January is a sombre month: the festivities are behind us, the Christmas lights are down and a long bleak winter stares us in the face. The sun rises too late and sets too early. Leaving the warmth of bed for the freezing outside world becomes an increasingly impossible task, and we usually end the month with inevitable vitamin-D deprivation and a severe motivation deficit.
But amidst the gloom, there was one thing this January that spared mine and millions of other families across the country from complete despair: the return of Bafta-winning psychological reality show, The Traitors UK. Suddenly, January didn’t seem completely hopeless. Now, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 till 10pm could be spent on the edge of our sofas, screaming at the TV in the hope that somehow, our voices would get through the screen and our favourite contestants would hear us.
This time last year, The Traitors season 1 aired, and as soon as my family discovered it, we were hooked. Almost like an intensified version of the well-known and loved game, Mafia, during the show we watch 22 contestants (3 traitors, and the rest faithful) psychoanalyse each other to no end. Their mission: distinguish the deceitful players from the truthful ones.
In the show, contestants from around the UK are whisked away to Ardross Castle, a sprawling estate in the Scottish Highlands, where they compete in gruelling challenges that add to a staggering prize fund of up to £120,000! Whilst during the day they must work together as a team to build the prize fund, the night ushers a thrilling twist. Gathered around the iconic roundtable, the contestants turn on each other – they must all vote on a suspected traitor, out of their fellow players. The contestant who receives the most votes exits the game in an intense, middle-of-the-night banishment, with the faithful aiming to eliminate all traitors by the end. If they are successful, the prize money is split between them. But, if there is a traitor left at the end of the game, they take all the money for themselves. Following each banishment, the faithful then go to sleep while the traitors convene in a small hidden tower inside the castle, and plot the murder of one of their fellow players.
The show offers endless enjoyment: the picturesque backdrop of the Scottish Highlands; the hilariously astounding attempts at acting, lying and backstabbing; host Claudia Winkleman’s unique sense of style, and the intricate webs of friends, enemies, and cliques formed amongst the players. Watching both seasons, I was struck by how quickly meaningful bonds are formed between people from all walks of life when confined together within the castle walls.
While watching the last season with my family, we were all surprised at how emotionally invested the contestants were: from the passionate outcries during banishments as players, only acquainted for 2 days, turn on each other, to tears shed at the breakfast table when a fellow player gets killed off (it’s almost as if they’ve actually died), to the absolute elation when a traitor is finally caught. It is fascinating how as soon as the traitors are selected and the blindfolds come off, the game creates a palpably intense reality for the contestants. The randomly-selected traitors, who, just a moment ago, were ordinary friendly strangers who met on a train to Scotland, suddenly become the epitome of ultimate betrayal.
Like any TV sensation boasting millions of viewers, the explosion of memes and TikToks to come out of it have multiplied the entertainment tenfold. While it was on air, my TikTok algorithm inundated me with Traitors-themed TikToks, featuring hilarious impersonations of Claudia Winkleman’s dramatic speeches and iconic black fringe, and memes including ‘But Ross is’ (which my sister and I quote daily) and ‘Jazatha Christie’ to name a few, (these will make sense after watching).
And as I’m sure millions of other families have done across the country, my family have enjoyed many a discussion over who would (and wouldn’t!) get furthest in the game. Recalling my own experiences of playing Mafia and Cheat, (a hugely entertaining card game), it is clear that my inadequate poker face wouldn’t let me make it past the first episode – but it makes for a fun discussion nevertheless. So if you haven’t already, (including my friends, who have thus far refused to listen to my pleas!!), give this show a watch!