Viewers of BBC's hit reality show The Traitors were left scratching their heads after a crucial roundtable on Thursday's episode, where one hidden player managed to avoid all suspicion entirely. Despite a prior warning from a banished contestant, Traitor Rachel Duffy was not mentioned once during the tense banishment vote, which instead saw faithful Sam Little sent home.
A Warning Ignored and a Traitor Unscathed
The dramatic roundtable saw several names thrown into the mix, including faithful players James Baker and Matthew Hyndman, as well as Traitor Stephen Libby. However, the glaring omission for fans was Rachel. This came despite exiled player Harriet Tyce explicitly naming Rachel as a Traitor in the previous episode before her murder.
Harriet's caution appeared to fall on deaf ears, as Rachel did not receive a single vote for banishment. Taking to social media platform X, audiences expressed their disbelief. One viewer wrote: 'Nobody even mentioned Rachel since Harriet did last night', while another added: 'The trust they have in Rachel just blows my mind.' Others were more direct: 'Sorry how did Rachel not get a SINGLE vote since yesterday's drama?!'
Jessie's Lone Voice of Reason
Amid the confusion, some viewers pinned their hopes on faithful Jessie Stride, who has correctly identified Stephen as a Traitor and voted for him at the roundtable. Supporters online urged: 'Jessie is so so good and no one is listening! Hopefully she survives long enough for that to change' and 'Everyone listen to Jessie!'
Jessie's frustration was palpable as her concerns were repeatedly dismissed. In a confessional, she told the camera: 'Every time I air my concerns about Stephen, it just gets totally dismissed. The game really does make me exhausted.' Stephen had drawn attention to himself earlier by selfishly taking the only shield in a mission, costing the group potential prize money.
The mission, set at host Claudia Winkleman's eerie 'Cabin In The Woods' – a replica from the horror film – saw players decipher cryptic messages to find a name on a gravestone. They successfully added £4,000 to the prize pot, bringing the total to a hefty £54,250. With only ten players remaining, the stakes are higher than ever.
Traitors' Gambles and Broken Deals
Elsewhere in the episode, the Traitors' strategy continued to unfold. Rachel and Stephen decided to murder Adam Waughman, a risk that paid off as they did not know who was shielded. Waughman later said of his exit: 'I've been murdered. From hunting ghosts to becoming one. I shall live on in spirit.'
In a significant twist, Rachel and Stephen also went back on a deal they had struck with faithful Matthew Hyndman. He had proposed a risky pact in the confession box, asking them to refuse a seduction offer, murder Jessie, and then seduce him next time. Although they initially agreed, the Traitor duo ultimately decided it was too dangerous to bring a new person into their secret alliance in the turret. Consequently, Matthew now finds himself on the murder shortlist alongside Ms Roux and Faraaz Noor.
As the game enters its final stages, the Traitors, particularly Rachel, hold a formidable advantage. With the Faithfuls seemingly blind to her game, one viewer summed up the situation perfectly: 'The game is now for Rachel to lose. They'll come for Stephen eventually but they seem to be enamoured with her.'
