End Game

The firepit where the end game is played in the UK version.

The **end game** of *The Traitors* has gone under many revisions since the premiere of *De Verraders* and usually the final is played one of three ways: a prisoner's dilemma (NL 1-2, AU 2), a split among the faction in the majority (NE 3, ES 1) or that the contestants banish until they unanimously decide to stop the game (UK, US).

## Prisoner's dilemma

### First version

This was the version of the final played under the original rules. Three players would always make the final, and their ranks would be revealed. If a Traitor made the final 3, they chose a Faithful to play the Prisoner's Dilemma with. The general rule of this is:

* Players have two options, called "Share" or "Steal"
* If both players choose to "Share", they split the prize equally
* If one Shares and the other Steals, the Stealing player wins all of the money
* If both players choose to Steal, neither wins anything

This was problematic as it threw up the possibility of a Faithful and a Traitor splitting the money, which eventually happened in the very first series.

### Second version

After the first series' final proved controversial due to this, creator Marc Pos devised a slightly different version in which only the side in the majority would choose whether to Share or Steal. Due to the possibility of a three-player Prisoner's Dilemma, the rules were modified slightly also.

**If three Faithfuls are left:**

* They decide whether to Share or Steal
* If all three players decide to Share, they split the prize money between themselves
* If one Steals and the others Share, the Sharing players split the money
* If one Shares and the others Steal, the Stealing players split the money
* If all three players decide to Steal, nobody wins anything

**If two of one faction and one of the other are left:**

* Only the group in the majority play the end game
* If the two players decide to Share, they split the money equally
* If one Shares and the other Steals, the Stealing player receives all the money
* If both decide to Steal, the opposing faction takes all the money

However, this attracted controversy as well - due to their limited numbers the Traitors are arguably at a disadvantage in this situation. For example:

* In the penultimate episode, Traitors Bianca and Skone are the last ones standing.
* Skone is voted out at the penultimate episode's Round Table, so Bianca is the last Traitor remaining.
* A twist relating to the previous day's Mission forces the Traitors to murder two Faithfuls, so Bianca cannot attempt to recruit.
* The Traitors are now in a 4 : 1 minority. Bianca manages to get the Faithful to vote one of their own out at the Round Table in the final episode, so they are now 3 : 1.
* Knowing there is no way she can win the money, Bianca's only option is to offer herself up as a free vote.
* Two of the remaining Faithfuls work out what's going on and intentionally banish the other Faithful to split the money two ways rather than three.

  *De Verraders* | Traitor and Faithful share
  *Traitors España* | Two Faithfuls share

## Vote or End

This is the version of the end game which is now most common internationally. In this one, there is no necessity for a "final three", so any number can participate. All remaining players at the final decide when to stop the game, as now if there are any Traitors left after the final vote, they split the money, however if only Faithfuls remain at the final vote, they split the money.

At each vote, the players can vote to either end the game, or go to another Round Table. If anyone picks to vote again, all players must go to the Round Table.

This version was premiered in the UK version, and from their first series we get this Faithful victory:

* 6 players are left at the end of the previous episode. There are 5 Faithfuls (Aaron, Hannah, Kieran and Meryl) and 1 Traitor (Wilf).
* Wilf recruits Kieran (Kieran has no option to reject).
* The Faithfuls banish Kieran. Having only been recruited the previous night, he holds no loyalty to the Traitors, and subtly indicates that Wilf is a Traitor.
* The Faithfuls don't pick up the hint at first, but after Wilf panics and drops a massive hint to Hannah, she and Aaron work it out.
* At the first end game vote, Meryl and Wilf both vote to end the game, but Aaron and Hannah vote to banish again.
* All three Faithfuls banish Wilf at the next Round Table.
* All three players left vote to stop the game, and as there are no Traitors left the Faithful split the money three ways.

This can go the other way, such as in the Finnish version, where the Traitors won.

* 5 players are left at the start of the last episode. There are 3 Faithfuls (Elina, Jade and Tinze) and 2 Traitors (Heikki and Sita).
* Tinze is banished at the Round Table.
* Three players vote to continue and only Sita votes to end the game.
* Elina is banished at the Round Table, and all three left vote to stop the game.
* As there are Traitors remaining in the game, Heikki and Sita split the money.

Especially in Series 2 of the British version when it became increasingly clear the Faithfuls were bound to lose, former contestants Ivan Brett and Rayan Rachedi noted that to win, the game relied on the Faithfuls voting out a Traitor in the final episode. Considering a Traitor can simply recruit a new one, Brett and Rachedi noted this puts the Faithfuls at a significant disadvantage.