Traitors Contestant Faraaz Noor Reflects on Fateful Final Decision
Faraaz Noor, the 22-year-old auditor who reached the final of BBC's hit series The Traitors, has opened up about the pivotal choice that saw him miss out on the substantial £95,750 prize. As a Faithful, Noor made it to the climactic end of Claudia Winkleman's show, only to be outmanoeuvred by the victorious Traitors, Rachel Duffy and Stephen Libby.
The Crucial Chest of Chance Moment
In a recent interview on Sky News' Mornings With Ridge and Frost, Noor pinpointed the Chest of Chance round as the defining juncture. He described how Rachel Duffy's emotional declaration—"I just want to stand up there and rub it in all your faces that I'm a Faithful"—profoundly resonated with him. "That is exactly how I felt," Noor admitted, explaining that this connection clouded his judgement.
Noor revealed he was torn between protecting himself by voting for Rachel or sticking with his suspicion of Stephen. "It was really 50/50," he said, "and my mind was made up when I stood there." This hesitation ultimately led him to misidentify Rachel as a fellow Faithful, a mistake that proved costly.
Rachel Duffy's Nerve-Wracking Victory
Meanwhile, co-winner Rachel Duffy has shared her own emotional recollections from the final. On the spin-off show Uncloaked, Duffy confessed to overwhelming nerves during the decisive moments. "It's a lot more emotional than I remember," she stated, adding that watching the footage back brought her to tears. "I wasn't letting my nerves shine through, because I knew what I was going to do, but I wasn't sure about Stephen."
The final episode began dramatically, with Rachel and fellow contestant James receiving the most banishment votes, forcing them into the Chest of Chance showdown. Faithful James was eliminated, but Rachel's subsequent comment—"If I were a Faithful, I would have murdered me"—briefly slipped out before she corrected herself to "Traitor," alerting sharp-eared viewers.
Strategic Alliances and Final Votes
Throughout the final, Rachel attempted to sway Faraaz Noor to vote out Jade, but Noor remained uncertain, expressing a desire to eliminate both Jade and Rachel. However, the pre-existing pact between Traitors Rachel and Stephen held firm. Stephen later reflected to cameras that defending Rachel could "spell the end of my game," yet he remained loyal.
This loyalty proved decisive: Stephen joined Rachel in voting off Jade first, then collectively ousted Faraaz and Jack. By maintaining their alliance, Rachel and Stephen made history as the first traitors to win the show together, securing the full prize pot.
Lessons from the Game
Faraaz Noor's experience underscores the intense psychological gameplay of The Traitors, where a single misjudgment can alter fortunes. His story highlights the delicate balance between intuition and strategy in high-stakes reality television. As the dust settles, Noor's candid reflection offers a glimpse into the pressures faced by contestants in one of the BBC's most talked-about series.
