Five biggest The Traitors conspiracy theories from secret romance to warring covert brothers

Season three of The Traitors is now well underway, with all the drama, tension and, of course, scheming that fans just can't get enough of.

And it just wouldn't be Traitors season without viewers coming up with a few juicy theories of their own as the contestants plot and backstab their way to the life-changing £100,000 prize fund. This year, in particular, has seen plenty of wild speculation surrounding a show you can count on to have plenty of wily tricks up its sleeve.

Here, the Mirror examines five of the most compelling current theories, including one concerning the return of a much-missed fan favourite... what do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Lisa and Alex

From the very beginning, sisters Armani and Maia decided to be upfront with the rest of the group about their familial bond, believing they were just too similar to present themselves as strangers. Their honesty came as a shock to many - especially given how fiercely season two's Dianne and Ross had concealed their mother-son connection.

But what if there are other family pairings in the mix who haven't been quite as forthcoming? The possibility has certainly sent viewers' imaginations whirring, and some believe Anglican priest Lisa and care manager Alex could be related - with the idea of a "grandmother and grandson" super team being floated.

Now, 62-year-old Lisa hails from Cornwall, while 29-year-old Alex is from Whitby - but this distance hasn't put eagle-eyed fans picking up on a few tell-tale clues that could point to a connection. Intriguingly, Reddit users have noted Alex and Lisa both have private Instagram profiles, suggesting they could well be hiding something. After a second look, amateur sleuths found that Lisa had changed hers to public, while the number of people she follows had dropped significantly from 110 to 84. This has, of course, only added fuel to the gossip mill.

One armchair detective wrote: "I did think they looked very similar in terms of facial structure. Not sure if it’ll end up being the case, but it would be a good twist." Another remarked: "Yes, I was thinking of grandmother and grandson, they look very alike and act how a grandson and grandmother would act."

Charlotte and Alexander

Diplomat Alexander, who initially fell at the first hurdle during the brutal train cull, is now back with a bang and ready to bring his powers of negotiation to the roundtable. But could he have already formed a more than diplomatic relationship with one fellow faithful?

Although he and Charlotte claim to be complete strangers, perceptive Redditors have picked up on an unusual familiarity between them, leading some to speculate they could be a couple out in the outside world. Musing after Wednesday's tense show, which saw a caged Alexander being lowered from a treetop prison, one user scrutinised a "weird scene" where the pair had a conversation in the hall.

They pondered: "It struck me as odd because – from an editor's perspective – there was no new information in that scene that we (as viewers) didn’t already know. It was just Alexander repeating the same story about there only being three people on his carriage still in the game.

"In a show like this, where literally hundreds of interactions/conversations are happening every day, every single scene that makes it into the final edit is there for a reason. Something about that scene felt off because there was no reason for it to be there – except maybe to show an interaction between two people who might later be revealed to have an existing relationship?"

This same knowledgeable individual also picked up on a comment made by Alexander during the nail-biting challenge which they found telling. They continued: "When Charlotte gave Alexander a coin, he said, 'I don’t even know you, but thank you', which was a bit weird."

With viewers so focused on Charlotte's bizarre attempt to pretend to be Welsh in a bid to appear more trustworthy, could this fun side plot have distracted us from an even bigger secret?

Dan and Joe

Fans have picked up on many stark similarities between 33-year-old bank risk manager Dan and 37-year-old English teacher Joe, both in terms of physical appearance and mannerisms. Their sibling-esque bickering at the roundtable—which saw Dan roll his eyes wearily—has done nothing to dispel whispers.

Of course, their very different accents suggest this likely isn't the case. While Dan is a Liverpudlian, Joe is originally from Yorkshire and now lives in Southampton. Although certainly an interesting theory, this is more likely the start of a beautiful, albeit competitive, friendship for these two squabbling faithfuls.

Freddie and Francesca

In dramatic scenes aired on January 8, politics student Freddie was left in tears after things got seriously intense at the round table. Thankfully, interior designer Francesca, 44, was on hand to offer some comfort to the 20-year-old, with the pair sharing a hug as she reminded him: "It's just a game."

Addressing the sweet interaction in the confessional room afterwards, Freddie shared: "She's like my mum in here." And many viewers have taken this quite literally, placing their bets on Francesca and Freddie being the new Dianne and Ross.

Fans also picked up on how genuinely emotional Francesca appeared to be when voting off Freddie, as did Freddie. Meanwhile, others noticed that she made sure to vote off Maia when the 25-year-old full-time mum suspected Freddie, in what appeared to be a protective act.

However, Francesca has previously revealed that she's a proud mum of four boys, while Freddie is an only child, extinguishing this interesting theory. Could this be, as some have theorised, an auntie-nephew? Or is Francesca simply taking on the role of Mama Bear as she takes the younger contestant under her wing?

Jack's return

From his first, very brief, appearance, landscape gardener and market trader was a favourite among Traitors fans, who were saddened to see him leave the train in the very first episode. To their initial delight, the 34-year-old East Yorkshire lad was given another shot at the competition on Wednesday's episode, appearing in a treetop cage alongside his fellow banished contestants Alexander and Fozia.

Ultimately, the group chose Alexander and Fozia and left Jack swinging alone - despite his memorable battle cry of: "I'm 6"5, I'm a big lad!". All hope appeared to have been lost, but some loyal Jack fans haven't given up on him just yet, believing he could well "participate in the show as a mysterious outsider and reappear at some point."

One Reddit user has speculated that Jack could have been disguised as the killer clown in last night's challenge, which saw the competitors partake in a tricky balloon challenge. Outlining their thinking in a detailed Reddit post, this analytical individual reflected that "you have to be banished or murdered to leave the game", while Jack "was neither banished nor murdered".

They considered: "Other variations of this game usually include some of the faithful having a superpower. This is something like 'you can block one murder', "every few days you can ask about the traitor status of one contestant".

"My current theory is that Jack will be given a few days as a secret contestant, perhaps watching the contestants during missions, and then will be given a one-time use superpower that he has to use to rejoin the game. Like 'choose a player to banish' or 'choose a player to murder to join as a Traitor'. Or 'guess one of the Traitors, and you can return as a Traitor'."

However, given that Jack has already appeared on Uncloaked, it would appear that his Traitors journey is over before he even so much as set foot in the castle, and any such theories could just be a case of wishful thinking.

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