With tears for breakfast, a secret priest and a weird fake Welsh accent in the first episode, The Traitors is well and truly back. The third season of the hit series launched on New Year's Day 2025, and Claudia didn't keep us waiting for a big twist this time around.
Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the first episode!
The competitors were divided into three cars on the steam train to go to the castle. However, halfway through the journey the train stopped and they were told that one person from each section had to get off as the round table could only accommodate 22 people.
The decision had to be made quickly, as £10,000 was at stake, and every minute lost was worth £1,000.
BBC / Studio Lambert
Eventually, Fozia, Jack, and Alexander all humbly volunteered for the chopping block… although some were more enthusiastic about the situation.
Although this decision seems brutal, traditionally the only way for players to leave the game is through banishment or murder. Plus, all three were shown filming Talking Heads which is supposed to take place in the castle, so there's good reason to believe they could return.
But how could this manifest? As a huge Traitors fan, I've been speculating with my Faithful friends and have some thoughts.
Why Fozia, Jack and Alexander could return as loyalists
The most likely scenario for the “train trio” to return in The Traitors is the Faithful later in the game. Why? Because it's already happened.
In season 1 of the show, Kieran and Amos weren't even allowed into the castle because they presented themselves as the least likely to win when asked by the presenter. Claudia took them at their word and asked them to leave the game.
However, the two men returned during a mission where players had to match symbols carried by a crowd of people wearing golden masks. Two of them were former candidates.
This break worked in their favor, because it gave the faithful a new perspective to spot suspicious behavior. In fact, Kieran played a key role in helping the winners defeat Wilfred and take home the cash prize, thanks to his iconic 'parting gift'.
Returning later in the game allows time for the group to be reduced, which could quickly dwindle if events such as double murders occur.
However, it's three people instead of two – and if they were all brought back, it would be the biggest group we've ever seen in the UK edition of this series and a lot of faithful to go through.
So there might be a bit of a shake-up this time around.
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 banished – examples of candidates from last year include Andrew and Ross, although they have been in the game since the beginning.
However, one thing they never did was give traitors the option to choose someone they don't know well. A good variation would be to put Fozia, Jack, and Alexander as the three choices to join the Betrayers, with the other two returning to the game as Faithful.
The Traitors wouldn't have much to know about how the new addition would fit into the group, which could make for a difficult game.
BBC/Studio Lambert
On the other hand, this can also confuse the rest of the group, as they may not suspect a returning competitor and instead focus on those against whom they have accumulated evidence over the course of the game.
This would also mean there wouldn't be as many followers, making the game more balanced.
These two theories are the most likely scenarios… but what if there was a third option?
Other ways Fozia, Jack and Alexander could return in The Traitors
The last time we saw Fozia, Jack and Alexander, they were standing by the train tracks… but what if they had been recruited to be part of a secret task force?
The Betrayers are known for making big revelations in the past, and we now know that certain missions are designed to have the Betrayers and Faithful working against each other.
What if the final three contestants worked behind the scenes to spice things up? Perhaps by awarding shields to people or stealing money from the pot for themselves.
This is the most convoluted option, and therefore the most improbable… but you never know with this wild spectacle.
Episodes 1 and 2 of season 3 of The Traitors are now available to stream on BBC iPlayer. New episodes will air on BBC One every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. You can also read what we know about the Celebrity Edition here.
