THE wait is almost over – The Traitors is back on our screens tonight.
The fourth series of the hit BBC show hosted by Claudia Winkleman returns at 8pm with 22 new players ready to go to battle as Faithfuls or Traitors.
Here’s who will be heading to the Traitors castle.
Adam, 34, a builder from Essex
On why he applied for the show, Adam said: “I’m a very outspoken, dramatic sort of person.
“I speak my mind completely like there’s no filter there. Obviously, I do think of people’s feelings before I speak!
“I always want to win, and I like to give myself a challenge. When I saw this advertised, me and my missus had watched the first couple of series, and I thought ‘I can do that standing on my head’.”
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He added: “I’m an enthusiastic ghost hunter as well so I’d love to get into that castle and see if it’s haunted.”
He also has a game plan as both a Traitor and a Faithful, saying: “I’ve thought about it a lot. I’ve got the sort of brain that thinks of something 100 times before anyone else has.
“It’s just the way I am. I love to plan stuff, have the answer in my head before anyone asks the question.”
Amanda, 57, a retired police detective from Brighton
Asked if she would like to be a Traitor, Amanda said: “That would be amazing. I would be nervous, definitely nervous.
“I’ve thought about how I would control the nerves, when the mask comes off. I think I’ll be able to hold my nerve.”
But if she was a Faithful, she said: “Well, I initially thought that would be easy because I was a police officer.
“My job was to help people being a faithful, good person so it would feel natural to be a Faithful in the game.
“I thought it would be easy because of the type of character that I am, however, I think it’s hard. There is an advantage to being a Traitor at the beginning because you know a few more sides to the puzzle.”
Ben, 66, retired, from Hampshire
Asked if he had a game plan, Ben said: “I don’t think I’m going to go in with a game plan.
“What I have got is the skill set from my time in the forces. And I can read people very well.
“I think I’m good [at spotting a liar]. When they’re telling a story, they always look up to the left or right and cover their mouth.
“My wife laughs at that but watch anybody telling a lie and they’ll suddenly look up to the left, right, or they’ll cover their mouth.
“And I’m not saying that’s the same for everybody, but that’s the way I would look at it.”
Ellie, 33, a psychologist, from London
Speaking about her job and why she signed up, Ellie said: “I think I might be the first psychologist on the show, so I’m hoping I can bring that psychological perspective.
“I’m going to be analysing what other contestants are doing and trying to think through what their motivations are for behaving in certain ways.
Ellie would like to be a Traitor, as she thinks “that is the most interesting role to play.”
She said: “You’re trying to mislead people, you’re trying to work out their motivations, but also you have access to a lot more information, so you can see how things are playing out.”
If she’s chosen to wear a green cloak, she said: “I’m definitely prepared to throw anyone under the bus to maintain my facade.”
Faraaz, 22, an internal auditor, from Middlesbrough
Faraaz also said he’d be happy to throw other players under the bus if he was a Traitor.
He said: “Oh, I’ll be throwing people under the bus if I need to! Really, it’s in a Traitor’s best interests to stick with their fellow Traitors as long as possible.
“Once you start betraying each other the trust goes, and then there are risks taken for unnecessary reasons.
“So, unity at the start and then throw someone under the bus at the last minute to be able to get to the next stage! It’s the game at the end of the day; the game’s the game.”
Fiona, 62, a local Government officer, from Swansea
Discussing what she’ll bring to the game, Fiona said: “I think I’m able to see through people’s strategies and ascertain whether or not they’re truthful.
“I’m really setting myself up for failure here! But also, I’m a warm person that enjoys chatting to people and getting to know them.
“I think that’s one of my strengths, I can bring the best and the worst out of people as well.”
As for a game plan, she said: “Yes, I do [have one]. I just want to get to know people, warts and all.
“I’m not afraid to confront or challenge people, but not in a bullying or harassing way. I wouldn’t dream of doing that to anybody.
“I would definitely be somebody that wouldn’t be afraid to speak their mind. However, if I am a Faithful I’d be very wary to be as formidable and confrontational. I’d keep it in a bit.”
Harriet, 52, a crime writer and former barrister, from London
Harriet had a very clear reason for applying to the show, saying: “I’m a crime writer and used to be a criminal barrister. I spend my life making up horrible ways for people to die and killing people on the page.
“The idea that I might get to actually plot to kill people or to track down a murderer, but, you know, without actual blood being shed, it’s the closest that I’d get to that experience in real life.
“So quite honestly, what’s not to like?”
Her law training could also be useful as she said: “I might be good because of my criminal barrister training at picking up on inconsistencies in what people say.
“I mean, I’m really good at putting clues together, but I say all of this and I could collapse into a puddle of angst and it might be a complete disaster.”
Hugo, 51, a barrister, from London (born in Cardiff)
Harriet isn’t the only barrister hoping to use their skills in this year’s series.
Hugo thinks his poker face is going to be useful, saying: “I mean I’m a barrister and I have to stand up in front of a jury and be a kind of big cuddly teddy bear, so you have to believe what you’re saying because people can pick up if you’re all fidgety.
“So yes, I hope so, because it’s important for my job.”
He is also a massive fan of the Traitors franchise, saying: “I’m obsessed with The Traitors – I think I’ve seen every episode in the English language, UK, US, Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s such a fascinating game, and what really gets me is watching people around the Round Table and how wrong they get it.
“I’m a barrister so I talk to juries, but they go off and make the decisions in a quiet room so I never get to see it, but this, you just think, how could you be so wrong? I can’t take my eyes off it, I love it.”
Jack, 29, a personal trainer, from Essex
Jack thinks he will be a dark horse in the series, explaining: “I’ve planned so many tactics even before I knew I was going be on it.
“I’ve deep dived into everything, because it fascinates me, like how there are so many common themes you see.
“Herd mentality, conformity, bias, all these things that pop up throughout the show, but you see it playing out in real time.
“I think all of them will probably underestimate me. I’m going to play on the stereotype of being the PT from Essex.
“And I think everyone will have their preconceived ideas of what someone from Essex and what a personal trainer is about, which is fantastic, because if I live it up and ham it up a bit no one will anticipate me to be the one with all the tactics.”
Jade, 25, a PhD student, from West Midlands
Jade is not expecting to be a Traitor, admitting she’d be “shocked” if she was chosen.
She said: ” I think it will take me by surprise, but ultimately, I’ll just put on my big girl pants and get on with it.
“I hope I will have a strategy, but I think I would kind of wing it on the spot and deal with the consequences later.
“It’s a game, and I’m here to play the game. I signed up for the game and I’m a gamer by heart.
“I think everyone there is hiding something to a certain degree or trying to come off as a particular way.
“You don’t really know who these people are, so I am going to go in and be sceptical of everyone.”
James, 38, a gardener, from Weymouth
If James has a tactic in the game, it’s seduction, explaining: “I definitely want to be a Traitor. If I’m not, I would probably try and seduce the Traitors into seducing me!
“Do a bit of reverse seduction, like, look good at the Round Table – okay, he speaks eloquently, this guy could handle the pressure.
“I think I’d give off that impression. If I’m nervous myself, I can affect a happy go lucky demeanour.”
James, who has ADHD, added: “I have ADHD, and it’s blindingly obvious I do. I will bring this sort of vibe where it looks like I’m a bouncy Duracell bunny, like a happy go lucky class clown, maybe jovial chap.
“I always say this, people think there’s a monkey bashing symbols in my head when they first meet me, but they underestimate at their peril, because there’s actually a huge hamster with a massive ear and an antenna up on its back at all times! I’m always analysing and processing.”
Jessie, 28, a hairstylist, from Hull
Asked what she’ll bring to the show, Jessie said: “I don’t think there has been a previous player like me. I hope to inspire a lot of people.
“I love life and I feel more of us need that positivity. I feel like people will underestimate me just because of how I am and how I look with my orange hair and because I have a stammer.
“People might think that I don’t have it in in me to be brutal, but I do.”
With this in mind, it’s no surprise she also wants to be a Traitor.
She said: “The game is how it is, and all of us know what it is, and it can be harsh.
“If it means that I have to backstab people who I have built bonds with, that’s just how it is.
“It will be hard, but it isn’t like I’m at home. It is a game. All of us are in it, and all of us want to win. And if I don’t do it, they will.”
Judy, 60, a child liaison officer, from Doncaster
When asked how she’d feel if she was a Traitor, Judy said: “The thing is, I want to go into this game, and I don’t know what the outcome is going to be.
“I was all set on being a Faithful but when I started playing with the idea of being a Traitor I was just like, oh, I love this.
“I think it might be fun. I’m prepared to go all the way and if anyone gets in my way, they’re going down!”
She’s also keen to get stuck into the Missions, saying: “You might think I’m getting on a bit, but I’m not. I’m going to get myself in there. I want a challenge.
“My husband has said, what if they do a challenge with a helicopter?! I’m not great with heights. Whatever the Missions might be, I’ll just have to throw myself into them. Of course I will!”
Matthew, 35, a creative director, from Edinburgh
Matthew has a very simple plan when it comes to playing the game: “Anyone but me.”
He explained: “That’s my simple plan, as long as it’s not me. I do not care whether they’re a Traitor or a Faithful, as long as it’s not me.
“I think The Traitors is a social game, and if you’ve got favour with people, or if someone has a warmer feeling towards me than someone else, then that’s the way that the vote will go.
“I think my biggest tactic is to always be part of the bigger group. No way am I getting off the train or getting in a coffin.
“I won’t do anything that separates me from the wider group because I think that leaves you in danger.”
He continued: “You’re playing two games essentially – murder and banishment.
“If you’re too much of a threat, you get murdered and if you’re not popular enough, you get banished. It’s tricky to get that balance.”
But he thinks if he is a Faithful, that would be hard to manage, as he said: “I feel like being a Traitor may knock me down a peg or two because I think if I’m not a Traitor, I might be getting mouthy.
“Whereas if I am a Traitor, maybe I can fly under the radar a little bit more than I would if I was a Faithful.”
Maz, 59, a civil servant, from Preston
Maz isn’t totally sure he could spot a liar if he was a Faithful.
He said: “I’ve come across a lot of people that have lied to me in the past, and sometimes I’ve had that sixth sense to say, ‘do you know what? They’re not all what they appear to be!’.
“Sometimes I’ve been right and sometimes I’ve been completely wrong, so it just depends on how much of a good liar they are.”
It means he would prefer to be a Traitor, as he thinks it would be more of a challenge.
He said: “I have opted to be a Traitor, and that’s a personal sort of challenge to myself to see if I can be the complete opposite to what a Faithful is.
“I would like to think I’ve lived my life consistently, trustworthy, honestly and reliable – all the good things, so I just want to see if I can maybe deviate from that and see if I am capable of doing it.”
Netty, 42, a nursery school teacher, from Glasgow
Netty thinks her poker face could let her down if she was a Traitor.
Admitting it’s “not the best”, she said: “I’m expressive with my face and with my hands, but I’ll definitely give it a good go.”
Despite this, she said: “I think I want to be a Traitor. You just have more fun seeing the whole picture and having that little extra bit of knowledge makes the game a little bit more interesting.
“So, I’m hoping I can be a Traitor!”
As for how far she’d go if she was a cloaked player, she revealed: “Anything within the rules of the game, and that isn’t sort of cheating.
“We’re all there to play a game, so let’s play a good one.”
Rachel, 42, a head of communications, from County Down
Rachel is not afraid to say she will “do anything to win”.
She explained: “Nothing’s off the table. I’m very good at knowing the difference between reality and a game.
“I’m really competitive in challenges, so I’ll do whatever I can to get money in the bank.
“I’m a really sociable person that loves finding out things, so I really enjoy genuinely building nice connections and finding out about people.
“That also makes me a great detective, because I can piece together if people are potentially covering over the truth with lies.”
She plans to conceal an element of her real life though, saying: “I’m going to say that I work in Marketing, which is true, but it’s leaving out the fact that I do strategic communications across Northern Ireland on a daily basis.
“I don’t want them to know that speaking to people and getting my point across is very easy for me.”
Reece, 27, a sweet shop assistant, from Sheffield
Reece may sell sweets for a living, but he won’t be so sweet when it comes to the game.
He said: “I’m not shy at being cutthroat. I’m quite what you see is what you get, but obviously very aware that this is a game.
“If I must remodel my personality to fit what is in front of me at that time, that is what I will do.
“I’m very competitive and confident, I don’t want to go on and change who I am, or anything about me, I want to go on and be successful being me in the game.”
He thinks this will make him a great Traitor too, saying: “I think I’d actually be more comfortable being a Traitor.
“For me, again, those natural abilities I have of being assertive, a comfortable talker, being able to look somebody in the eye and perhaps lie for the benefit of myself, will just kind of naturally slot in for me a lot easier.
“Obviously, if I’m a Faithful, I will embrace that to the absolute end, but I want to be a Traitor.”
Ross, 37, a sales exec and personal trainer, from London
Ross applied for the show “on a whim” after some of his clients talked about it.
Despite this, he has thought of a bit of a game plan, saying: “I am going to try and hide in plain sight, although just by stature, I’m a big guy and with quite a bassy voice, I don’t think that minimising myself is going to work out well!
“If anything, it’ll make me stand out even more. If I was a Traitor, what I would try to do, regardless, is try and build as much routine as possible and use that as an anchor to try and change behaviour.
“I would wholly want to play exactly the same plan as I would as a Faithful in terms of getting to know people.
“My goal would be to kill anybody who I think was paying me a bit too much attention.”
Roxy, 32, a recruiter, from Amsterdam
The Faithfuls might want to hope Roxy is a Traitor, as she admits: “I don’t think I would be the best at catching Traitors!”
She would also like to be a Traitor, revealing: “It leans away from my natural personality, so I think it’d be really interesting to wear that hat.
“But I also think I’m very laid back, you have to get on with people. If people come at me, I think I’ll be okay with it, I brush things off quite quickly.”
As for how far she would go as a Traitor? She said: “I think if there’s anything ethically or morally I will have a word with myself and remind myself that it’s just a game.
“There are things that I won’t do, you don’t overstep certain marks. I will try my best to remain within my moral sphere and stay true to my moral compass.”
Sam, 34, an account manager, from North Yorkshire
Sam may have applied on a whim, but he has studied all three of the previous series to work out how to be a good Traitor.
He said: “My game plan is just assuming that I’m going to be made a Traitor.
“I’ve re-watched all of the three seasons recently to see exactly how the good and bad Traitors played the game.
“The best answer I’ve found is that the first five to seven banishments and murders are pretty much potluck. It’s almost herd mentality; people go into that Round Table and one person says something that people cotton onto and it becomes a domino effect.
“My game plan is very much to be in the middle, not too much on the front-foot, but still offering some opinions.
“I will then create the authentic relationships that I need to without being too cliquey, because that can also be suspicious. I’m going to play it in the middle but always be ready to be aggressive when I need to be.”
Stephen, 32, a cyber security consultant, from London
Like Sam, Stephen has rewatched the show for tips before heading into the castle.
He said: “I’ve actually been re-watching some of the seasons, just to kind of get my head in the game and examine the certain things that people have done that were so normal to them but others found weird, so looking out for those little things that might arouse suspicion.
“I think a lot of the play really depends on who’s around you. You have to read the room really quickly at the beginning and previous players’ tactics may not work here.
“Also, people are going into this game now knowing a lot more about how the game works, and I think that really means you’ve got to come up with a new strategy, your own strategy.”
The Traitors series four starts tonight at 8pm on BBC One.
