.png)
January is canonically a bleak time. After the fun of the festive season dies down, we are left with nothing but grey skies and a long hangover. Luckily, we have The Traitors to bolster our spirits.
The hit reality show returned for its long-awaited third season on the BBC yesterday. Claudia Winkleman emerged wearing her finest (and strangest) knits and welcomed a new group of 25 contestants to “her” gothic castle in the Scottish highlands.
There, the group will try to figure out who among them are the “traitors” and who are the “faithfuls”. Each night, the traitors will murder one of the faithfuls. Meanwhile, each evening, the group will vote to banish one person they think is a traitor. At the end, the remaining people will split (or, if there's still a traitor among them, steal) the cash prize of up to £120,000. Yes, it is essentially a very elaborate, very addictive game of wink murder.
Things move pretty fast in Claudia's castle, so, naturally, the game is already well underway. Three traitors have been chosen. Two people have been banished. One person has been murdered. And lots of people have already wept at the round table. Tensions are high! And we love it!
So, who are this year's faithfuls and traitors? Let's meet The Traitors cast for season 3.
And more importantly can you stay there?
Alex
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 29
Location: Whitby
Job: Care manager
Although Alex hasn't made much of a stamp on the castle yet, as he explained in his interview with BBC before heading to Scotland, there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. “I'm quite a funny, silly sort of character that people take at face value quite a lot,” said Alex. “Some might assume silly equates to being stupid so, I've found that throughout my life, a lot of people have maybe overlooked me or underestimated me. That sort of thing in the Traitors could possibly be weaponised almost. I observe a lot, I'm quite good at cataloguing things. I might appear to be just having fun, but I am taking everything in.”
When asked what he would do as a faithful, he said, “Being observant but perhaps keeping my mouth shut for a bit because I think you've only got the opportunity to say exactly how you feel once you get a few rounds into the game.”
Alexander
Still in the game: No — got off the train before reaching the castle
Faithful or traitor: N/A
Age: 38
Location: London
Job: Former British diplomat
Alexander left the game almost as soon as it began, volunteering to disembark the train before it even reached the castle. His plan was to “watch and wait” — but having left the train, he may never get the chance to put his plan into action.
Anna
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 28
Location: County Wicklow, Ireland
Job: Swimming teacher
Anna applied for the show on a whim after binge watching both seasons. “I have a bit of a game plan but it's hard to say whether it will work or not,” she revealed. “I do think the Faithfuls have to work together, but at the end of the day, if I’m a Faithful and figure out who a Traitor is I don't have to pull them up straight away. I think a good game plan is to figure out who the Traitor is and become good friends with them, that would help get you to the end.”
Armani
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Traitor
Age: 27
Location: London
Job: Financial investigator
Armani arrived at the castle with her younger sister, Maia — and quickly told Claudia she'd happily murder her if she had to.
“I don’t want to sound vain, but I'm pretty good at most things I put my mind to,” she said. “I've got a law background, I’ve worked as a financial investigator, and what I've been doing for the past five years involves being analytical.”
Armani entered the game hoping to be a traitor. “I just feel like as a Traitor it’s a completely different game. There’s the sense of security that you're not going to get killed off at night-time, but then there’s the fact that you've got to lie for the whole game, essentially to the people that you start to build relationships with,” she said. “I'm not going to take it to heart if someone betrays me, I’d do the same. If I got killed off as a Faithful, for example, I would just be like, what a shame, but it is what it is.”
So far, Armani has established herself as one of the most vocal people in the group — which could come back to haunt her at a round table soon enough.
Charlotte
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 32
Location: London/ Hampshire
Job: Business director
Last season, we had a major twist when Diane turned out to be — duh duh duh — Ross's mother. This season, we got the major twist of Charlotte turning out to be — well — not Welsh. As she explained on the show, her fake Welsh accent was her way of showing herself to be a trustworthy person. Unfortunately, her plan hasn't worked that well, with many people voting for her in the second round table.
Her game plan as a faithful is to “make friends and make myself valuable in challenges.” She added, “You don’t want to be too vocal and put your head above the parapet. If I'm a Faithful I’d try to be a bit like Maddy from series one and Jaz from series two, voting for who you genuinely believe is a Traitor and making it clear, rather than going with the crowd.”
Dan
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 33
Location: Liverpool
Job: Bank risk manager
“I think that as a Faithful I would need to identify quickly who I think the Traitors are,” he said. “I believe that there are patterns in who the Traitors have been in the first couple of seasons, and I could use a bit of that intel to my advantage. I'm quite good at deciphering people's intentions so I would cosy up to them, not threaten them at all and I'd constantly use words that make people feel good; use words like trust, comfortable, respect, just to get people on side and not have people think, ‘oh, he's too bright. He's thinking too much about the game.’”
Elen
Still in the game: No — banished
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 24
Location: Cardiff
Job: Translator
Poor Elen didn't make it far in the game. After her emotions got the better of her, many people in the group read her break down as guilt and chose to vote her off in the second round table.
In her interview, Elen knew her emotions would have to play a part in her game. “I'm so competitive and I want this so much. I really want that money. However, I wear my heart on my sleeve. I'm very emotional,” she said. “I love people deeply. I don't know what kind of friendships or bonds I'm going to make in there. If I really love the people, it's going to be hard. Then again, they might be awful. So, it depends. To be honest, I’m intrigued either way.”
Fozia
Still in the game: No — got off the train before reaching the castle
Faithful or traitor: N/A
Age: 50
Location: Birmingham
Job: Community development manager
Fozia was the first person to leave the game — and she did so voluntarily, stepping off the train before it reached the castle.
Her game plan was to earn trust. “I'll go in and make friends, and make sure that I can be trusted, I'd be myself, talk about stuff outside of work, show some level of compassion, you know, I want them to see the real me,” she said. “But at the same time, I want to be strategic about it because you can't trust anyone. I am going to be careful about what I share and don't share. And normally I can smell a rat.”
Francesca
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 44
Location: East Sussex
Job: Interior designer
Francesca has kept a pretty low profile so far — apart from admiring the set decorations.
Funnily enough, she joined the show to prove that she's more than an interior designer. “I've got four sons, and I think they just see me as mum, and that I do Interior Design — I don't think they even realise what that involves,” she said. “I believe they literally think I just plump cushions and hang some curtains. I also entered the competition on a personal level which was I really wanted to challenge myself. I suppose part of me wants to show my sons that anything's possible.”
Freddie
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 20
Location: Peterborough
Job: Politics student
Freddie has big ambitions. As he said on the show, he hopes to be Prime Minister one day. He also hopes to win The Traitors.
“I used to be UK number one in the athletic sprint hurdles from the ages of 14 to 17," he said. "So just from that I've got a very competitive, driven mindset. I don't do sport anymore because I tore my hamstring in 2020, so I've sort of shifted that mindset into everyday life. If I'm doing a job, if I'm studying, I want to do it to the best of my ability and bring that drive and passion.”
Jack
Still in the game: No — got off the train before reaching the castle
Faithful or traitor: N/A
Age: 24
Location: Yorkshire
Job: Market trader and landscaper
Jack was the third person to voluntarily get off the train and leave the game before it even started.
We never even got to find out his little secret. “I have secretly trained as an actor,” he revealed in his interview. “I moved to London when I was 18, moved away from Yorkshire and I didn't really tell too many of my family and friends that that’s what I was going to do, because I think there's a bit of a stigma around it in the area that I live in, people think ‘oh he wants to go off and chase the acting dream.’ So, I think I'm used to being put into situations which are hostile and unfamiliar.”
Jake
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 28
Location: Barrow-on-Furness
Job: Project manager
Jake quickly became (rightly) suspicious of Linda — although he hasn't managed to get her voted off yet. It seems that calling people out is part of his plan. “I would leave no stone unturned. Everyone’s your friend until they’re not,” he said.
Joe
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 37
Location: Southampton
Job: English teacher
Joe is the english teacher with a love of simple things. As he said happily in an already iconic moment of the show, “I'm getting brekkie and I'm still alive.” That's our mantra for 2025 sorted.
His plan is to buddy up with a traitor. “I'm going to find it tricky, but I know that I need to befriend the ones that I think might be the Traitors because that's what I need to do to get through," he said. "However, if I suspect something I'll find it very difficult not pointing it or calling it out. So, that is one of the things I'm going to have to think: Joe, just keep your cool, don’t say anything yet. I need to think about the long game.”
And more importantly can you stay there?
Kasim
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 33
Location: Cambridge
Job: Doctor
Kas, aka the “hot doctor”, is already a fan-favourite.
“I'm quite a happy go lucky, bubbly person, I very much go with the flow,” he said. “I’m quite open, quite honest, very happy to talk to anyone about any issues that come up and it's part and parcel of what I do. However, when I get competitive, a very different side of me comes out. I can be quite ruthless, cunning and tactical. Generally, if I'm playing things like board games, I will absolutely stab you in the back to get what I want.”
Keith
Still in the game: No — murdered
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 65
Location: Bournemouth
Job: Window cleaner
Sadly, Keith was the second victim of the traitors, who killed him off because — well — they thought he would never be banished.
Keith didn't get much of a chance to enact his game plan: “The game plan is to stay behind, don't go out too bold and just be very wary. You also need to get to know everybody, that's the most important part but don’t trust anyone! You need friends, but you never know who will end up an enemy, so you need to keep that little distance and just remember all the time that it's only a game.”
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 28
Location: Holywell North Wales
Job: Veteran
Leanne is one of this year's faithfuls with a little secret. While Charlotte is pretending to be Welsh, Leanne is pretending to be…girly? Although Leanne is an army veteran, she has entered the castle as a pink-obsessed girly girl (because, as we all know, no one in the army can like pink!).
As Leanne explained, her plan is inspired by Harry, last season's winner. “Harry won last year. Obviously, he was a soldier, and he bare faced lied his way to the end," she said. "I feel like it would put me at a bit of a disadvantage to divulge my previous job because people are automatically going to assume anyone in the military is smart and strategic.”
Leon
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 40
Location: East midlands
Job: Retail store manager
Although Leon hoped to be selected as a traitor, he is one of this year's faithfuls. As he said before coming to the castle, “My mind is always in overdrive, so I think as a Faithful I would be there thinking, ‘Why has she said this?’ Or ‘Why is he smiling?’ I do that, especially at work, where I listen to other people while I'm talking, keeping my ears open, and taking everything in. I’d want to solve the case, so I’m constantly going to be listening and trying to have conversations.”
Linda
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Traitor
Age: 70
Location: Hertfordshire
Job: Retired opera singer
Linda is the oldest person to ever get the traitor tap from Claudia. And she's thrilled about it. However, the ex-opera singer has already slipped up. Almost as soon as everyone took off their blindfolds, she turned to look at Claudia when she said the word “traitors” — and, yes, Jake notices, and, yes, he called her out, and, yes, she came this close to getting voted off.
Nevertheless, Linda plans on being ruthless. “If there’s money involved, which there is, I can be ruthless,” she said.
Lisa
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 62
Location: Cornwall
Job: Anglican priest
Lisa joined the game as a priest in disguise. And she was willing to don the traitor cloak. As she told Claudia, “I'm a priest, not a saint.” Another iconic mantra for the year.
“Oh, I’m so competitive. So competitive, people have said to me, and this is something that I've had to reflect on quite a lot, about going on a programme like The Traitors where deception and lying is part of the game and how does that sit with being a priest?” she said. “It doesn't exactly speak of the values that we uphold as a priest. But this is a game. And just the same as if I'm sitting around the kitchen table with my family, if you're playing the game, you play the game, whatever that entails.”
Olivia (Livi)
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 26
Location: Horsham
Job: Beautician and model
Livi has already begun to speak out as a faithful, calling out a few people. In fact, she was one of the main voices speaking out against Elen. Although she was wrong about the Welsh translator, her aim is to catch out the liars. “I'm a good problem solver so I'd be able to help the team track down a Traitor,” she said. “I've always sussed people out in my life and if somebody has lied to me, I've known straight away. I think I'm a good people reader.”
Maia
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 25
Location: Essex
Job: Full-time mum
Maia is the younger sister of Armani (yes, Armani the traitor) and she's already started to notice something is a little off with her sister.
“I always know when someone is lying,” she said. “And body language, body language is so strong. if you're uncomfortable, even little things like your knees might not be pointing towards me, you'd be pointing toward the door if you're uncomfortable. If you’re not looking at me in the eye when you're telling me that lie, then I'm like, where are you looking? Where's your brain right now? If you don't respond quick enough and I feel like I asked the right questions, I'll just keep on going until I find out if that story is true or not.” And it seems like she's already noticed some of these tell-tale signs in Armani.
Minah
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Traitor
Age: 29
Location: Liverpool
Job: Call centre manager
Minah is the third traitor rounding out this year's evil sisterhood. So far, she is the only one who hasn't been mentioned as a possible suspect. And she's done it by flying under the radar.
“I’m naturally very competitive and because I always want to win, I’d do anything," she said of her plan. "But I also like to be honest with people and I think I’d struggle betraying people I’d become close to. I think in the back of my mind though I’d think I’m doing this for my family and that trumps any of the friendships I might possibly make.”
Nathan
Still in the game: No — banished
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 39
Location: London
Job: Property consultant
Nathan was the first person banished by the group. After he turned on Linda, many people began to suspect he was trying to throw a faithful under the bus — of course, they were wrong. It didn't help that people thought he looked suspiciously calm and steely.
“I can stay calm and if I want something I go out and get it," he said. "If that means me looking at someone in the eye and telling them whatever they think they need to hear, I will tell them that. I've got no issues; I can look people in the eyes and have that conversation with them, I can swear on my heart.” Apparently, that quality wasn't as helpful as he thought it would be.
Tyler
Still in the game: Yes
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 29
Location: Leicester
Job: Barber
Tyler is this season's emotional dude — he's going through it, ok? Let the man enjoy the Highlands and watch his birds! He's also Claudia's tall picture-grabber. An icon.
A self-proclaimed "old soul," Tyler thinks he'll gravitate towards the older competitors. “I'm more mates with my dad’s mates,” he said. “I've got mates my own age but what I'm saying is I tend to do more stuff with my older friends, like I go to Northern Soul nights and I'm the only young one there. I go to darts on a Thursday night, and I like bird watching. It’s all older people. I feel like, in there, if I'm a Faithful, I'll be some more towards the older people and getting them on side. Although one of them could be a Traitor of course!”
Yin
Still in the game: No — murdered
Faithful or traitor: Faithful
Age: 34
Location: Berkshire
Job: Doctor of communication
Yin had a complex game plan — but she never got the chance to enact it as she was killed on the first night. People thought she was too smart — because, yes, she told everyone she was very, very smart. Perhaps not the best game plan after all?
