(Warning: This put up incorporates spoilers for The Traitors Season 2, Episode 11.)
Coming into this week of The Traitors, our one remaining saboteur, Beneath Deck alum Kate Chastain, was not feeling nice. As she complained to host Alan Cumming, our final eradicated mercenary, Actual Housewives star Phaedra Parks, introduced her “up into the Turret of Zero plans” after which deserted her to scrub up the mess. To make issues worse, Kate’s private dig at Phaedra ultimately week’s roundtable left some people feeling somewhat suspicious. Might she really make it to the top and persuade everybody to maintain her round, or would this recreation in the end go to the Faithfuls?
This season has been intense, to say the least. In contrast to the primary season of The Traitors US, everybody this season has been a actuality star, which instantly broke the fort into factions. There have been the Bravo-lebrities like Phaedra, Kate, Shahs of Sundown star Mercedes “MJ” Javid, and former Actual Housewife Shereé Whitfield, after which there was everybody else. Chris “CT” Tamburello and Trishelle Cannatella have a protracted, difficult historical past courting again to their time on The Problem, and based on Kate herself, there was one essential friendship that viewers at residence by no means acquired to see. As tough as Thursday’s finale already appeared, this behind-the-scenes actuality makes the ultimate gut-punch of the season hit even more durable.
This season’s hodgepodge of C-listers has each helped and hindered the sport: Their large personalities have definitely bred some enjoyable drama, however on the similar time, this has been a essentially totally different problem than it was when just a few Common Joes have been within the combine. Coming into the finale, there was not one of the belief that we noticed final season, which signifies that each the roundtable and the “Fireplace of Reality” have been extra strategic than ever. Like at all times, alliances have been examined, and a few crumbled underneath the strain.
Kate’s first order of enterprise was to determine who to homicide, and in contrast to her banished associate in crime, she really made essentially the most strategic selection. By eliminating her Bravo ally Shereé, she reasoned, she may lay some suspicion to relaxation. On her manner out, Shereé really started taking part in the sport as an alternative of pretending she’s on trip, appropriately deducing that it was Kate who’d murdered her. I do know they are saying it’s at all times higher late than by no means, however on this case…
Kate’s plan was a sensible one, however alas, a number of gamers have been nonetheless on to her after they gathered on the breakfast desk. Sandra, CT, and Trishelle have been all able to vote Kate out. However our devious minx nonetheless had just a few methods up her sleeve—conniving deceptions that largely made me want that she’d been a Traitor from the beginning.
God bless MJ, however she not often had the suitable instincts on the subject of Traitors. She forged the deciding vote in opposition to the staunchly Devoted former Bachelor Peter Weber a pair weeks in the past, and this week, she insisted that Kate had “devoted vitality” and that Survivor legend Sandra Diaz-Twine was the Traitor. (To borrow a favourite chorus from Trishelle, “Honey…”) And so, Kate reasoned, all she needed to do was get another vote for Sandra on the roundtable—and survive one final, grueling problem.
This week’s mission was easy in idea, however clearly, the producers made it onerous as hell to execute. The gamers wanted to make their manner over some Scottish cliffs to Alan Cumming’s sailboat, the place they’d increase a sail to gather their prize. Alongside the way in which, they might additionally make detours to gather additional flags, every of with would earn them extra money. Naturally, everybody wished the money, and CT labored his ass off for each single greenback.
Everybody poked via seaweed in lobster traps after which dug via even extra seaweed on the bottom to earn their additional prize cash, nevertheless it was our beefy “fort daddy” who ran all the way in which again to start out to search out the mixture to a lock. Then, after the group abseiled down a cliff, CT and Sandra put the workforce on their backs one final time and swam right into a cave in opposition to the present to gather a $10,000 flag. (Truthfully, give them the prize cash for that feat of bravery alone!) By the point the group made it to the sailboat, that they had solely 4 minutes remaining to hoist the flag. Fortunately, they acquired it simply in time, incomes all $50,000 and bringing the ultimate shared prize pot to $208,100 out of a doable $250,000.
Everybody may’ve been all in regards to the teamwork throughout the mission, however from the second they left, they acquired again to scheming. Kate wound up in a van alone with CT on the way in which again and wasted no time earlier than making an attempt to border Sandra. He requested her straight if she was a Traitor, and he or she dodged it like an knowledgeable, throwing him off simply sufficient to threaten his plan to workforce up with Trishelle and Sandra to vote her out. However it wasn’t till CT tattled on Kate to Sandra that the shit actually began hitting the fan.
When Sandra confronted Kate for throwing her title round, Kate expertly threw the warmth again on CT, implying that it was him who’d been procuring Sandra round for banishment. That prompted Sandra to counsel that she, Kate, and MJ vote out CT—an thought Kate instantly introduced again to CT, shaking his confidence much more. I repeat: This lady is good at this!
Someway, Kate’s plotting really managed to take her via to the top. Everybody voted Sandra out—even together with Trishelle, who simply wished to vote with the group.
For all of Kate’s scheming, nevertheless, it was fairly apparent from the second that everybody gathered for the Fireplace of Reality that Kate was a goner. Everybody’s flames burned purple as soon as Cumming threw their pouches into the hearth—that means they wished to banish once more. The group unanimously selected Kate, who didn’t appear too upset to go residence. Then got here the true intestine punch: MJ may’ve been prepared to finish the sport, however CT and Trishelle weren’t.
Coming into this ultimate episode, CT and Trishelle have been clearly each other’s journey or die. However on the Fireplace of Reality, Trishelle—in a traditional second of infuriating Trishelle-ness—briefly picked the mistaken individual and tried to vote CT out. Fortunately for her, the primary vote was a impasse: CT voted for MJ as deliberate, and MJ, who was clearly shocked and pissed to appreciate her quantity was up, voted Trishelle.
CT was understandably miffed that Trishelle had gone for him, however as she defined, his voting for Sandra on the final roundtable (and sparing John Bercow from elimination weeks in the past as an alternative of her) shook her religion. When it got here time for the tiebreaker, everybody caught to the plan: CT and Trishelle voted MJ out, and he or she left heartbroken.
“I hope that makes you guys really feel nice,” MJ muttered on her manner out, in a voice that implies she completely doesn’t hope they really feel nice. “It shouldn’t have ended this fashion,” she advised producers. “That’s a plot twist of a lifetime. I hope they remorse it.”
Earlier than we may even pour one out for MJ and her iconic jeans, it was time to rejoice—and CT and Trishelle have been completely ecstatic. In a real “fort daddy” second, he hoisted her up onto the desk to sit down on the pile of gold, leaning over her and shoving the gold into her pockets earlier than she hopped off and let him roll round on the shiny booty himself. They every went residence with $104,050, and when requested about their fallen homie MJ, neither of them may even faux to really feel responsible.
“I simply wasn’t keen to take an opportunity on anyone,” CT stated. “I’m sorry.” (However, like, no—he’s completely not.) Trishelle, in the meantime, claimed, “I really feel horrible. I imply, I really like MJ, however we did say we have been gonna go—us two—till the top. It was a rocky street to get right here, however right here we’re.”
From what we’ve seen on display screen, this second isn’t too stunning. MJ has largely caught across the Bravo girlies, whereas CT and Trishelle have been collaborating from the start. Nonetheless, I couldn’t assist however keep in mind one thing Kate herself advised me throughout our interview final month: Though we didn’t see a lot of it on display screen, CT and MJ apparently additionally had a robust friendship this season.
Throughout that torch-lighting debacle just a few weeks go, Kate stated, “Trishelle was not the one person who was very damage” when CT selected John. “MJ and CT had an entire dialog, as a result of MJ and CT have a really sturdy friendship that isn’t proven as a lot.” Retrospectively, that may’ve been a touch about this recreation’s final result.
“CT is superb at a social recreation,” Kate stated again then. “So Phaedra felt like she had an emotional reference to him. MJ felt like he was like a brother. Trishelle thought that they had an emotional connection. So, CT is superb not solely on the missions, but additionally at gaining pals and constructing relationships.”
Hopefully, a few of it will come up throughout the present’s season reunion on Thursday night time. Final season’s was type of a dud, however with this many large TV personalities within the combine, one thing tells me this one may get spicy.
