Rachel will find out at the start of tonight’s episode of The Traitors if she’s still on track to win the 2026 prize fund.
At the end of last night’s show, Traitors fans watched as the roundtable ended in a tie, before a second round of voting then failed to break the tie. This meant that the decision over who was banished from the castle in the penultimate episode of the series was left to the Chests of Chance.
Rachel and James both picked a chest. The contestant with the shield would survive the roundtable. The one with an empty box would be banished. However, the episode ended on a total cliffhanger, with quick glimpses of the pair starting to open their boxes.
But that glimpse was enough for body language expert Judi James to deliver her verdict on who she thinks will be banished at the start of tonight’s final. And it’s bad news for Rachel.
Rachel’s fate in The Traitors ‘revealed’
Speaking on behalf of Paddy Power Games, respected body language expert Judi James has revealed that she thinks it’s bad news for Rachel.
She told us: “On a technical, episode-construction note, and apart from the obvious element of creating a cliffhanger, I’m tempted to believe they would want Rachel in the final episode. And by creating a plot bleed-over of her leaving, they ensure she is still strongly featured – even though she is going before the end. So, I would veer towards her not getting the shield on this basis.”
Judi added that some body language ‘tells’ were also evident. “Their body language throws up miniscule clues. But again these seem to point towards Rachel leaving tonight. The only glimpse of James opening his box didn’t show any change in expression. We did see Jade watching, though, with her eyes darting from side to side and they did seem to settle on Rachel.”
Stephen gives the game away?
It’s fellow Traitor Stephen that gives the game away for Judi, though.
“We saw the biggest reaction from Stephen. When it looked as though he discovered who was out his eye direction also seemed to be on Rachel. He closed his eyes in a long blink cut-off gesture of silent acknowledgement and places his two hands up over his face, clamping them to his nose as his head jerked back.
“This ritual and his eye direction would suggest it’s Rachel who has gone. If he’d been looking at her getting the shield, he would have performed some kind of celebration to pretend to her that he was happy, despite having aided her demise. But his signals suggested a micro-gesture of satisfaction before an acted performance of stunned shock – despite the way that he had called her out.”
Traitors viewers reckon Rachel a goner either way
Even if Rachel does have the shield inside her chest, fans don’t think she will survive much longer anyway…
They reckon that the trust is broken in Rachel now. And she’ll either be banished at the final roundtable, or during the show’s end game.
Either way, viewers reckon she will leave the game without a penny.
One commented: “Sure even if Rachel gets the shield she won’t get any money – there’s no trust anymore.” “Looking at the dynamics… Rachel will go even if she gets a shield. The rest will still suspect Jade or James. Stephen will win this year’s show,” another predicted.
A third agreed and said: “Rachel is surely done for now. Even if she gets the shield, the heat is really on her.” Another viewer reckons it’s not just Rachel’s days that are numbered: “The thing is even if Rachel’s chest has the shield, she’d still be banished next. I think murdering Roxy over Faraaz was her downfall. And potentially Stephen’s as well.”
Find out who wins The Traitors 2026 on BBC One tonight (Friday, January 23) at 8.30pm.
Read more: Truth about why Roxy wasn’t seen discovering who The Traitors are ‘revealed’
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