The explosive finale of The Traitors season 3 has made history, smashing previous records with a massive audience tune-in for the final episode. Broadcast live on Friday night, the conclusion of the BBC’s hit show captivated 7.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode of the series to date. The audience was 1.6 million larger than the previous season’s finale, reflecting the increasing popularity of the show.
Following the high-stakes final, an additional 4.8 million people tuned in to watch The Traitors: Uncloaked, the aftershow that aired immediately after the finale, further emphasising the immense draw of the series.
The winners of this intense season, Leanne Quigley and Jake Brown, emerged as Faithfuls and walked away with a £94,600 prize. However, the months-long secrecy required by the show took its toll. Filmed in the spring, the winners were unable to reveal any details of the game until its airing, and both Leanne and Jake spoke candidly about the psychological pressure they faced. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Jake admitted that keeping the secret had been “really difficult” and that he felt paranoid before the show even aired. Both winners also revealed that they had received support and therapy from the show’s welfare team to manage the strain.
Despite the thrilling finale, fans have voiced dissatisfaction with the show’s final game mechanics. In the tense last segment, players Leanne, Jake, Alexander, and Frankie gathered around the firepit, each faced with the decision to either vote for another banishment or hope the last Traitor had been eliminated. The game’s rules dictated that if any Traitor remained, they would take the full prize pot, while Faithfuls would split the winnings if only they were left.
However, the final vote saw all four players opt to banish another contestant. Alexander was voted out first, followed by Frankie, leaving Leanne and Jake to claim the prize. The outcome left some viewers questioning the fairness of the game mechanics, with many suggesting that Faithfuls were incentivised to eliminate each other to increase their share of the prize pot. One fan pointed out, “The more people who get kicked out, the bigger slice of the pie each contestant gets when they win.”
Others took to social media, calling for changes to prevent this outcome in future seasons. Some proposed that the prize fund should be reduced each time a Faithful is evicted, or that each contestant should have an individual prize fund. Another suggestion was to offer a disincentive for banishing Faithfuls at the final vote, such as increasing the prize for every Faithful left.
Despite the dramatic finale, many fans feel that the true “winners” of the season were runners-up Frankie and Alexander, with some suggesting that they were “robbed” of the cash prize. One fan wrote, “So can we agree the real winners of the series?” alongside photos of Alexander and Frankie, while others echoed the sentiment, referring to them as the “icons” of the season.
The finale may have shattered records, but it has also sparked a debate about how the game could evolve to maintain its integrity while still keeping fans on the edge of their seats.