Rachel Faces Imminent Banishment As Traitors Turn

On the evening of January 21, 2026, viewers of The Traitors on BBC One were treated to one of the most dramatic episodes of the season, as alliances crumbled and suspicions soared. What started as a day of calculated moves and subtle whispers quickly spiraled into open accusations, with the once-dominant Rachel finding herself at the center of a brewing storm.

Host Claudia Winkleman set the tone early, arriving at the castle with the infamous Ceremonial Dagger in hand. The rules were simple but ruthless: whoever received the dagger would wield double voting power at the next banishment. The announcement left the contestants reeling. Winkleman revealed, "I can now reveal that the person who the Traitors chose to give the dagger to is...James." James, visibly stunned, responded, "Wow! Stunned. That's some clever game play going on there. That's making me doubt myself." (BBC)

Behind the scenes, Rachel and her turret ally Stephen had orchestrated the move. They reasoned that keeping the dagger within their circle was too risky. Instead, they handed it to James, hoping to use him as a proxy to eliminate Matt, the Traitor-in-waiting. As Rachel put it, "This breakfast went exactly the way we wanted it to go. Matty played into it perfectly." Her confidence was palpable, a testament to her strategic prowess. Yet, cracks in her armor were beginning to show.

Matt, who had long hoped for an invitation to join the Traitors, never got his cloak. Instead, he became the target of a calculated campaign. Stephen, ever the strategist, remarked, "Matthew thinks he's going to be joining us in the turret very soon. We need to get rid of him before he realises it's not happening." The breakfast table became a stage for psychological warfare, with Matt confronting James and the group turning on him. In the end, Matt was banished, receiving just one more vote than James. As he departed, host Winkleman couldn't hide her exasperation: "Faithfuls, what are you thinking? I am genuinely speechless." (BBC)

But while Rachel appeared to be in control, the episode's real drama unfolded in the shadows. Faraaz, previously flying under the radar, emerged as a pivotal figure. After the mission—a dizzying fairground ride that left Jack clutching a hard-won shield and his stomach—Faraaz began openly questioning Rachel's loyalty. He confided to his fellow players, "Can I just ask, what are your thoughts on Rachel? I think it's Rachel." He elaborated, "I think it's the fact that Fiona didn't have many one-to-one chats, I feel as if they had one-to-one chats because there was trust there. There was a disagreement, Fiona's thrown her toys out the pram and I think it was Traitor on Traitor." (Digital Spy)

Faraaz's suspicion was not isolated. Jack, who had built a close bond with Faraaz, seemed unsurprised by the accusation. Their trust in each other, contrasted with growing doubts about Rachel, hinted at a shifting power dynamic. Rachel, sensing the tide turning, admitted to the camera, "My head's a little bit scrambled. You've 22 people and now there's 7 and the eyes just look into our group. This is the part now where I can't lose my cool or it's game over." (Digital Spy)

Roxy, previously not seen as a threat to Rachel, confronted her in the kitchen. Her words were direct: "Can I chat to you at some point? I have to ask because I'm so paranoid and I'm really thinking to myself, why am I still here now? And I wouldn't be doing myself justice if I didn't come to you and ask if it's you. I'm only asking because I've got to for my own peace of mind." Rachel, ever the composed Traitor, reassured her: "I love you to bits, but no, it's not me." She sealed the moment with a hug, but the seed of doubt was planted. (Digital Spy)

Meanwhile, Stephen, Rachel's closest ally in the turret, was beginning to question their partnership. He confessed to the camera, "Right now, I'm worried. Maybe I've been blind because I have been actively not discussing Rachel if anyone ever brought her up. She might not necessarily write my name on her slate, but that doesn't stop her sowing seeds of doubt against. If I did find out that she was going against me behind my back, then game on." (Digital Spy)

Jade, another player who had faced suspicion at the round table, had yet to explicitly name Rachel as a Traitor. However, given her vulnerable position, it seemed likely she would align with the growing consensus. As the numbers dwindled, the pressure to follow the majority and ensure personal safety became overwhelming.

The episode's tension was punctuated by moments of levity, such as the aforementioned fairground ride mission. Players were spun at dizzying speeds, racing for cash as seats were eliminated each round. Jack emerged victorious, winning a shield, but was so nauseated he had to walk back to the castle instead of joining the others in the cars. Yet even these lighter moments couldn't dispel the sense of impending betrayal that hung over the group.

Jack also found himself under scrutiny after a breakfast blunder. Forgetting about the Dagger, he mused, "I wonder who won't come back?" Rachel was quick to pounce: "You forgot about the dagger Jack? How convenient." It was a minor slip, but in a game defined by paranoia and second-guessing, every word mattered.

As the day drew to a close, the fate of Rachel seemed all but sealed. Faraaz's bold accusation had shifted the group's focus, and even her staunchest ally was wavering. The numbers game, as always, was unforgiving. With only seven players left, every move was magnified, every alliance tested.

Stephen's earlier optimism—"We have another 24 hours in us"—now sounded less like a rallying cry and more like a countdown. The castle, once a fortress for Rachel, had become a crucible. As Friday's endgame loomed, the question was no longer whether Rachel would survive, but how she would navigate her final hours.

For fans of The Traitors, episode 10 was a masterclass in psychological strategy and shifting allegiances. With the Ceremonial Dagger in play, old friendships were tested and new enmities forged. As the credits rolled, one thing was clear: in this game, trust is the rarest currency of all.