In case you've been living under a rock, there's a new season of The Traitors underway. And while we're only a few episodes in, the latest series is sparking debates over its problematic roundtables, as well as the Traitors turning on each other in recent episodes.
And while you watch all of the drama unfold, you might be wondering to yourself, ‘How do they make sure no one sees the Traitors walking around the castle?’ or ‘Do they all know each other before they enter the game?’ Rest assured, we have the answers to all your buzzing questions below — as it's been revealed that, like all good games, there are rules the players have to abide by…
What is the Traitors' Oath?
Sounding a bit like something from my childhood memories at Brownies, the Traitors' Oath is a strict set of rules placed upon the show's contestants to make sure everyone is playing the game fairly and squarely, and ensures that none of the Traitors are ‘outed’ by fellow Traitors to the Faithfuls, which would, in effect, ruin the entire game. The Traitors also have to swear to murder every night.
Here are the other rules that must be followed by the whole cast, Traitor or not:
What are the rules of The Traitors game?
It goes without saying that phones are banned on set — both when filming and when relaxing in the evenings in their accommodation. And even when players are allowed their phones (around once a week), it's always supervised by production staff, and social media is strictly banned. Phone use is limited to phoning and texting spouses, relatives and friends. Oh, and texts are checked over beforehand to make sure that nothing juicy about the show is being shared.
The full cast is only revealed to the public after production on the show starts, making it impossible for the cast to Google each other ahead of time.
“The cast doesn’t know who else was on the cast until they all show up there," explained The Traitors US casting director Deena Katz to TIME. “Because it’s a game, you don’t want them to be able to research each other or talk to each other or form alliances before.”
With both the Traitors and Faithfuls shown coming downstairs to have breakfast together in the castle's dining room, as well as filming vignettes of the players in the bedrooms occasionally, you'd be mistaken for thinking the cast sleep in the castle — wrongo!
Alan Cumming, the star of the US version of the show, let it slip that they're all sent to a nearby hotel instead: "They all stayed in the airport hotel in the Inverness airport. How glamorous — you come to Scotland, and you stay in the Inverness airport hotel.”
Expect the unexpected this season, including a war between Traitors.
It would be so tempting to do some off-camera strategising with trusted confidantes, but according to insiders, there are strict rules about not talking about the game unless the camera is filming you. This is to ensure the viewers catch everyone's thoughts and opinions on the other players in the game, and to help explain participants' actions — particularly at the dramatic roundtables.
According to the couple Larsa and Marcus, who were stars of the US version of The Traitors, they resorted to communicating with each other via… a banana. According to People, the Real Housewives of Miami star shared: “Marcus asked me for a nail file, and I put it in a paper bag — and they go through everything, you’re not supposed to send anything back and forth — but he wanted a nail file and I was like, I’m just going to send him a nail file,” the Real Housewives of Miami star told People. “And then I was like, Oh, there’s a banana. He said he wanted a banana. So I [write] ‘I love you’ on the banana and send it to him with the nail file.”
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