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

Spoiler alert - This piece reveals details from The Celebrity Traitors conclusion

Over the course of the show, audiences saw murders, betrayals, intense glares, and a memorable moment that cut through all tension.

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

Out of nineteen participants, just a handful remained: Deceivers and loyal players competing for the prize.

Before long, the competition tightened to only three contenders: the final players.

In the end, funny man Alan Carr was crowned the champion, in a shocking outcome that went viral and made him tearful.

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

"You played amazingly," they comforted him. "It's all right."

Online platforms quickly erupted with the news. "The worst deceiver being the best traitor ever," wrote a viewer.

"There could not have been a more iconic ending," wrote a different person, while someone else described it as "the television highlight of the year."

His chosen charity, Neuroblastoma UK, gets to keep the entire winnings, with the final pot reaching eighty-seven thousand five hundred pounds.

Alan Carr's transformation from giggle liability to cold-hearted killer was among the most memorable aspects of the season.

But his win still left the nation surprised, as noted by entertainment reporters.

"The thought of him, of all people, executing an expert performance in deceit felt just as probable as him maintaining composure through one of his own punchlines."

On subsequent discussions, fellow players explained the reasons nobody had truly doubted him.

"Alan could have come down to breakfast in a green cloak and I wouldn't have believed he was a traitor. His humor distracted me," a player said.

"The majority didn't vote for him because how does one vote for a person so loveable?" asked another celebrity.

Carr said he had "absolutely loved" his time on the program.

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

Thursday evening's installment was lengthened to over an hour on television. There was an unusual opening than usual, as every celebrity were aware who'd make it at the breakfast table.

Viewers heard particularly inspiring, and very un-Traitors-esque music, as the episode revisited key scenes from each of the finalists' experience in the game.

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

"Let's face it, I began the competition a bit of an anxious mess. I've thrown close allies under the bus, I've eliminated national treasures openly. Apparently I'm more deceptive and traitor than I thought."

Meanwhile, a different player commented that reaching the conclusion was "way more stressful than competing with a national team", while another said he was "completely amazed" to have made it so far.

In the beginning in the episode, several players seemed to be making a bid to become the fashion standout of the competition, replacing the previously eliminated fashionable contestant.

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

But he was outstyled by another contestant's burgundy formal wear. What a look.

Following this was the competition, with the remaining contestants boarding a train named - of course - The Traitors Express.

This task involved ripping up portraits of eliminated players. Have sympathy for one participant who was hit in the head THREE times by the cover of a substantial container.

Soon after, the moment arrived for the roundtable.

The deceivers made a pact in advance, vowing to stick together. "We've progressed significantly, I'm not going to throw him under a bus," said one, while the other simply laughed.

And one adhered to his promise. But, having slipped unnoticed for most of the game, the other still received the majority elimination votes.

The remaining traitor looked like to be experiencing significant distress to be the final deceiver remaining. "Being alone, I feel terrified," he said. "I'm unpredictable, without direction."

Online platforms and onlookers were similarly upset.

"I hoped against that player to be eliminated. An endearing deceiver," said an observer.

"You will forever be remembered in the show's legacy," wrote a different viewer.

However, there remained no time to focus on their elimination. Before long, they were at the endgame - which was the moment everyone anticipated.

The final four stood over the ceremonial fire. Meanwhile, the partnership broke down, just when it mattered the most, in an absolutely shocking development.

A player was painfully banished - after a shock vote from their ally, who turned against them.

"This pains me to be stabbed in the back last minute like that," said the ousted contestant. Subsequently, it was revealed that if they ever communicate, the eliminated contestant calls the other as a traitor.

Finally, only three contestants remained in the game: the final trio.

A contestant, appearing quite pleased, voted to end the competition. The same decision was made by another, and everything depended on the third, who did the same - resulting in the traitor emerged victorious.

For observers, the moment where the other players consoled the winner was "beautiful TV". "I anticipate it will be a contender for outstanding scene at next year's awards," they said.

Fortunately, the winner soon recovered from his bout of tears, and was able to enjoy his victory.

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

He also made light of that infamous murder - his best friend in an early episode - by reaching over the host in the final scene and making contact.

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

The last few weeks of celebrity gossiping, plotting and sometimes unexpected moments may seem like a bizarre fantasy. Yet it actually occur. And we will miss it.