The Traitors (UK)/Series 2

## Season Information

### Filming Location

Ardross Castle, Ardross, Highland, United Kingdom

## Cast

### Contestants

22* 3 original Traitors
* 19 initial Faithfuls

### Traitors

Ash Bibi
Harry Clark
Paul Gorton
Miles Asteri (from Episode 1)
Andrew Jenkins (from Episode 8)
 Ross Carson (from Episode 9)

## Season Chronology

### Next Season

*Series 3*

***The Traitors Series 2*** is the second season of *The Traitors (UK)*. It airs thrice weekly from Wednesdays to Fridays at 9:00pm, starting from January 3, 2024.

## Background

An official renewal of the show was announced on February 27, 2023, consisting of another 12-episode pickup. Series executive producer Toni Ireland revealed that new twists would be introduced to shake things up and throw out people's preconceived gameplans. Filming took place for approximately 2 weeks over the first half of September 2023.

On November 2, 2023, even before the air date for Series 2 was announced, applications for *Series 3* were opened for a spring-summer 2024 filming schedule. The show was then announced to premiere in early 2024, which was then later revealed to be January 3 - alongside the number of contestants and airing schedule.

### Aftershows

    It was announced on December 1, 2023 that an accompanying 'visual podcast' titled *The Traitors: Uncloaked* would air on BBC Two and iPlayer, hosted by comedian Ed Gamble. It would feature contestants and celebrity fans discussing the events of the series, and also include bonus footage where Murdered and Banished contestants learn of the Traitors' identities.

    An extended version with additional guests, further theories and essential analysis would also be available on BBC Sounds. The cast was officially revealed on January 2, 2024 at midnight.

## Unique Characteristics & Twists

* **Secret Pre-existing Relationship:** Contestants Diane and Ross Carson, who are mother and son, competed as individual contestants. This pre-existing relationship was not initially revealed to the other contestants.
* **Early Recruitment:** Instead of committing a Murder on their first night, the Traitors were instead allowed to Recruit a Faithful from the start of the game onwards, before any Traitors were Banished.
* **Armoury Removal:** Shields were no longer given out at random through Armoury visits; instead, contestants had the chance to go for Shields during Challenges.
* **The Dungeon:** A modified version of the On Trial twist was introduced, with four contestants being Condemned by the Traitors to The Dungeon (Traitors could also Condemn themselves), where they would be held until the next Round Table, unable to interact with the other contestants. They were also the only contestants eligible to be Murdered the following night. The others took part in a Mission, winning the right to choose one Condemned contestant to save.
* **Murder in Plain Sight:** At the end of Episode 6, there was no Traitor's conclave. Instead, the Traitors had to retrieve a Poisoned Chalice from a book and persuade a Faithful to drink from it before midnight, in order to Murder them.

## Contestants

 **Active: Traitor**

 **Active: Faithful**

 **Active: Traitor**

 **Active: Faithful**

 **Active: Faithful**

 **Active: Faithful**

 **Active: Faithful**

 **Banished: Traitor**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

 **Banished: Traitor**

 **Banished: Traitor**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

 **Banished: Traitor**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

 **Banished: Faithful**

 **Murdered: Faithful**

## Voting History

1. ↑ Instead of a Traitors' conclave, the Murder took place in plain sight, with the Traitors convincing a Faithful to drink from a poisoned chalice.
2. ↑ Ash, Brian & Diane were tied for the most plurality of votes. They were ineligible to vote again in the tiebreaker, while the other contestants voted to Banish one of them.

## Season Overview

### Episode 1

*Airdate: January 3, 2024*

* **Traitors Selected:** Ash, Harry & Paul
* **Recruitment:** Miles *(Accepted)*
* **Mission Synopsis:** Beacon Lighting
Together, players worked together to build a giant beacon and set it alight in the middle of a loch, by gathering and rearranging the puzzle pieces for the beacon first. To guide the group, a replica of the puzzle was also hidden among bottles scattered along the loch shore. In order to set it ablaze, all players must have left the water; however, they were first tied up to a pole, and needed to untangle themselves first, and deciding whether to go for a Shield (two in the loch and one on land), start the puzzle or help someone untie themselves first. Completing the Mission within 40 minutes would earn the group £15,000.
* **Prize Earned:** £15,000 out of £15,000
* **Shields:** Kyra, Harry & Jaz

### Episode 2

*Airdate: January 4, 2024*

* **Murdered:** *Aubrey*
* **Mission Synopsis:** Bird Calls
The group of 21 contestants were split into three trios of 'runners' who ran about the castle grounds with a marked map, and a group of 12 that stayed behind in the castle. Within a time limit of 25 minutes, the runners located various stations, where they heard a bird call after blowing their whistles. They then imitated this call back to the castle group via radios; the castle group then had to search among various stuffed birds to find the one that made the right call, as well as where it could be found (with only one guess per bird call). Each correct bird call identified (with a maximum of 6) netted £1,000, alongside a bird in the Walled Garden that would net the runners that mimicked it Shields if the castle group guessed it correctly.
* **Prize Earned:** £4,000 out of £6,000
* **Shields:** Andrew, Anthony & Paul
* **Banished:** *Sonja* (15-2–2-1-1)

### Episode 3

*Airdate: January 5, 2024*

* **Murdered:** *Kyra*
* **Mission Synopsis:** Scarecrow Search
The group of 19 contestants were split into three groups, each with their own marked paths. They encountered three questions about their fellow contestants based on a previously-completed questionnaire, with each possible option associated with a scarecrow that had a key on their neck. They had to guess the correct option, carry the scarecrow to a locked box and attempt to open it with the scarecrow's key. If they succeeded, they would be eventually guided to a 'field of gold' full of scarecrows, which they dissembled to try and find ten hidden gold coins worth £1,000 each. Additionally, three Shields were hidden in scarecrows with hats on. The group had 20 minutes to complete entire Mission and win up to £10,000.
* **Prize Earned:** £8,000 out of £10,000
* **Shields:** Jasmine & Zack

### Episode 4

*Airdate: January 10, 2024*

* **Banished:** *Brian* (7-6-3)
* **Condemned:** Andrew, Ash, Meg & Paul
* **Mission Synopsis:** Big Dig
The 14 contestants were divided into two teams of seven. First, they had to dig up golden nuggets from a huge pile of dirt worth £25 each. They then had to cross a series of floating platforms to the other side of a pond and deposit their team's nuggets on the corresponding colour-coded plate of a balance scale. They had 15 minutes to dig up, transport and deposit as many nuggets as they could, and the winning team also had the power to save one Condemned contestant in the dungeon from being Murdered that night.
* **Prize Earned:** £5,300 out of £10,000
* **Immune from Murder:** Andrew
* **Banished:** *Ash* (14-1-1-1-1)

### Episode 5

*Airdate: January 11, 2024*

* **Murdered:** *Meg*
* **Mission Synopsis:** Catapult Build
The 16 contestants had to make their way to an incomplete giant catapult, collecting 10 catapult pieces along the way to fully assemble it. Once complete, they then had to fire a golden cannonball and make sure it hit the distant target to win £10,000. They had 90 minutes to complete the Mission. Along the route, five Shield cannonballs could also be collected, and each contestant holding these cannonballs would be eligible to fire them at the target as well. The contestant whose Shield cannonball came closest to the target bullseye would then win a Shield.
* **Prize Earned:** £10,000 out of £10,000
* **Shield:** Ross
* **Banished:** *Jonny* (12-2-1-1)

### Episode 6

Airdate: *January 12, 2024*

* **Murdered:** *Tracey*
* **Mission Synopsis:** The Traitors' Cemetery
The 15 contestants had 15 minutes to find the gold hidden in the various graves, crypts and tombs in the cemetery at night. To find the gold, the contestants needed to use tools scattered around the cemetery to break things open. The gold would only be counted if it was placed in a wheelbarrow at the cemetery entrance. To make things more difficult, searchlights traversed across the cemetery; any contestant caught in them were immediately eliminated from the game. A Shield was also hidden somewhere in the cemetery.
* **Prize Earned:** £7,250 out of £10,000
* **Shield:** Jasmine
* **Banished:** *Anthony* (7-3-2-1-1)

### Episode 7

*Airdate: January 17, 2024*

* **Murdered:** Diane
* **Mission Synopsis:** Resting Place
The contestants took a long and slow walk to the Murdered contestant's final resting place; along the way, they were given a series of questions hinting at who was safe, allowing those who were the correct answer(s) to enter the carriage instead of walking with the procession, and eliminating them from consideration. The three contestants left then stepped into coffins at the burial plot, with the group voting on who they believe was Murdered. If the majority could correctly guess which contestant was Murdered, they earned £7,000 for the prize pot.
* **Prize Earned:** £7,000 out of £7,000
* **Banished:** *Miles* (9-2-1)

### Episode 8

*Airdate: January 18, 2024*

* **Recruitment:** Andrew *(Accepted)*
* **Mission Synopsis:** Knockout Comp
Each contestant had a stained glass window with their name on it. They then had to take turns to fire from a crossbow at a window of their choice. The contestants' task was to shatter all the windows except one - whoever's window was left standing would win a Shield. In the meantime, each missed crossbow shot before this was accomplished would cost the group £100 from a starting pot of £7,000.
* **Prize Earned:** £3,600 out of £7,000
* **Shield:** Mollie
* **Banished:** *Paul* (7-4)

### Episode 9

*Airdate: January 19, 2024*

* **Murdered:** Charlie
* **Mission Synopsis:** Tunnel Crawl
The contestants were dropped off at a cabin in the woods, where they found the entry to a network of escape tunnels, a map and instructions. Only five contestants could enter the tunnel at one time, while everyone else stayed behind to read the map, control the tunnel lights and communicate with those underground. The contestants had to locate gold hidden in various parts of the tunnel network, avoid any dead ends and escape the tunnels through a well within 30 minutes, all while avoiding a range of annoyances (both above and underground) meant to gross them out. Up to £8,000 could be discovered and won, but for every contestant left in the cabin or tunnels when time ran out, £1,000 was deducted from the total. Additionally, a Shield was hidden in one of the tunnels.
* **Prize Earned:** £5,000 out of £8,000
* **Shield:** Harry
* **Banished:** *Charlotte* (6-2-1)
* **Recruitment:** Ross *(Accepted)*

### Episode 10

*Airdate: January 24, 2024*

* **Mission Synopsis:** Navigating the Woods
The eight remaining contestants were split into four pairs, and tasked with carrying £10,000 worth of gold through the woods. While making their way through the woods, each pair would encounter trivia or puzzle questions with two options they could pick from. They then had to follow a rope course based on their choice and have one member attempt to pick up a scroll along the way; if they were correct, they could continue on, but if they were wrong, they would be stuck in a bog or booby trap. The gold would only be banked if at least one member of each pair completed the course successfully. In addition, they could also risk their gold at the end of the course and attempt to obtain a Shield by answering a final puzzle question correctly.
* **Prize Earned:** £3,000 out of £10,000
* **Shield:** *No one*
* **Banished:** *Ross* (6-1-1)

### Episode 11

*Airdate: January 25, 2024*

* **Murdered:** TBD
* **Mission Synopsis:** TBD
* **Prize Earned:** TBD
* **Shield:** TBD
* **Banished:** TBD

### Episode 12

*Airdate: January 26, 2024*

* **Murdered:** TBD
* **Mission Synopsis:** TBD
* **Prize Earned:** TBD
* **Banished:** TBD
* **Winners:** TBD
* **Runners-Up:** TBD

## Trivia

* With 83.3% of all Traitors (both Original and Recruited) this season being men, this is the season with the most skewed gender ratio for Traitors internationally.

## References

1. ↑ Goldbart, Max (February 27, 2023). ‘The Traitors’ Season 2 Greenlit By BBC. *Deadline*. Retrieved on December 25, 2023.
2. ↑ Percival, Ash (May 17, 2023). This Is How The Traitors Is Tackling The 'Difficult' Problem Posed By Its Second Series. *Huffington Post*. Retrieved on December 25, 2023.
3. ↑ Ward, Amelia (August 31, 2023). BBC One confirms return of major show – and filming has already started. *Daily Mirror*. Retrieved on December 25, 2023.
4. ↑ The Traitors | BBC — November 2, 2023
5. ↑ Post by Studio Lambert | Twitter — November 25, 2023
6. ↑ The Traitors series 2 - Everything you need to know | BBC — November 25, 2023
7. ↑ The Traitors: Uncloaked comes to the BBC | BBC — December 1, 2023
8. ↑ Meet The Traitors series 2 contestants | BBC Media Centre — January 2, 2024