After multiple episodes of tension, schemes and backstabbing, Celebrity Traitors concludes with a thrilling end

Spoiler alert - This piece reveals details from Celebrity Traitors finale

Over the course of the show, audiences saw murders, double-crosses, serious side-eye, and a memorable moment that pierced all suspense.

Yet on Thursday night, the final winner of the inaugural celebrity edition emerged triumphant.

From nineteen participants, just a handful remained: Traitors and faithfuls competing for the winnings.

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

Ultimately, funny man Alan Carr was crowned the winner, in a surprising result that went viral and left him emotional.

"This has been destroying me, I'm so sorry," he declared, revealing to the remaining faithfuls that he was actually a traitor. "I'm an awful human being."

"You did brilliantly," they comforted him. "Everything's fine."

Social media quickly erupted with this development. "The worst deceiver being the most effective player," commented one user.

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

The organization he selected, a cancer charity, gets to keep all the prize money, with the total amount amounting to eighty-seven thousand five hundred pounds.

The comedian's evolution from comic relief to cold-hearted killer was among the most memorable aspects of the series.

However, his victory still shocked viewers in shock, as noted by industry observers.

"The thought of him, among everyone, executing an expert performance in deception felt just as probable as him keeping a straight face through one of his own punchlines."

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

"He might have come down to breakfast in traitor attire and I wouldn't have believed he was deceiving us. 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?" questioned a different contestant.

The winner stated he had "absolutely loved" his experience with the program.

"I'd like to participate once more... I don't think it would be successful again!"

The final installment was extended to over an hour on television. It had a different start than typical episodes, as all the celebs knew who would appear at the morning gathering.

Viewers heard particularly inspiring, and atypical for the show soundtrack, as the episode revisited some moments from every remaining player's experience in the game.

True to form, Alan Carr provided unforgettable quotes.

"To be honest, I started this game a bit of an anxious mess. I've betrayed close allies under the bus, I've eliminated national treasures openly. Apparently I'm more deceptive and player than I thought."

Meanwhile, a different player noted that being in the final was "way more stressful than competing with a national team", while another said he was "completely amazed" to have lasted this long.

Early on in the episode, several players seemed to be attempting to become the fashion standout of the castle, replacing an earlier departed fashionable contestant.

The winner appeared at breakfast resembling a 1950s US chat show host in patterned burgundy attire, later switching into a bejewelled white suit.

But he was out-jacketted by a fellow player's burgundy formal wear. What a look.

Next up was the competition, with the remaining contestants boarding a train named - of course - The Deceivers' Railway.

The challenge involved destroying portraits of former contestants. Spare a thought for a player who managed to get hit on the head THREE times by the lid of a heavy wooden box.

Before long, the moment arrived for the roundtable.

The deceivers made a pact in advance, pledging to support each other. "We've progressed significantly, I'm not going to betray him," stated a player, while their partner just giggled.

And one did stick to his promise. But, having slipped unnoticed for the majority of the competition, their partner still got the most votes.

The last deceiver appeared he was in a world of pain to be the final deceiver remaining. "Now I'm on my own, I feel terrified," he said. "I'm a loose cannon, a rudderless ship."

Social media and viewers were equally disappointed.

"I hoped against this contestant to be eliminated. An endearing deceiver," said a commentator.

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

However, there remained no time to dwell on this departure. Soon, the game reached the endgame - which was what we were really all here for.

The final four stood over the ceremonial fire. And the alliance collapsed, just when it mattered the most, in an absolutely shocking development.

One contestant was eliminated in dramatic fashion - after a shock vote from their ally, who betrayed them.

"It hurts to be betrayed last minute in that manner," said the eliminated player. Subsequently, we learned that if they ever communicate, the betrayed player refers to their former ally by a betrayer's name.

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

One player, appearing quite pleased, voted to end the competition. The same decision was made by a different player, and it all came down to the final participant, who did the same - which meant that the traitor was the winner.

According to commentators, the scene where remaining contestants comforted the champion was "beautiful TV". "I anticipate it could be a contender for outstanding scene at television honors," they said.

Happily, the winner quickly regained composure from his emotional outburst, and was able to enjoy the moment.

"Such an emotional journey. I was awful at lying, I had no poker face and now I stand the champion," the winner said.

He also joked about the memorable elimination - his close ally in an early episode - by leaning toward the host in the concluding moments and touching her cheek.

"There's something on your face," he said, with his trademark giggle.

The recent episodes of celebrity gossiping, plotting and sometimes surprising incidents may feel like a bizarre fantasy. But it really did occur. And we will miss it.