The New Year kicked off with a brand new series of ‘s The Traitors. Januray 1 welcomed the third season of the UK edition, with Claudia Winkleman at the helm and 22 players took on the game.
With millions tuning in to the gripping gameshow three days a week, when it isn’t on fans still can’t just get enough of it and comments and theories run wild online.
But it’s not just tactics and contestants viewers are talking about. Many are curious as to what really goes on behind the scenes.
Luckily for fans, with two series already previously aired, past contestants have been opening up on the measures that producers go to in order to keep the game a mystery.
From blindfolded car rides to item bans, the players have to follow strict rules to take part in the game. Past contestant Maddy Smedley, from series one, has spilled some of the beans surrounding the show’s secrets to the Beeb.
Claudia Winkleman on The Traitors (Image: BBC)
Where do Traitors contestants sleep?
The Traitors is filmed in Ardross Castle, a 19th Century building about 30 miles north of Inverness. It is set in about 100 acres of gardens and parkland and has been owned by the McTaggart family since 1983.
However, while most of the filming takes place in the castle, the actual location of where the consestants sleep is not only a mystery to fans at home but to those taking part too.
Maddy explained: “It’s about a 30-minute drive from the castle but you’re blindfolded as you approach, so you can’t see the car in front or figure out exactly where you are.”
“You’re allowed to go for a walk but you have to be accompanied by a runner and each floor is manned by two security guards who ensure you don’t leave your room unaccompanied.
“At first, I was really scared of them because I had watched the Dutch version of the show and in that, the faithful are murdered in their hotel room so every time the guard knocked on my door I thought I was going to leave the game,” she says.
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The roundtable on The Traitors (Image: BBC)
What happens when contestants are banished or murdered?
According to Maddy, when a player is banished from the roundtable they “really do leave immediately”. She explained: “You’re taken to do an exit interview straight away and then driven to your hotel to pack your stuff.
“The next day, I was escorted by security in the morning to the airport and was given my phone back.”
If a contestant is murdered then they have a slightly more stressful time as they are unsure whether they will be heading to breakfast or going home.
Maddy shared: “You turn up in the morning like you’re going to breakfast and you are all waiting in these holding rooms.
“Eventually, you get called as if you’re going to breakfast but instead, they take you to another room where the murder letter is sitting on a chair. It was so stressful.”