The Traitors made a dramatic return to our screens on January 1, instantly captivating its audience with unexpected departures and a colourful cast.
Among the line-up is former opera singer and one of the game’s Traitors, Linda Rands. The 70-year-old Hertfordshire native has quickly become an internet sensation, with fans sharing clips of her antics from the show across social media platforms.
The hit series pits 25 competitors against each other for a chance to win up to £120,000. The ever-charismatic Claudia Winkleman, aged 52, stealthily selects Traitors amidst the group while the rest are dubbed Faithfuls. As the game progresses, the Traitors covertly ‘murder’ other players, while the Faithfuls must deduce who among them is deceitful to avoid wrongful banishment.
This season introduced three Traitors, but following the dramatic exit of 27-year-old Armani, only two remain in the shadows. Despite the tension, viewers have taken a particular liking to one of the remaining Traitors, Linda, teasing her over-the-top ‘GCSE drama’ level performances, reports Wales Online.
Linda is the oldest player to be picked as a Traitor in all three series of the show
(Image: BBC / Studio Lambert)
Linda’s notoriety soared after the season’s opening episode when she inadvertently gave herself away by looking up at Claudia as soon as the word ‘Traitors’ was mentioned. This gaffe sparked suspicion from fellow contestant Jake and endeared Linda to the audience, leading to viral TikTok posts celebrating her blunder, with one fan declaring: “I don’t care who wins, she’s an icon.”
Linda was dubbed a ‘terrible’ Traitor by viewers owing to her over-the-top reactions. One moment from the show in which she feigns shock has since gone viral. In the clip, Linda says: “Oh my god, who the HELL is not going to come back?”, despite knowing exactly who was murdered.
Despite being called out for her lacklustre acting chops at the Round Table and facing numerous accusations, the player has dodged multiple banishments and managed to remain in the game.
The BBC didn’t miss a beat, plastering a billboard in Leicester Square featuring Linda clutching a mock ‘The performance of a lifetime award’. Specsavers also joined in, responding to a TikTok showcasing the billboard saying: “Faithfuls would see this and still believe her.”
The 70-year-old starred in a London production of Rigoletto in 1982
(Image: BBC / Studio Lambert)
Whether Linda can keep up the act without raising suspicion remains to be seen. Meanwhile, revelations about her life outside of The Traitors have emerged, including her operatic past.
An old video from Linda’s opera singer days has surfaced on TikTok, showing her in a 1982 London staging of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, looking remarkably different with a cropped blonde bob. The vintage performance is available in its entirety on YouTube, where she’s listed as ‘Un paggio’ in the credits.
One viewer reacted to a TikTok video, saying: “My tutor used to do wigs for an opera house and worked with her! Apparently a very lovely and typical theatre kind of eccentric (in a good way).” Another fan expressed surprise, writing: “Linda the LEGEND. I’m waiting for her to drop an album, tbh.” Someone else added: “I love her even more now.”
As Faithful players grow more suspicious of Linda, the downfall of her role as a secret Traitor leaves fans on the edge of their seats. You can watch Linda in The Traitors at 9pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays until the finale on January 24.
The Traitors continues tonight at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer