It’s the question on everyone’s lips. No, not “Why am I half a stone heavier and in dire need of an afternoon nap?” but “Who is the Secret Traitor?” And thankfully, we’re about to find out.
The curveball new role has proved a gamechanging twist in BBC mega hit The Traitors. Swishing around Ardross Castle in a red cloak, as opposed to the Traitors’ familiar green, the Secret Traitor’s identity is unknown to contestants and viewers alike. It hasn’t just stoked paranoia in the Traitors’ turret but enabled the audience to play along at home, turning us all into armchair sleuths as we try to crack the case.
Now, thanks to the early banishment of Hugo the treacherous teddy bear, they’re to be unmasked – probably sooner than producers planned. Saturday’s episode ended on an agonising cliffhanger, with the Traitors about to meet their mysterious puppet master for the first time. On Wednesday evening’s edition, we’ll see who lurks beneath that scarlet hood.
Here are the 10 top theories about who could be knock-knock-knocking on the conclave door …
The Jekyll and Hyde theory: Amanda
Bookies’ early favourite for the Secret Traitor role was retired police detective Amanda. It’s easy to see why. She says she learned about being deceptive from the criminals she encountered during her career and was keen to be a Traitor: “I’ve tracked down baddies all my life. Now it’s time to be one.” Who better to go undercover? Amanda has mentioned her training in covert techniques and intelligence policing, so she has the skill set.
She has even confessed: “My Jekyll and Hyde personality is my secret weapon.” Traitor Rachel fears her, describing Amanda as “dangerously smart”. Remember her uncharacteristic indecision during the throne-carrying mission? This could have been Amanda second-guessing herself and letting the mask slip. When Hugo was outmanoeuvred, his parting shot was to admit that Amanda was “better at this game than me”. This sowed seeds of doubt that it was Traitor-on-Traitor betrayal. Had he rumbled her at the last moment?
The handwriting theory: Jade, Roxy, Fiona or Jessie
One of the few tangible clues is those scrolls left in the turret, listing options for the next murder. Maybe we shouldn’t read too much into them – they could disguise their handwriting or the names could be rewritten by a member of the production team – but compare them to the round table slates and your spidey senses might start tingling.
The small, neat cursive looks fluid and feminine, probably right-handed, perhaps even slightly old-fashioned. The closest matches on the chalkboards appear to be those belonging to Roxy, Fiona and Jessie. However, the distinctive “J” on James’s name on the scroll resembled Jade’s banishment vote for Judy, also bringing her into the equation.
The slip-of-the-tongue theory: Ellie
Social media lit up on Saturday with fans convinced that Ellie had accidentally given herself away. During her post-round table interview, the 33-year-old said of her low-key approach: “Being more reserved can benefit you at the beginning but as the game goes on, people will question if you’re just sitting and watching as a kind of secret traitor.” Sound the klaxon! Alert the authorities!
Was her wording just a coincidence? The Traitors had already floated Ellie’s name because she’s “very bright” but they don’t know the half of it. As the first psychologist to take part in the UK series – although she’s wisely hidden this info – who better to master the mind games of being a double agent?
The library theory: Jessie
The night before Royal Navy veteran Ben was murdered, he voiced his doubts about Ross and warned: “I’ll be up for murder if any of youse are a Traitor.” His name duly appeared on the hitlist and he was slain. In a rare occurrence, the Faithful actually followed the evidence and worked out who’d been within earshot in the library: namely Ellie, Jessie, James, Fiona and Stephen.
The latter is a Traitor. James has been shortlisted himself. This leaves the three women in the frame – including Hull hairdresser Jessie, who has slipped under most radars. Hugo briefly wondered if Jessie was the Secret Traitor because she was so relaxed before bedtime. She admits people tend to underestimate her but insists: “I have it in me to be brutal and backstab.” Because of her stammer, Jessie might have felt more comfortable working alone. Nobody would see this one coming.
The wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing theory: Fiona
A Welsh woman dialling up her ditzy side as the ultimate disguise? It’s a description that applied to Traitor Amanda in series one and might now fit Fiona. The Swansea diva has admitted “playing up to being dotty and clueless” before ominously warning: “Never underestimate a woman of a certain age.” Witness the way she teamed up with Amanda and Harriet to take down Hugo at the last round table. It was like Jane Tennison in a Miss Marple mask.
There are scraps of circumstantial evidence. Not only is Fiona’s handwriting in the right ballpark but she was among the library trio present when Ben put a target on his own back. She “wasn’t interested” in getting an immunity shield during the portrait gallery mission. Rachel is starting to suspect Fiona as the Secret Traitor. So are some viewers. She jokingly mentioned owning a red bathing suit but does she have a cloak to match?
The female theory: Jade
Since host Claudia Winkleman rightly took series two’s Traitors to task for exclusively recruiting males, producers have been scrupulously gender-aware. Because the three Traitors already selected – Stephen, Rachel and the now departed Hugo – were male-skewed, chances are the fourth choice would be female to restore equality. Indeed, when the Secret Traitor provided an all-male murder shortlist last week, the turret trio immediately agreed it must be a woman.
This adds PhD student Jade to the list of potentials. She’s smart and strategic enough. She plays “a lot of social deception video games which are similar to The Traitors” and fancied being “a shark among the sheep”. Could she be the new Cat Burns?
The family tree theory: Roxy
The nerve-jangling covert mission given to the surviving Traitors last time was to leave bloodied fingerprints on the framed family tree in the castle lobby, nominating their fellow players for murder. Complete it successfully and they’d get to meet the Secret Traitor at last. But was the family tree’s starring role a clue?
Roxy and Judy came into the castle as secret mother-and-daughter. We’ve had covert parent-and-child relationships before (see Diane and Ross in series two) but one of the women being the Secret Traitor would add another level of intrigue. Roxy looked daggers at gardener James when he mentioned Judy as a potential Traitor, then was quick to put a coffin in his grave during the opening mission. His name duly appeared on the first shortlist. Having watched her adoptive mum fall victim to this year’s first banishment, there would be a certain satisfaction in seeing Roxy wreak revenge.
The crime queen theory: Harriet
A former criminal barrister turned author of psychological thrillers, the role of Secret Traitor might have been built for bestselling writer Harriet. She “spends her life making up horrible ways to dispatch people on the page”, so was excited to “either commit murder or track down killers in the game”. As the Secret Traitor, she could play both sides. On the latest episode of companion show Uncloaked, eagle-eyed viewers spotted four framed photos on the wall: Hugo, Rachel, Stephen and Harriet. Why was she up there with three known Traitors?
The logic theory: everyone else
Of those not yet mentioned, we can discount anyone who’s appeared on the hitlists, which rules out Maz, James and Reece. This leaves half a dozen of the younger males. Cocksure Sam has hogged camera time and flung accusations around. Rachel surmised that his boldness was a sign that Sam could be the Secret Traitor.
The remaining possibilities are builder Adam, young pup Faraaz, personal trainer Jack, creative director Matt or the beleaguered Ross. Although let’s face it, any of those would be disappointing reveals with shades of bungling Buckells from Line of Duty.
The wild card theory: Claudia or Alan
It’s highly unlikely the Secret Traitor would come from outside the parameters of the game but hey, rules are there to be broken. Presenter Winkleman is already the game’s string-puller. Could she have extended her remit to include underhand treachery? The new-look cloak would coordinate nicely with her trademark red fingerless gloves.
Another left-field candidate would be chaotic comic Alan Carr, winner of the inaugural celebrity series. The reigning champion starred in the first teaser trailer for this civilian series, handing over his cloak and telling successors: “You’ll never guess what Claudia’s got planned this time. It’s big. Good luck. You’re definitely going to need it.” A clue? Probably not but it would be enjoyably bananas if it was.
