Where does latest Traitors showdown rank in show's most explosive moments?

1 day ago

Ian Youngs,Culture reporter,

Jemma Crewand

Noor Nanji

BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry

Tensions have been ratcheting up in the castle. Contestant Fiona is pictured centre

There have been many tense moments in The Traitors' castle over the years, but the drama in the last two episodes has to go down as some of the most explosive in the show's history.

• Warning: spoilers below for the latest episodes of The Traitors, and previous series

In Thursday's episode, a civil war erupted between two traitors after Rachel revealed to her fellow contestants that banished faithful Amanda had confided in her she was a former detective.

Fiona - until recently, the "secret traitor" - took umbrage at Rachel's tactics and confronted her in front of the others, accusing her of lying and of being a traitor. Which she is. But the others don't know that.

In Friday's episode, the row continued in the turret, with Rachel accusing Fiona of "throwing a grenade" into the team of traitors, while Fiona accused her of "playing a game" for herself.

The third traitor, Stephen, said he was "absolutely speechless" at the altercation.

Things came to a head in a tense roundtable led by Rachel, which culminated in Fiona receiving the most votes and being banished.

Fiona later admitted: "My cunning plan was not cunning at all!" She also explained that she didn't vote for Rachel herself, despite the row, "because she deserves to win".

Is this the most dramatic showdown ever? Have a look at some of the other contenders below from the last four series of the Traitors and the first Celebrity Traitors season, then cast your vote...

Traitor Harry beats Mollie to win

Three players remained in the series two final's high-drama climax. Mollie first wrote down Harry's name as a traitor but then changed her mind and rubbed it out to write Jaz's name instead, eliminating him.

Once it was just her and Harry left, she revealed her identity as a faithful, shooting Harry an affectionate, trusting, reassuring look. He looked awkwardly at his shoes...

Moments later, he admitted he was, and always had been, a two-faced traitor - meaning he had won the £95,000 prize. Mollie clasped her cheeks in horror, swore and walked out in tears.

'She's my girlfriend!'

The series one contestants almost choked on their breakfast croissants when magician Tom stood up to deliver some bombshell news.

In a desperate bid to defend fellow faithful Alex, who was under suspicion after being put "on trial", he revealed: "Alex isn't a Traitor, straight up, she's my girlfriend."

Heads were clutched, hands brought to mouths and expletives uttered. A blindsided Alex sat quietly with her head in her hands.

"I just panicked," Tom told viewers afterwards.

Calling for time-out as accusations flew and tempers flared, faithful John said: "Everyone stop talking just for 10 seconds and sit down, we've all gone from zero to 1,000 and it's just gone crazy."

Alan Carr murders Paloma Faith

Alan Carr "murdered" Paolma Faith in plain sight by touching her face

When celebrity traitor Alan Carr was tasked with murdering in plain sight, he selected singer Paloma Faith, who by his own admission was one of his best friends.

The identity of the victim was revealed to the group after a shortlist of three celebrities were chosen to lie in open coffins. "It might not be you!" Carr reassured Faith innocently as she settled into hers.

He tried to look as shocked as the others when host Claudia Winkleman slammed Faith's coffin lid shut, but couldn't help a guilty grimace. "It broke my heart," he protested later.

The drama didn't end there, though. Faith was genuinely unimpressed when she found out the culprit was someone she thought of as a close friend.

"I don't think he should've done that to me, and I'm surprised that he did," she told the Uncloaked podcast.

The Traitors turn on each other

Harry had a quiet word with Zack during one heated roundtable in series two

When a traitor decides to turn on one of their own, it always raises the stakes. And in series two, Paul decided to point the finger at fellow traitor Miles.

Miles sent accusations back his way and the pair exchanged friendly fire across the roundtable.

As they were doing so, in a masterstroke of cunning gameplay, Harry - the third traitor - sowed further suspicion about both by whispering to Zack: "Do you reckon there's two Traitors going at each other?"

Zack took the bait and took aim at Paul. Miles was banished first, followed the next night by Paul.

A 'parting gift'

Series one's Kieran told the faithful he had put fellow traitor Wilf's name on his slate as a "parting gift", shortly before being banished at the final roundtable.

This, combined with a meaningful glance as he stood up to reveal his own identity, planted fatal seeds of suspicion.

"What did he mean?" an anguished Hannah asked, removing her face from her hands. "Why did he do that?"

Cue dramatic shouting and gesturing by Wilf who, all too aware of the danger, repeatedly swore he was not a traitor. "How do you think I feel?... He set me up," he shrieked.

"I can't stop shaking," said Aaron.

'Seer' Francesca tries to nail Charlotte

Francesca and Charlotte had very different versions of events at the breakfast table the morning afteir their "seer" meeting

A new twist in series three made one player the "seer", who could force a fellow contestant to tell them whether they were a faithful or a traitor.

Francesca chose Charlotte, who revealed she was a traitor (but not that she wasn't really Welsh).

The morning after, the pair subjected fellow contestants to the season's most wincingly awkward breakfast.

Charlotte claimed she had told Francesca she was a faithful; Francesca insisted, truthfully, that Charlotte had told her she was a traitor.

"You're literally lying," Charlotte responded in her Welsh accent.

'If you throw me under the bus...'

Another traitor-on-traitor moment from series one - this time hidden from faithful eyes in the castle's secret turret.

"Wilfred, can I just tell you something? What is on the flag of Wales?" asked Swansea-based contestant Amanda.

"A dragon," came her fellow Traitor's cautious reply.

"If you throw me under the bus, OK, that's what I'm going to be," she retorted. A threat delivered quietly, but no less powerful for it.

A mother buried in front of her son

A morbid funeral procession culminated in three contestants lying in coffins, waiting to hear who would be "buried". High stakes it certainly was.

But little did the faithful know that the fate of retired schoolteacher Diane was already sealed, after she had drunk from the poisoned chalice (a glass of sparkling rosé) the night before.

Earlier in series two, Diane had told viewers privately that Paul was not her son, following speculation from other players. "But Ross is," was the delicious, marmalade-dropping aside that followed.

This revelation, unheard by the other contestants, just magnified the tension.

"You see how emotional everyone's getting... imagine that but a million-fold because your actual parent might be murdered," Ross said to camera, before viewers saw the coffin lid slam shut on his mother.

"Horrendous," was Diane's reaction.