The Traitors (Season 1)

**The Traitors** is a British reality television series broadcast on BBC One, based on the Dutch series De Verraders, which premiered on 17 April 2023 and is hosted by Celeste Arquette.

Following the premise of other versions of De Verraders, the show features a group of contestants participating in a game similar to the party game Mafia – In which a small group of contestants become the titular "Traitors", and must work together to eliminate the other contestants order to win a grand prize, while the remaining contestants become "Faithful" and are tasked to discover and banish the Traitors by voting them out, to win the grand prize.

## Production

The UK show was ordered by the Jonnchadh in January 2023, following the airing of the BBC series the previous year. The series was to be produced by Studio Lambert Scotland.
The show was recorded in April 2023, and action took place at Ardross Castle in Scotland.
Presenter Celeste Arquette was initially hesitant to host the programme but after watching the BBC series became "obsessed" and jokingly "booked a train to Scotland".

## Contestants

22 contestants competed on the first series of The Traitors.

 **Winner**

 **Winner**

 **Winner**

 **Banished**

 **Banished**

 **Banished**

 **Murdered**

 **Banished**

 **Murdered**

 **Banished**

 **Murdered**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Banished**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Murdered**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Banished**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Murdered**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Banished**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Banished**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Murdered**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Banished**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Murdered**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Banished**
 **FAF9F6**

 **Murdered**
 **FAF9F6**

## Episodes

### **Episode #1**

As the sun rises over the Scottish Highlands, twenty-two contenders embark on a thirty-mile journey north of Inverness to the remote yet luxurious Ardross Castle, which will act as their point of residence for the next sixteen days. However, only a handful of the contestants will see their adventure through to its final day, as each night those untrusted and unlucky will find themselves falling victim to banishment and murder at the hands of one another – and the traitors amongst them. Amber and Gordon stand side by side at an abandoned train station as they talk through the initial awkwardness, somewhat relieved as a Jacobite steam locomotive pulls up to collect them for boarding. Gordon politely allows Amber to go first, joking that “whilst I’m breathing, so is chivalry”. Not wanting to part from the comfort of a familiar face so soon, Amber insists that she and Gordon sit together, not quite ready to join those already sat on the train. Nearby, Cathy, Celine, Debbie, and Shama sit together as they share glasses of champagne, joking at the ‘maturity’ showing itself with their inclusion in the process. Cathy facetiously remarks that she is ‘glad to not be the oldest by too much’, insinuating that if the group were largely younger that she would find herself an easy early target. Celine and Shama share this sentiment against the fact that they are both not Caucasian, with Shama taking the light-heartedness one step further by asking “anyone else gay as hell?”, causing rapturous laughter off an amused Cathy. Sarah May is the next to enter the carriage, looking up and down at her competitors before oddly deciding to sit alone rather than get socialising. In a confessional, Sarah May explains “Jesus Christ. The state of some of them. I don’t know if you’ve already got the traitors down but the fat old one with the peach dress on… she’s beading sweat down like the fear has taken her over, sure.” The remaining players begin to board the train in small groups as the train travels further north, with the chance to win up to £150,000 now well underway.

The twenty-two contestants exit the train, now driven via jeeps well into the forests of the Highlands until finally reaching Ardross Castle. There, familiar personality Celeste ominously reveals herself to a round of enthusiastic applause. Despite thanking the players for their warm welcome, Celeste is quick to remind them that they should by no means remain cheerful for too long, as very soon their lives will be ‘dominated by murder and banishment’, as several of them will be hand picked in a matter of minutes to be ‘The Traitors’. Those unpicked will make up ‘The Faithful’, whose job it is to uncover which of those amongst them have been corrupted to join the ‘The Traitors’, and must banish them from the game before they can steal any prize money raised for themselves. Nervous faces quickly take over the once optimistic group, who now make their way inside the castle to look around their residence for the duration of the game. In walking around the house, shy Natalia is taken by the hand by Shama, who explains to her that she cannot afford to fall into the background in a game like this. Natalia assures Shama she’ll heed this warning, with the pair looking around the billiard room as they bond over being the only two British-Asian women in the castle. In the living room, a large group consisting of Anand, Deja, Earnest, Gordon, and Mahmoud convene as they talk about their shared thoughts prior to the selection of ‘The Traitors’. Keeping his former position as a police constable a secret, Anand instead offers advice to his fellow players by telling them “watch everyone now, and then watch them again after the Traitors have been chosen… everyone has a tell”. Gordon jokingly pulls out a second pair of glasses, suggesting that he “may need these for a better view”. Worrying already, Deja tells the other four that she “can feel (her) heart beating out of her chest”, causing Ernest to calmly rub her shoulders and assure her that “everything will be calm”. Mahmoud ends the discussion by telling the others that in being a ‘film student’ he has “studied the tiniest conveyance of emotion a human face can give”, eventually explaining that this translates to ‘being able to read people well’. Before any exploring or conversations can continue, the twenty-two players are summoned to ‘The Roundtable’ so that ‘The Traitors’ can be chosen.

At the Roundtable, the twenty-two players each take a seat so that they’re all facing inwards, eyeing up their other players in what will be the final moment of innocence for them all. Celeste instructs the players to each adorn a blindfold, informing them that those who feel her hand grace their shoulders will in fact be the Traitors. Walking around the blindfolded group, Celeste first lightly touches former police constable turned bookshop owner Anand, receiving a smile off the grandfather of one. In a confessional, Anand explains he had entered the game wanting to be a Traitor, believing that his ‘kind and welcoming’ exterior hide a devious and strategic player hidden underneath. Next, Celeste touches the shoulder of self-employed etsy saleswoman Celine, receiving little to no reaction after finding out she will be entrusted with murdering her fellow players. Celine talks in a confessional about initial surprise at having been chosen, not quite sure how she’ll incorporate it into her strategy of “sticking alongside those I vibe with”. Lastly, divorcee and mother of two Cathy is touched by Celeste, almost shuddering as the hand is placed lightly on her shoulder. Cathy wildly laughs and screams in her confessional, loving the idea that she can now “rest easy knowing (she) won’t be murdered at any opportunity”. With the Traitors chosen, Celeste orders the players to remove their blindfolds and take a look at one another, giving them a moment to consider who amongst them is no longer what they seem. Awkward smiles and laughter appear on some faces, whilst others appear stern and observant as they eye-up those in front and beside them. Savvas looks over at Sarah May, spending several moments regarding the proud Irish traveller before appearing to come to his own conclusions. In his confessional, Savvas quickly proclaims that Sarah May is “one hundred percent a Traitor!”, having no doubt in his mind that she would be one of those selected to take on “a role made for someone who is quite frankly… cold hearted”. Shama and Mahmoud break the tension by organising a group toast, wishing everybody luck moving forward in the game. Deja is late to respond to the toast, nervously taking sips of her water mere seconds behind the others, but late enough to catch the attention of a few Faithfuls.

Returning to the main downstairs areas of the castle, the twenty-two players get to socialising in order to decipher who may acting different among them. Fashion and photography student Violetta is quick to throw suspicion in conversation with Olly and Ossian, asserting her belief that “Deja looked guilty as soon as we take the blindfolds off”, a statement echoed by the two men. The trio spend several minutes longer observing Deja from afar as they talk, mutually agreeing that she by far looks the most nervous in the castle, and may have given herself away with a bad poker face. By the castle entrance, Savvas shows Shama a pocket sized photograph of his wife from his person, kissing it as he proclaims he is “playing this game for her”. Shama snatches the photo, amazed at ‘how sexy’ Savvas’ wife is, asking him “how many millions” does he have in the bank “to keep a woman like (that) grounded”. Laughing, Savvas tells Shama that he’s simply “a good loyal guy”, entrusting that she will find this out throughout their time in the castle together. Abruptly ending conversations again, the players are given a moment to change into their tracksuits before heading to the lakeside for their first mission to begin building up the final cash pot. Celeste has the players break into two teams of eleven, wearing blue and green respectively. Simultaneously racing against the clock, both teams will attempt to build a fuse to burn their own wicker man, with each team having two sub-teams; debris searchers and fuse builders, and those rowing across the lake to collect torches to light their fuse. The first wicker man burnt will be worth £10,000, whilst the second will bring the total up an additional £5,000. Throughout the task, both teams work together well despite the initial chaos and confusion. For the green team, Violetta and Laurie are shown working well together in collecting suitable debris, taking it upon themselves to arrange their fuse neatly so that it may be lit with ease. For the blue team, Ossian and Réiltín come to blows as they both fight to find keys that will unlock their kerosene, both accusing the other of getting in the way and slowing the team down. The pairs arguing certainly does the latter, enabling green to pull ahead thanks to Harry, Maxwell, and Sarah May’s quick rowing, getting their wicker man alight and banking £10,000 for the prize pot. In spite of the arguing, the blue team is also able to beat the timer by a matter of seconds, securing the whole £15,000 up for grabs in this mission. Celeste congratulates the players on their victory, hoping that it will be the first of many in their quest for the £150,000. The twenty-two players disembark via their jeeps, heading back to the castle for what will be one of their final nights left alive in the game.

Upon arriving back at the castle, the players spread around the rooms in order to relax as best they can, trying not to appear too worried at the impending murder that looms over them. Celine decides to distract herself by wildly complementing Australian athlete Harry, remarking that his arms were ‘bulging’ as he rowed around the lake. Harry reciprocates the flirtatious banter, knowing that it may be useful for his game to do so. In a confessional, Celine admits that despite being a Traitor, she still hopes to make genuine connections in the game, going on to declare “I’ve always had a bit of a weak spot for the white boys”. The players soon say goodnight to one another, hugging as they head to their castle dorms, unaware that elsewhere on the grounds the three Traitors are meeting for the first time at the Traitors Tower. Cathy enters the tower first, adorning her hood to cover her identity as the second cloaked Traitor enters after her. Celine pulls down her hood concurrently with Cathy, causing both women to scream in excitement as they officially meet their first partner in crime for the series. Before the women can get further acquainted, a knock at the door causes them to turn and watch as the third and final hooded assailant enters the tower; revealing themselves as Anand. Both Cathy and Celine let out exclamations of shock admitting that neither ever would have suspected he would be among their ranks. The trio agree that in order to deceive and make it through the game they will need to not only watch their own backs, but keep eyes and ears peeled for anybody that may be suspecting their fellow Traitors. With a murder to commit, the Traitors begin discussing their options, noting that they need to narrow it down to three options for who they would like to see as the first individual to exit the game. Cathy is quick to suggest that it should be “a girl” who dies, believing that they need to “keep the men who’ll be strong in challenges”, although a gender based decision isn’t supported by Anand or Celine at this time, particularly as they all make up older members of the game who are by default less physical. Celine highlights Sarah May as a possible target, considering not only her abrasive first impressions, but also believing that her murder would “send a clear message that we are willing to take out tough individuals, and that this is our game”. The Traitors then discuss the ‘big event’ of the day, with everybody’s focus being on the fight that occurred between Ossian and Réiltín during the first mission. Anand proposes that to consider either of their deaths would not only send a message about harmonising during challenges, but also throw suspicion onto the other, and therefore offering up an easy target for the first Roundtable banishment the following evening. The Traitors continue to discuss between their three targets, the trio are eventually able to come to a unanimous decision, signing the death warrant with the name of the individual they have opted to murder this first evening. With the deed done, the Traitors slip out of the tower, returning to the castle where one of Ossian, Réiltín, or Sarah May are startled by the faint tapping on their bedroom door.

### **Episode #2**

Faithfuls Amber, Laurie, Maxwell, Natalia, and Olly are the first five players into breakfast, each taking a seat in relief with the knowledge that they have survived the first murder of the season. The fivesome discuss their theories as to who won’t be making it down alive, unsure as to what strategy the Traitors will have incorporated to win the game. Eventually, the five agree that there will be a mix of personality amongst the Traitors, likely encompassing louder, reserved, and observant personalities to provide them with the best odds of succeeding. Anand, Debbie, and Harry are the next three to enter breakfast, receiving greetings of the others who appear glad to see the three of them have survived the night. In a confessional, Anand remarks that it is ‘toughest’ being a Traitor during the breakfast, feeling that it will certainly be a catalyst in a potential Traitor downfall if he, Cathy, and Celine don’t play it correctly. Debbie and Harry sit beside one another and discuss their own thoughts on the murder, as well as who they think could be more likely to be one of the unknown Traitors. Harry admits to Debbie that he thinks he may “already have one sussed out”. One by one, the remaining players enter the breakfast room, until only Ossian, Réiltín, and Sarah May are missing. Sarah May becomes the next to enter, confirming that either Ossian or Réiltín have been murdered after their public spat at the first mission. Ultimately, Réiltín is the last to enter the room, receiving gasps as she is informed that Ossian has perished during the night. Réiltín nervously takes a seat beside Amber, who hugs her and assures her that it “feels like a set-up” before offering her a burnt piece of toast. Before conversations can continue, Celeste breaks the tension by entering the room and carelessly removing Ossian’s portrait from the wall, confirming that he is the first victim in what should be “a pretty rough few weeks…”. In spite of the murder, Celeste informs the players that they will soon be taking on their second mission, with a chance to add a further £10,000 to the prize pot.

The twenty-one remaining players gather outside the castle for the details of their next mission, but first separate themselves into two groups, with the smaller group consisting of eight members (Celine, Creed, Debbie, Gordon, Harry, Maxwell, Savvas, and Shama). Celeste explains that the group of eight will head to the nearby chapel to play familiar tunes, with the other thirteen players searching the Castle for music boxes that played the same tune. Each box is engraved with a unique item, of which a larger version can be found hidden somewhere else in the castle. Each correct item retrieved in the timeframe will earn £2,000 for the final prize fund. During the challenge, Harry frustrates the other players in the chapel by repeatedly talking over instructions, resulting in several tunes being played out of time and making it more difficult to translate the music effectively. Similarly, Sarah May’s supposed attitude catches the attention of several players, who feel as though her demeanour is both ‘aggressive’ and ‘uncomfortable’ to be around. In the end, the players are able to add a total of £6,000 to the prize fund, losing out on two of the five rounds. Returning to the castle, the players begin to prepare for their upcoming Roundtable, which will act as their first opportunity to banish a Traitor from the game. Outside, Amber, Creed, Gordon, and Violetta sit together to discuss potential names. Although having already thrown suspicion onto Deja, Violetta decides to also bring up Natalia’s name, questioning if any of the others agree that she is “too nice” and “might be playing an act”. Friends Amber and Gordon both voice hope that this wouldn’t be the case, wanting to believe that everybody in the group is ‘genuine’ in their presentation of personality. However, Creed reminds the other three that whoever the Traitors are, that they almost certainly “want to make us think they’re people they’re not… and the best way to do that would be by acting different”. Agreeing with her fellow American, Amber begins to flirt with the idea that Natalia may be one of the chosen Traitors, also pointing out that she looked “pretty scared” after everybody had received their positions in the game. Back inside, Maxwell begins going around groups to determine if he can get any traction on his personal pick for Traitor; Donny. In a confessional, Maxwell explains that he doesn’t believe both Amber and Donny (who have appeared on seasons of ‘Road Trip’) would be Faithful, and that there is “a very good chance that one of them is a Traitor”, and that based on how they both performed in their respective seasons “that person is most likely Donny”. Moments before the Roundtable, Earnest and Sarah May sit together to discuss the latter’s attitude, with Earnest insinuating that Sarah May will “get (herself) voted out” if she isn’t more socially aware. Refusing to take this advice, Sarah May tells Earnest that he is “a right clown” if he believes she is a Traitor based off personal differences, telling him that “that’s like me saying you’re a Traitor just because you’re black”. This remark causes a shocked but angry response from Earnest, who is guided away by other players, insisting that Sarah May isn’t worth his time. In a confessional, Earnest calls Sarah May “somebody who deserves to leave regardless of her role as a Faithful or Traitor”, proposing that she “doesn’t deserve an opportunity to win money in a game like this”.

Arriving at the first Roundtable, the twenty-one players listen as Celeste briefs them on how the evening will work, before the floor is handed over to allow them to begin their first discussion prior to voting. Harry is the first individual to pipe up, claiming to not have too many suspicion despite his earlier claims that he has a Traitor identified in his mind (which Debbie had told others). Harry’s refusal to name his suspicion out of ‘protection’, combined with his brazen attitude, begins to annoy his fellow players, who openly ask him to remain quiet as he is ‘dominating and derailing useful discussion time’. Conversation soon turns to the fight between Earnest and Sarah May, with the group almost unanimously taking Earnest’s side, scolding Sarah May for her remarks and general poor attitude so early on in the game. Whilst passionately explaining that he has little to go off and “will vote for Sarah May”, Earnest is interrupted by Violetta, who tells him that he is “voting with emotion when (they) need to vote with logical thought”. Not appreciating her interjection, Earnest tells Violetta that it is “logical to vote somebody who is causing conflict”, to which Violetta tells him that she doesn’t believe Sarah May is a Traitor as it is “too obvious”, and that instead they need to look at “those who are appearing nervous”, before naming both Deja and Natalia as those individuals. Both Natalia and Deja take turns defending themselves, finding it unfair that their nervousness would make them targets, but struggle to explain what other factors the group can go off at this early stage. Furthermore, Violetta adds further doubt onto Deja’s Faithfulness by pointing out that she had discussed with Ossian that he too believed she could be a Traitor, and that if he had told this to others “(Deja) could have murdered him to cover (her) trail”, and ultimately “use Réiltín as the decoy”. Next up, Maxwell leads the charge on throwing out Donny’s name, pitching his case for thinking that a ‘veteran’ of television will be amongst the Traitors ranks, asserting that at this stage he doesn’t believe that person could be Amber. Donny appears calm in defending himself, understanding the belief that he could be a Traitor, but ultimately rejects the idea as “too simplistic that they would select one of two individuals with a unique past, as it makes the game way too easy for us as Faithfuls”. With time up, Celeste instructs each player to write the name of the individual they wish to banish from the game, before moving around the table to have each player reveal their votes. Due to their conversation outside, Amber, Creed, and Gordon all cast their votes against Natalia, believing the theory that a Traitor is a ‘quiet and unsuspecting’ personality. Deja and Harry both join Maxwell in voting against Donny, buying into his claims that Donny’s past on reality shows would make him a suitable candidate, with Traitors Anand and Cathy also hiding their cards by casting their votes against Donny to give him a total of five. The rest of the group appear near split on Deja and Sarah May, with a close 7-6 result separating the pair in the first banishment of the season. In the end, Deja becomes the first victim of the Roundtable after Debbie, Laurie, Natalia, Olly, Sarah May, Violetta and Traitor Celine cast their votes against her, citing everything from her nerves, Ossian’s suspicion, and her delayed water sipping as reason enough to send her home. A saddened Deja stands and takes her position in the doorway of the room, apologising to everybody for perhaps not getting to know them all as well as she would’ve liked to. Deja finishes with “you all said nerves would be the best thing to go off, and that just made me more nervous. I think you were all too busy looking in my direction to really consider who the real liars were; I’m Faithful.” Collective groans of despair are heard around the room as Deja departs, leaving just twenty players remaining the game, and three Traitors who are just hours away from committing their next murder.

Spread around the ground floor of the castle, the players debrief after unsuccessfully voting Faithful Deja out of the game, knowing that for future Roundtables they will need more to go off than perceptions of nerves. Quieter Faithful Olly finds himself alone playing pool with Shama, who tells him that he better “make noise real quick” unless he wants to find himself suspected alongside Natalia. Olly laughs off Shama’s facetious remark, going on to discuss with her the means by which they can potentially identify future Traitors, particularly in being more observant at breakfast. Shama agrees with Olly, confirming her belief that the Traitors will likely try and take out “someone grounded” before the next Roundtable in order to prevent the Faithful from having strong minds on their side. In the living room, Harry continues ranting about perceptions of him raised at the Roundtable, getting heated towards Donny after he substantiates this claims by bringing up several examples of Harry’s overbearing actions the past few days. Harry brands Donny “real shady and questionable” for these remarks, telling him “this is why I put your name down, because I think you’re the Traitor… and I think they know that we’ll double take on it and write you off when it has been you the whole time”. Rolling his eyes and choosing not to engage, Donny heads off with Earnest and Réiltín, two of those he feels closer to, particularly after the three of them voted Sarah May at the Roundtable. As the clock strikes midnight, the players all head off to bed one at a time, leaving the Traitors complete isolation to slip off to the Traitors Tower. There, Anand, Cathy, and Celine remove their hoods and gleefully smile at one another, confident that thus far none of them have raised any suspicion that they may be the Traitors. Wanting to ensure their next murder is “impactful”, Cathy throws out Earnest’s name, believing that to murder him would not only further indicate Sarah May is a Traitor, but also take out somebody who “is quite well liked within the group”. Celine voices some dissuasion from seeing a third black person leave the game consecutively, instead believing that they need to go for somebody they’d have a hard time banishing. The Traitor’s then agree Amber should be a possibility, namely due to the fact that she was ruled out as a Traitor by those targeting Donny, and that her death may be enough to force the group to take a chance on voting him at the Roundtable. In deciding a ‘level headed’ and ‘laid back’ member of the group, the Traitors all nod in agreement as they throw out Creed’s name, finding him difficult to read, and ultimately somebody who none of them are quite sure how quickly he would be able to work any of them out. Agreeing on a name out of the three, the Traitors sign the death warrant, slipping back into the castle where they pass the letter under their next victim’s door.

### **Episode #3**

Beginning day three, Debbie, Donny, Savvas, and Traitor Celine are the first four contestants down to the breakfast table, each taking a seat as they celebrate their own survival, whilst pondering who will join Ossian and Deja in being eliminated from the game. Mahmoud, Maxwell, Violetta, and Traitor Anand are the next four to enter, receiving cheers from their fellow players for having made it to another morning. Anand and Violetta sit together at one end of the table, observing the portraits on the wall as they discuss who they believe could be targets. Anand purposely throws out Olly and Laurie as individuals he believes could fall victim to murder, hypothesising that the Traitors will want “to get rid of those who are quieter… unless one or both of them are Traitors”. Violetta laughs at Anand’s remark, agreeing that it is certainly a possibility, and that they “cannot rule anyone out after what happened with Deja”. More players join the breakfast in small groups, leaving just Amber, Creed, and Earnest absent, causing everybody to vocalise who they predict is no longer with them. Before the group can continue discussing how certain deaths are done to make others look guilty, Earnest walks through the door, receiving relieved hugs from those glad to see him, whilst Sarah May looks on somewhat unimpressed. Coming down to the two Americans, Donny nervously tells Réiltín that “it won’t be good for me if (Amber) doesn’t come back”. Relieving his fears, Amber is the final contestant to walk into breakfast, confirming that Creed has become the second victim of the Traitors. Mixture of emotions pour over the room, with everybody unanimously agreeing that Creed was murdered for being ‘one of the more observant players’, believing this proves that ‘the Traitors were threatened by him’. Celeste joins the players moments later, once again removing the victims portrait from the wall and casting it aside, reminding the players that “Creed may be the second murdered… but he will not be the last… the Traitors are still hiding amongst you and after you voted out poor innocent Deja they are laughing. Use today well, because other than the chance to add to your prize pot you will also have the time to root out the Traitors, and bring their numbers down before they do the same to you; Faithfuls.” Becoming teary-eyed, Laurie exits the room, with Réiltín following behind shortly in order to provide her with comfort. Laurie explains to Réiltín that the ‘stresses and paranoia’ of the game are already getting the best of her, uncertain how they can be expected to keep this up for another two weeks. In a confessional, Réiltín describes players are having already started to ‘crack’, not sure that these individuals whether Faithful or Traitors are going to be of any use moving forward in the game.

Exiting the breakfast room, Shama playfully hits Earnest’s arm, telling him that she is “glad to have (him) still alive”, going further with her joking by claiming that “you’re my only hope right now of ever thirsting for a man”. Earnest jokes back with Shama, telling her that “I hope you’re the Traitor then because you’ll keep me around”. The pair then head into the library, being joined by Anand, Amber, and Olly, with the fivesome taking the chance to talk through Creed’s murder and their theories thus far. In a confessional, Amber voices her firm belief that Natalia is a Traitor, noting that over breakfast again she had remained quiet, and that two of the last to arrive at the breakfast had been individuals suspecting her at the last Roundtable. Anand vocally celebrates both Amber and Earnest’s survivals, telling them that whilst he shares the sentiment that Creed was “a loss for us as Faithfuls”, that “he was also very quiet… and wouldn’t share a lot… I may be in trouble saying this but I’d rather have people like the two of you who actively engage in conversation and want to share… and want to try and work out who the Traitors are!”. Olly and Shama echo this sentiment, believing that the Traitors going for quieter or observational players might force others to finally start speaking up. Shama ends the conversation by joking with Olly, shaking him by the neck and stating “so start talking or die tonight!”. Sometime later, the players head down into the fields where they find a funfair style tombola and wheel located beside Celeste. Celeste tells the players that over two rounds, five players will be strapped to the wheel, with the remaining group asked questions pertaining to one of the individuals on the wheel. Simultaneously, those on the wheel must answer what they believe the group will say as a whole, with each correct answer adding £100 to the prize pot. Moreover, the group will earn an additional £2,500 if all players remain on the wheel for ten minutes, with a potential grand total of £10,000 to be won in today’s mission. Amber, Cathy, Harry, Laurie, and Savvas are the first group of five randomly chosen to face the wheel, each being strapped on as it begins revolving round and round. During the first ten minutes, the group (minus Harry) correctly identify Harry as being the individual they trust the least, with Amber also being named ‘the funniest’ of the five on the wheel in the second question. The question of ‘who is most likely to backstab to advance’ is again answered as Harry, with Harry himself getting the vibe that the group would answer him after the earlier shade cast his way. Overall, the first group is able to bag a total of £4,600 for the prize pot, with only four answers being wrong during their round. Next up, Celine, Debbie, Maxwell, Olly, and Réiltín are each placed on the wheel, with issues arising early on after Celine begins to panic as soon as she is strapped in. Celine tells the group that she has an “immense fear of being held upside down”, refusing to go into details of how this fear came to be. Despite pleading from the group, Celine refuses to go through with the task, instead sitting out and forfeiting both the £2,500 group addition, as well as the possible £500 from her correct answers. Through the remainder of the round, Olly is named most likely to be a Traitor, Debbie is named the person the group trusts the most, and Maxwell as the most likely to win the game. The second group add just £1,400 to the prize pot, bringing the days total to £6,000.

Returning to the castle, the remaining nineteen players begin to get ready for their next Roundtable, knowing they have just under an hour before they must banish another individual from the game. Almost immediately upon returning, Olly, Maxwell, and Harry stand together by the main entrance, talking about how Olly had been named most likely to be a Traitor. Maxwell assures both Harry and Olly that they shouldn’t take offence to what was said, reminding them that the answers were between those on the wheel at the time. Regardless, Olly notes that he had heard from others that Shama had been one to throw up his name, finding it suspicious that she would do this after ‘coaching’ him on how to appear more Faithful. Continuing, Olly also brings up Shama’s joke that he needs to “start talking or die tonight”, a remark that surprises both Harry and Maxwell, believing that Shama’s charismatic and likeable exterior may all be a front for a Traitor hidden behind. Wanting to ensure that the two of them are able to infiltrate conversations, Olly and Maxwell spread around the castle to reach as many individuals as they can before conversations end. Olly joins Earnest, Donny, Gordon, and Réiltín in the billiard room, with the group’s main discussion being around mutual trust held between those present at this stage. In confessionals, Earnest, Donny, and Réiltín in particular are shown to have built up an alliance of sorts, also regarding Gordon, Amber, and Anand as being those they feel ‘good’ about at this stage. Olly decides to bring Shama’s name up to the group, receiving somewhat mixed reactions, with a previous consensus being that they would stick with Natalia, despite protests from some that this would ‘simply repeat the mistake made on Deja’. Elsewhere, Maxwell speaks with Anand, Savvas, and Violetta about his suspicions, telling the three of them that he thinks they are all Faithful at this stage. The foursome are soon joined by Gordon who is looking for his pocket watch, eventually joining the group after locating it between the seat cushion. Anand jokes that the ‘old man gang’ of himself, Gordon, and Savvas are clearly Faithful due to the fact that their ailing minds wouldn’t allow them to be good Traitors, extending this belief of loyalty to Maxwell and Violetta, hoping that they can “mutually come up with a name tonight that is concrete and not based off… water sipping”. Shama’s name again receives a lukewarm response, with Violetta stuck on the notion that ‘one of Deja or Natalia would be a Traitor’. With time up, the players begin heading to the Roundtable, concerned that they still are yet to discover any solid proof against a player, and it seemingly coming down between ‘charming’ Shama and ‘nervous’ Natalia at this stage.

At the Roundtable, Amber and Violetta both begin the discussion, aiming at Natalia who they believe still hasn’t mended any of the concerns around her in the past twenty-four hours, bluntly telling her that as much as they like her as an individual, they ‘still look at (her) and think Traitor’. Natalia becomes frustrated with the repeated accusations, firmly explaining that “last Roundtable you all went at Deja for the smallest things you could find and were wrong… with me you’re going off what? Proven wrong gut instinct, Violetta”. Others begin asking Natalia who she would suspect as a Traitor at this stage, to which she admits she has no name, but believes that they need to “look at who always throws out names… look at who says nothing but never gets pulled up on it… if I was a Traitor I’d have a group of other Traitors defending me… but no one says anything about Debbie or Laurie being quieter”. This sudden attack on Debbie and Laurie causes visible reactions in the pair, with Debbie calmly explaining that she ‘does talk’, and will happily address anybody believing she is a Traitor; with nobody choosing to follow on from this point. The Roundtable grows in tension after Olly decides to openly question friend Shama, detailing her charm, comments around ‘murder’, and strange decision to name him as a likely Traitor at the challenge in spite of her advice to him as being ‘questionable decisions’ she has made in the game. Shama appears dumbfounded by Olly, but is unable to reply before Maxwell seconds these points, telling her that “I think you would be the perfect Traitor, and once it was brought up I cannot see anything else”. Shama humorously responds to Maxwell to “stick on a pair of these” as she tosses her spare reading glasses across the table in his direction, clearly confused as to how things turned on her out of nowhere so early on. Harry replies to this by noting that Shama ‘deflects with humour’ believing that her jokes are smoke and mirror defence tactics, and that to vote for her would “at least be trying a route that wasn’t the complete same as the Deja vote”. Disappointing Shama further, Donny and Réiltín both confirm Olly’s comments around her “or be murdered” comment to be true, asking her why she chose those words unless she potentially slipped she is a Traitor. Shama becomes louder in her replies, evidently frustrated at what she perceives to be “a ridiculous witch hunt based on nothing”, sympathising with Natalia by claiming “you’re at one Asian girl because she’s too quiet… now you’re at the other because she’s too loud… but God forbid we consider one of the many other quiet or loud people sat here tonight”. Anand, Celine, and Savvas are seen nodding along as Shama talks, with Savvas asking Shama who she instead believes they should look at. Without hesitation, Shama jumps on Natalia’s earlier name of Laurie, questioning why Laurie remains quiet even when attacked, and ultimately why Laurie became so visibly emotional at breakfast when she “hadn’t ever really spent too much time with Creed”. Laurie appears flustered as all eyes turn on her, leading to a defence of the game being extremely stressful and morally difficult, to which Cathy coldly exclaims “but why should it be morally difficult if you’re Faithful?”. Laurie attempts to explain her wording, claiming that it is “knowing that there are liars all around” and “not knowing who to trust” which is the problem. With no more names being thrown out, Celeste requests that the players begin writing names on their boards, before going around one at a time to reveal who they have chosen to banish from the game. Receiving the least votes yet again, Natalia sees Amber, Earnest, Gordon, and Violetta write down her name, two of whom have now done so for the second straight time. Laurie and Shama are then shown to be tied at seven votes a piece, with Laurie receiving votes from Shama, Natalia, Savvas, Sarah May, and all three Traitors, whilst Shama receives votes off Donny, Harry, Laurie, Mahmoud, Maxwell, Olly, and Réiltín. The final vote comes down to Debbie, who reveals that she has voted somebody to either clear the false suspicion on herself, or find out that this person is a Traitor and thus make her own potentiality of being one ‘less likely’, revealing that she has voted for Laurie. In an 8-7-4 result, Laurie stands as she is banished from the game, taking a spot in the archway as she holds back tears in her final moments. She admits relief in being expelled from the group, admitting that she may have not been cut out for the backstabbing and lying, but ends with “even though I didn’t have to do any of it… I’m a Faithful”. The remaining eighteen players groan again as they have misfired for a second straight time, reducing their Faithful numbers and leaving the Traitors intact.

Just an hour away from the next murder, the players sit around the ground floor of the castle as they debrief over the nights events, with Shama and Natalia both in particular feeling as though they dodged big bullets that had been fired their way. In a confessional, Shama claims to not be entirely convinced that Natalia is Faithful, but that she simply “knew throwing out another name and defending Natalia was the best way to protect (herself)”, going on to announce that she ‘doesn’t know how to feel about Olly at this stage’, jokingly ending her confessional repeatedly saying “rat, rat, ratty, ratterson”. In the dining room, Debbie, Maxwell, Natalia, Réiltín, and Sarah May talk about Laurie’s departure, with Debbie explaining her reasoning for the vote. Natalia admits her vote was purely about survival, but that she hopes it proves “being quiet isn’t a sign of anything”. Both Debbie and Sarah May hug Natalia who becomes tearful in the fallout, with Debbie insisting that there are no hard feelings over her name being thrown out, hoping that her vote for Laurie proves this. Sarah May jokingly tells the group “if I hear anyone throwing out her poor name again, I swear to Christ I’ll scrap them on top of that f\*\*king table”. Maxwell and Réiltín both assure Natalia they don’t view her as a Traitor, and instead believe that they are still correct in their suspicions on Shama. Later that evening once all the players have drifted to their rooms, the three Traitors convene at the Traitors turret, celebrating another successful day hidden amongst the Faithful. Before any names can be ousted as potential murders, Anand decides to take the opportunity to scold Celine for her behaviour in the mission. In spite of Celine’s attempts at defending her fears, Anand reminds her that “you drew attention to yourself… and they are all mad… I had several conversations today where people spoke about voting you if you’re going to keep losing them money and I cannot put fires out for you again or it’ll look suspicious”. Celine assures both Anand and Cathy that it “won’t happen again”, but evidently doesn’t appreciate being lectured by her fellow Traitors. Resuming the murder options, Mahmoud is put forth as somebody who is ‘falling into the background’, with none of the Traitors feeling any real connection to him at this stage, and also thinking that his death would ‘indicate no one in particular and leave the current suspect list for the next Roundtable’. Next, the group look at Harry, who they view as someone who if given the right evidence will almost certainly prove to be a ‘bull in a china shop’ at the Roundtable, although Celine “(doubts) he’ll ever get the right information… and probably won’t be taken seriously if he does”. Finally, Anand pushes Savvas as an option, admitting that it would hurt to murder somebody he is close to at this stage, but also doesn’t want “everyone asking questions why the old man gang are all there at breakfast day after day”. Several minutes later, the trio agree on their name, signing the death warrant before returning to the castle, heading for the door of their third unsuspecting victim.

### **Episode #4**

On the fourth morning, the first three into breakfast are revealed to be Faithfuls Earnest, Debbie, and Natalia. The trio take their seats as they gleefully celebrate their mutual survival, equally dreading to discover who has fallen victim to the undiscovered Traitor’s third murder. Natalia declares no ill will towards Earnest for his vote against her at the previous Round Table. Earnest admits to Natalia that he isn’t completely sold on the idea that she is a Traitor or a Faithful, but that “based on the information (he) had” he felt more confident on her than Laurie or Shama. Debbie states that she hopes her vote on Laurie shows that the “same mindset that was incriminating (them) both” is now “dead in the water”. More and more Faithful enter the breakfast room, with Traitors Anand, Cathy, and Celine also slipping in undercover, leaving just Harry, Mahmoud, and Savvas absent, confirming that yet again a man has been murdered at the hand of the Traitors. Harry is the next player into the room, heading immediately over to Celine and Debbie, noting his belief that the Traitors may have struck against Savvas. Proven to be wrong, Savvas becomes the final member to arrive at breakfast, leaving Celeste to then enter and remove Mahmoud’s portrait from the wall, letting everybody know that “the Welsh wonder is now out yonder… never to return”. Leaving the group to their conversations, Savvas appears to grow more emotional after Celeste’s confirmation, knowing that he must have come close to being murdered just hours before. In his paranoia, Savvas begins ranting about his own safety in the game, asking others “who would want me dead?” to no avail, only to have ‘friend’ Shama speak up and assure him “there’s no point overthinking it, because even your allies in this game may kill you to cover… we can’t go off a hypothetical when the fact is you’re here and Mahmoud isn’t. It’s not who would kill you, Savvas… it’s who killed Mahmoud.” Not appreciating this response off Shama, Savvas replies in a hostile manner, telling her that “you weren’t in danger though were you”, to which Shama questions how he could possibly know this if he’s a Faithful. The pair argue back and forth over the emotions of the situation, eventually leading Shama to exclaim that they need to stop arguing, pointing out that “the Traitors are sat here and they’re loving this… they’re watching you freak out because you didn’t die… me biting the bait… pointing it from you to me when I don’t think it’s either of us”. Continuing her speech, Shama pleads for the Faithful to not let the game get the better of them, admitting that she “doesn’t care” if speaking up gets her killed, instead hoping to be part of a group that eventually keep the money from falling into the Traitor’s hands. This speech proves not only morale boosting for the players, but also an indicator to most that Shama is Faithful, alleviating almost all suspicion against her from the past few days.
Following breakfast, friends Natalia and Sarah May sit together on the front driveway of the castle, questioning who could want Mahmoud dead when he ‘barely spoke’ to anybody too deeply. Sarah May theorises that again the Traitors are seeking to kill quieter players who aren’t getting attention, particularly as they are “pieces on the chessboard that they can’t predict their next moves”. Natalia agrees with this assumption, feeling more positive that everybody left is at least somewhat engaging at the Round Table. Cathy soon joins the pair outside, staying to speak to Sarah May after Natalia heads in to grab a jacket. Sarah May voices the girls’ theory to Cathy, not being aware that she is in fact speaking to one of the Traitors they are seeking. Cathy remains reserved as Sarah May points out the murders have all been ‘young men’, pondering if the Traitors have at least one of the older men in their group, naming Anand, Gordon, and Savvas as these ‘older men’. In a confessional, Cathy appears particularly concerned by Sarah May’s detective work, utilising the moment to throw out the false theory that “the Traitor could also be another young man… someone like Harry… who wants to get rid of athletic players for the missions so that we don’t vote him out because we’re frightened we could lose the money”. Back inside, Traitors Anand and Celine sit with friends Amber and Gordon, with Violetta also joining the group with mugs of tea and coffee so that they may sit around the living room and discuss theories for the next Round Table. Gordon is upfront in telling the group that he is “absolutely certain” neither Amber nor Violetta are Traitors, claiming he would “bet (his) life” on that, and that he feels his friendship with Anand also lowers suspicion that it could be him. Anand offers this mindset in return, claiming his suspicions lay entirely “outside this room”. In a confessional, Amber admits to finding this game ‘a lot tougher’ than Road Trip, particularly in regards to the fact that you cannot trust your alliances or friendships in any sense of the word, leaving everybody feeling isolated in the castle. Meeting at a nearby field, Celeste welcomes the players to their next mission, breaking the players up into three groups, where they must identify a single sheep from a large group within a pen, with each sheep wearing a coat with the name of a contestant on it. Each correct sheep identified earns the team £1,000, with the fastest team earning an additional £1,000 if they can round up all their sheep within two minutes. Ultimately, the teams earn £8,000 out of a possible £10,000, bringing their prize pot to a total of £35,000.

Returning from their fourth mission, the remaining players spread around the castle in order to come up with potential targets prior to the next Round Table, not wanting to banish another Faithful and further put the game into the hands of the Traitors. Heading inside, Savvas is seen venting to Maxwell about Debbie’s performance in the mission, claiming that he partly wants to vote for her simply because “she does (his) head in”, commenting that she is “always useless in winning any money”, and that at this rate she “may as well leave because she brings nothing to the table”. At the bottom of the main stairwell, a group of Celine, Debbie, Harry, Maxwell, and Olly form, wanting to mutually agree on a name. Once again, Harry, Maxwell, and Olly voice their opinion that Shama could be a ‘perfect Traitor’, intending to again put her name down on their chalkboards. Celine and Debbie are both frank in admitting that neither of them will vote Shama, not believing her to be remotely suspicious at this stage. Harry tells the group that he has heard rumours his name could come up, believing it to be “completely personal and not based on facts at all”, leaving both women to again proclaim they will not vote for him either, instead thinking maybe everybody should just ‘vote with their gut’. Elsewhere, Donny, Natalia, Sarah May, and Savvas sit together in the dining room, listening to Sarah May’s theory that the Traitor would be an older man, leaving Savvas time to defend himself to the three, claiming that he also doesn’t believe Anand or Gordon to be Traitors. Sarah May goes on to reveal the theory put out by Cathy (without naming her), that the Traitor could be one of the younger men such as Harry trying to remove physical competition. Donny admits that he could see this possibility, also finding Harry to be “someone who even as a Faithful isn’t good for my being here, and I don’t think is good for us as Faithful overall because of how he plays the game”.

Heading into the Round Table, the players sit around as they take a moment to look one another up and down, aware that at least one player is lying to them in this game, hoping that tonight they’ll finally uncover who one of those individuals may be. Harry confidently starts off the accusation process, again focussing his attention on Shama, receiving an eyeroll off her as he repeats his same points from the previous round table. Shama accuses Harry, Maxwell, and Olly of having ‘tunnel vision’, calling it “the most dangerous thing you can have in this game… and it’ll probably be what hands the Traitors the win… so good job you three… Faithful or not you’re playing for the Traitors”. Shama receives multiple comments of defence from the other players, all of whom claim to not want to put the heat on her yet again when ‘the consensus is that she is Faithful’. Harry becomes visibly annoyed by this, asking “what basis” anyone has to confidently call Shama Faithful, leaving Donny to reply “what basis do you have to call her a Traitor?”. Donny continues by leading a verbal attack on Harry’s play style, accusing him of attacking people without any proof, and derailing conversations to the point that it makes finding the actual Traitors difficult, asking everybody “is this person… Faithful as he may be… worth keeping around?”. Silence falls over the room as players look at one another, questioning whether Donny may be correct in that Harry is too destructive for his own good, and that voting him out may make their lives easier even if it potentially allows another Faithful to leave. More names are brought up as the conversations go round and round, with many players pushing a narrative of ‘gut votes’ rather than group mentality or split votes, believing the latter has actively made the game more difficult for the Faithful over the last two Round Tables. As the players begin to vote, it becomes apparent that only two players have thrown rogue ‘gut votes’, with Celine and Debbie both voting against Réiltín after declaring that they feel she needs “more attention at the next Round Table”. The trio of Harry, Maxwell, and Olly all unsurprisingly vote for Shama, firmly holding onto the mindset that her charisma and humour are both tools utilised in a Traitors game. In the most clear cut result of the season yet, all twelve other players cast their votes against Harry, with some noting that they believe he is a Traitor, and others (such as Donny) oppositely admitting that it is “a little personal, and a lot strategic… because you are offering us as Faithful nothing but distraction after distraction, and you need to go so we can sit around this table next time with actual discussion taking place”. In a 12-3-2 result, Harry stands and heads to the doorway to reveal his status, angrily scolding the group for “listening to those who’d sit around this table and lie”. Harry goes on to plead that everybody think about what he had said, claiming that “I know I was on the right track, and you just decided you didn’t want to listen. I am… Faithful”. Receiving a mixed response, Harry exits the room, with Donny and Cathy notably verbalising their opinion that him leaving is ‘good for Faithful in the long run’.

The final sixteen contenders return to the main area of the castle, spreading into the dining room and the billiard room respectively before heading off to bed with the knowledge that another murder will take place at the hand of the Traitors. In the living room, Cathy hugs Réiltín after she came under fire at the Round Table, assuring her that she ‘doesn’t believe she needs any investigating’. Réiltín thanks Cathy for her kindness, appreciating that people can ‘see her for what she is’. Olly tells the other three players that he knows he has put a target on himself for again voting Shama, but that he isn’t going to lie to himself and pretend that he thinks she is Faithful. Savvas assures Olly that he doesn’t think this will turn on him at the next Round Table, thinking that “if anything it shows us you’re someone who has conviction”. As the clock strikes midnight, the players all disappear to their respective bedrooms, leaving the three Traitors the privacy to slip off to the Traitors Turret and make their next decision. However, Celeste arrives to inform the Traitors that for the first time they will not be murdering, but rather putting three players on trial, with one of these three players being guaranteed to be murdered the following evening. The Traitors discuss their options, wanting to capitalise on this decision so that whoever ends up on trial will ‘self-destruct’ their own game. Anand and Cathy both begin throwing out names, with Natalia, Olly, Sarah May, Savvas, and Shama all being put forth. Throwing a curveball into the discussion, Celine tells her fellow Traitors that she wants to put herself on trial, believing it would “add to (her) cover”, and could win those over to her side who may currently be less trusting of her. Anand and Cathy question this decision, concerned that it would draw too much attention to a genuine Traitor. However, Celine refuses to budge, telling Anand and Cathy that they can pick the other two names, but that she will be nominating herself to be on trial. Accepting her stubbornness, Anand and Cathy finalise on Olly and Sarah May, believing that they are both proactive thinkers, and also players who could ‘spiral and cause fireworks’ if put under the magnifying glass long enough. Writing the three names on their warrant and passing it to Celeste, the three Traitors return to the castle, with Anand mentioning in a confessional that “Celine is too much of a loose cannon to work alongside at this point. She’s going to blow up her game and ours with it… so, I might have no choice but to steer the votes towards her at the next Round Table”.

### **Episode #5**

The morning after Harry’s banishment, the players begin to arrive at the breakfast table, currently in the dark to the fact that for the first time this season no Faithfuls were murdered at the hand of the Traitors overnight. Instead, the Traitors decided to put Olly, Sarah May, and one of their own in Celine up for ‘trial’, with the guarantee being that one of these players would be murdered the following evening. Anand, Donny, Gordon, and Natalia are the first four players into breakfast, discussing how they each hope that Harry’s exit will have some ultimate benefits for their own games. Natalia jokes to Anand and Gordon about the ‘old man crew’, bringing attention to the fact that the pair plus Savvas are “a tight trio”. In a confessional, Anand talks about his close formed friendship with Gordon, admitting that it makes it tough as a Traitor to become so close to other players, knowing that ultimately he “will have to betray these people in the worst way possible” if he wishes to win the game. Toasting to Harry’s absence, Donny tells the other three that he is more than confident by the end of the day they will be close to identifying their first Traitor. Earnest, Olly, and Sarah May are the next three players into the room, with Earnest receiving a big hug off friend and ‘ally’ Donny, and Sarah May receiving her own big greeting off closest ally Natalia, not yet knowing that either she or Olly will be murdered by the Traitors in a matter of hours. Joining the newly arrived trio, Donny asks who they suspect will not be joining them for breakfast, considering whether ‘rogue voters’ Debbie and Celine may be at risk, leading Olly to note that it would make them “the second to be murdered that indicates Réiltín”. Earnest tells the group that he has no suspicion on Réiltín, noting that she is one of the few players he is “really certain on” being a Faithful, a sentiment that is echoed by Sarah May as she butters her toast, commenting that “Réiltín isn’t savvy enough to pull it off I don’t think”. Amber, Maxwell, and Réiltín are the next to enter breakfast, joining their fellow competitors as conversation continues. Gordon explains to Anand and Sarah May that “you know it’s taking a toll now… the murdering is definitely getting more difficult” in regards to him personally starting to feel his own version of ‘survivors guilt’ for not being murdered each night. As more players enter, eventually just Cathy and Shama are missing, with Shama becoming the supposed final individual to arrive at breakfast, signalling to the group that Cathy has been murdered. Debbie and Réiltín are both seen tearing up at this realisation, having personally both felt close to Cathy during their time spent together. However, Cathy shockingly enters breakfast to stunned faces, revealing that she is alive and well, playing off that she is unaware that she would be the last to arrive in order to hide her Traitorous identity. Earnest is the first to hug Cathy, glad to see the ‘castle mother’ is back amongst them. Cathy hugs Earnest tightly, trying to sound as emotional as possible as she tells him that she ‘realises how close she may have come to murder’.

Celeste eventually enters the breakfast room to address the players, confirming that all sixteen of them remain active in the game, and that rather than murdering the Traitors instead have chosen to put three players ‘on trial’, explaining what this means for those involved. Celeste then cautiously announces Celine, Olly, and Sarah May are those on trial, causing an adverse reaction amongst some players, with Natalia questioning that “but a Traitor can put themselves on trial”; later confirmed by Celeste herself. Celine immediately begins her ‘acting’ challenge, balling physical tears as she declares that she is “a marked woman”, with Debbie coming over to comfort her during this. Sarah May shrugs her shoulders as she declares to ‘not care’ at her target, having been “pretty sure they’d come for me soon enough anyway”. Differently, Olly remains the quietest of the three on trial, clearly nervous at becoming a marked player, instead trying to look around to discover who may want him out of the game. Ending the breakfast, Sarah May grabs a still tearing up Celine’s hand, ushering her out the room and instructing her to “toughen up” and not to let the Traitors see her down, believing that “it’s what they want from you right now”. Celine nods along as Sarah May speaks, explaining that “just knowing that it’s me… you… or Olly next… I feel sick, I can’t go this soon”. Sarah May tells Celine that she suspects they may both be fine, instead believing the Traitors could continue their trend of murdering young men, which would indicate not only Olly is ‘next to die’, but that the theory of Anand, Gordon, or Savvas being a Traitor as true. Sarah May then reveals to Celine that Gordon had made remarks that “murdering is getting harder”, misinterpreting what was actually said as she begins to spin a case against Gordon, believing he may have outed himself as the first Traitor over breakfast. In a confessional, Celine cackles at this reveal, calling her being on trial as “already providing what (she) wanted”, noting it has integrated herself in further and allowed others to start pointing fingers anywhere but in her own direction. Minutes later, Celine joins Donny, Earnest, Maxwell, and Natalia outside the castle, receiving hugs off each of them as they ponder how they can read into those nominated to be on trial. Natalia continues voicing her belief that a Traitor may have nominated themselves, leaving the three boys to each suggest that this person could be Natalia’s friend Sarah May. The boys pitch the idea that of the three, Sarah May is the one who is ‘more intelligent than she makes out’, and ‘calculated enough to know that she can get away doing something so bold’. In a confessional, Natalia shakenly admits to feeling somewhat swayed by the boys, agreeing that Sarah May seemed the “least frightened” that her name had come up, not seeing the “genuine fear” that was written on both Celine and Olly’s faces. Donny tells the others that he may push Sarah May to be voted at the next round table, believing that to get rid of Sarah May would either reveal a Traitor, or leave just one of the three ‘on trial’ standing in twenty-four hours. Celine admits to not liking this idea, not wanting to “raise (her) chances of being murdered”, however, this appears to fall on deaf ears, leaving Celine now questioning if her ‘master plan’ may be a game ending decision.

Later that afternoon, the players head to the nearby chapel on the castle grounds, splitting into two teams to compete in their next mission for a chance to add £8,000 to the prize pot. Celeste also notes that for the first time this season, the winning team will have the chance to visit ‘the Armoury’, with one of these visitors anonymously winning ‘the Shield’; protecting the recipient from murder that evening. The first team consists of Anand, Debbie, Donny, Earnest, Gordon, Maxwell, Sarah May, and Savvas, whilst the second team consists of Amber, Cathy, Celine, Natalia, Olly, Réiltín, Shama, and Violetta. One representative from each team must meet Celeste in the confessional booth to hear a page and paragraph reference. The representative must then race back to their respective team and use The Book of Traitors to find a riddle, with the answer leading to an item of clothing worn by one member of the large masked congregation. The first team to identify the item will be counted, adding £2,000 to the prize pot, with the team that raises more money being the one allowed to visit the Armoury. During the course of the challenge, both teams perform well, raising the maximum £8,000 for the prize pot. Overall, Team Two is able to raise more money, meaning that one of its members will earn protection from murder overnight. The winning team agree to keep the winner of the shield a secret, believing that the knowledge any of them could possess it may in fact act as ‘a group shield’ for all of them. One by one, each member of the winning team heads into the Armoury, with most finding empty chests and no shield. Ultimately, it is ‘on trial’ Olly who is found to discover the shield, ironically saving himself from being murdered, but perhaps dooming fellow Faithful Sarah May to a certain death as the only possible choice for the Traitors to successfully kill that evening. With little time to go before the next Round Table, the group spread around the castle and throw around a multitude of names, with attention heading towards Gordon as one of the ‘old man gang’, and in particular his remarks which have been spread by Sarah May. Additionally, Natalia receives attention from some who claim they still find her suspicious, and particularly worry that she ‘seems confident a Traitor has put themselves on trial’, appearing as a deflective tactic in many of the group’s eyes. Finally, Sarah May is also raised by those hoping to vote somebody out from the ‘on trial’ group, believing her pushing Gordon is a duplicitous move, and also that she is ultimately one of the smarter players masquerading as clueless.

At the Round Table, much of the early conversation continues to centre around Natalia, with her frustration having grown into full on defence as she notes that she will “probably never be able to convince (everyone) that (she) is Faithful”. Violetta questions Natalia as to why her name always comes up, believing that “there is no smoke without fire”, to which Natalia tells her “you said the same about Deja and Harry when you voted them… both Faithful”. Attention then turns to Natalia’s ‘friend’ Sarah May, with Earnest, Maxwell, and Donny each taking turns questioning why she is on trial, and why she is so confident that the Traitor is Anand, Gordon, or Savvas. Sarah May continues pushing her theory as to why young men have been murdered, also thinking that “it would make sense to put an old sweet man as a Traitor… and no one is older and sweeter than your man Gordon”. Continuing, Sarah May exposes Gordon’s remarks at breakfast, something Gordon quickly denies, instead claiming that he meant the surviving of the murders is getting tougher. However, Sarah May continually disrupts Gordon’s defence, stating “no it wasn’t… no it wasn’t… you said ‘murders are getting tougher’ and it sounded like you were talking about yourself and whatever other Traitors you’ve got working alongside you”. Gordon shakes his head at Sarah May, calling it “nothing more than a witch hunt” against himself, promising everybody that he is “one hundred percent Faithful”, hoping that they “won’t make the mistake of voting (him) out”. Sarah May further attacks Gordon’s status as a Faithful by declaring “I’m probably dying tonight, Gordon. I’m the only one who can be murdered that didn’t have a chance to get the shield, so I think my number is up. If there’s one thing I’ll do before I go it’s catch a Traitor… so, it’s nothing personal I think you’re great… a great Traitor”. Shama asks if anyone can substantiate Sarah May’s claims on Gordon, leading everybody to be gobsmacked as Anand speaks up against his supposed castle best friend, confirming that there “is some truth to what Sarah May is saying”, explaining his own take on Gordon’s words, ending with “I hate to say it, Gordon… because I love the friendship we have formed in here. But, I wanted us to start going off actual evidence we may have… and right now, you’re the main person who has given me any indication through words or actions that they are a Traitor”. Gordon’s eyes fill with sorrow as he looks across the table at one of his closest friends and allies, realising that the tide has rapidly turned against him in this game. The players all then begin casting their votes on who to Banish from the game, with the result being tied 4-4-4 initially between Gordon, Natalia, and Sarah May. Natalia shocks all by joining the three boys (Donny, Earnest, and Maxwell) in voting against friend Sarah May, apologising profusely as she states she “really want(s) to just finally find a Traitor”. Amber, Gordon, Savvas, and Violetta all cast their votes against usual target Natalia, commenting that it is ‘about time they finally found out why her name has never gone away in this game’. Sarah May’s attack on Gordon brings in support from Traitors Cathy and Celine, as well as Faithful Debbie, all believing there to be some substance in her arguments against him. Olly and Shama’s next votes are revealed to also be for Gordon, feeling that his is the only current name that may offer any indication of where to go next. Sealing his friend’s fate, Anand casts his vote for Gordon, confirming that he will be Banished from the game in a 8-4-4 result after Réiltín too has the oldest contestants name down on her board. Gordon stands as he heads over to the doorway of the Round Table room, brushing Amber’s shoulder as she tearfully sees her close friend and ally leave the game. Thanking everybody for allowing “an oldie like (himself) into the group”, Gordon tells everybody that even though he feels set-up and betrayed that he cannot be angry, knowing that ultimately “we’ll all be doing a walk of shame or victory”. He continues “I thought that by being open and honest you’d all see me for what I was, and I really believed sitting here tonight that those I felt fortunate enough to call friends wouldn’t be bullied or bamboozled into putting my name down on a board because of hearsay. I particularly didn’t think that certain people… certain friends… would corroborate that hearsay.” Gordon pauses for a moment as he looks Anand dead on, breaking his usual soft and polite demeanour as he holds his gaze and finishes with “I was, of course… a Faithful”, before exiting and leaving the room. Multiple curses are heard around the table as individuals note that they feel tricked into their votes, with Sarah May loudly exclaiming “Well f\*\*k, I’m dying anyway tonight everyone so good luck” before cackling to herself. Violetta angrily shakes her head, declaring that she ‘knew’ Gordon was Faithful, to which Maxwell gestures to Sarah May and mimes “It’s her!”.

The remaining fifteen players return to the castle, appearing more sombre than ever after voting oldest player and Faithful Gordon from the game. A still tearful Amber is comforted by Savvas in the living room, explaining that the two of them need to “keep fighting for (Gordon)”, stopping his speech as Natalia walks in to join them. Natalia assures Amber that she is simply coming to “make sure (she is) okay”, hugging her as she claims to not care that the two had written her name down. Natalia goes on to tell the pair that she is seeing past friendships, aware that Sarah May led the charge against Gordon and was wrong, and will ‘almost certainly go at the next Round Table if she doesn’t die tonight’. Amber and Savvas agree with Natalia’s assessment, whilst both still holding deep mistrust of her, with Amber mentioning in a confessional that “Natalia is here telling us how calculated and sly Sarah May has been… but she might’ve just been wrong. A lot of people have sat around that table and been wrong. If anything, Natalia is the one betraying her friend… I don’t get it at all”. Irish players Donny and Réiltín sit by the stairs as they whisper that at this point they both only feel completely trusting of one another and Earnest, with Donny pleading to Réiltín that she consider voting Sarah May next if she is to survive to the next Round Table. Réiltín responds by telling Donny that she is “too exhausted” to think about who to vote at this point, instead believing that the two of them and Earnest need to “be on the same page to give (them) the best chance of winning this game”. Before heading off to bed, shielded player Olly decides to take a moment and speak alone with Natalia, quietly confessing to her that he did in fact win the shield and cannot be murdered. Natalia hugs Olly after his reveal, promising him that she will not tell anybody else, admitting that she thinks Sarah May could be the Traitor, thus leaving “the Traitors with no choice but to aim at (him) or Celine”, eventually ending with “poor Celine” as she ponders her likely death. Olly claims to hope the Traitors attempt to murder him and fail, knowing that it will “allow the Faithful to keep (their) numbers up another round”. In a confessional, Olly claims that in revealing his status as shielded to Natalia he was in fact “laying the seeds for exposing her” at the next Round Table. He goes on to admit that he is most suspicious of Natalia after her vote against Sarah May and ‘personality change’ in the past twenty-four hours, confident that if he survives the night it could be thanks to “telling the Traitor they cannot kill (him)”. At the Traitors Turret, Anand, Cathy, and Celine meet after the most exhausting day thus far in the castle, agreeing that whilst Gordon’s elimination was emotionally difficult, it was ‘a bridge they would have to cross eventually’. Celine begins explaining to her fellow Traitors that she regards herself being on trial as ‘a victory’, but is soon interrupted by a furious Cathy who calls it “the biggest disaster we have faced so far”. Cathy scolds Celine for “the stupidest decision that could’ve blown up your or our games”, suggesting that it has limited their options for a “tactical murder” and left them with less options at the next round table. Appearing confused, Celine is explained to by her Traitors that due to Olly being on the winning team (and knowing that neither Cathy or Celine have the shield), the chances are one in six that he is immune from murder, thus leaving them with no option but to kill Sarah May, who Cathy calls “the person who perfectly set themselves up to be Banished at the next Round Table”. Celine remains quiet as she is scolded by both Anand and Cathy, allowing them to cool down as they propose that even with Sarah May dead they still may be able to frame somebody else. As the Traitors sign the death warrant, Cathy is heard speaking in a confessional about finding it exhausting managing her fellow Traitors, believing that soon it will reach a point where she “is no longer interested in there being three of us meeting at night”.

### **Episode #6**

On the sixth morning of the competition, Cathy, Debbie, and Natalia are the first three players to enter breakfast, preparing to see who of those put on trial has been murdered overnight. In a confessional, Natalia mentions knowing that Olly has survived due to his shield, believing that the Traitors have either successfully killed Celine, or failed to murder Olly, hinting that she still believes friend Sarah May to be the Traitor. In conversation, Cathy agrees with Natalia that Celine or Olly will have been murdered, falsely pushing a prediction that Sarah May could be somebody to look at during the next Round Table, despite knowing full well that she fell victim to herself, Celine, and Anand overnight. Debbie begins to voice her own theory that the Traitors are pushing the ‘older Traitor’ argument by killing younger players, certain that it may be in fact a decoy so that the real Traitors are not looked at. Interrupting Debbie; Earnest, Réiltín, and Violetta are the next into breakfast, having slept well due to the fact they were all certain they’d be surviving overnight thanks to the twist. Earnest openly tells the players that he ‘hopes’ Sarah May is the one who has been murdered, declaring that he has a personal disliking towards her, and feels “the castle will be a happier environment with her dead”, receiving muffled laughs from some of the other players. Debbie scoots over to the three new entrants, asking those from the winning team if they had gotten the shield overnight. Everybody is quick to admit they hadn’t gotten the shield, leaving many to hope that either Celine or Olly were able to win it and protect themselves, giving the Faithful better odds after losing seven of their own thus far. The foursome quietly discuss trust between themselves at this stage, with Violetta explaining that they “need to finally push out some of the names that have lingered for too long”. Overhearing the quartet talking, Cathy decides to call out Violetta for scheming already, remarking that “Violetta, you go on about who you trust and don’t trust like it’s the gospel every day. Sweetheart, you have been wrong as much as the rest of us but somehow you think your opinions are worth more”. Violetta snaps back at Cathy as she takes a sip of her orange juice, telling Cathy that “at least I am trying to find the Traitors… you seem just happy to come down here everyday and have us look fools at the Round Table”. Ending the conversation, Cathy tells Violetta “no one looks a bigger fool than the person who was positive pushing Faithfuls out the door”, with Violetta pointing out that Cathy has in fact voted more out than her at this stage. In a confessional, Cathy exclaims that she knows snapping at Violetta wasn’t the best move for subtly, but that she has “become so fed up of hearing her every day try to whip everyone into line… she’s gotten her way before and it’ll come to a point where my name is on her lips, so maybe we need to get rid of her soon or just deal with her tonight when we murder again”. Once all the non-trialled players have entered breakfast, they are soon joined by Olly, who reveals to everybody that he had won the shield, disappointed to assume that the Traitors instead have gone for Celine or Sarah May. Ultimately, Celine is the final player to arrive at breakfast, soon followed by Celeste who confirms that suspect number one Sarah May was in fact Faithful and the fourth victim of the Traitors murderous rampage. Donny, Earnest, Maxwell, and Natalia all appear the most shocked at Sarah May’s murder, having equally been confident that she was at least one of the sought Traitors. Despite accepting he was wrong, Earnest continues to reiterate his pleasure at seeing Sarah May leave, regarding her as “underserving of winning the money”.

Heading around the castle grounds, the players get ready for their sixth daily mission, taking the time beforehand to debrief over Sarah May’s surprising exit from the game, and try to discover who now will become the main suspect heading into the next Round Table. In a confessional, Earnest talks about having his suspicions change now that Sarah May is out of the picture, thinking hard about individual’s behaviour after the Gordon vote. He claims to believe that the theory of an older person being Traitor (pushed by Sarah May) as having some legs, noting “Sarah May was wrong about a lot of things, including it being Gordon… but it doesn’t mean that she wasn’t on some sort of right track, which is why they killed her. Then I’m thinking who turned on Gordon so easily… a Faithful… their friend… who helped bury him and sway the votes his way; Anand.” However, Earnest admits that he isn’t ready yet to tell others about his theory on Anand, not wanting to jump on it too soon without further proof, knowing that the repeated mistake others have made in the game is “giving too much heads up so that the vote can change, and jumping on a name without thinking it through”. Joining former friend Shama, Olly stands with his on again off again target outside the main castle doors, receiving a hug from her as she congratulates him on winning the shield. He jokingly responds that she can “take another shot at murdering (him) tonight”, to which she tells him that she “need(s) to convince the other four Traitors” that he’s worth going after again. The pair spend some time discussing which names will likely come up now that Sarah May is gone, with Olly explaining that he ‘has an idea who it might be’, but refuses to tell Shama at this stage, something which she accepts, knowing that he still doesn’t trust her at this stage. Elsewhere, Debbie, Savvas, Réiltín, and Donny sit together as they mutually admit concern over the fact that Sarah May is out of the game, thinking that it could result in a ‘chaotic Round Table’ that evening. In a confessional, Donny begins throwing out ideas as to who could be a Traitor based on the death order, coming to a nervous conclusion that it could be fellow reality television veteran Amber. He reasons this theory with the fact that her ally Creed was murdered early on, which could have been done in order to enable her to appear less suspicious. Moreover, Donny claims to ‘have met Amber before’, calling her personality in the castle versus outside it “vastly different to the Amber that people know her as”. Donny voices this theory to the other three, who agree that she purposely blends into the background, and didn’t really fight to defend Gordon as they would have expected, which Savvas claims “is maybe because she knew he was Faithful and him going… well, he was expendable wasn’t he”. Debbie then begins to explain her belief of a younger Traitor trying to frame older players, with her current theory being that “it is either Amber or Natalia”, believing that producers would jump at the opportunity to have “a young pretty thing be the ultimate villain”. Réiltín jokes that she isn’t apart of Debbie’s suspicion, with Debbie and Donny both frankly telling Réiltín that they are ‘sure of her innocence’ in the castle. Donny admits to hating the idea that it could be Amber, but remembers that early on he faced scrutiny for the same reason that he now believes could have led Amber to accepting the poisoned chalice.

Heading to a nearby field for their next mission, Celeste has the fourteen remaining players break into three teams (two of five, one of four). Each team has two of its players buried under gravestones, with the goal being to uncover these buried players within forty-five minutes. Each escaped player is worth £1,500 for the prize fund, with the fastest team to uncover its members winning a trip to the Armoury. However, Celeste explains that the catch is that the searching players will be guided by those buried, who must find symbols on their coffins that correspond to the players’ map to direct them from clue to clue, eventually reaching the graveyard to dig their teammates up. Team 1 has Debbie, Earnest, and Maxwell searching, with Amber and Donny buried. Team 2 has Anand, Olly, and Violetta searching, with Celine and Shama buried. Finally, Team 3 has Natalia and Réiltín searching, with Cathy and Savvas buried. Due to having less players, Team 3 is given a shorter route to discovering their teammates in order to make the mission as fair as possible. Team 1 dominates the challenge thanks to good teamwork and accurate direction, leading Amber to be the first player dug out, and Donny to be the second, guaranteeing their team a chance to visit the Armoury before The Roundtable. Team 3 is also able to reach the graveyard in time, receiving help from the victorious Team 1 to get Cathy and Savvas out of the ground, bagging the £3,000 total from their portion of the task. Unfortunately, Team 2’s direction proves to be the worst of the day, leaving them only enough time to get Shama free, with Celine still buried when time runs out, gaining £7,500 out of a possible £9,000 in the mission, raising the prize pot’s total to £50,500. Returning to the castle, Cathy sits in a car with Amber, telling her that several players have been throwing her name round that afternoon, blaming Donny as being the ‘main factor’ behind the push. Amber appears horrified at the betrayal off her fellow Road Trip alumni, calling Donny “a freaking paranoid idiot” for saying her name. Cathy assures Amber that she isn’t voting her, instead believing that they will need to vote with the majority against whatever name comes up to ensure she survives the night. In another vehicle, Anand casually gives a speech to those around him that the group need to start focusing on those who have “slipped through the net” round after round, eventually pushing Natalia’s name forth as the person he believes might now need to be looked at. Violetta agrees with Anand, asking everybody in the car if they will be on board with finally voting Natalia out of the game, with all but Earnest answering that they happily will vote Natalia that night. The victorious Team 1 each arrive at the Armoury, heading in one at a time to discover if they can claim the shield for themselves. Debbie is the first to enter, finding nothing in her chest, with Maxwell also coming out with the same result. Third in Amber prays before opening her box, disappointed to see that no shield awaits her inside. Ultimately, second to last entrant Earnest proves to be the lucky player of the day, discovering the shield, leading to him celebrating in a confessional and claiming that “this gives (him) the confidence to throw his theory out at the Round Table”, insinuating that he will openly come for Traitor Anand.

At the Round Table, Amber decides to start the evening off by coming clean that she has ‘heard her name’ floating around the castle, directly questioning Donny as to why he has supposedly been the individual pushing this. Donny apologises to Amber, telling her that over the past twenty-four hours he has considered the evidence, and that at this stage “it all points to you acting… different… I don’t know if it’s the stress of the game, if its because Gordon left… but even then… you didn’t really defend him, you just let him go. I really think there’s something you’re hiding”. Amber refutes Donny’s claim, telling him that “you’re not usually paranoid outside the game, and you’re probably the most paranoid person here. Twenty-four hours ago you were sure it was Sarah May. She was Faithful, and now you’re going to do the same to me”. Delivering another blow to Amber, Savvas speaks up by noting that Amber was “very, very emotional” after Gordon left, but also points out that Amber has done acting work in the past, revealing that she had told him earlier in the game that she was an extra in an episode of crime series NCIS, proving in his mind that “you can turn the water works on if you so choose”. Amber shakes her head, holding back her emotions as she declares to be hurt by Savvas’ betrayal, unsure why those meant to be on her side are those coming after her, admitting that it “makes (her) question” whether they are Faithfuls themselves. Instead, Amber pushes Natalia’s name forward, suggesting that she knows how frustrated Natalia is to have her constantly on her case, but that she “cannot ignore that a lot of us don’t trust you”, with Anand and Violetta both verbally supporting Amber, claiming to want to finally get past the Natalia scepticism tonight, with Anand remarking “and the only way to do that is if you stand under that archway and tell us if you’re a Faithful… or a Traitor”. Taking this as his chance to speak up, Earnest begins by stating “whilst we’re on that subject, Anand… I want to ask you some things. You talk about your suspicion on Natalia, and you were pretty confident of it in the car today, but if memory serves me correct you haven’t put her name down once this whole time. Not once. Instead, last night you voted for Gordon and really other than Sarah May you were the person who got everyone to vote for him, and he said as he left he felt most betrayed by you. It doesn’t make sense to me, how quickly you turned… because we’re using that to further incriminate Natalia tonight, but no one is talking about how you did the exact same thing”. Eyes dart around the table as Earnest goes on his scathing attack against Anand, with fellow Traitors Cathy and Celine remaining particularly quiet in this moment, choosing to stray from defending their supposed ally. Anand thanks Earnest for bringing this to everyone’s attention, claiming falsely that “a few people have asked me about the Gordon vote”, commenting that “I felt what Gordon said at breakfast was… bad. Now, I know it was a slip-up, but hindsight is something I didn’t have the luxury of last night when I had to vote. I want us Faithful to win this game, and I don’t think friendship should blind anyone from considering their friends as a Traitor. I hope it is the same for you Earnest, and you are not blinded in protecting your friends… and voting Sarah May because you disliked her personally”. Earnest and Anand stare down one another for a moment, with the tension around the Round Table seemingly causing everyone to fall into an awkward silence. Natalia eventually speaks up again, explaining that “I know I’m not playing this game great. I am a Faithful, really I am. I turned my back on Sarah May and let myself be convinced she was a Traitor… the same way I let myself think Harry might be one. We’re so fixated on looking at personality and who is messing up that I think we haven’t tried who is careful enough to be the Traitor. Anand… you’re smart… you’re so smart and we all say it, and Sarah May had a theory and she got murdered for it. Following that theory, if it’s the last thing I do in this game… I’m voting for you”. Anand assures Natalia that “it’s fine”, promising that everyone will regret voting him when he is forced to tell them that he is a Faithful. With no time left for discussion, the remaining fourteen players begin writing their votes on their boards, before revealing who will be the fifth person Banished from the game. Donny’s arguments against Amber recruit only Celine, Réiltín, and Savvas against her, whilst Earnest’s correct intuition on Anand sees just Maxwell and Natalia join his cause. Meanwhile, the seven other players in the game all cast their votes against Natalia, finally ousting the common target from the game. Natalia sighs and heads over to the archway, thanking everybody for “letting (her) last this long” when she knows that “any Round Table could have been (her) last”. She owns up to “mistake after mistake” that she had made in the game, believing that “if (she) had (her) time over” that she would do it all differently. Finally, Natalia ends with “but, the one thing I would do the same… is play this game how I’ve played it since the moment I stepped into the castle; as a Faithful”. The groundhog day-esque reactions of communal sighs of frustration echo around the Round Table as everybody realises another Faithful has left the game, leaving the Traitors in tact as they meet again that evening to murder another innocent player.

Sitting around the bottom floor of the castle, Earnest appears in a negative mood following his failed attempt at swaying the group against Anand, arrogantly exclaiming “if I die tonight, everyone who voted Natalia can blame themselves”, refusing to hear out those who tell him that he too has voted Faithful out of the game (and ironically also voted Natalia at the second Round Table). Nevertheless, Earnest speaks in a confessional about believing that “if Anand is a Traitor, I don’t think he’d be stupid enough to come after me tonight. Which is a shame because if he does I’ve got the shield, and it helps us out. If an attempt is made to murder me, or Maxwell doesn’t come to breakfast… I’ll rethink this one”. The players all begin to say goodnight to one another, feeling that after the last Round Table that any of them could be murdered overnight, particularly as those most suspected of being Traitors have repeatedly been shown to have in fact been Faithfuls. At the Traitors Turret, Anand, Cathy, and Celine remove their hoods as they take a moment of silence, eventually questioning how they can best deal with the fact that for the first time all season one of their own not only received attention at a Round Table, but that this attention manifested into three votes. Anand appears frustrated at being the first Traitor to receive such attention, having assumed that thus far he was playing the best game of the three, claiming that they “need to deal with Earnest soon”, believing that they have underestimated him as a player up until this stage. Cathy and Celine both tell Anand that they ‘cannot murder Earnest’ tonight, which Anand agrees with, also knowing that to do Maxwell would be foolish on his part, and instead they need to try and frame somebody else with the murder. Cathy proposes that they look at the fact Amber is catching “a lot of attention” around the castle, knowing that they cannot murder her due to the fact “she will be our shield if we want to all survive the next few rounds”. Celine agrees with Cathy, also thinking that those who voted Amber with her need to be considered as they have shown they “won’t just vote with the majority”. Agreeing on Donny, Réiltín, and Savvas as targets, the Traitors begin discussing which of them would be most advantageous to murder. The Traitors call Donny the strongest campaigner of the three, knowing that he can convince others to vote with him, but also enjoy his paranoia, and worry that being on the winning team he ‘could be protected by the shield’. Regarding Réiltín, Cathy claims that she “flies under the radar, and is tightly aligned with quite a few players”, not certain that she is somebody they could Banish at the Round Table. For Savvas, Anand worries that him leaving the game would strip him of another ally, but listens as Celine claims “he’s easily swayed, and his murder might stop them going on about the Traitor being an older player”. Pondering their options, the trio eventually agree, signing the death warrant before heading off to claim the life of their fifth victim.

### **Episode #7**

Previous night’s shield winner Earnest is the first player into the breakfast room, sitting solo as he waits to see which other eleven players will have made it through the sixth night of the competition. In a confessional, Earnest reaffirms his suspicion of Anand, claiming that unless “the Traitor is stupid enough to kill Maxwell… I really think Anand might be the person we’re all looking for. I’m going to do my best again to try and get everyone to look his way, because I really think I saw it in his eyes that for the first time he was sweating when I called on his name”. Celine and Donny are the next two players into the room, heading over to Earnest and receiving hugs as they take their spots for breakfast. Earnest begins telling the pair of his theory surrounding Anand again, whilst Donny remains convinced that Amber may be the Traitor, with Earnest firmly telling him that “I really believe you’ve got it wrong with her”. Feeling chaotic, Celine casually sips her morning tea before slyly throwing in “there’s no reason it can’t be both of them… Amber and Anand. I’m not convinced either are Faithful anymore.” In a confessional, Celine covers her mouth as she begins sniggering to herself, admitting that she feels some guilt for throwing Anand under the bus, but additionally “Earnest is hard on his scent, and I’m not getting in the way of all that testosterone to help Anand… I don’t think he’d do it for me”. More and more players begin to enter the breakfast room, with Anand, Amber, Réiltín, and Savvas being the only four not present. Soon, Amber and Anand enter together, with Celine gesturing to Earnest and whispering “funny they come in together”. Donny and Earnest are both seen hoping for Réiltín’s return, whilst Anand voices his wish for ‘friend’ Savvas to still remain alive in the game. Réiltín becomes the final player to arrive, leaving everybody with the knowledge that Savvas has become the Traitors next victim, and being the first of the older players murdered thus far. Anand begins playing the role of a sad Faithful upon losing his friend, being comforted by Réiltín, rubbing his back as she exclaims that she can see his reaction is “genuine”. In a confessional, Réiltín declares that she doesn’t share ally Earnest’s opinion on Anand at this stage, and that instead she is more focussed on getting “the not so great actress Amber” out of the game. However, Réiltín goes on to note that “Anand could genuinely be sad that Savvas is gone… especially if he was one of those that murdered him”. Celeste enters the breakfast room and removes Savvas’ portrait from the wall, casting it aside before congratulating the not so Faithful final twelve, reminding them that in six rounds they have “failed abysmally at finding the Traitors… the clock is ticking, and soon it’ll be game over for you all if you don’t find one fast”.

Heading out from breakfast, the players begin to prep for their next mission, determined to continue building their prize pot in spite of the fact that thus far it is looking likely that it will be split amongst the undiscovered Traitors. Amber sits wrapped up on an outside bench alongside Shama, choosing to share the latter’s cigarette after having felt stressed the past twenty-four hours. Shama assures Amber that she doesn’t view her as a Traitor in spite of the others looking her way, calling it “another pseudo half-arsed reasoning to condemn a Faithful instead of having actual evidence… God, we suck”. Amber laughs at Shama’s defeatist yet laid back attitude, wishing that she too could share this mentality, instead claiming in a confessional to be “desperate to finally prove (herself) as a player in these types of games”. Amber admits to Shama that she doesn’t have any suggestions of her own on who the Traitors could be after Natalia was proven Faithful, with her gameplan now simply being “to just make it through the votes and hopefully strike one eventually”. Elsewhere inside the castle, Cathy, Debbie, and Maxwell stand together talking about Savvas’ murder, trying to determine what this would mean for the Traitor’s identities. Debbie continues voicing her belief that the Traitor’s are largely younger players, and that “they are murdering older players now because they’re low on their own numbers and cannot murder themselves… funny how they start murdering older players after I point it out, isn’t it?”. Cathy nods along with Debbie, apparently slipping-up on her own words as she divulges “exactly, and considering it was between him and Donny… it makes you think”. The others nod as Cathy makes her remark, before Maxwell has a sudden realisation as to what Cathy just said, questioning her “wait, what do you mean between him and Donny?”. Realising she may have just destroyed her own game, Cathy tries to remain calm as she explains “I’m just guessing that it would have been those two because they were the ones going after Amber last Round Table the hardest… because we think Amber is covering herself by killing Savvas? Right?”. Cathy nervously laughs as Maxwell looks her dead in the eye, assuring Cathy that now he understands what she meant, trying not to freak out too much over the remark. In a confessional, Maxwell bounces in his seat as he repeats what Cathy said, yelling “she’s a Traitor! It was written all over her face she said it was between the two of them… she was way too much in the Traitor mindset and her reaction when I questioned her… she’s a Traitor! It’s Cathy!”. Cathy awkwardly excuses herself from the pair before heading off to the bathroom to calm down, leaving Maxwell to quickly shut the door behind her and grab Debbie, shaking his fellow Faithful as he recants his prior suspicions, telling her “Debbie, it’s Cathy. What she just said… please don’t tell me you missed that”. Unfortunately, Debbie seems dumbfounded by Maxwell, instead believing that Cathy may have just been making an assumption rather than a slip-up. Maxwell begs Debbie to not “think that she is innocent just because she is your closest friend here. She will steal the money from you, she will murder you eventually. Cathy is the Traitor and we need to let everyone know this tonight”. In a confessional, Debbie sits blank faced as she appears confused and stressed at how fast the game has moved, noting “A few minutes ago we were set to vote Amber… now Maxwell is saying Cathy. Cathy!? I don’t know… Oh, God… this is exhausting”.

For their next mission, the remaining twelve players meet Celeste outside the main entrance of the castle, having it explained to them that their goal is simply to move their money (represented by whisky barrels) across the castle grounds until they reach a whisky distillery atop a nearby hill. If the players are able to reach the end within forty-five minutes, all the worth of the barrels that pass the finish line will be added to their prize pot, with the total number of barrels available being worth a total of £10,000. However, the more a barrel is worth the larger it will be, making it impossible to bring every barrel with them, thus leaving it to strategy and teamwork to ensure they can win as much money as possible. Additionally, five Armory barrels will be scattered along the trail, with these barrels giving a pass for one individual each to attend the Armoury in hope of winning a shield that evening. Throughout the course of the challenge, Donny steps forth to act as leader for the group, ensuring that morale remains high, and that barrels of lesser value and worth are left behind, giving the group the best chance possible of earning a decent amount for their prize pot. Everybody appreciates Donny’s leadership, with multiple contestants commenting that they ‘couldn’t have done as well as they did without him’ in this mission. Réiltín is noted by several at holding onto the Armory pass, not wanting to give it up due to fear that she could be murdered without a shield. Eventually, the players are able to cross the finish line with a total of £7,700 and three Armory barrels, bringing their prize pot total to £58,200. Celeste instructs the players that they must choose which of them are granted access to the Armory, with the three chosen having a chance to win safety from murder that evening. Donny is easily selected by the group for his leadership, with Maxwell also chosen thanks to his efforts in the task. Finally, Shama is chosen as many admit they suspect she is Faithful, causing Réiltín frustration after the barrel she held on to wasn’t granted to her. At the Armory, the three chosen players enter one at a time, each hoping to uncover safety for themselves that evening. In the end, it is Maxwell who discovers the shield, granting him a spot in the final ten should he survive Banishment at the upcoming Round Table.

Arriving at their sixth Round Table, the final twelve players listen as Celeste reminds them of the names of those they have misjudged in Banishing from the game “Deja… Laurie… Harry… Gordon… and Natalia… all Faithful… all received a majority of the votes to Banish from the castle, leaving the Traitors with the knowledge that they were playing this game right, and those of you who are Faithful were playing it very, very wrong. Tonight, you’ve got a chance to redeem yourselves. Traitors sit amongst you. Who are they? Who has been lying since the start? Who is planning to steal every last penny from the prize pot, leaving the Faithful empty handed at the end of an exhausting process. Let us begin…”. Surprising everybody, Olly begins the deliberating that evening, claiming that he cannot shake something from his mind. He asserts “I was sitting at breakfast today… finding out Savvas is gone… and I’m thinking who we’ve banished and who has been murdered… and I keep asking, why are you still here, Earnest?”. Earnest raises an eyebrow as he questions Olly’s remarks, leaving Olly to again mention that he doesn’t understand why Earnest has neither been murdered nor banished after being one of the more vocal players, pondering if he has others protecting him. Earnest responds to Olly by telling him “I do have people protecting me… the Faithful… who know I’m a Faithful. The same way you linked up with people, before you threw Shama to the wolves… I’ve linked up with people, and just because they haven’t behaved the same way you have doesn’t mean I’m the Traitor. Sorry mate”. Anand speaks up following Olly, admitting that whilst he knows Earnest is on his case that he ‘isn’t sold on the idea that Earnest is a Traitor’, although he claims to agree that “we cannot rule out the fact that you have made it through this game so far without so much as a dent on your name”. Discussion continues around the topic of Earnest’s role in the game, leaving him nervous that over the course of the day people have certainly been discussing potentially voting him out, rather than considering Anand as he had so assumed. Next, Donny and Réiltín take over the Round Table discussions, again bringing attention onto their main target; Amber. Amber sighs as she listens to the pair make their cases against her, believing that it may be worth trying, with Réiltín commenting that “everyone is saying to try Sarah May’s theory of older men… and we’ve got one left. But, no one is saying to try the theory of a younger girl as Traitor just because Natalia was wrong… there’s more reason it could be you, Amber… than anyone else”. Amber coldly asks Réiltín if “you’re still going to push the younger woman Traitor theory when I tell you I’m Faithful tonight. Because, that just leave you…”. Réiltín assures Amber that “it’s a risk (she’s) willing to take” as a Faithful, causing Amber to state “well, I’m glad you’re already mentally prepared to lose this game”. Having kept quiet for much of the Round Table, Maxwell decides to now speak up to reveal the interaction that he had been apart of earlier that day, detailing what Cathy said to both himself and Debbie. Cathy again begins panicking as the story is retold, admitting that “I knew based on how you responded that I had misspoken… and I don’t want this to be what gets me voted out of the game. If you think I’m a Traitor by all means do vote for me, but please do not go based off me being stupid with my own words. We used this same logic with Gordon and we were wrong… people misspeak. I realise this, and I hope I’m given another chance to prove to you all that I am Faithful”. Annoyingly for Maxwell, Debbie begins to also speak up for Cathy, claiming that “my gut tells me it was a genuine mistake… and Maxwell I know you want to find a Traitor… but, you cannot jump at any small thing that comes your way”. Frustrated, Maxwell continues to argue his case against Cathy, telling her that he is sorry if it was “a genuine mistake”, but that “we are failing… I’m not voting Earnest because I know he is Faithful… I’m not voting Amber because I don’t think she is a Traitor. So many of you tonight will vote them and you will regret it. Why vote Amber for the same reasons none of you voted Donny with me at the first Round Table? Is it me? Maybe you just don’t want to listen to me”. Maxwell continues to rant on and on about the others never listening to his theories, eventually being told by Celine that “it isn’t personal, Maxwell… it’s just your passion can come off desperate… in the same way Harry was doing too much”. With discussion time up, Amber, Cathy, and Earnest all appear nervous as they begin casting their votes, with Earnest hesitating for a moment as he begins to rethink his own strategy, having been oblivious to the fact his name would come up at the Round Table until Olly mentioned it. Celeste instructs the players to begin revealing their votes one at a time, with Amber and Earnest both abandoning their suspicions and adopting a survival strategy of voting one another, apologising as they do so. Olly is also shown to have voted Earnest, firmly believing his new theory that he deserves to be looked at as a player, whilst Traitor Cathy votes for Amber, wanting to “finally test the veteran theory”. Maxwell is then shown to have voted for Cathy, exclaiming that “I will vote for you tonight even if no one else listens… because I don’t sit here and lie about my thoughts”. Maxwell is surprised as both Shama and Violetta are also shown to have voted Cathy, having been convinced by his argument and willing to go off ‘actual evidence’. Amber again takes the lead in the votes as Donny and Réiltín unsurprisingly vote to Banish her from the game, bringing the total to 4-3-2. Shocking his fellow Traitors, Anand reveals betrayal as he announces his vote for Cathy, stating that “a slip-up eventually has to be a slip-up rather than a genuine mistake”. In spite of almost seeing their first genuine Traitor Banished, both Celine and Debbie reveal their votes have gone against Amber, eliminating her from the game in a tight 6-4-2 vote. Amber visibly becomes emotional as she stands and heads to the doorway, admitting that she “did it to (herself) by voting the wrong person tonight”. She continues by scolding those who have pushed her name over the past few days, pleading with the other players to “look at who is constantly guiding you in the wrong direction… look at their motivation. I had hopes that I’d finally win a game and go home and say ‘look mom, I did it’… but, again it was taken from me. My only solace is that I can look you all in the eyes right now, and tell you… I was Faithful. Violetta, Anand, Shama, Olly… good luck!” Donny and Réiltín look to one another as their entire theory pushed over the past two rounds has been proven false, leaving the pair embarrassed as they have brought the Faithful’s numbers down yet again. Earnest angrily bangs his chalk on the table, calling himself “stupid, stupid, stupid” for voting Amber, knowing that he did so purely out of self-interested survival. Maxwell begins clapping the others around the table for their “amazing show”, in particular aiming his applause at Donny as he explains “that was all you, friend… good job”.

As the clock strikes midnight, the players begin to say goodnight to one another, truly feeling hopeless as they know another Faithful is hours away from being murdered by the Traitors. Anand, Celine, and an almost eliminated Cathy each arrive at the Traitors Turret, with the latter immediately asking Anand “what the hell was that about?”, clearly infuriated that he would dare to write her name down at the Round Table. Anand quickly defends his actions as being a “decoy for us both”, explaining that “if I didn’t vote you for that when I voted my friend Gordon for the exact same thing… what would that look like for me? It looks bad on me, and then they connect it to you. I did it for us!”. Cathy goes red in the face as she frankly tells Anand “fine, but put my name down again and don’t be surprised if I jump on those just itching to vote you out”. Celine purses her lips and looks awkwardly around the room as the pair argue, widening her eyes as she tries to bring the conversation back to the topic of murder, reminding them that they “had another successful result” with Amber going home. Anand quickly tells the ladies that he wants Debbie murdered, with Cathy pushing back against this, not liking the idea of murdering one of the individuals that had defended her. Violetta’s name is also brought up, with the trio agreeing that she has fallen under the radar lately, and is one of the few who ‘may listen to sense if she is given it’. Finally, the Traitors agree that Olly would be a strong contender to murder, having been the only person to come after Earnest verbally, with his murder ‘giving the impression that Earnest the Traitor is starting to panic’. Realising they have three strong options, the trio discuss for several minutes more before mutually agreeing on a name, and handing the death warrant over to Celeste to carry out their bidding.

### **Episode #8**

As Faithful numbers dwindle to a critical low in the castle, the remaining ten players begin arriving downstairs for breakfast, prepared to now discover who has become the next individual murdered by the still undiscovered Traitors. Maxwell and Earnest are the first two players to arrive, taking their seats as they look over to Amber’s crossed out portrait on the wall, commenting that they both feel the group ‘truly screwed up’ by listening to Donny and Réiltín. The two men shake hands as they agree an alliance moving forward, firmly of the belief that the other is Faithful like themselves, and hoping to use this alliance to finally vote out their first Traitor. However, both men are shown in confessionals to still be on different (but correct) pages, with Earnest desperately wanting to vote Anand, and Maxwell retaining Cathy as his number one choice. Soon, all the players arrive at breakfast other than Debbie, Olly, and Violetta. Ultimately, Violetta and Debbie arrive separately, confirming that it is Faithful Olly who has finally left the game. Earnest appears gradually more annoyed after this announcement, remaining stoic as Celeste removes his portrait from the wall. Debbie notices Earnest’s stern face, verbally prodding him across the table by calling “penny for your thoughts?”, not expecting Earnest to snap back with “I really don’t think for anyone’s sake you wanna hear me speak right now”. Debbie seems taken aback, muttering “rude” after Earnest shuts her down, again leading Earnest to snap at her as he calls out the ‘stupid’ moves everyone has made, gesturing to the crossed out portraits on the wall. Violetta jumps in to scold Earnest, asking him how he is “any different” when it comes to making bad decisions, with Earnest telling her “I’m fed up. I’m so fed up of sitting here every morning and saying we’re doing it differently and we never do. We look like such idiots, and I don’t know about you, but I’m bored of it. I’m so bored. Please, Traitors… if we banish another Faithful tonight… please, just murder me”.

The players leave the breakfast room as they begin to walk around the castle pre-mission, with Earnest’s mini blow-up on everyone’s minds as their toast and cereal digest. Earnest is joined by friends Réiltín and Maxwell outside in the sun, with Anand and Celine joining them to make sure that ‘no one is too upset’ following the earlier conversations. Earnest explains his frustration to the group as being down to numbers, with the theory that there are somewhere between two and four Traitors, meaning that another two Faithfuls going could “leave us tied up and basically hands them the money”. Everybody in the conversation responds to Earnest with cries that they ‘have’ to finally uncover a Traitor, with Anand again telling Earnest that despite his suspicion that he doesn’t believe he is anything but Faithful, hoping that he “can convince you of the same by the end of today, because I am not the Traitor”. Anand goes on to mention that with Olly’s death, both the individuals who voted Earnest last round have been eliminated, posing a belief that “the Traitors want us to look at you, Earnest. I think we need to really take in what Amber said when she said, and look at who is leading us astray”. Celine tells the group that she “cannot come up with a name” at this stage, admitting that she ‘thinks her reads on the game are terrible after Amber was proven Faithful’. Excusing herself, Celine returns to the house, with Violetta then coming over to hug Earnest and mutually apologise for their earlier confrontation. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Anand again asks the group who Amber could have been warning them about, with Maxwell bringing up Donny’s name, pointing out that they “voted for Amber when the same arguments apply to him…”. Violetta somewhat agrees with Maxwell, suggesting that the group of Earnest, Donny, and Réiltín have all gotten this far as “one of you is probably a Traitor”, with Violetta then clarifying that she suspects this person “has to be Donny”. In a confessional, Anand smiles as he mimes stirring the pot, believing that if they can turn the vote on Donny this round then “it will simply be about myself, Celine, and Cathy getting to the end and splitting the money… because these players are paranoid, and they’re looking for any reason to finally catch their Traitor. I have to be careful because my name has come up, and so has Cathy’s… but, Donny is the most secure vote we have at this point to see another Faithful leave”. Earnest and Réiltín listen as the other three mutually make cases as to why their friend and ally Donny could be a Traitor, with their own trust in him waning after the conversation. However, Réiltín is shown in her own confessional stating “Amber said be weary of those leading us astray. I did that. Donny did that. But, Anand does it too. Everyone does it to a degree, but Anand is so hyper fixated on things people say it is as if he’s looking for how to trip others up. I don’t know. Something in my gut today told me that there was something off about how he was talking, and Earnest has been saying this for days now. For the first time… today… I saw what he means”.

Celeste orders the players to break into two teams for their next mission, with the green team consisting of Anand, Earnest, Maxwell, Shama, and Violetta, whilst the blue team consists of Cathy, Celine, Debbie, Donny, and Réiltín. For the mission, both teams are locked in separate cabins located deep in the woods, with the goal simply being to free themselves via escape room-type puzzles. For each team that escapes, £3,000 will be added to the prize fund, and the fastest team to escape additionally receives an opportunity to win a shield at the Armoury. For the green team, Earnest and Violetta direct their teammates, both screaming as they are doused in bugs, leaving usually confident Violetta instead fighting for her sanity as she yells over an equally uncomfortable Earnest. On team blue, Celine and Réiltín take on this role, also both screaming as the bugs fall atop their heads. Despite the gruesomeness of the challenge, both teams are able to perform decently, with a surprising result as the less able looking blue team are the first to escape the cabin, five minutes ahead of their rival green team. Celeste congratulates both teams on bagging £6,000, bringing their current total to £64,200. She confirms that one member of the blue team will additionally win their shield, protecting them from murder should they also survive the next Round Table. Returning to the castle, the blue team bond well as the celebrate their victory in their jeep. Donny laughs as he notes “the gay guy and the four ladies really pulled an upset there”, with Réiltín calling it “the biggest sporting upset in years”. As the fivesome talk in high spirits, Réiltín takes the opportunity to ask them who they’ll be voting at the Round Table, believing it would be “beneficial for all of us if we vote together tonight… especially as the Traitors don’t seem to murder anybody who has a chance of getting the shield. If we all survive this Round Table… then we could all survive the murder too, potentially”. Debbie tells the group she is happy to make this promise, being confident that her vote right now is “between two people on the green team”, with this sentiment also shared by Donny and Celine. Cathy tells the group she is unsure, particularly as she points out that “four people who voted for me are on that other team… they could pull Earnest in and boom that’s five for me… another Faithful gone”. Réiltín tells Cathy that she isn’t sure this will occur, exposing that “Earnest is going to vote Anand again. There’s no way he’ll do anything else. If he does anything else tonight then f\*\*k it guys, he’s a Traitor”. Réiltín goes on to tell the group she is “coming around to the idea that Anand is the Traitor… I think a lot of the clues pointed his way, it’s just they applied to others that we’ve tested first. And then today… he’s pushing it onto you now Donny, and I just… I think he’s playing it so sly and I can’t unsee it now. If I’m wrong again then I’m wrong but I’m not going to quit trying to find a Traitor… so we can all lock it in now and do the five of us on Anand, and if we have Earnest like we should that’s six and he’s gone”. Silence falls over the car as the group realise the dangerous waters they are in, particularly fellow Traitors Cathy and Celine, with the latter noting in a confessional that she has “the power to shut down anything Réiltín is trying here… but would that blow my own cover? I don’t know”.

At the Armoury, the successful blue team enter one at a time to discover who will anonymously win themselves a shield this round. Debbie is shown to be the lucky recipient, confirming her immunity from murder that evening. As the Round Table draws nearer, the players continue their discussions, with the consensus being that either Anand or Donny will be receiving the votes at this next vote. Wanting to find support, Anand pulls fellow Traitor Celine and laid back player Shama to one side, trying to falsely convince the pair that he is a Faithful and that instead they must vote for Donny. Shama admits that she feels negatively towards Donny for the Amber situation, having “seen it in (Amber’s) eyes that she was a Faithful. I think how he did her last night… that was cold, and it was the most Traitor-y thing I’ve seen all game”. Celine agrees with the assessment, also pointing out that Donny has been at the forefront of a lot of decision making, reminding them that he had voted Shama at the second Round Table based off “very little”. Anand goes on to tell the ladies that he theorises “one or two of their group… Donny, Earnest, Réiltín… are Traitors… maybe all of them. If it’s all of them then they’ve been hiding in plain sight this whole time, and I feel very stupid for not noticing this”. Elsewhere, friends and allies Earnest, Donny, and Réiltín gather to discuss the vote, with Earnest more than happy to hear that others are finally coming around to his idea of voting for Anand. However, he becomes frustrated as they discuss that previous Anand voter Maxwell is now ‘unsure’ on voting for him tonight. Instead, Réiltín comments that he is “drinking Anand’s kool-aid on voting for Donny”, with Donny complaining that “(Maxwell’s) had it out for me since the start… like, this isn’t even game it’s just personal because he’s a freak who is mad that no one ever wants to listen to his stupid theories”. The trio continue wallowing in their frustration, nervous that losing Donny tonight would not only put them in a group deficit, but perhaps a Faithful’s deficit for the first time all season. With minutes to go, Réiltín rushes around the castle trying to secure votes, eventually pulling Maxwell, Celine, and Violetta by the stairs, with the conversation between the foursome going back and forth on whether they should vote Anand or Donny. Maxwell tries to convince Réiltín that “if you vote Donny tonight… we can do Anand next… I am not protecting Anand here, I just want to make sure we get a Traitor”, to which Réiltín tells him “and so do I”. However, Violetta voices concern that Réiltín “won’t ever vote for Donny”, fearing that she and Earnest are blinded by friendship or “you all have ulterior motives in your loyalty to one another”. Celine chooses to remain quiet in the conversation, truly observing in this moment to come to a decision on what to do, knowing that she is now one of the swing voters in tonight’s game changing moment.
Arriving at the Round Table, the group begin their back and forth discussion, again with the clarity being that as of this moment either Anand or Donny will be leaving the game. The two men plead their cases as to why they are Faithful, accusing the other of ‘Traitor’-like behaviour in doing so. Anand plays on the heartstrings of the group as being like the ‘father figure’ in the game, hoping that they will recognise “everything I have done has been for us as Faithful to win. I try to always look for evidence, even though it led me to make horrible mistakes in voting out some of my closest friends in this game. Amber gave us a warning, and I think it was to make sure we look at you tonight, Donny”. Meanwhile, Donny accuses Anand of being a sly and strategic talker, receiving back-up from Réiltín and Earnest who both join Donny in exposing that Anand ‘looks for ways to incriminate others’, naming multiple instances where he has done so throughout the season. However, the trio receive backlash from Violetta, accusing their ‘alliance’ as being a dangerous entity in the game, particularly if “one… two… or all three of (them) are Traitors”. Anand begins addressing all the players outside the trio, begging them ‘not to hand victory to the Traitors’ in this moment, believing that leaving an alliance of three players in the game not only gives them too much power, but could be “ignoring the most obvious case of discovering multiple Traitor’s identities that we’ve had this whole game”. Réiltín defends herself and her allies in this moment by telling Anand that “just because I’m still here with my friends doesn’t mean I’m the Traitor. Your friends have repeatedly died or been banished, and you could have played a hand in all of this to cover your own scent”. Speaking up, Cathy throws a spanner in the works as she asks “Anand, you voted me last round table… as did you Maxwell… as did you Violetta… as did you Shama… four of you voted for me, because of a genuine mistake I made. Few of you have tried to even talk to me about this since it happened… and now you want me to listen to you here and vote Donny. Maxwell you’ve made it very clear you still think I’m a Traitor or on your radar, whatever you want to call it. Anand, you’ve said… close to nothing to me. Have you said anything to anyone about that vote?” The group look around at one another as only Shama claims that Anand ‘briefly’ spoke to her about voting for Cathy, leaving Cathy to ask “it seems like Anand you jumped on me when you thought there was traction against me… and now you’re doing the same to Donny. Do you suddenly think I’m Faithful or are you just looking for a scapegoat every time?” Anand glares down his betraying Traitor, knowing that Cathy is certainly acting out some form of revenge after he jeopardised her game at the previous Round Table by voting in her direction. Anand explains to Cathy that he ‘had to vote her’ for the same reasons he ‘had to vote Gordon’, eventually ending his response with “if I can survive tonight and hopefully get Donny out as a Traitor, I definitely think we need to all look at you next Cathy… because I firmly know that what you said was more than a slip-up”. Ending their time, Celeste has the final ten cast and then reveal their votes, with Donny receiving banishment orders off Anand, Maxwell, Shama, and Violetta, whilst Anand receives votes from Earnest, Donny, Réiltín, and fellow Traitor Cathy. Debbie is next to reveal, casting her vote against Anand, praising him as a person but stating that she “listened to both sides… and I felt stronger about the case against you tonight”. Anand sits as the vote hits 5-4, with Traitor Celine being the last player to reveal, either ending Anand’s game or locking the group in the first tie of the season. Shockingly, Celine reveals that she too has voted for Anand, looking him dead on as she says “I think being the heart and soul of this group… either made you the perfect candidate to be a Traitor, or was the perfect gameplay by the Traitor. If it is you, I still have love in my heart… but, I cannot go on pretending that I trust you at this table”. With his fate sealed, Anand straightens his tie and heads over to the doorway before turning and addressing the group. “I want to assure everybody that there are no hard feelings. Excuse me if I get a bit emotional, it is just tough to come so far and find that… people who were meant to have your back didn’t, and that all the arguments you were believing ended up being used against you. I want to first apologise, because I have lied in this game. I kept from you all that I was in fact a metropolitan police officer for many years, and that whilst everything else has been true… I was nervous that any skills I may have would make me a target, particularly at the hand of the Traitors. However, it didn’t really matter about concealing this… because I… was a Traitor myself”. The room erupts into screams of celebration as Anand lets out a relieved laugh, wiping a small tear from his cheek as he cups his hands, wishing everybody luck as the first exposed Traitor is banished from the game.

After receiving their congratulations from Celeste, the players return to the living room as one big unit to mutually celebrate the banishment, with Maxwell, Shama, and Violetta all getting in on the excitement in spite of voting for Donny over Anand. Réiltín jokingly declares “the three of us Traitors my arse” as she hugs Donny and Earnest, with the latter receiving a lot of praise for being the first to catch onto Anand, leading many to feel more confident about his position as a Faithful. Bringing the celebrations to a close, the final nine nervously start heading to bed as the clock strikes midnight, knowing that whilst one of them will be murdered, that they can safely say they were able to outlast at least one Traitor during the game. At the Traitor’s Turret, the two remaining Traitors remove their hoods as they gloomfully look upon one another, embracing in a hug as both Cathy and Celine say ‘it had to be done’ and that they ‘had no choice’. The women reaffirm their loyalty to one another, promising that they need to both remain in the game in order to win and split the money at the end. Before any discussion can be had, Celeste enters the turret, letting the women know that as they have lost their first Traitor in Anand, they now have a choice; attempt to recruit a new Traitor amongst the Faithful, or murder and continue playing. The two women ponder for some time, before Celine firmly pushes that they “need to murder”, believing that this close to the end of the game their best bet is “to keep the Faithful numbers down as low as possible”, especially after Celeste confirms that the Faithful recruited can turn down the Traitor’s offer. Agreeing with Cathy, the women decide to go ahead with their murder, immediately bringing up Earnest’s name for being a ‘dangerous’ player, and somebody who looks ‘painfully Faithful’ after leading the initial charge on Anand. Next, Cathy suggests that they murder Shama, reminding Celine that “nobody thinks Shama is a Traitor anymore… she’ll never pick up a single vote at the Round Table, even after tonight”. Celine questions whether this is true, particularly as her bond with Anand could indicate that she was working alongside him. Finally, both women bring attention onto Réiltín, concerned that she is ‘a lot more impactful of a player’ than they had given her credit for, believing that she was ‘instrumental’ in swaying people against Anand during the car ride. However, Celine reminds Cathy that Réiltín could have the shield, making murdering her a risk, albeit “one that might be worth taking”. Agreeing on a name, the two women pass the death warrant to Celeste, heading back to the castle in order to enact their first murder as a lone pair.

### **Episode #9**

The morning after the first Traitor was correctly identified and banished from the game, the remaining players begin to arrive at breakfast, sorely aware that despite their victory, another play has been murdered by the Traitors that remain overnight. Eventually, just Earnest and Shama remain absent from the breakfast table, leaving those sat around it theorising who has become the next player to leave the game. Réiltín regretfully declares that she suspects her friend and ally Earnest has been murdered, confident that the Traitors would “kill somebody who was able to vote out Anand”. Celine agrees with Réiltín’s assessment, having admitted that she was particularly fearful going to bed last night, believing that she was at risk for voting correctly at the last minute. Debbie joins the two women in admitting her hope that Earnest will be safe, calling him “one of the few people who can actually spot a Traitor”, leaving Violetta to jokingly state “fine guys, just say you want me dead… I know… I am rubbish at this!”. The four women laugh together, with their laughter quickly silenced by a tapping on the door. The door opens, revealing Earnest has in fact survived, confirming it was Faithful Shama who has been ousted from the group, with everybody confident it was due to the fact that she was no longer on anybody’s radar. Earnest admits his own surprise at having survived, confident that either he or Réiltín would have been murdered. In a confessional, Earnest admits concern that “the Traitor… or Traitors… didn’t murder me, Donny, or Réiltín… I don’t see why they wouldn’t. I trust them both… but, it makes you think”. After Celeste leaves the room with Shama’s portrait in hand (joking that she’s “keeping this one for the memories”), the players continue their conversations, leaving Cathy time to speak with Maxwell about his suspicion on her, hoping to alleviate those worries so she doesn’t share the same fate as departed Traitor Anand. Maxwell tells Cathy that he is still struggling to see past her remarks, knowing that it could be a genuine mistake, but that he “still need (her) to convince me of that”. Cathy asks Maxwell why she shouldn’t be weary of him, reminding him that he was one of two players left that didn’t vote Anand out, implying that he or Violetta could be a Traitor. The two promise to continue their pleasantries, hoping for their sakes that by the end of the day there is a target that bears neither of their names.

Preparing for their next mission, Cathy, Celine, Debbie, and Réiltín sit together in the billiard room, discussing what strategy they can use to discover the next Traitor. Celine recommends letting somebody “dig their own grave”, believing that with Anand gone the other Traitor may begin panicking, a sentiment shared by the other women. Debbie tells the three ladies that she doesn’t suspect any of them at this stage, instead thinking that it could be Violetta for her lack of vote against Anand. Cathy jumps on this comment, choosing to push it as a narrative, believing that one of Maxwell or Violetta is the next Traitor, and that they were unwilling to vote Anand for that reason in spite of the evidence against him. In a confessional, Réiltín reveals that she disagrees with the other women on the matter, instead believing that Shama’s murder would make it “less likely that Maxwell or Violetta is the Traitor”, not sure either would be stupid enough to lower the suspect pool which they are in. Instead, Réiltín voices her semi-confidence in both being Faithful, believing that “Cathy or Celine feel more like the last Traitor at this point… just going off how people behaved leading up to the vote… I really do think at least one of them was the Traitor, which is why Anand was so keen to tell us he felt betrayed”. The women agree to reconvene before the Round Table, with Cathy stating that they ‘unfortunately cannot rule out the theory on the trio’, wanting attention to be put on Donny, Earnest, and Réiltín herself for their survival up to this stage. In a confessional, Cathy claims that she doesn’t want to narrow her options like Anand did in his final moments, instead believing a strategy of getting “as many names out on the table as possible” to be the wisest one at this pivotal vote. Driving to their next mission, Earnest, Debbie, Celine, and Maxwell talk to one another in the car, questioning if there will be a better consensus on voting now that they ‘know what kind of player they’re looking for’. Maxwell admits that he sees “more chaos than ever”, suggesting he hasn’t heard anybody being on the same page. Earnest agrees, laughing as he remarks that he hopes “one of you has a lead because if not maybe my time is done… ‘the trio’ is all I’m getting”. Debbie and Celine both tell Earnest that they are not behind the trio theory at this stage, whilst Maxwell cautiously laughs as he again admits that “there’s something about Donny… I’m telling you all… we need to try him eventually or he’ll get all that money”. Celine then jokes to Maxwell “just keep pushing his name out and failing, and he can’t kill you…”, causing the others in the car to laugh.

The players arrive at a museum-like exhibit, with artifacts spread across the room, each being labelled with a particular value that in total adds up to £7,000. Celeste informs the players that they simply “must take an item… and get it across the line on the other side of the room”, with the game then shown to be much more difficult than expected, as lasers fire from both sides of the wall to detect any movement. Breaking a laser costs the group one minute of their time, with any artifact being carried in that moment being lost. After all eight contestants have made an attempt, they are given a second opportunity to pass. First up, Cathy takes on the course, knocking a laser fairly early on and earning nothing for the team. Celine is next up, reaching an artifact that reads ‘shield’ rather than a number value, rejecting the others pushing her to take it, instead commenting that she ‘wants to get money for the team’ rather than play selfishly. Celine is able to get £400 across the line, with Debbie next up and hitting a laser. Earnest, Donny, and Violetta also have no luck on their first pass, whilst Maxwell and Réiltín bring in £2,000 and £1,000 respectively. For the second round, Cathy again is unable to make her crossing, with Celine again nabbing £500 for the prize pot. Debbie is unable to reach any of the numbered items, but instead claims the shield, bringing it across the line. Unlike Violetta, Earnest this time is able to get an item of value, adding a further £400 for the group. Maxwell loses a high numbered item just inches away from finishing, whilst Réiltín and Donny collect £800 and £200 respectively. Overall, Celeste informs the group that they have claimed £5,300 for the prize pot, as well as a shield from murder which is currently held by Debbie. However, Debbie announces that it “wouldn’t be right” to hold onto the shield, feeling as though she took it simply as it was the easiest item to claim, instead believing that she wants “to use this to protect someone who throughout this game has been a great friend to me”, handing the shield to Celine. The whole group applaud Debbie’s selflessness, with Celine initially trying to dissuade Debbie from handing her the shield, only to be pressured by the others into receiving it. The final eight all head to their cars, being driven back to the house in order to begin their last minute plotting before the next Round Table.

Arriving back at the house, Earnest puts his arm around Debbie as he praises her selflessness, admitting that “if you’re anything but Faithful after that… good job because you’ve fooled me… take the money… you won, Debbie”. Debbie becomes teary at the appraisal, mentioning that she wouldn’t have it in her to hold onto something she has already won, revealing that she in fact held the shield the previous evening. In a confessional, Debbie talks about the game being particularly stressful, remarking that she has particularly close bonds with Celine, Cathy, Réiltín, and Maxwell, hoping that one of them will be able to win the money. Sitting in the living area, Cathy begins prodding Réiltín for information on the vote, asking what names are coming up and who she thinks they should vote. Réiltín admits that she is unsure, having heard a multitude of names throughout the day, with her current feeling right now being “maybe we vote Celine? She didn’t want the shield… I know she said she’s playing for the group but… that mission was hard… she could have just thought let me protect myself… especially if she was as scared of being murdered last night as she claims”. Cathy agrees with Réiltín, not wanting to go in too hard on her fellow Traitor, but also not wanting to rock the boat and appear defensive. Keeping her own suspicion of Cathy secret, Réiltín begins asking the mother of two who she believes to be Faithful at this point, and how she would like them to win the game. Cathy claims to be unsure, clearly trying to place her words carefully, telling Réiltín “we need to vote out the last Traitors… I think it could be Maxwell or Violetta… I think we need to look at Donny or Earnest because why they’re both still alive… I don’t know”. Listening to the names, Réiltín again asks Cathy “but you’re still good with voting Celine tonight, if we have to?”, with Cathy quickly reminding Réiltín that she ‘isn’t sure on Celine’, and will vote her if enough others want to do so. Réiltín heads with this information to another group discussion, sliding herself between Earnest and Donny on the sofa as they listen to Debbie and Maxwell talk about their own thoughts. Eventually, Maxwell mentions Cathy’s name alongside Donny’s as his main suspects, still frustrated that nobody wants to hear him out on what she said. Réiltín clarifies to Maxwell that she is also suspicious of Cathy, pointing out that she just “threw out pretty much every name left in the game to me… other than mine and Debbie’s… it just feels sort of desperate and out of nowhere”, although Debbie clarifies that “we all aren’t sure based on how that last reveal went”. Maxwell jumps in by exclaiming “but, it’s messy! It’s the sort of messy thing a Traitor does… I just feel like we can do her tonight. And I know you (Donny) think I’m an arsehole for coming so hard at you… but, if you vote for Cathy tonight and she is a Traitor I really will say okay, maybe I am wrong on him…”, promising that if he is also wrong on Cathy then “at that point I am a useless Faithful and you vote me out, as I don’t deserve to play”. Réiltín exposes further that Cathy was both hesitant and up for voting Celine, with nobody else seeming too keen on that idea, feeling as though Cathy is ‘moving like Anand when he turned on Gordon’. The fivesome sit together and ponder, with Donny and Earnest both noting that they need to make a decision, knowing that a move against Cathy could be the perfect recipe following Anand’s banishment, or an excellent outcome for the Traitors.

At the Round Table, discussion again falls around who has similarities to Anand’s playstyle, with a few players mentioning that both Donny and Cathy are the type of players who ‘throw names out’ to save themselves, with both putting this down to paranoia, claiming that Anand’s status reveal has ‘spooked’ them further. Again, the idea that one or two members of the trio alliance being Traitors is discussed, with everybody believing that it ‘makes the most sense in explaining how they have all reached this stage of the game’. Cathy then brings up the non-Anand voters theory again, although she is surprised to receive pushback from Réiltín on this, who claims that “I don’t think that Violetta… or even Maxwell… is stupid enough to do this. There’s four people who don’t vote a Traitor…including that Traitor. The Traitor says he’s betrayed. Then, knowing that they’re being looked at as three people left… they murder Shama who was Faithful, and give us a fifty-fifty… or maybe if they’re both Traitors… a one hundred percent chance of striking? That’s ludicrous. I think even as a decoy that’s just stupid. And if there’s one thing we know about the Traitor who makes it this far… they’re anything but stupid”. Earnest voices agreement with Réiltín’s point, commenting that “other than already thinking that Maxwell is Faithful… I just don’t see Violetta doing that… it doesn’t make sense to me either. I think whoever the Traitor is, they voted Anand last night for sure. Which leaves six of us… and I know it isn’t me… so that leaves five. It’s just now me asking which of the five of you it is”. Violetta then speaks up, announcing that “I’m voting you Donny… or you Cathy tonight… I don’t know who right now, and I don’t know what I’m going off because this game is confusing and obviously I had no idea Anand was a Traitor, so I just hope one of you is and I vote right”. Cathy and Donny again take turns defending themselves, both appearing more panicked as the time moves on, seeming as though one of them will be banished by the end of the evening. However, Réiltín decides to bring up Celine’s name, questioning Celine why she was hesitant to go for the shield, with Celine stating that she is “happy to give it back to Debbie”, leading Réiltín to further question her behaviour as “odd”, not sure why Celine is so against the shield when “you told us this morning… that you genuinely believed you were at risk of murder after voting Anand”. Celine prepares to defend herself, only to receive a shock as fellow Traitor Cathy speaks up in agreement with Réiltín, believing that “Celine, you’re probably one of the last people to sit at this table who hasn’t had a vote come your way or your name come up properly. I ask myself why that is, and why the Traitors haven’t murdered you like they did Shama… and Olly… and pretty much anyone who appeared ‘Faithful’”. Celine coldly responds that Cathy seems “to know a lot about a Traitor mindset”, reminding the group that “(she is) the one who made comments before on what the Traitors do and don’t think and who the murders are between”. In a confessional, Cathy explains her heartbreak at having to come for Celine, but that it “felt like the walls were getting tighter around me… and I think exposing another Traitor is the only move I have left”. Maxwell sides with Celine as she raises the points, telling everybody that they went off evidence of behaviour with Anand, and that “the person who matches this behaviour… is Cathy… even more than Donny”. Cathy attempts one final defence by bringing up “Anand voted for me, if you all remember clearly… why would he come for another Traitor? And who voted with him? The same people who then didn’t vote him out the next round”. Several players look conflicted after Cathy’s final defence, clearly feeling swayed by her decent arguments, seeing a pattern between those who didn’t vote Anand and those who had tried to oust her the round prior. Celeste asks the players to begin revealing their votes, with Cathy beginning by announcing that she has voted for Celine, declaring “you’ve not been looked at… perhaps it is time you got the attention we’ve all put up with”. Celine in return votes for Cathy, choosing to say little as she does so, clearly angered with the betrayal off another Traitor. Maxwell is next to reveal, also voting for Cathy, hoping that his theory from two rounds prior will finally be put to the test. Earnest and Donny are next to reveal, both joining those voting against Cathy, confident that her behaviour has been enough to put her top of their suspect list. Réiltín puts the final nail in Cathy’s coffin, receiving a knowing smile as she states “Cathy, you’re a great lady… a really great lady… but, you’ve been panicking ever since Anand left this game, and I think we’re about to find out why. Hopefully…”. Ultimately, Cathy is revealed to be banished in a unanimous 7-1 vote, with the players voting as one unit for the first time all season. Cathy stands, heading over to the doorway as she turns to address the group one final time to reveal her role in the game; “I see that you all came together to vote, and it was something I have wanted us to do for a while, I just hate to see that it came about with my name on the ballot. Anand helped push suspicion onto my name, and it seems so bizarre to me that you would take the word of a Traitor… and follow through with that tonight. So bizarre… because I… am a Traitor too. Faithful… well done!”. Cathy laughs as the group erupt into cheers, leaving the room with a smile on her face as her deception finally comes to an end. Celeste congratulates the players on uncovering another Traitor back-to-back, asking the eternal question “How many Traitors remain? If any? I told you all no matter what, the game will continue… and only when four of you remain will you have the option to end this game, if you believe everybody to be Faithful. Another murder will take place tonight… so rest up, or don’t… for someone’s long sleep is merely hours away”.

In another perfect Round Table result, the remaining seven players celebrate their unanimous vote on Cathy, feeling empowered that two Traitors have been banished, giving the Faithful players the morale boost they needed to truly believe they can win the game. The players begin discussing as to whether they believe any Traitors remain, confused how the game could continue unless there was ‘at least one left’. However, some players begin revealing theories that murder may be determined based off missions or past votes, with Earnest and Maxwell being declared ‘safe’ based on the latter theory. With little to go off, the players head to bed, unaware who or how the next murder will take place due to the confusion as to the status of remaining Traitors. Lone Traitor Celine heads to the Traitor’s Turret, standing alone as she is joined by Celeste, again being asked whether she would like to recruit a Faithful, potentially giving her better odds of reaching the end. However, Celine decides to again reject the offer, believing “I can win this on my own… I don’t think there has been too much suspicion on me. I can murder alone… I can try my best… I think to recruit, it could make things more difficult. I saw tonight Cathy was willing to turn on me, and Anand was willing to turn on Cathy… I don’t want to have to manage a whole new Traitor that I’ve not worked with at all this game. I’m staying solo, Celeste”. Celeste accepts Celine’s decision, wishing her luck as she has the sole power to murder for the first time all season. Celine immediately rules out murdering Réiltín, knowing that she is suspicious of her, and that “I’d be an idiot to kill the one person who may suspect me straight away”. Additionally, Celine decides that both Earnest and Maxwell must stay in the game, as the theory murders will go based off past votes “would be destroyed if I were to murder either of them”. Finally, Donny is selected as a “no-go”, knowing that he will always have a target looming over his head, and also keeping the ‘trio’ theory alive an extra round. Thus, Celine finds that Debbie and Violetta are her only options, with her gut telling her to kill Violetta due to her friendship and loyalty to Debbie, particularly after she gave her the shield at the previous mission. However, Celine also contemplates that murdering Debbie would “be far too cold… far, far too calculated… for it to possibly be me… would it? Surely they wouldn’t assume that was me…”. Moreover, Celine refers to Debbie’s weakness in missions, and that keeping Violetta would “have somebody who is very much on the ‘vote Donny’ train”, but worries that “it is harder to guide Violetta than it is for me to guide Debbie”. Celine sighs as she contemplates both names, eventually reaching a decision and hesitantly putting it down on the death warrant, aware that now completely alone she has an uphill battle if she wishes to steal the prize pot from the remaining five Faithful.