The BBC’s cut-throat reality contest, The Traitors, is making a comeback for its third season, with a fresh batch of Faithfuls and Traitors competing for a prize pot that could reach £120,000.
As fans gear up for tonight’s episode (January 8), Meryl Williams, a winner from the first season, has spilled some behind-the-scenes details about her time on the show, including a tactic contestants could use to potentially cheat.
Meryl triumphed in the inaugural UK series as a Faithful, alongside Aaron Evans and Hannah Byczkowski, with the trio pocketing £101,050, which they snatched from the last Traitor standing, Wilfred Webster, in an edge-of-your-seat finale.
In a chat with Betway, Meryl disclosed an aspect of The Traitors that isn’t shown to viewers but could give certain players an unfair edge and it revolves around toilet breaks.
This season has introduced viewers to siblings Maia and Armani. While Maia plays as a Faithful, her sister Armani, who was a Traitor, has just been ousted at the Round Table, reports Wales Online.
Having relatives compete isn’t unprecedented; in the second season, audiences were shocked when it was eventually revealed that players Diane and Ross were a mother and son pair. This family connection was only disclosed to viewers after contestants speculated that Diane might be related to another player, Paul. In a memorable moment, Diane confessed to the cameras: “Paul just couldn’t be my son, but Ross is.”
Meryl shed light on the complexities of having contestants with close relationships on the show, discussing the potential for collusion.
“That is something that I always wondered about, because obviously there was a mother and her son in season two and sisters in season three,” she said. “I highly doubt they didn’t tell each other that they were Traitors (or Faithfuls). There would be opportunities to whisper together or even chat quickly in the toilet.”
Despite the possibility of secret conversations during toilet breaks, Meryl acknowledged that producers limited off-screen interactions.
“They want to try and keep everything for the camera. They don’t want to miss any crucial parts or important conversations,” she revealed. “In this season they are showing a bit more, like over meal times. For us, this was our time off in a sense as we would know there were no cameras on us. People would ask, ‘Is it you, is it you?’ and I’d continue eating my dinner and say that I’d talk to them after.”
She also mentioned strict rules regarding contestant communication outside of filming: “You weren’t allowed to talk to the other contestants after filming. Obviously if someone was to make a breakthrough or thought they had figured it out, they wanted that to be filmed. All interactions were on camera. Minus at food times – these were the only times you weren’t being filmed. But as I say, I think that’s changed a little now and even more parts of their days are filmed.”
The Traitors continues tonight on BBC One at 9pm