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With tears at breakfast, a secret priest and a bizarre fake Welsh accent in the first episode, The Traitors are back for real. Season three of the reality hit dropped on New Year’s Day 2025, and Claudia didn’t keep us waiting for a big twist this time.
There are spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the first episode yet!
The participants were divided into three carriages on the steam train for their ride to the castle. However, halfway through the journey the train came to a halt and they were told that one person from each section had to get off as there was only room for a maximum of 22 people at the round table.
The decision had to be made quickly as there was £10,000 at stake, with every minute wasted being worth £1,000.
BBC/Studio Lambert
In the end, Fozia, Jack, and Alexander all humbly volunteered for the chopping block…although some were more enthusiastic about the situation.
While this move may seem cruel, traditionally the only way players can leave the game is through banishment or assassination. Plus, all three were shown during the filming of Talking Heads, which is supposedly set in the castle, so there’s good reason to believe they might return.
But how could that manifest? As a mega fan of The Traitors, I’ve done some speculation with my fellow Faithful, and I have some thoughts.
Why Fozia, Jack and Alexander could return as Faithfuls
The most likely scenario for the ‘train trio’ to return to The Traitors is as Faithful later in the game. Why? Because it’s happened before.
In season 1 of the show, Kieran and Amos weren’t even allowed into the castle because they named themselves as the least likely winners when the host asked. Claudia took them at their word and asked them to leave the game.
However, the pair returned during a mission where players had to match symbols carried by a crowd of people wearing gold masks. Two of these were former participants.
The break worked in their favor as it gave the Faithful a new set of eyes to spot suspicious behavior. Kieran even played a key role in helping the winners take down Wilfred and scoop the cash prize for himself, thanks to his iconic ‘parting gift’.
Returning later in the game can give the group time to be downsized, which can quickly become smaller if, for example, double murders occur.
However, this is three people instead of two – and if they were all brought back, this would be the largest group we’ve ever seen in the UK edition of this series and a lot of Faithfuls to get through it.
Therefore, there may be a small commotion this time.
Why Fozia, Jack and Alexander could return as traitors
One of the key elements of the game is the ability to recruit a brand new traitor when another is exiled. Examples of last year’s participants include Andrew and Ross, although they were in the game from the start.
However, one thing they never did: give the Traitors the opportunity to choose someone they don’t know well. A good twist would be to make Fozia, Jack, and Alexander the three choices to join the Traitors, while the other two come back into the game as Faithfuls.
The Traitors would know little about how the new addition would fit in with the group, which could make for a challenging game.
BBC/Studio Lambert
On the other hand, it can also put off the rest of the group, as they may not suspect a returning participant and instead focus on those they have built up evidence against over the course of the game.
It would also mean there weren’t as many Faithful, which would make for a more balanced game.
These two theories are the most likely scenarios… but what if there is a third option?
Other ways Fozia, Jack and Alexander can return to The Traitors
The last we saw of Fozia, Jack, and Alexander, they were standing along the train tracks… but what if they’ve been recruited into a secret task force?
The Traitors have been known to make major revelations in the past, and we now know that some missions are designed to pit the Traitors and Faithful against each other.
What if the past three contestants are somehow working behind the scenes to spice things up? Maybe by assigning people shields or stealing money from the prize pool for themselves.
This is the most complicated option and therefore the most unlikely… but you never know with this wild show.
Episodes 1 and 2 of The Traitors season 3 are now available to stream on BBC iPlayer. New episodes appear every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on BBC One. You can also read what we know about the Celebrity edition here.