The Traitors crowns winners in tense finale
A pair of winners have taken home the prize pot.
Treacherous duo Rachel and Stephen have won the 2026 series of The Traitors in a dramatic denouement.
The two traitors remained faithful to each other in the endgame of the show, voting out all of the faithful players in turn to bag the prize pot.
They split the prize pot of £95,750, taking home £47,875 each.
Host Claudia Winkleman appeared emotional as she said: “Two traitors but totally faithful to each other. You did it. You absolutely did it.”
As they celebrated their win, Stephen told Rachel: “I’ll be honest, I had moments where I was doubting what I was going to do tonight, but I couldn’t go back on my word to you.
He added: “I’m just a wee boy from the Isle of Lewis, this kind of stuff doesn’t really happen to me.
“This isn’t the kind of money that me and my family deal with. It’s going to make such a difference. And I just know they’re going to be so proud.
Rachel said: “It’s the best feeling in the world. I really thought it was such a big achievement to be the first female traitor to make it to the final.
“And then to win. I think it will be a very long time until you get the smile off my face.
“I’m really looking forward to not having to lie.
“That’s a lot, that’s a lot of lying, so I’m looking forward to just breathing and just making the nicest memories with my mom that I will remember forever.”
PhD student Jade was eliminated in the final roundtable of the series, after she was betrayed by her friend Stephen.
She was in tears as she left the room but did not reveal she was really a faithful.
Earlier in the episode, gardener James was banished after a tie in the vote with Rachel.
James and Rachel were both given the chests of chance and Rachel was the one who won the shield, leaving James to exit the castle.
Auditor Faraaz and personal trainer Jack were both eliminated by Rachel and Stephen around the firepit in the endgame of the show, securing their victory.
The final episode also saw the remaining contestants add £19,000 to the prize pot in the final mission, in which they scaled the side of a dam.
Early in the series, Rachel and Stephen made a pact they would never vote for each other and formed an alliance to win the game together.
Discussing the pact on spin-off show Uncloaked, Rachel said: “I knew from the minute it came out of my mouth I wouldn’t break it.”
Stephen added: “That is not what I was thinking.
“It’s so hard to trust someone in there whose job it is to lie. I was really struggling to see how Rachel could hold onto that pact for the whole game, which is why at the end I was wobbling big time.
“I’m just so glad she’s a woman of her word.”
