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

Warning: spoilers ahead - This article discloses details from The Celebrity Traitors conclusion

Throughout the season, audiences saw murders, double-crosses, serious side-eye, and a memorable moment that cut through the overwhelming suspense.

Yet on the final evening, the final winner of the inaugural celebrity edition was revealed.

Out of nineteen participants, only five were left standing: Traitors and loyal players facing off for the prize.

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

In the end, funny man Alan Carr was crowned the winner, in a surprising outcome that broke the internet and made him tearful.

"This has been destroying me, my apologies," he declared, revealing to the remaining faithfuls that he'd always been one of the deceivers. "I'm an awful human being."

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

Online platforms immediately exploded with the news. "The worst deceiver being the most effective player," wrote a viewer.

"There could not have been a more iconic ending," wrote another, while a third described it as "the TV moment of the year."

The organization he selected, a cancer charity, gets to keep the entire winnings, with the total amount amounting to £87,500.

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

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

"The idea of Alan, among everyone, executing a masterclass in deceit felt about as likely as him maintaining composure through one of his own punchlines."

During follow-up conversations, fellow players summed up the reasons nobody had ever really suspected him.

"He might have come down to the morning meal 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 can you vote for a person so loveable?" questioned a different contestant.

Carr said he had "absolutely loved" his experience with the program.

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

The final episode was extended to over an hour on the network. It had a different start than usual, as all the celebs knew who'd make it at the breakfast table.

There was some very uplifting, and atypical for the show soundtrack, as we recapped key scenes from each of the finalists' experience in the game.

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

"To be honest, I began this game as something of a nervous wreck. I've thrown close allies to save myself, I've murdered national treasures openly. Apparently I'm a better liar and player than I believed."

At the same time, a different player commented that being in the final was "way more stressful than competing with a national team", while another said he was "totally surprised" to have lasted this long.

In the beginning of the finale, several players appeared to be attempting to become the fashion standout of the competition, replacing an earlier departed fashionable contestant.

Carr emerged at breakfast looking like a vintage television personality in a checked maroon suit, before changing into a bejewelled white suit.

But he was out-jacketted by a fellow player's maroon velvet tuxedo. What a look.

Following this was the challenge, with the remaining contestants boarding a locomotive called - of course - The Traitors Express.

This task saw them ripping up portraits of former contestants. Have sympathy for a player who was hit in the head multiple times by the lid of a substantial container.

Before long, it was time for the roundtable.

Two traitors did a pinky promise beforehand, pledging to support each other. "We've progressed significantly, I'm not going to throw him under a bus," stated a player, while their partner just giggled.

And one adhered to their agreement. Yet, having slipped under the radar for most of the game, the other still got the most votes.

The remaining traitor looked like to be experiencing 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 similarly upset.

"I did NOT want this contestant to be banished. A truly loveable traitor," commented an observer.

"Your legacy will remain in the show's legacy," wrote another user.

But there was little opportunity to focus on their elimination. Before long, the game reached the endgame - which was what we were really all here for.

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 partner, who betrayed them.

"This pains me to be stabbed in the back last minute like that," said the eliminated player. Later, it was revealed that when they message, the betrayed player refers to the other as a traitor.

Ultimately, only three contestants were still competing: the last participants.

One player, looking incredibly smug, voted to end the competition. The same decision was made by a different player, and everything depended on the final participant, who did the same - resulting in the traitor was the winner.

For observers, the scene where remaining contestants consoled the champion was "beautiful TV". "I predict it could be in the running for outstanding scene at television honors," they commented.

Happily, the winner soon recovered from his bout of tears, and could finally appreciate the moment.

"What a rollercoaster. I was awful at lying, I had no poker face and here I am the champion," he said.

He also joked about the memorable elimination - his close ally during the initial stages - by reaching over the presenter in the concluding moments and making contact.

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

The recent episodes of celebrity gossiping, plotting and sometimes surprising incidents may feel like one big crazy jumbled dream. Yet it actually occur. And we will miss it.