'All The Traitors secrets I learned after meeting the cast'

OPINION: All the secrets I learned from The Traitors contestants as they left the castle.

'All The Traitors secrets I learned after meeting the cast'.
'All The Traitors secrets I learned after meeting the cast'. (Studio Lambert)

The Traitors is the biggest show on our screens right now and has a faithful audience, with 10m tuning into watch the first episode of series three. And watching at home, many of us imagine how we would cope in the castle and what it would be like to take part in The Traitors.

As the Entertainment Editor at Yahoo, I've been lucky enough to interview many of this year's contestants as they leave The Traitors castle.

Behind the magic of the screen, this is what I've found out.

The Traitors castle in the Scottish Highlands
The Traitors castle in the Scottish Highlands. (Studio Lambert)

Where do The Traitors sleep? is a question many people have asked as the show airs. No, The Traitors contestants don't sleep at the castle, they sleep in accommodation in the surrounding area. They even eat breakfast before they arrive every morning for the infamous buffet scenes — TV bosses can hardly expect them to starve before shooting scenes.

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It may seem a little disappointing to learn this at first but in reality, it doesn't ruin The Traitors experience or the atmosphere of the BBC show.

Can you imagine the chaos if all contestants were staying at the castle? Faithfuls would be peeking out of their windows trying to spot The Traitors heading to film in the turret. Some more bold contestants might even try their luck in escaping their room and having a stake out to try catch the Traitors mid-filming. That could potentially spoil the gameplay of the whole show. No one wants the Faithfuls to cheat their way to the £120,000 prize pot.

The Traitors prize fund is up to £120,000.
The Traitors prize fund is up to £120,000. (Studio Lambert)

Behind the scenes, TV bosses have to be really strict with the rules to ensure the game runs smoothly. "We are being watched and looked after like schoolchildren," Welsh star Elen told me. "It's impossible to get away with passing secret notes. The preparation and the planning behind the scenes is insane. Obviously I'm not allowed to go into detail but you cannot get away with anything off camera."

Besides, The Traitors can still film in the castle bedrooms which is great for the gothic atmosphere of the show. Filming in their own hotels wouldn't have the same vibe.

The Traitors statue mission. (BBC)
The Traitors statue mission was tough. (BBC)

Competing on The Traitors is harder than it looks. What makes it even tougher is the contestants can't really prepare for the experience. The twists and turns this year have shown no two series will ever be the same.

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"You couldn't have prepared for this series of The Traitors," bank risk manager Dan told me. "It was very apparent from day one when the train stopped — where we were thinking what's happening here? — that it was going to be a very different experience from previous series.

"I've always been a fan of these types of strategy games. So I had a lot of strategies in my head that I would use if and when that situation come up. But you don't know the players you are going to be put with. It all depends on their perspective as well and the social dynamics within the group. You can only prepare so much."

The Traitors breakfast buffet
The Traitors breakfast buffet. (Studio Lambert)

Also, the days are long. The Traitors is filmed over three weeks in July in Scotland, starting with the buffet breakfast scenes in the morning.

This year, Anna, Alexander, Fozia and Leon were taken back when they had to also film a secret mission at night after a long day of filming. At this point, the contestants were ready to go to sleep but they had to continue with filming.

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Fozia told me: "For the deathmatch, we arrived to this cemetery and I'm freezing my t**s off, right? Already we'd played a challenge throughout the day so I'm ready for bed now."

The Traitors contestants looking at the map on a mission.
The Traitors contestants looking at the map on a mission. (Studio Lambert)

The Traitors is all about backstabbing, secrets and lies but at the show's cores is the friendships that are formed. The relationships and friendships built within the castle walls are very real and continue long after the show has finished filming.

This year's Lisa and Linda phone each other every day — and not only to talk about The Traitors.

Priest Lisa told me: "You're in a very tense situation. So friendships, wherever they are, are always really, really important. And I think Linda and I gelled initially, because we're women of a certain age, and — I think the first time we went into the castle, wasn't it, Linda? — we both looked at each other and thought, 'Oh, thank goodness there's someone else here my age that I can talk to'.

Lisa and Linda on The Traitors mission together. (Studio Lambert)
Lisa and Linda on The Traitors mission together. (Studio Lambert)

"So it was an instant, you naturally migrate towards people, don't you? And I naturally migrated towards Linda and her towards me as well. So, and even though Linda was a Traitor, I was Faithful. It's always nice to have that relationship with someone in the castle, because sometimes it can be a bit tense. And you want someone to just have a laugh with, really."

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The real friendships formed make the betrayals are even more heartbreaking. Remember when Mollie ran out of the room crying last year after finding out her friend Harry had stolen the £95,000 prize pot because he was secretly a Traitor the whole time?

Livi removed her prosthetic eye on The Traitors. (BBC screengrab)
Livi removed her prosthetic eye on The Traitors. (BBC screengrab)

The Traitors is also a huge learning curve for the contestants taking part. They all have "normal" everyday lives and jobs. One stand out lesson from filming The Traitors for the contestants has been to live in the moment and not take the game too seriously.

Livi told me: "The Traitors taught me to just enjoy every moment; to know that exciting, fun things that happen in your life aren't gonna be constant and these things can just be over just like that.

"My time in the show, as much as I was ready to go, it went so quick, so [it taught me to] just to really embrace and take everything in. Even the scenery in Scotland, I just wanted to go out and have one more time there to just look at our surroundings and I feel like I took that for granted. I was so in this game and really we're in such a beautiful environment and I should have just appreciated that more.

"Also just realise it is a game, and try not to get too in my head, and the thing is we have to play the game so it is gonna be tough. It's a murder mystery."

Claudia Winkleman is the host of The Traitors
Claudia Winkleman is the host of The Traitors. (Studio Lambert)

As intense as filming was, every single contestant I spoke to loved the experience. That really comes across on-screen too. It's why when we're watching at home, we're strategising how we would play out the narrative ourselves.

Fancy doing it yourself for real? Don't think twice about applying and maybe we'll see you on our screens in 2026.

The Traitors continues at 9pm on BBC One on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.