Despite some initial trepidation that the show might have lost some of its magic by the third season, new figures report that a massive 10 million of us have been captivated by Claudia Winkleman and enthralled/infuriated by the Faithfuls and Traitors over the course of the month. 

So, with the end in touching distance, here’s how I think it will all pan out. 

Victory for Minah  

I know the signs are pointing to Charlotte winning (the largest of which being her statement that “Minah will be thinking three or four steps ahead, so I need to think five or six steps ahead”) but I am choosing to stay on the side of justice. I’m also hoping that someone secretly lets Minah know that Charlotte has been whispering her name. 

Minah has been steadfast throughout the proceedings. Never swaying or putting a foot wrong, taking pleasure in killing people off, only going after people once everyone else was and staying true to the sisterhood. She’s not reached Harry Clark (season two) levels of deception, where you fearlessly throw fellow contestants under the bus, and she’s all the better for it.

Joe will make it through to the final night

I’m beginning to believe that Joe might be playing the best game in there. He’s useful to the Traitors in his very vocal wrongness, and he’s also been marked as in the ‘100% faithful’ crew, thanks largely to that vocal wrongness and a lack of shame that means he’s never in the line of fire. 

I think, somehow, he’ll manage to get a prime seat at that round table on Friday, but I’m hopeful his previous form will take him in completely the wrong direction and keep our Minah safe. 

A family connection will be revealed 

I’m not convinced about this one, but my colleague Holly is steadfast that there will be a family link exposed, and I want it to be true, so I’m here to will it into existence. 

“As soon as I heard the internet rumours that Frankie is Freddie’s mum, I was immediately on board,” says Holly. “Sure, part of me just wants another Dianne-Ross moment, but it does also add up: Freddie wants the money to pay for uni; Frankie wants the money to help send one of her sons to uni. If they’re not related, that’s some very coincidental casting/clever misdirection from the producers. Either way, I hope MVP Freddie gets to go to law school.”

Lies will be uncovered

When Charlotte gets booted out in Thursday’s episode (my prediction, although my colleague Jenny thinks she’ll win it “as she clearly has no loyalty to Minah”), I think she’ll reveal that she’s a traitor in her cut-glass English accent, leaving everyone else a bit confused about what’s just happened to her voice.

As for Leanne hiding her army veteran past? It’s never going to see the light of day. 

Alex will win a special prize 

When I was at school, I used to get a certificate for effort every year, a reward for trying hard but never being quite smart enough to get a merit certificate. I am choosing to believe that Alex will win The Traitors’ equivalent of that. Perhaps a T-shirt with Claudia’s face saying: “He’s single!”

As my The Watch List colleague Kayleigh said to me in our weekly Traitors WhatsApp chats: “They are ALL traitors for being so mean to Alexander, who is my new GOAT. Just there carrying everything up the hill and refusing to be offended when they don’t put his head on a statue. And then listening to their backstories with kindness and empathy before they shank him later.”

He’s giving me Hugh Grant in Notting Hill vibes, and I want the world for him.  

Another twist

All of the above could be up in the air because we know there are more surprises to come. 

For a start, in this year’s final round table, contestants will no longer disclose whether they are a Traitor or a Faithful when they are banished, which means the remaining players have to rely on their gut instinct to gauge if there are any Traitors left and when the game can end.

But it sounds like there’s something else brewing, too! At the end of Friday’s episode, Claudia said: “Someone will win an extraordinary power that could turn the entire game on its head.” And internet sleuths have connected that statement to the appearance of a book called The Seer. The Seer is a character from a game called Werewolf, which The Traitors is based on, who may be given the chance to uncover the identities of the Traitors. 

Imagine if Freddie became the Seer… 

Images: BBC