The Traitors Season 2 may have crowned Krystle D’Souza and Rida Tharana as joint winners, but the biggest talking point from the finale was not simply their victory. It was the choice Krystle made when she had the opportunity to turn against her fellow Traitor.
After surviving weeks of suspicion, eliminations and shifting alliances, Krystle reached the final stage of the Karan Johar-hosted reality show alongside Rida, Shalini Passi and Sahil Salathia. What followed was a finale built exactly around what the show promises: trust, doubt and betrayal. But when the moment came for Krystle to potentially eliminate Rida and move towards taking the entire Rs 66 lakh prize herself, she chose otherwise.
So why did she refuse to betray Rida?
How Did Krystle D’Souza And Rida Tharana Reach The Finale?
Krystle had been playing as a Traitor from the beginning of the season. While several other contestants around her were exposed or eliminated, she managed to keep her identity hidden and survive repeated rounds of suspicion. Rida, meanwhile, entered the Traitor camp later in the game after being recruited, creating an alliance that eventually became crucial to both their journeys.
By the time the finale arrived, Krystle and Rida were still hiding their true identities while Innocents including Shalini Passi and Sahil Salathia continued trying to identify the remaining Traitors. Dalip Tahil was eliminated during the final Circle of Shaq, after which the game came down to Krystle, Rida, Shalini and Sahil.
What Happened During The Final Trust Or Shaq Round?
The final phase required the contestants to decide whether they still suspected a Traitor remained in the game. As long as someone chose “Shaq”, the eliminations would continue. The game could end only when the remaining contestants collectively decided to trust one another. Sahil was eventually voted out.
That left Shalini, Krystle and Rida. Shalini remained suspicious and believed that a Traitor was still standing among them — and she was right. Krystle and Rida, however, had a completely different plan.
Instead of turning against each other, they voted Shalini out, leaving themselves as the final two contestants.
Why Didn’t Krystle Betray Rida?
This was the decision that immediately became a talking point among viewers. Krystle could have attempted to throw suspicion on Rida, eliminate her and move towards becoming the sole surviving Traitor. Considering that Rida had attracted more suspicion during the game, Krystle arguably had enough room to make that move. Instead, she chose loyalty.
Krystle decided to keep Rida beside her and reportedly indicated that she would rather remain a “girl’s girl” than betray the person who had supported her through the latter stages of the game. It was a striking choice in a show where betrayal is quite literally part of the format. Rather than maximising her individual prize, Krystle chose to finish the game with the Traitor she had brought into her alliance.
Krystle And Rida Reveal They Were Both Traitors
Once Shalini was eliminated, Krystle and Rida were the only contestants left. The two then revealed their identities. Both were Traitors. The revelation left the eliminated Innocents visibly surprised, particularly because Krystle had managed to stay undercover from the beginning of the season.
Rida’s identity had attracted greater suspicion towards the end, but Krystle’s reveal became one of the finale’s biggest shocks. With no Innocents remaining, Krystle and Rida were declared joint winners of The Traitors Season 2.
How Much Prize Money Did Krystle And Rida Win?
The final prize pot stood at Rs 66 lakh. The contestants had increased the amount during their final mission, eventually taking the total to Rs 66 lakh. As joint winners, Krystle and Rida will share the prize money.
Had Krystle successfully removed Rida and reached the end alone as the surviving Traitor, she potentially could have walked away with the entire pot. Instead, she chose to share the victory.
Fans Call Krystle D’Souza The ‘Real Winner’
Krystle’s decision also triggered strong reactions online. Several viewers praised her strategy throughout the season, pointing out that she had managed to survive as an original Traitor while keeping suspicion away from herself for most of the game. Some fans even argued that she could have won alone but deliberately chose to take Rida with her.
That decision has now become almost as discussed as the victory itself. For a show built around deception and betrayal, Krystle D’Souza ultimately won by doing something unexpectedly different at the very end, refusing to betray her closest ally when betraying her could have made the victory entirely her own.