After weeks of tension, schemes and sabotage, Celebrity Traitors has reached a nail-biting end

Spoiler alert - This article discloses key moments from The Celebrity Traitors finale

Throughout the season, viewers witnessed eliminations, betrayals, intense glares, and a memorable moment that cut through the overwhelming tension.

However on Thursday night, the ultimate victor of the inaugural celebrity edition was revealed.

From 19 contestants, only five remained: Deceivers and loyal players competing for the winnings.

Before long, the field narrowed to just three: the final players.

Ultimately, comedian Alan Carr emerged as the champion, in a surprising result that broke the internet and made him tearful.

"It's been tearing me apart, my apologies," he declared, revealing to the remaining faithfuls that he'd always been a traitor. "I feel terrible about this."

"You played amazingly," they comforted him. "Everything's fine."

Online platforms immediately exploded with the news. "Most awful traitor ever being the best traitor ever," commented a viewer.

"It couldn't have been a better conclusion," stated another, while someone else described it as "the TV moment of the year."

The organization he selected, a cancer charity, will receive all the prize money, with the final pot amounting to eighty-seven thousand five hundred pounds.

Alan Carr's transformation from comic relief to strategic player was among the most memorable aspects of the season.

However, his victory still shocked viewers surprised, according to entertainment reporters.

"The idea of Alan, of all people, executing an expert performance in deception felt just as probable as him maintaining composure through his comedy routines."

On subsequent discussions, the other contestants explained the reasons nobody had truly doubted him.

"Alan could have come down to the morning meal in traitor attire and I wouldn't have believed he was a traitor. I was too busy laughing," a player said.

"The majority didn't target him because how does one vote for someone who is so loveable?" asked another celebrity.

The winner stated he had "absolutely loved" his time on the show.

"I want to do it again... I don't think it would work again!"

Thursday evening's installment was extended to 70 minutes on the network. There was an unusual opening than usual, as every celebrity were aware who would appear at the breakfast table.

Viewers heard particularly inspiring, and atypical for the show soundtrack, as the episode revisited some moments from each of the finalists' time in the castle.

True to form, the comedian gave us some of the most memorable lines.

"To be honest, I began the competition a bit of an anxious mess. I've thrown some really good friends under the bus, I've murdered beloved figures openly. Apparently I'm more deceptive and traitor than I believed."

At the same time, a different player commented that being in the final was "way more stressful than playing for England", while someone else said he was "completely amazed" to have lasted this long.

Early on in the episode, several players seemed to be making a bid to become the new style icon of the competition, replacing an earlier departed fashionable contestant.

Carr emerged at the morning meal looking like a 1950s US chat show host in a checked maroon suit, before changing into an embellished light-colored outfit.

However, he got outstyled by a fellow player's maroon velvet tuxedo. What a look.

Following this was the competition, with the final players boarding a locomotive called - naturally - The Deceivers' Railway.

This task saw them ripping up portraits of former contestants. Have sympathy for a player who managed to get hit on the head multiple times by the cover of a heavy wooden box.

Before long, it was time for the roundtable.

The deceivers did a pinky promise in advance, vowing to stick together. "We've progressed significantly, I won't throw him under a bus," said a player, while their partner just giggled.

And one adhered to their agreement. But, having slipped unnoticed for the majority of the competition, their partner still received the majority elimination votes.

The last deceiver appeared to be experiencing significant distress to be the final deceiver remaining. "Now I'm on my own, I feel terrified," he said. "I'm unpredictable, without direction."

Social media and onlookers were similarly upset.

"I hoped against that player to be eliminated. A truly loveable traitor," commented an observer.

"Your legacy will remain in the show's legacy," wrote a different viewer.

But there was no time to dwell on this departure. Soon, they were at the final stage - this being the moment everyone anticipated.

The final four stood over the fire pit. Meanwhile, the partnership collapsed, precisely when it was most crucial, in an absolutely shocking development.

A player was eliminated in dramatic fashion - following a surprising decision from their ally, who turned against them.

"It hurts to be stabbed in the back at the final moment in that manner," remarked the eliminated player. Later, we learned that if they ever communicate, the betrayed player calls the other by a betrayer's name.

Ultimately, only three contestants remained in the game: the last participants.

One player, looking incredibly smug, voted to end the competition. The same decision was made by another, and everything depended on the final participant, who did the same - which meant that the deceiver emerged victorious.

According to commentators, the scene where remaining contestants consoled the winner was "compelling television". "I anticipate it could be a contender for outstanding scene at next year's awards," they said.

Fortunately, the winner soon recovered from his emotional outburst, and could finally appreciate his victory.

"What a rollercoaster. I thought I was terrible at deception, I had no poker face and now I stand the champion," the winner said.

He also made light of the memorable elimination - his best friend in an early episode - by reaching over the presenter in the final scene and making contact.

"You've got something on your face," he said, with his characteristic laugh.

The recent episodes of famous people scheming, scheming and sometimes unexpected moments may feel like a bizarre fantasy. Yet it actually occur. It will be remembered fondly.