Following weeks of tension, plots and sabotage, The Celebrity Traitors has reached a nail-biting end

Spoiler alert - This piece discloses details from The Celebrity Traitors finale

Over the course of the show, viewers witnessed eliminations, double-crosses, serious side-eye, and an unforgettable incident that pierced all tension.

However on the final evening, the final winner of the inaugural Celebrity Traitors was revealed.

From nineteen participants, only five remained: Deceivers and loyal players facing off for the winnings.

Soon, the competition tightened to just three: the remaining contestants.

Ultimately, funny man Alan Carr emerged as the winner, in a surprising outcome that broke the internet and made him tearful.

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

"You did brilliantly," they comforted him. "It's all right."

Online platforms immediately exploded with this development. "The worst deceiver being the most effective player," commented a viewer.

"There could not have been a more iconic ending," stated a different person, while someone else described it as "the TV moment of the year."

His chosen charity, Neuroblastoma UK, will receive the entire winnings, with the final pot amounting to 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 shocked viewers in shock, as noted by industry observers.

"The thought of him, of all people, pulling off a masterclass in deceit felt about as likely as him keeping a straight face through his comedy routines."

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

"He might have appeared to the morning meal in traitor attire and I still wouldn't have thought he was a traitor. I was too busy laughing," a player said.

"Most people didn't target him because how does one eliminate someone who is so loveable?" questioned a different contestant.

Carr said he had "thoroughly enjoyed" his experience with the program.

"I want to do it again... I doubt it would work again!"

Thursday evening's episode was lengthened to over an hour on television. It had a different start than typical episodes, as every celebrity knew who would appear at the breakfast table.

Viewers heard some very uplifting, and atypical for the show soundtrack, as we recapped key scenes from every remaining player's experience in the game.

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

"To be honest, I started the competition as something of a nervous wreck. I've thrown some really good friends under the bus, I've murdered beloved figures in plain sight. Apparently I'm more deceptive and player than I thought."

Meanwhile, another contestant commented that being in the final was "significantly more pressure than playing for England", while another said he was "completely amazed" to have made it so far.

Early on in the episode, various contestants seemed to be making a bid to become the new style icon of the castle, taking over from an earlier departed fashionable contestant.

The winner appeared at breakfast looking like a 1950s US chat show host in a checked maroon suit, before changing into a bejewelled white suit.

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

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

The challenge saw them destroying portraits of eliminated players. Have sympathy for a player who was hit in the head multiple times by the lid of a heavy wooden box.

Soon after, the moment arrived for the elimination discussion.

The deceivers did a pinky promise in advance, vowing to support each other. "We've progressed significantly, I won't throw him under a bus," stated one, while their partner just giggled.

And one adhered to his promise. But, managing to stay under the radar for most of the game, their partner still received the majority elimination votes.

The last deceiver appeared he was in significant distress to be the final deceiver remaining. "Being alone, I feel terrified," he said. "I'm a loose cannon, a rudderless ship."

Social media and onlookers were equally disappointed.

"I did NOT want that player to be banished. A truly loveable traitor," said an observer.

"You will forever be remembered in the show's legacy," posted another user.

But there was no time to dwell on their elimination. Before long, they were at the endgame - which was what we were really all here for.

The last players gathered around the fire pit. And the alliance broke down, precisely when it mattered the most, in a truly WTF moment.

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

"This pains me to be betrayed last minute in that manner," remarked the ousted contestant. Subsequently, we learned that when they message, the betrayed player calls their former ally as a traitor.

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

One player, appearing quite pleased, voted to end the game. So did another, and it all came down to the third, who did the same - which meant that the traitor was the winner.

According to commentators, the moment where the other players comforted the champion was "compelling television". "I anticipate it will be in the running for outstanding scene at television honors," they said.

Happily, the winner quickly regained composure from his bout of tears, and could finally appreciate his victory.

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

He also joked about that infamous murder - his best friend during the initial stages - by leaning toward the host in the final scene and touching her cheek.

"There's something on your face," he said, with his characteristic laugh.

The recent episodes of famous people scheming, plotting and sometimes unexpected moments may feel like one big crazy jumbled dream. But it really did all happen. And we will miss it.