The Traitors returns to BBC One tomorrow, and it’s almost time to meet the characters as they make their way into the castle.
The suspenseful game of deception and bluff returns for season 2 on Wednesday night, with Claudia Winkleman at the helm, as the Faithfuls use every weapon at their disposal to try to identify the Traitors lurking among them.
The 22 participants this year come from diverse areas of life, from a self-described clairvoyant to a handicap model.
The first series saw participants separated, with secret Traitors entrusted with’murdering’ the Faithfuls in the Scottish highlands, and the latest crop appears to be prepared to go to any length to win.
They closed the nights with a round table where they had to locate the traitors and ‘banish’ them from the game after attempting to earn the reward of up to £120,000 by completing a number of activities each day.
It’s time to meet this year’s competitors…
Andrew
The 45-year-old insurance broker from Talbot Green, Wales, who defines himself as having a ‘larger-than-life personality’ and is risk averse, says he wants to encourage others who have ‘had a horrible event or suffered with their mental health’ to never give up.
He nearly died on a roadside more than 20 years ago, leaving him with brain damage, in a coma, and his parents told he would never walk again.
He also hopes that his background in close protection security, keeping an eye on London VIPs, will help him be prepared to be ‘on his toes, be alert, and be able to adapt at the drop of a hat’.
Anthony
Chess tutor Anthony, 45, from Birmingham, revealed he is apprehensive because he is inherently personable, ‘which might create terror into certain people,’ and that even if he is a Faithful, he would need to utilise a “human shield” during the round table.
He’s willing to do anything to win too, saying: ‘When I started to watch series one, I thought that this is a game where basically everybody’s expendable.
‘Like a game of chess, every piece on the board is expendable, the only thing that matters is the king, that’s it. And ultimately, the idea is to checkmate and win the game.’
Ash
The 45-year-old London events coordinator believes that “the best way for me to win is to be a Traitor,” where she can offer “strong alliances.”
‘It’s a game, and if I need to wipe the floor with you to win, then that’s exactly what I’ll do,’ Ash insisted. ‘That sounds so horrible! I don’t mean to be horrible, but you know, it’s a game and I’m playing to win.’
Ash said if she wins she will spend the money on getting on the property ladder as she does not want to be ‘renting when I’m 60 years old, renting with housemates’.
Aubrey
Aubrey, a retired business owner, feels his moustache will help him keep his poker face.
‘I don’t give things away easily,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a moustache and, unless I’m smiling, I think it makes me a look a bit more serious.’
The contender from Loughborough, Leicestershire, has stated that if he wins, he would donate the money to the Mykonos Animal Welfare Foundation in Greece, where he frequently vacations.
Brian
The 33-year-old Glasgow photographer, who has played the Werewolf game, which has a similar concept, feels he would be “quite entertaining,” but fears he “might crumble under pressure.”
Brian believes he has a better chance of winning if he becomes a loyal and ‘observes others and takes notes when I’m alone at night like a mad man’.
Charlie
Because she wears hearing aids, the mental health area manager, 34, would decline a sound-based challenge.
‘Anything like the bell ringing challenge I wouldn’t be too excited for because I wear hearing aids,’ she admitted. ‘But I’m good with other people and I like to think I’m observant, not just with people but also with my surroundings’.
Charlie, from Bristol, added she is concerned that ‘people misjudge me a lot of the time because I’m a bit nuts and constantly jumping around and being a lunatic’, and she hopes to use the money to get married following a nine-year engagement to her partner.
Charlotte
Charlotte from Warwickshire, who used to compete in poker tournaments, believes no one would suspect her because she can play ‘the ditzy one’.
The recruitment manager said: ‘I used to play poker tournaments and they used to just think “Who’s the bimbo at the end of the table?” but I’d still make it to the end.’
Charlotte, 32, plans to use the money to fly her dogs Lady and Lolly on a private plane, which means they won’t have to sit in the hold, so she and her wife can travel across America in a campervan.
Diane
The 63-year-old former Lancashire teacher claims she has taught “some very difficult kids” and understands how to stay cool.
If she is a Traitor, Diane said: ‘You have to be very careful about who you get friendly with. I might find it hard, but I’d still like to say I’d be able to go the whole way.’
Evie
The 29-year-old veterinary nurse from Inverness revealed she enrolled because she is “having a bit of an existential crisis” as she approaches 30.
She explained: ‘When I turned 29, I said to myself, “I’m going to do 30 things before I’m 30 that I’ve always wanted to do.” I ran the Edinburgh Marathon this year, I’ve visited Scottish islands and I do a lot of hiking.’
‘Working my way through my list I still had two more things to complete,’ she added, with two blank choices, and The Traitors making up the final one.
People would not suspect someone who is blonde, has dimples, and works with animals, according to Evie.
Harry
The British Army engineer from Slough aspires to be a traitor because he is a bit of a ‘Jekyll and Hyde,’ referring to Robert Louis Stevenson’s fictional monster-doctor combo.
Harry, 22, is a corporal who hopes to utilise his experience as a Faithful.
He’d aim to be “that person who carries everyone on my back so we can cross the finish line.”
Jasmine
Jasmine, 26, feels she would be satisfied to be a Traitor in order to “steal the large pot of money.”
The sales professional, on the other hand, said that her ‘naturally extremely empathetic’ nature qualified her for the job of Faithful.
If she wins, she plans to assist her parents, who have been “going through some tough financial times.”
Jaz
The 30-year-old national account manager from Manchester insists that nothing has meant more to him than participating on The Traitors.
Jaz believes that being a Faithful is dependent on being able to build a clique of the ‘strongest and most influential individuals,’ while he’d like to follow Wilfred’s lead if he’s on the opposite side.
‘That little rascal was really good. When I was watching it, I was thinking “If only I could be in his position… but get to the end,”‘ he said.
Jonny
Jonny, 31, from Bedfordshire is ex-military, and described himself as someone with disabilities who enjoys ‘psychological things’ and is ‘a problem solver’.
He said: ‘I can be a bit scatty sometimes and I’m worried that because I’ve done so much in my life, people are going to start hearing more and more as I spend more time with them and think I’m just talking rubbish.’
Kyra
Kyra, a 21-year-old apprentice economist from Kent, is close to her sisters, and they watched the US version together, which inspired her to join up.
She said: ‘The main motivation behind it is that my sister is getting married soon, we come from a lower-class background and I’d love to win something to help towards her wedding – and hopefully honeymoon.’
Meg
Meg, 22, from Herefordshire has insisted she ‘wouldn’t throw somebody under the bus so that I could win more’ of the prize, so she’s unsure about being a Traitor.
The illustrator wants to spend the money on ‘the most expensive pair of dungarees ever’ and a Scottish motorhome trip.
Miles
The veterinary nurse from Birmingham, who now lives in Worcestershire, says he has lived the ‘cookie cutter’ life of having a marriage, going to college, and raising a family and believes this will be a refreshing break.
Miles, 36, said when he told his mother he was doing TV, she said it was OK ‘as long as it’s not something like Love Island’.
He joked: ‘I said to her “Mum, I do not have the body for Love Island.” I am also married with children, so that’s definitely not the show for me!’
Mollie
Mollie, 21, from Bristol, believes that seeming ‘innocent’ and young will benefit her in the game if she becomes a Traitor.
The disability model, who also works as a healthcare assistant, believes she is also able to be ‘quite good at building that relationship but also separating myself in a way which I feel like will be really good in the game’.
And if she is a Faithful, she believes her background with a ‘very bad’ brother will aid her in identifying anybody lying in the castle.
‘Growing up he misbehaved a little bit in school and wouldn’t tell my parents, but I always knew,’ she added. ‘So, I feel like I can always recognise the signs.’
Paul
The business manager from Manchester thinks as someone who has done stand-up, he can use his comedy skills to ‘diffuse situations when they get so tense’.
Paul, 36, also quipped that if he becomes a Traitor, he will ‘never wash’ his shirt after Claudia touched his shoulder during the round table to covertly tell them which side they are on.
He added: ‘Well, if Claudia touches my shoulder, I’m never washing that top again. I hope that happens because the more I think about what the show is, it is about the real Traitors, right? To participate in the show fully is to be a Traitor I think.’
Ross
Ross, 28, from Lancashire joked that appearing on The Traitors is a ‘good excuse to tell my business partner that I just can’t work for three weeks’.
The video director also said that being a Traitor would put him on ‘edge’ and feel a ‘bit gutted’ because he’ll have to actually ‘play a game’ instead of being himself.
Sonja
The 66-year-old volunteer business mentor revealed that her “game plan” is to “knit my way to the finals.”
Sonja, from Lancashire, also said she learned to read body language cues from her son Dan, who died two years ago, and was ‘severely disabled with autism and other disabilities, and was nonverbal’.
‘I think I’m going to find a way to get the best information out of people without upsetting them, and just be totally devious and use that information to murder and manipulate,’ she added.
‘I think I’m a bit of a crowd pleaser as well, not intentionally, but I seem to amuse people, often by mistake, but who cares? I think that accidental crowd pleasing might serve me well in my undercover activities.’
Tracey
The 58-year-old sonographer and clairvoyant from Inverness said she is “quite eccentric” and “good at lying,” which may come in handy at the castle.
However Tracey, who used to be in the air force, explained: ‘The only thing that would be my downfall is that I do really like to be liked.’
Zack
The parliamentary affairs adviser, 27, from London thinks he would be ‘cutthroat’ as a Traitor and not ‘factor in sentimentality’.
He added: ‘I think I’d be even more brutal than Wilfred…’
Zack also admitted his girlfriend does not know he wants to spend the money, if he wins.
He joked: ‘It’s going to sound like a really nerdy answer, but the Mazda MX-5 has perfect balance, so I want to take it round tracks around Europe – that’s my dream.
‘But the flat is my answer, and as far as my girlfriend is concerned that’s what I’m saying. I have to say the flat, my girlfriend will break up with me if I didn’t say it!’
The Traitors returns on BBC One on Wednesday at 9pm.
