The Traitors is back on BBC One and we’re just as obsessed with it now as we were when it debuted.
Series 2 sees a whole host of hopefuls battling it out for £120k – and ED! has spoken to Hannah Byczkowski, who won £30k as one of the Faithfuls in The Traitors series 1, about what really went on behind the scenes…
The Traitors: Cast of BBC One series don’t stay at the castle
Filmed at Andross Castle in the gorgeous Scottish Highlands, Hannah exclusively told ED! that the cast of The Traitors essentially “live” at the castle.
However, Hannah told us that while she can “neither confirm nor deny” where they actually stay, it definitely isn’t on site.
“We don’t sleep in the castle. We slept separately,” she said.
This is because even when they’re not technically playing the game, they are still playing the game.
“The thing is, when filming is not happening they still have to keep the game legitimate. So we have to be separate. We can’t be discussing the game or anything. The game still continues even though filming’s not,” she said. “The game is genuine and carries on.”
She did lift the lid on what goes on (or rather doesn’t) at the lodgings, though. “We’re not allowed to mix until we can talk on camera. So everything that is on camera is genuine, it’s what happens,” she said.
Asked why it appears the American version of the series appears to show the cast heading upstairs to sleep at the castle, Hannah speculates that’s the US programme makers Peacock trying to pull the wool over viewers’ eyes.
*Editor note: The Traitors US host Alan Cumming has since this interview let slip that “none of us stayed in the castle”. He added to the Daily Beast: “They [the contestants] all stayed in the airport hotel in the Inverness airport. How glamorous—you come to Scotland, and you stay in the Inverness airport hotel.”
‘Exhausted’ and nervous as you head to bed
The Faithfuls rarely get a good night’s sleep while taking part in the BBC show, Hannah told us.
“It really is nerve-racking when you go to bed because you know that a decision has been made and you’re like, am I dead? Who knows.”
She added that, although they’re “exhausted” from a long day of completing missions, taking part in round tables and trying to find a Traitor, sleep can be elusive.
“You are just absolutely exhausted but it’s so nerve-wracking to think am I out of the game? And you realise how much you want to be in it,” she said.
This year, the armoury has gone but the shields remain. And Hannah said there’s a reason the players are hellbent on winning one: “Everyone keeps going for these shields, so that’s bringing another element to it, because a good night’s sleep is hard to resist,” she said.
Breakfast – and finding out who’s been murdered
After a sleepless night, we fast-forward to the following morning. And Hannah told us that the cast are taken from their lodgings to the castle and kept apart until the cameras start rolling.
You wouldn’t know if you were going to go into breakfast until you were literally outside the breakfast room.
“We go from wherever we’re staying, get to the castle and then we’re kept separate until we start filming at breakfast,” she said. “And then you wouldn’t know if you were going to go into breakfast until you were literally outside the breakfast room,” she said.
So when do they actually find out they’ve been murdered by the Traitors? “You have no idea if you’ve been murdered or not until just before you go into the room.”
Does the BBC allow alcohol in The Traitors castle?
Hannah revealed that the cast did have “a couple of drinks”. But can that mean it gets harder to keep secrets? After all, loose lubricated lips could sink Traitor ships…
“A couple of glasses of wine barely touches the sides with me,” she laughed. “But I think everybody was relieved to relax and have some downtime.”
Food is “just as you see it on TV”, Hannah revealed: “You see us on TV walking round with plates of food. We basically live in the castle but we just don’t sleep there.”
Claudia is The Traitors host with the most
We’d expect nothing less but Hannah tells us that Claudia Winkleman, who hosts the show, is lovely.
“Claudia is so good and she’s very supportive. She’s very kind of present with you which is really nice. She’ll give anybody support that needs it,” she said.
However, they are pretty wary of not finding a Traitor and disappointing the presenter.
“She does kind of keep her character. Every time we didn’t get a Traitor I was like, Claudia’s going to be so angry. It felt like we were at school. She is very supportive but she is in the game as well. It feels very much real. It is real, the whole thing is real. And there is a lot at stake. She has to keep a total poker face. It’s a lot of pressure on Claudia really to not give anything away or gasp in horror or astonishment or anything like that.”
Indeed, Hannah confirms that Claudia really does pick the Traitors, and it’s not just something that’s done for the purposes of TV.
“There’s no crazy editing,” she confirmed. “As far as we know Claudia makes the decisions about who becomes a Traitor.”
The Traitors on BBC One: The truth about those round tables
Asked if the round tables take hours to film, Hannah – who now fronts the Ghost Huns podcast – said her memory of them is a little hazy. However, she told ED!: “Those round tables, you can’t really predict what’s going to happen in them.
“The main thing is, we have to make sure that everything is covered and that everyone gets their turn. We have to make sure the game is played fairly. But there’s nothing outrageous that happens that you don’t see.”
The Traitors ‘know everything’
Hannah told us she does think a Traitor will win this series over a Faithful, though. Why? Because the Traitors “know everything” and the Faithful have no information…
“I think it’s so swung in the Traitors’ favour that it’s got to be a Traitor who wins series 2,” she said.
“They know everything. And they’ve got all the information and Faithfuls have got none. I’d be very surprised if it was a Faithful.”
She also issued a word of warning for this year’s Faithfuls: “Also, they’re not very aligned. They’re all out for themselves at the minute and they’re not really working together so I don’t see the Faithful winning.”
Read more: The Traitors series 1 star Hannah Byczkowski on ‘pressure’ that’s heaped on host Claudia Winkleman
The Traitors is on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9pm on BBC One.
Listen to the Ghost Huns podcast on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts. To get tickets to the live show visit the website here.
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