In a twist that left jaws on the floor, rugby legend Joe Marler emerged as the unlikely mastermind of Celebrity Traitors, correctly pegging Cat Burns and Alan Carr as the show’s sly Traitors in Thursday night’s pulse-pounding penultimate episode. Viewers hailed the prop as “the smartest man in the game,” with his razor-sharp instincts turning the castle into a chessboard where he holds all the aces.
The episode kicked off with high-stakes heartbreak: beloved Faithful Celia Imrie was brazenly “murdered” right under the group’s noses—courtesy of Alan’s cunning handiwork. The fallout? A fiery Round Table banishment that claimed Kate Garraway, the ever-divisive morning TV host whose “useless” label had dogged her from the jump. But amid the chaos, it was Joe’s quiet confidence that stole the spotlight, proving he’s been playing 4D chess while everyone else fiddled with checkers.
Earlier in the day, Joe had floated his bombshell theory: Alan, the cheeky comedian, was no bumbling Faithful but a Traitor gliding under the radar. As the group reconvened post-banishment, Joe doubled down, pulling Nick Mohammed aside for a clandestine huddle. “I think Cat’s in on it too,” he whispered, and the Ted Lasso star nodded in fervent agreement. Joe’s masterstroke? A devilish long-game strategy: cozy up to the suspects, earn their trust, and yank the rug out at the eleventh hour. “My plan involves getting really close to Alan and Cat so they keep me in the game,” he confessed to the camera with a predatory grin, “and then I can try and pull the rug from under their feet at the last minute. Sorry, Traitors, I’m coming for you.”
The revelation sent Traitors fandom into a frenzy on X, where fans crowned Joe the episode’s undisputed MVP. “Didn’t have Joe Marler down as being the smartest man in this game,” one viewer marveled. Another channeled detective duo vibes: “Joe and Nick really Sherlock and Watson.” The hype escalated with cries of “HE’S ONLY GONE AND CRACKED IT!” and “Joe Marler is too good. I’m so glad I have him in the work sweepstake.” Chants of “Yessssssssss, come on Nick & Joe!!!!!” echoed through threads, alongside gasps like “Omg joe has got it,” “YESSS, Joe cracked the case that Alan and Cat are the Traitors,” and “I think Cat and Alan are Traitors’ JOE IS ON IT!” For a show built on deception, Joe’s unerring gut punch felt like sweet, cathartic justice.
But the road to the final five was paved with Round Table fireworks. With Celia’s “corpse” still fresh in their minds, tensions boiled over between Kate and historian David Olusoga. Kate, ever the provocateur, jabbed at David’s past Traitor suspicions: “The person who was most insistent on trying to explore it at the next table was you.” David fired back unflinchingly: “It did. The person who was most insistent… was you.” The sparring intensified as Kate defended her “brave” contributions—”I’m just the only one that was brave enough to raise it”—only for David to cut in with a patronizing edge: “Well, that’s exactly what I’m doing. We’re stating a fact because that’s how you have conversations.”
Kate pressed on, airing her grievances: “It feels like there’s an implication behind when you state a fact. Sometimes, David, I feel like you’re then implying something… and then you allow everybody to then look back at me.” David’s retort? A defiant mic drop: “That’s exactly what we’re supposed to be doing.” Host Claudia Winkleman swiftly reined in the melee, calling for votes. Nick targeted Cat, while David and Cat (plus a self-sabotaging Kate) pointed fingers at her. Alan joined the Kate pile-on, leaving Joe with the swing vote. In a move that split the fandom, Joe sealed her fate—banishing the beleaguered star and drawing cheers from those who’d long deemed her a Faithful liability.
Kate’s exit interview was a poignant gut-punch, revealing her true colors as she bid a tearful adieu: “I’ve had a lot of years of being very serious, very sad, and you’ve all allowed me to play the most amazing game, but also you’ve allowed me to play and be silly and have fun. Every single one of you I’m going to take away a new idea and the start of a new kind of life, really. So thank you very much… I have and always have been totally myself, a faithful.” Fans erupted in a whirlwind of schadenfreude and respect: “Kate is gone at last”; “The scapegoat is gone!!!!”; “Finally Kate is gone”; “Kate entirely brought this on herself by bringing up her own name all day.” One hot take sliced deep: “Hot take: Kate shouldve been the first to go but I’m happy she stayed this long obvi.” Yet admiration shone through too—”Honestly have no idea how Kate made it this far but we love you diva”—and “Considering Kate was suspected of being a Traitor from almost day 1 and has seemingly been completely clueless throughout its a miracle she’s lasted this long. Well done!”
As the dust settled, Claudia summoned the survivors—Cat, Alan, Joe, Nick, and David—to the iconic fire pit for a game-changing bombshell: They were the final five, with no more murders on the docket. To amp the paranoia, she demanded each declare, “I am a faithful.” Enter Alan’s telltale blunder: a guilty guffaw that shattered the solemnity, his laughter betraying nerves of steel turned to jelly. Joe’s eagle eye caught it instantly: “It’s just another confirmation of what I’m thinking already about Alan. He can’t even look us in the eyes and say I’m a faithful. If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is.”
With the castle’s shadows lengthening toward next Thursday’s explosive finale, all eyes are on Joe Marler—the unassuming rugby enforcer who’s morphed into a Traitor-slaying savant. Can he execute his velvet-gloved takedown and crown himself the ultimate Faithful? Or will Cat and Alan’s dark alliance snuff out his flame? One thing’s certain: in a den of deceivers, Joe’s steel-trap mind has rewritten the rules. Tune in to find out if the rug-pull of the season becomes legend.