The final seven Traitors contestants, from the master puppeteer to those flying under the radar

With the finale of The Traitors now in touching distance, there are only seven remaining contestants out of the original 22 who entered Ardross Castle on New Year’s Day.

The latest series of the hit BBC show has been harder to predict than ever, but we’ll finally find out who walks away victorious on Friday (23 January).

As the final is looming, the remaining contestants have just a couple of chances left to add to the prize fund and not long at all to hunt down the Traitors, who will be hoping to steal the cash.

Here’s who remains in the running…

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Undeniably the master puppeteer of the series, 42-year-old Rachel has played a blinding game from the beginning. The FBI-trained mum-of-three has spearheaded operations in the turret, coolly watching as fellow OG Traitor Hugo spectacularly messed up and keeping Stephen calm as he’s faced increasing heat.

Rachel has come under suspicion just a few times, and mostly seen off her accusers with relative ease. Fiona learned just how much trust the Faithfuls have in Rachel when she tried (and failed) to take her down, before Harriet launched an even more spirited attack, and fell on her sword to prove her theory… which the Faithfuls have since pretty much ignored. But now that Faraaz has raised his suspicions about Rachel, will she continue to get away with murder?

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Let’s be honest, nobody would have bet on Stephen making it this far. The 32-year-old has had a lot of heat on him since very early on, with Jessie correctly identifying him as a Traitor.

While Fiona’s banishment managed to temporarily quell the flame-haired Faithful’s suspicions, it wasn’t long before she was back on Stephen’s case. He took a huge risk by murdering Jessie last week, and it looks as though it has paid off. Now, the Scottish contestant is questioning his pact with Rachel, wondering if he needs to throw her under the bus to seal his victory.

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Jade has largely held on to her place in the castle thanks to the fact she’s faced near-constant suspicion. Amanda never dropped her case against the 25-year-old PhD student, and the former cop’s crusade has stayed in the Faithfuls’ minds while Jade, the resident queen of knitwear, has become visibly fed up with having to defend herself.

At last week’s dinner party, Jade was hailed as “brave” after opening up about her mother. “My parents got divorced when I was seven,” she told the group. “My mum moved back to Hong Kong. She had a kid – in 2018, they were both found dead. I’ve had to really rebuild myself from that point onwards.”

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Gardener James has made it to the final week by the skin of his teeth, but plenty of the Faithfuls don’t fully trust him – which Stephen and Rachel are eager to exploit.

The 38-year-old has sparked confusion with his somewhat erratic decision-making and accusations. His fellow Faithfuls were also left furious when he decided to secretly steal a shield during a challenge, with Roxy calling out his “deceitful” behaviour. And his decision to attack Faithful Matthew after getting the ceremonial dagger has put him under the spotlight, too.

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Roxy was one half of a mother-daughter duo, but her mum Judy unfortunately became the first player banished way back in episode two. In the weeks since, Roxy has done her best to be good Faithful, but she’s often missed the mark.

The 32-year-old has struggled to come up with any decent theories, and counts Stephen among her closest and most trusted pals in the castle. Oh dear…

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Jack is one of a few players who has succeeded thus far by flying under the radar. The 29-year-old hasn’t exactly made his mark on the game, but by keeping quiet and never really putting forward any theories, he’s managed to avoid being murdered or banished.

We got to know the personal trainer a little better at last week’s dinner party, where he revealed he was planning to propose to his girlfriend. He has since told fans on Instagram that she said yes.

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At 22, the lovely Faraaz is one of the series’ youngest contestants, which Rachel previously joked about, as she quipped that he could be a Traitor “killing the oldies”.

The internal auditor hasn’t had a whole lot of screentime, but we got to know him a little better at the dinner party, where he revealed he would take his family to perform the hajj, the holy Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, if he wins. And in the latest episode, he shocked Rachel by sharing his suspicions that she is a Traitor who engineered the demise of numerous players, such as Ross, Fiona and Harriet.