Alyssa Chan

**Alyssa Chan** is a contestant from *The Traitors (UK)/Series 1*.

## Profile

*Retrieved from BBC:*

**Name:** Alyssa

**Age:** 21

**Job title:** Business Student

**Location:** Grew up in rural West Cork, now lives in Edinburgh

**Why did you apply to be on this brand-new reality series?**
I love to challenge myself, I really like pushing my boundaries and just getting out there. This is something that I would never usually do, I don't have any experience with TV shows, so I wanted to give this a shot. When I started reading up about the show and what to expect I thought ‘Hold on, this is actually something that I think I'd be very good at and have a chance of winning.’

**What interested you about the concept?**
I think the concept is really interesting, I feel like the show was made for me in a sense. When I was explaining the premise of the show to my friends and family, they all said 'This is so you’. I wasn't quite sure on how to take that seeing as it's based on lies and manipulation!

**What character traits mean that you are perfect for this?**
My friends and I always joke that I'm very suspicious of people, I always feel like someone has a hidden agenda and a hidden motive. Everyone has hidden motives, but the truth is this show is a heightened version of this, a heightened version of all our senses. Especially when there's money at stake.

**What do you think you’ll bring to the competition?**
I'm very competitive. Everything I do I give it 100% and when it comes to lying, manipulating and getting what I want, I am well-versed in that also. I'm five foot, half Chinese and half Irish, I’m Chirish! I look quite young and kind of innocent looking, I give off a very naïve vibe, I think. Growing up a lot of people saw this and they underestimated me. I felt like all my life I've been trying to deter the misjudgment and be the loudest, boldest, and smartest in the room. Growing up I started to see this flaw as a strength and learnt how to weaponize it to get what I want and to inevitably succeed in what I want to do. In the show that's exactly what I want to do. I want to play up my sweet, innocent side and create alliances with everyone.

**What is your game plan?**
In terms of my game plan, it depends if I'm a Faithful or Traitor. I think The Traitors is just such a social game as well. I have friends in all sorts of groups and of all ages, so I'm a bit of a social butterfly which I think will help with making those alliances. Ideally, I'd love to be a Traitor and play on this and have people not suspect me. I think when I'm around a lot of older people their paternal and maternal instincts kick in, I'll definitely play up to that so they feel like they have to somewhat look after me. I'm going to have to act younger on the show and let them do that then sadly take advantage of all that as well.

**If you're a Traitor, how far are you prepared to go to win the game?**
In real life outside of the game I'm a very loyal friend and wouldn't cross someone unless I needed to. For the sake of the game I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to win the prize money. I know it's sad and I’ll make friends in there that I'll have to inevitably backstab but at the same time, that's the nature of the game.

**How good is your poker face? How good do you think you'll be at deceiving your fellow players?**
I think I’ll be really good at this. I'm currently studying business and with that, we do modules in negotiation. Right now, I work part time in sales, and I've got a part time job in real estate as well. I know it's not necessarily lying, but it's coming up with your version of the truth to sway someone. Lying is not something I practice all the time but if I need to, to get my way, I absolutely will. On nights out, my friends and I love to switch it up and come up with a plot where we're not who we say we are. We are quite a bubbly group, we'll always make friends with random people at the bar and come up with fake lives and fake names, it's just fun – so that's been good practice.

**If you're a Faithful, how good are you at spotting a liar?**
A lot of the time, it takes a manipulator to know a manipulator. I'm good at reading people as well as understanding everyone has a hidden agenda. My dad is a very suspicious person, and that’s definitely something I got from him. I think my game plan would be getting to know everyone and making people trust me and building a relationship, making it much easier to tell when they're lying.

**What qualities do you think you need to make it through to the final if you're a Faithful?**
Being motivated and driven. I'm very competitive, at 12 years old I had my life mapped out, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. In terms of my career everything’s fallen into place, and everything I want I inevitably get and it's not because I'm lucky, I put in the work. I'm an A\* student, I really put my head down to get where I want to be, and I will do the exact same thing in the show and absolutely go for it.

**If you were to win, what would you spend the prize money on?**
If I were to win the money, it'd be for my family, I wouldn't necessarily keep it all myself. I'd give back to my wonderful parents and help my friends and family, rather than partying in Ibiza. Ideally, getting my Mum a little cottage in the town that she loves.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-traitors-bbc#alyssa