While the Traitors are scheming in the castle's turret and deciding who will be murdered each night, we see shots of Faithfuls pacing in their rooms, having a bath, and reading a book. But what do Faithfuls and Traitors alike do during their downtime when they're not filming The Traitors? I asked contestants from The Traitors UK and got all the insider intel on what we don't see when new seasons hit the TV schedule.
Phones Are Absolutely Forbidden.
Speaking to Wilf from Season 1 of the UK version, CinemaBlend was able to learn even more Traitors secrets, and I discovered just how isolated contestants are from the real world while filming the show.
Our phones are taken away and yeah, I remember they took the remote controls away from the TV, so we couldn't, like, go on YouTube and stuff. But I took– We weren't allowed any devices, right? That could connect to the internet. So I took a Game Boy, like an old Game Boy with Pokemon. And I just, like, had loads of batteries.
Admittedly, though, as a Traitor, Wilf explained he didn't get all that much time in the evenings to sit back, relax, and play Pokemon Red with the iconic filming sequences we've come to know and love of the cloaked Traitors walking through the castle, lanterns aloft, going on late into the night and often meaning they didn't return to their hotel until 3 a.m. That's on top of choosing which Faithful was to be murdered next.
Contestants Are Not Above The Occasional Bribe Attempt
With so much time constantly switched on, Wilf shared his alternative ways of seeking out respite from the game, utilizing the Master Interviews (MIVs) to have a breather and, sometimes, a good cry.
Sometimes it was nice to go out there and just chat about, I don't know. Like I remember I like, ‘cause we were so segregated for so long, I went into the, like the MIV and I was like to one of the welfare people. I was like, ‘Listen, I'll give you, like, £200 just to let me go walk around the supermarket.’ They were like, ‘What do you mean?’ I was like, just get like– I remember they were like, ‘No’. I was like, ‘Look, like on the way home or whatever. Just let me walk into a normal place just for an hour.’ They were like, ‘No'.
While he couldn't stroll around any grocery stores while filming, Wilf did share how they were able to listen to a few minutes of a soccer game when his team were playing in the final of the Premier League, so at least that's something.
Mostly There Are A Lot Of Games
As well as Wilf's own means of entertainment during filming downtime, Season 2 Faithful, Jaz Singh, kept himself entertained with a bunch of different reading material he brought with him to the castle.
I took some quiz books, and I also brought a bunch of magazines, ranging from being about mental health to all the different shark species!
It's giving range. Realistically, though, we shouldn't be surprised that Jaz took in quiz books. Oiling the cogs, there's a reason there were so many The Traitors memes from his season where he became our generations Sherlock Holmes.
I’m going to tell my kids this was Sherlock Holmes #TheTraitors #TheTraitorsUK pic.twitter.com/G6uzJlQDSpJanuary 26, 2024
Or Books...
And, of course, some contestants – those embodying the role of Traitor in particular – wanted to keep on top of their game plan. So what did the villain of The Traitors UK Season 2, Paul Gorton, take in with him to ensure his success as a Traitor on the show? Oh, just a copy of American Psycho.
When auditioning I thought: I'm going to develop a character like Patrick Bateman. Paul Bateman?An affable, well-respected, nice guy who is a secret murderer. Kind of perfect right? I bought the book at the train station and read that in my downtime.
Turns out Jaz wasn't the only contestant unintentionally embodying famous literary icons with Paul taking a leaf, quite literally, out of Patrick Bateman's book.
Thankfully, with a Peacock subscription, you can watch all versions of The Traitors, including the UK iteration and the US version with all the celebrities, to confirm for yourselves Paul didn't actually turn into a serial killer.
