CT vs. Trishelle: The Untold Story of The Traitors Finale
CT Tamburello and Trishelle Cannatella’s ultimate test on The Traitors season 2 extended beyond simply reaching the end — it hinged on trusting each other not to betray in the crucial final vote.
Untold Story of The Traitors Finale
The tension escalated as the competition narrowed down to the last three players — CT, Trishelle, and Mercedes “MJ” Javid from Shahs of Sunset. With all three believing they were aligned as Faithfuls, MJ proposed splitting the prize money evenly among them. However, CT and Trishelle had different plans, opting to banish once more.
In a surprising twist, Trishelle’s vote shifted, betraying CT instead of MJ, leading to a deadlock. Despite the initial shock, CT and MJ’s bond from The Challenge prevailed, prompting Trishelle to switch her vote. Ultimately, CT and Trishelle emerged victorious, banishing MJ and claiming victory for The Challenge community.
However, the final betrayal held deeper complexities than viewers witnessed. In retrospect, CT and Trishelle reflect on the turbulent journey to the chaotic climax, shedding light on their unanticipated win and the unique way they celebrated their triumph.
TRISHELLE: We didn’t have a lot of time to talk so it felt quick. And I think CT was rightfully confused about why I wrote his name down. Sandra is so good, by the way. She said something to me earlier on in the castle, like, “Who do you think your Traitor angel is? I think mine’s Phaedra. I think yours is CT. I think he’s a Traitor and he’s been protecting you this whole time.”
So my mind was going back to the torch ceremony, he might have not lit my torch because he was a Traitor and had gotten recruited and he wasn’t going to murder me. Then he thankfully gave me the Shield that one time, and I was like, “Maybe it’s because he’s a Traitor.” I don’t know, it was just kind of like messing with my head.
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CT: Yeah. That’s a good … yeah, now that I think about it like that, that would make, I guess, sense. But in this game, if somebody doesn’t say good morning like they used to, you think it means something, you know?
TRISHELLE: It’s every little thing.
CT: I mean, I got accused of being a Traitor because I drank too much coffee one time. But going into it at the very end, for the most part, I think all of us, we believed there was more than one more Traitor. I was expecting Sandra because trying to sabotage Trishelle wasn’t the first time she’s done that. She did it with Janelle and Peter, she did it to someone else too.
TRISHELLE: Kevin.
CT: Kevin, with the bugs and all that. Yeah. And then Kate had a hand in that, and obviously Sandra was planting the seed with you to try to divide and conquer.
TRISHELLE: I forgot you got accused of being a Traitor for drinking too much coffee. [Laughs] Peter did!
CT: I think it was Maks, but yeah. So then Sandra’s coming for me, I’m going to come for her. And looking back on it, it made sense because I do think if we got rid of Kate, then the argument would’ve been like, “CT’s the Traitor. He’s been planting that seed with Trishelle.” MJ would’ve jumped on board with that because for the most part, she did. In the beginning, she was voting against the herd, but then in the end, I think she was just more following the numbers and it would’ve came down to me. I would’ve been gone and then more than likely Trishelle would’ve been gone.
I should have done a better job of communicating with Trishelle. I think that’s one of the reasons why we were clashing throughout the season. I do think if I had communicated with her, “This is what I wanted to do,” I wasn’t exactly sure if she would even go along with it or what, so maybe I was just overthinking, which is what we do on these things. And then I think that created the doubt where, now, “You got rid of Sandra because she’s saying that you’re a Traitor, so you must be a Traitor.” And then we didn’t show it, but we were at the bar right before we came into the final fire or whatever it was. Right before we all split up, I remember you saying, “I just want to say this: I think CT’s working with Kate.” And I was like, “Oh God, here we go.” So now everyone’s pointing the guns at each other.
TRISHELLE: [Laughs] I’m a mouthy woman. You can’t shut me up.
CT: In the very end, I was kind of burnt out at that time. We’d been through so much, we’re at the end, but I’m not going to trust anybody. ‘Cause you never know. I do think if we had a chance to re-red or green bag, I don’t want to speak for you, but I think we would’ve gone green.
TRISHELLE: We would’ve. I think so.
CT: But it was too late for that.
TRISHELLE: Yeah, actually, it’s never happened, from my knowledge, at the fire pit like this, where it was like this three-way tie. I didn’t know what the rules were either and Alan’s just like, “No, you just have to vote again. No throwing pouches, no anything. No second chance, just vote again.” Oh my God. That was crazy.
TRISHELLE: [Laughs] CT and I are old. Honestly. I was like, “Can we get drunk or something?” And he’s like, “We have an early flight tomorrow.” So literally, we suck. We went back to our hotel rooms and went to sleep.
CT: [Laughs] I ordered my club sandwich.
TRISHELLE: Yeah, ate and went to bed.
CT: [Laughs] Just took a shower.
TRISHELLE: I know. Oh, God, that’s right, on The Challenge, back in the day, it would’ve been completely different. We would’ve been partying all night, but we’re in our 40’s. I’m married.
[CT drops out of the zoom.]
Looks like we just lost CT.
TRISHELLE: Oh, no. Yeah, I think his internet is in and out because he’s doing work in his house.
TRISHELLE: We did. We had a conversation. We called each other on the phone afterwards and we talked it out and he was just like, “Oh!” It was just a disconnect. But you know what? That’s what was funny about CT and I’s relationship, we would go like this, and we would finally think we were on the same page, but then we weren’t, and it was back and forth. He was thinking something different, I was thinking something different.
But I’m so happy that it worked out the way it did, because when I saw CT’s face after I wrote his name, I was like, “Oh my God, I’ve made a massive mistake. He’s definitely not a Traitor.” Just because I know his face. I’ve known him for a long time, and so I was just like, “Oh, thank God I get a redo on this.”
TRISHELLE: I would absolutely love to do more competition reality shows or just anything. I’m so about it. I had a great experience on this show. Really cool people. Our cast is pretty close together actually. After the show, we all hang out. But The Challenge, I don’t know. I’m 44 years old. My body is not built for falling 50 feet into the water anymore. It’s really hard. Maybe if the price was right, but I don’t know. It’s a lot.
What other shows would you want to do if not The Challenge?
TRISHELLE: I would absolutely love to do Big Brother. My husband seems to think I would be good on Survivor because I used to camp and all that stuff. People don’t know that about me. I don’t enjoy it, but I could probably do it. Just anything with a lot of strategy, I like.
TRISHELLE: Definitely the Peppermint vote. I was thinking about this the other day, I came into the game hot. I was just like, “Every single person here is competition. Bananas, CT, everyone is competition.” And I failed to look at people for if they had a platform that they wanted to express and things like that. I just was in such game mode that I overlooked all that stuff, and then when Peppermint stood up and said that she was a Faithful, and not only she was a Faithful, she was talking about how she really wanted to bring awareness for the community, I was just like, “Oh my God, I’ve made a massive mistake. This is such a great person. She deserves to be here and share her platform with the world, share herself, basically.” And so I do regret that.
The Final Showdown:
When the last Traitor, Kate Chastain, was banished, only three players remained: CT, Trishelle, and Mercedes “MJ” Javid from Shahs of Sunset.
Believing all three were faithful, MJ voted to split the money three ways, but both CT and Trishelle wanted to banish it again.
The Betrayal:
CT thought they would vote out MJ and split the money in half, but Trishelle doubted CT.
Earlier, Sandra had suggested that CT might be her Traitor angel, protecting her throughout the game.
Trishelle’s mind was racing, considering whether CT was a Traitor due to small cues like not lighting her torch during ceremonies.
Ultimately, Trishelle voted to banish CT, leading to a three-way tie.
The Re-Vote:
Both CT and MJ were shocked by Trishelle’s vote.
In the re-vote, their Challenge bond prevailed. Trishelle switched to MJ, and MJ kept her vote on Trishelle.
CT and Trishelle banished MJ and emerged as the winners, taking home $104,100 each.
Unseen Moments:
The final betrayal had more layers than what viewers saw.
CT and Trishelle had limited time to talk, and the decision felt rushed.
CT was understandably confused about why Trishelle wrote his name down.
Every little detail mattered, and suspicions ran high.
Celebrating the Win:
Winning together was special for these Challenge veterans.
Skill and luck played a role, but their bond ultimately secured the victory.
In the world of “The Traitors,” betrayal and deceit are the name of the game. CT and Trishelle navigated the twists and emerged as champions, leaving fans everywhere cheering for their victory.
