The Traitors season 3 leaves contestants shocked in “brutal” elimination twist

"I hope you've all been enjoying your journey so far, because things are about to get interesting," said Claudia as the players all looked at one another in disbelief.

She continued: "As a welcome, I'm gifting you £10,000 right now to start your prize pot. But as you know in this game, everything comes at a price."

The host explained that in order to win some prize money, one person from each carriage would have to disembark the train before the game could start - but it was up to the to players to decide, in just 10 minutes!

But that wasn't all, for each minute that passed, £1,000 would be deducted from the prize pot.

As to be expected, the tension could be cut with a knife, as it was clear no one wanted to get off the carriage, however it did eventually happen.

Aware that it was simply down to someone sacrificing their place in the game and after much deliberation, Fozia, Jack and Alexander departed after 3 minutes.

Reflecting on her decision, Fozia said: "I kind of thought to myself, 'Do you know what? I'm happy to get off, I'm happy to take this one for the team.' I don't know what came over me but I've done it for the team and I've done it for all the people who know me, that's something I would do for others.

"It was only after I got off I thought, 'Oh my God, what have I just done?'"

As the trio stood outside of the train, it was clear they couldn't believe the decisions they had made.

"I can't believe it," Jack said. "I was gagging to be here as well and then the first chance I've got to eliminate myself, I just do it anyway."

As the train left the station, the competition was well and truly on, and the remaining players had £7,000 in the bank!

Read more:

• The Traitors' Jaz Singh reveals his top 5 tactics to spot a Traitor
• Ed Gamble: 'I would be terrible on Celebrity Traitors'

This twist isn't too dissimilar from the beginning of season 1 which saw two players immediately eliminated from the game, but there are plenty more twists and turns to come.

Ahead of the season 3 launch, Claudia Winkleman confirmed that there is one twist due that will leave audiences even more shocked.

"The new contestants can watch previous series, but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily help them... how can it?" Winkleman said in an interview. "Every series has a whole new bunch of players, with different minds, and different interpretations of the game.

"And like any good murder mystery, the plot is always full of twists and turns. There’s one twist this year which will hopefully have viewers on the edge of their seat."

We can't wait!

The Traitors season 3 begins on 1st January 2025 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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