The Traitors UK just broke its own rules with Jack’s ‘unfair’ exit

Two Faithfuls have joined The Traitors UK: Alexander and Fozia, who bravely stepped off the train in the first episode. Unfortunately, Jack didn’t make the cut – and fans think the show has broken its own rules.

The Traitors started with an unexpected twist: as this year’s players traveled to the castle, their train came to an abrupt stop. In order to proceed, they had to choose three people to get off – if they didn’t, they’d miss out on £10,000 ($12,200) being added to the prize pot.

Fozia was the first to get off, then Jack, and then Alexander. It was a risky move, but as many viewers suspected, they were rewarded for their bravery – sort of.

In Episode 4, a ‘rail replacement’ carriage reunited them with the other contestants. However, in a brutal “exercise in democracy”, the players could only bring two back to the castle. By the end, Jack was left dangling in his cage.

Jack wasn’t banished or murdered, so how can he leave The Traitors?

BBC

Here’s the thing: Jack wasn’t banished from the castle, nor was he murdered by The Traitors. He simply didn’t get a chance to play – and that may be a violation of the show’s rules.

Cast your mind back to Season 1, when Kieran and Amos made their shock return to the show. As Claudia Winkleman explained, they “did not leave the game on day one, you can only leave The Traitors if you are murdered or banished.”

So… how is that fair for Jack? “The rules are that you can only be banished or murdered. I’m not having it that Jack is gone for good,” one viewer wrote.

“Doesn’t this violate the ‘nobody leaves except by being banished or murdered’ rule?” another asked. “Nah Jack will come back. Claudia has said before that the only way to leave the game is to either be murdered or banished,” a third posted.

There’s an extremely slim possibility that Jack may show up again, but consider three things. Firstly, he appeared on The Traitors Uncloaked, the official aftershow where he appeared alongside Maia, Armani, and Kas after they were all banished and murdered, so it seems like his time is officially up.

Secondly, there’s only eight episodes left in Season 3, and there are still plenty of players left (17, to be exact). It seems unlikely that they’d throw another contestant into the mix at this point.

Thirdly, there’s probably a loophole in how Jack left the show: because he never made it to the castle, he was never considered a player, so he was never eligible for banishment or murder to begin with. In other words, the rules didn’t apply to him. Harsh, I know – but that’s The Traitors.

In the meantime, check out our list of TV shows you should be excited about in 2025.