The Traitors started off its third series with a bang, as three of the 25 contestants were eliminated within the opening 15 minutes of the show.

The contestants all met up on a train to head to the castle in the Scottish Highlands, before stopping.

Host Claudia Winkleman then announced that there was space for only 22 people in the castle, with the castmates having to pick among themselves who to go.

There were three different carriages, with one person from each carriage having to pick one.

There was an opportunity for the contestants to bank £10,000 towards the prize pot as part of this challenge.

Every minute that passed without a decision being made meant £1,000 of that money was lost.

In the end, Fozia, Jake and Alexander chose to leave the train carriages, with it only taking three minutes to make the decision.

The Traitors fans react to early eliminations

Fans of The Traitors were shocked by the opening gambit from the show, which brutally cut three contestants before they even got in the castle.

One person posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) and said: "Eliminating THREE before even arriving at the castle? Oh this is savage. We were so back!!! #TheTraitors."

Another wrote: "I was thinking that 25 contestants was too many when that was announced a couple of weeks ago!! This is savage!!"

A third shared: "this twist is rough barely even started and you’re off already?"

Some did think it wouldn't be the end for the three that sacrificed themselves, as one wrote: "Surely the 3 will come back in at a later date".

Another shared similar sentiments, saying: "need them to issue a secret twist where the traitors are the 3 who got off, and then bring them in after the decision was made, so no one suspects them".

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What days is The Traitors on?

The first episode of The Traitors Series 3 aired on BBC One and iPlayer on Wednesday, January 1 from 8pm.

Viewers can tune in on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights until the series ends.

Episode two will air at 8pm on Thursday, January 2 but all episodes after that will air at the later time of 9pm.

If you haven’t already watched The Traitors or you’re a few episodes behind, you can catch up on BBC iPlayer.