The Traitors has been criticised by fans just days into its third series over a significant “flaw” in its format. The BBC One show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, returned to screens on New Year’s Day and as usual, features 22 contestants split into two groups: the Faithfuls and the Traitors.
The goal is for contestants to identify and eliminate the Traitors to win a cash prize of up to £120,000, but if they fail, any remaining Traitors in the final round will claim the entire prize fund themselves. Keen viewer Alison Cooper took to TikTok on Thursday (January 2) to point out an issue she’d spotted in the first two episodes.
“I’ve noticed a flaw with The Traitors – has anyone else noticed this? ” she started. “So, the Traitors meet in the tower in the evening and have a discussion about who they could potentially ‘murder’.”
She continued: “They put three names into the hat and the next day people come in for breakfast – one, two or three at a time – and then it’s always at the very end that the people that the Traitors have put in the hat come in. Obviously minus one person because that person has been ‘murdered’.”
Alison finished by asking: “Aren’t people putting that together and realising that if they’re coming in at the end then obviously they’re Faithfuls? It seems to happen every single series.”
“FINALLY,” one viewer exclaimed, marking a moment of realisation about the show. “Someone else has picked up on this. Need an ex-Traitor to weigh in.”
Another viewer quickly echoed these sentiments: “I can’t believe they haven’t sorted this after three seasons now, and also EVERY international version does it too.”
A third person voiced their confusion: “I’ve been wondering this as well, I get why it’s done for the viewers but surely the people there must have picked up on the pattern from previous series.”
Some fans speculated that perhaps the contestants were oblivious to this ‘mistake’ because of behind-the-scenes manipulation.
“Maybe it’s filmed to look like they come in last but they just don’t show the shots of everyone else in the room,” suggested one fan. “Could be just edited though, they could arrive in any order and they then re-shoot the walk in, then just play it in the order they want,” another fan added.
Commenters on TikTok highlighted that this seems to occur primarily at the start of a season. “Usually happens for the first few murders,” observed a TikTok user. “Not all the way through. But a big clue if it really happens (rather than some later filming).”
In an attempt to dispel some persistent misconceptions about the show’s tactics, Ivan Brett, an ex-contestant on The Traitors, has provided insight into a recurring fan theory about a pattern in the arrival times of contestants for breakfast. He explained: “Quite often I’m told how because the final two or three players arriving for breakfast on The Traitors are always Faithful, this is a game-solving clue that the other players never use. Well, here’s why the Late Faithful (Laithful) strategy is categorically wrong.”
Brett went on to critique the theory further, saying: “While it’s true to say that in Season 1 this tended to happen, it didn’t always. In episode 4, Amanda was last to turn up to breakfast. Nobody was murdered that night, but they still used it as an opportunity to break the Laithful pattern. But even without that, you only spot this pattern of no Late Traitors (lators? ) if you *already know* who the traitors are. Faithfuls are sus of everyone and only discover traitors once banished. We all tracked votes, friendships, but breakfast arrivals were not being counted.”
Ivan offered additional examples from the show’s history to debunk the belief: “Ok, you say, but when watching the show it’s obvious. So why didn’t Season 2’s contestants use the same info? Well, I hope they didn’t… In episode 3, when Kyra was murdered, Traitor Ash was amongst the last three to arrive. In episode 5, when Meg was murdered, Traitor Paul was last to arrive.
“In episode 6, when Tracey was murdered, Traitor Harry was amongst the last to arrive. And then in episode 11, when Zack was murdered, Traitor Andrew was last to arrive. Four times a Traitor was late to breakfast. Another breakfast, two traitors didn’t arrive at all (Dungeon). Four out of nine relevant breakfasts is actually proportionally higher than the proportion of Traitors to Faithfuls.
“So if you’d tried the Laithful strategy in Season 2, we can all agree you’d have been barking up the wrong croissant. I think it’s fair to say, this myth should be busted. #TheTraitors.”
BBC/Studio Lambert has been approached for comment.