyone as Aaron and Hannah both voted to send someone else home as they began to suspect him.
Wilf’s unexpected downfall came in the grand final after he recruited Kieran to the dark side before turning on him, with Kieran giving a ‘parting gift’ as he refused to go without a fight
Though finalists Hannah, Aaron and Meryl didn’t suspect Will, Kieran writing his name down made them rethink, and ultimately led to them voting him out in the very final moments
When it came to the vote, it was finally all over for Wilf, who told his fellow contestants that he was a Traitor, leaving the other three lost for words, as the Faithfuls won the prize pot
When it came to the vote, it was finally all over for Wilf, who then shockingly told his fellow contestants that he was a Traitor, leaving the other three lost for words.
The massive twist saw Faithfuls Meryl, Hannah and Aaron take home the £101,500 prize pot after Wilf was eliminated at the very last moment.
‘I can’t even put into words, how happy I am at the moment. I’m so f***ing happy for you guys. I have found it so hard. Everyday I tried to play as a faithful and enjoy my time here,’ said a teary Wilf.
‘You are a massive d***head, but I love you,’ said Aaron as the three finalists forgave him for lying – thanking him for keeping them in the competition.
