As The Traitors concludes its biggest twist yet, did we really need a Secret Traitor?

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**Warning: this article contains spoilers for Wednesday night’s episode of The Traitors.**

I still can’t believe what happened on The Celebrity Traitors last year! Nick Mohammed completely shocked everyone – and me especially – when he eliminated Joe Marler. It was such a surprising move, and honestly, a really memorable TV moment. I was genuinely floored!

Just when it seemed certain who would win, a small doubt quickly grew into a shocking betrayal, ultimately leading to Alan Carr’s victory. The outcome was completely unexpected, driven by unpredictable human emotions.

Last night’s reveal of Claudia as a Traitor on ‘The Traitors’ didn’t quite land as expected. Although the show needed a new twist to keep viewers interested, the idea of a ‘Secret Traitor‘ was more appealing than how it actually played out.

The secret probably wasn’t supposed to be discovered so quickly. When the clumsy lawyer, Hugo, was removed, it created an opening that only the Secret Traitor could take advantage of.

If the Traitors had stayed hidden for a bit longer, the reveal of who they were would have been more impactful. Instead, the game’s central mystery was solved surprisingly quickly, just after four episodes.

The mystery of the Secret Traitor had captured the attention of people nationwide, offering a pleasant escape from the usual January blues.

Online sleuths went wild analyzing every detail of the show, even the smallest expressions, and created lists of potential victims. Many felt it was a shame the speculation had to end so soon, but it also made people wonder if the excitement would have eventually died down anyway.

Initially, the surprise seemed to give fans what they wanted – a chance to participate in the game. However, actually being a participant isn’t as enjoyable as it seems.

Many players expressed a desire to be the Traitor this year, and it’s easy to see why. Playing the Traitor gives you a lot more control and influence, and as Alan Carr proved, it’s even possible to win the game as one.

When the viewers are made to feel like the naive, easily misled players – just as clueless and susceptible to influence as those in the game – the fun of being ‘in on the joke’ disappears. We can’t enjoy secretly working with the ‘traitors’ and watching the ‘faithful’ players mistakenly accuse each other based on incomplete information.

Adding to the challenge, the show’s editing created suspicion around multiple players, even though there was only one Secret Traitor. It started to feel like the producers were manipulating things from behind the scenes, making the game more about how it was being played than the game itself.

We were stuck between a rock and a hard place: the reveal was either going to be painfully obvious, like it turned out to be, or we’d be completely misled. Both possibilities were frustrating.

The choice to cast Fiona was brilliant. The red cloak was an unexpected and playful detail, but it’s much more entertaining to see our secret villain enjoying themselves while Reece is stuck in a cage.

It’s wonderfully ironic that the seemingly naive and charming contestant with a Welsh accent was actually masterminding the game, as those in the know (like Charlotte from season 3) can confirm a good accent can be very deceiving. This adds a fun twist to the conversations we see happening in the turret.

Wow, Fiona and Rachel already have amazing chemistry! I can just feel the tension building between them, and I’m pretty sure it’s all going to blow up the moment Stephen messes up again. I’m so hooked!

Playing as the Secret Traitor isn’t much fun by yourself, so we’re likely to see the backstabbing and betrayals between Traitors that fans enjoy. Fiona seems to be planning just that, based on her recent conversation with Amanda and Rachel.

While the big reveal wasn’t very exciting, the most interesting part of The Traitors is still to come. It’s less about solving a mystery and more about watching how people behave when they’re trying to deceive each other. Now that the show is back, we get to watch players cheat, lie, and try to outsmart one another all over again.

You can continue watching season 4 of The Traitors on Thursday, January 8th, 2026, at 8 PM on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. If you’ve missed any previous seasons, seasons 1 through 3 are currently available on iPlayer.

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Authors

Miranda Crawford

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2026-01-08 18:16