The Traitorz #5 - with a cursive Z

[witchycat2]

Continued discussion for series 3 of The Traitors UK.

With regards to giving the Faithful more to go on...

I've not watched the whole NZ series as I really dislike the "celebrity" element but in the first episode the traitors had to do a task in plain sight (not to do with murdering anyone but to increase the prize pot). It meant that they were acting perhaps a little unusually and so would provide clues for the Faithfuls as they were told afterwards that a task to win money (not told what it was) was performed in front of their eyes.

So one person is selected as sheriff. Each round they ask Claudia in secret if someone is a traitor. Eg is Linda a traitor. Claudia says yes or no. Only the sheriff has this info and they decide what to do with it. It was always my fave role to play when playing mafia.

Do you really think it's to weighted to the faithfuls? Maybe on an individual level because you can't be murdered but on a group level I feel faithfuls are more likely to win.

Actually I lied. Dr is my fave role. I always just save myself.

I agree with some of the RT article - it's not as good this year and it's definitely meaner, but also yes, the cast are just generally more confident in themselves.

But mainly, the producers have to choose people who can ham it up on camera, who can give good face-to-face analysis in the 'diary room', who can talk in soundbites. Who are 'TV ready'. Because the format of the show is a performance. Many can watch and imagine we could do better, but to translate that to being on TV is very different.

You can see the struggle in Linda...('absolutely' 'wow' 'really' 'right') she is 'drying' on stage! Therefore, the 'byproduct' of this is she has been cast in 'crap traitor' role in the edit. I wouldn't be surprised if she was encouraged to 'cry' at breakfast to give more material.
Minah is much more confident and articulate, so they use her more.

And then there is the after-show stuff. By now it's obvious the interest, so the cast choice has to reflect those who can carry the story through after the show has finished. That was maybe not so evident or expected in the first series, so the casting now will have become more biased to 'TV ready'- (and perhaps unconsiously, 'oh everyone loved/hated Harry last year, let's stick in someone similar as a red-herring or whatever).

I really think it is not the participants calling the shots as the article seems to imply.

But also, really, what clues DO they Faithful have to go on at first? There is no concrete evidence so it will always be, 'you look shifty'... 'you give me a Harry vibe'

^ I agree the tasks could be more clue-based. It would be great to have clever evidence they have to piece together.

I assume you mean the traitors? Yes, I do strongly feel it's weighted in their favour. They largely control the narrative, and obviously know what's going on. I do feel that obviously they have the stress of keeping up the pretence. But, the faithful have the stress of knowing others can decide their fate at any point, and they're pretty helpless if the Traitors decide to single them out.
That said, I wouldn't want to be a traitor myself. I'd be hopeless at it!

I'm sure a lot of the Faithful will have strongly suspected Linda at this point, but it won't be shown in the edit. Faithfuls have no incentive to banish her as she'll just get replaced with another person as traitor. The better strategy at this stage for the faithfuls is to keep her in and focus on the banishing stronger/cleverer players.
If they then make it to the final they will have a better chance of winning as they will know Linda is a traitor.

Oh, that's a really good point about keeping the obvious traitor in and focus on finding the clever traitor or traitors (they possibly think there's three)
It'd be good gameplay.
The ability of traitors to re-recruit, is another reason I feel the faithful are hugely disadvantaged.

Yeah I think i'd also assume there was 3 at this stage too.

If I was a faithful i'd be trying to banish people like Fazia, Alexander (& earlier, Kaz) because they seem quite clever and might be harder to compete against. But none of the faithful openly seems to discuss this strategy (unless they edit those bits out).

Interesting RT article and I mainly agree. It’s a much meaner show this year and less “on edge of seat” stuff. I started rewatching S2 and even though I watched first time around I’m still enjoying it immensely. I’d forgotten all the detail of each episode and am actually liking watching “with benefit of hindsight” (SPOILER AHEAD) eg knowing Harry won but seeing his development from the start, watching Paul’s slow unwinding (I’m up to the episode after the dungeon which was the start of his downfall), Jaz and his theories and his magnificent gameplay, Diane and Ross (looking forward to funeral esp!), Diane is starting to wonder about Ross now too, how the blonds (Evie, Charlie, Mollie) are so under the radar of everyone - it’s fascinating. The tasks are more interesting (scarecrow in field and cemetery both freaky and good tv!) and the cast seem to be more of a cohesive group in the tasks. Even encouraging others to grab the shield etc. I don’t know if they were just incredibly lucky with the cast that season or what but it was fabulous and right from the first week (eps 1-3 had some big talking moments!).

I thought I was enjoying this current season but having started S2 again I realise it’s not a patch on it. I’m still waiting for big twists and reveals that seem to have come earlier on S2. The Priest reveal was a utter letdown (Lisa afaik hasn’t even been questioned on how she was okay with lying during then gunk task!), the sister relationship fell flat and made no impact, etc etc. I think that is why there is so much speculation on things like who Frankie is mum off (everyone 😂), if Lisa is someone’s mum, etc. We are all desperate for more! I think what the RT article said about the contestants trying out on “what would producers do to make good tv” hats and “what happened last season” hats equally applies to us viewers. We are all expecting another relationship reveal because we all loved the Diane/Ross one, etc. I suppose it’s inevitable the longer a show like this goes on the harder it must be for the producers to really surprise the audience.

Having said that I am still hooked and can’t wait for tonight. I also think the traitors will come out to the cemetery table and choose one for murder and one for forced recruiting. Not sure who I’d prefer for each though! Claudia said there are more twists to come. Be interesting to see what those are!

The producers made massive errors in casting the influencer demographic they have gone for in my opinion. Others may not agree, but I really think this year is dull compared to previous series and the Australian series (which was axed). The characters aren't great. The potentially good ones were murdered in the beginning (although thank god Yin went).

The show is going the same way big brother went after a couple of series. The wannabes (of the 00's) are now called influencers and they just want to be famous after seeing what has happened to previous contestants and it takes away from the game. I also think if producers could not cast from 300,000 applications and actually approach influences directly then they are the ones who have caused this issue. They must be shite if they can't pick 25 people from 300,000 applications.

Yes, good article.

‘…but the misery we've witnessed elsewhere in the castle feels new for this year. I, for one, dislike it.’

Think we’ve noticed that as well.

More pressure to stay in longer if you're looking for followers.

Who selects the sheriff, though? And is that not basically publicly denominating someone as a Faithful?

@Festschriften Claudia would pick the sheriff at the same time as the traitors. And their identity is secret so no one knows who they are. They could announce it but would be promptly murdered, someone else could claim to be it to avoid being banished or a traitor could claim
It to misdirect.

@Festschriften in some ways playing the sheriff is very like being a traitor, as if the traitors find out who you are you are next in line for murder! That makes it an interesting role to play, as if you discover a traitor, your best play to stay alive and reveal the info is to subtly influence the group, almost exactly like... a traitor (or you could keep them in to the end game and hope you make the final of course)

Does everyone know that someone has been appointed sheriff, though? I mean, is everyone trying to figure out who the sheriff is as well as who the traitors are? Both (from the faithful POV) because they're the sole 'guaranteed faithful' (as I assume they can't be recruited?) and because they have solid information? Is it not going to cause far more fractiousness and dissent among the faithful?

What if the traitors try to recruit the sheriff?

I mean, it sounds like an interesting idea in theory, I'm just trying to apply it to the show in practice!

Yes, everyone knows a sheriff exists.
Tbf with the levels of paranoia amongst this season's cast, I'm not sure they could cope with a sheriff as well 😂
If the traitors recruit the sheriff then it would be like they were murdered/banished, I.e. Claudia would pick a new one in secret. Presumably though they'd have to have a cutoff point where if the detective was removed (by banishment, murder or recruitment) there couldn't be a new one, otherwise it'd be far too obvious who it was!
Maybe that's one reason it hasn't been introduced.

I don’t think I agree with the article- but haven’t watched season 2.
I’m 3/4 way through season one and Rayan has been picked on, as have the tall lad who may have adhd who was in tears most of the first half.
Several of them have been told they are inauthentic and must be lying and been upset about it. Maddie is having a hard time. Season 3 isn’t seeming worse to me.

Does the aftershow influence you and make you misremember the nastiness because you know they are ok now? Because I haven’t watched any of that.

I agree that the producers have too many influencer types in but think that they are aware of this. For example they actively went out to find a priest (Vicar friend of mine knows some people whom they approached and was quite miffed they didn't approach them - they'd have made an excellent traitor tbh.)

Ideas like if a faithful is banished there's a double murder or those that voted are up for murder sheild of not. Also is a traitor is banished there's no murder.

How about, if a traitor is banished that's £20,000 for the prize pot? At the moment I'm not convinced that the faithful have much of an incentive to try very hard (but this is my first season watching, so maybe I've missed something). Certainly they need to find a way to stop the pile-ons of the innocent which we've seen 2 or 3 times so far.

I was watching a montage of Disney/Ross moments earlier. Superb! I’d forgotten the interactions in the car when one person says ‘She’s like my mum’ and then everyone else chips in how she’s like their mum also., including Ross.

Oh, yes, and Ross' wink to the camera! 👌

Last year was truly superb wasn't it.

The wink!!!!!!

I agree with you. Season one had some seriously high emotions - Theo and Aaron in particular early on. It also had people like John being horrible for no reason.

I think season two was less emotional than that but still had its moments, like with Brian and the sheep comments and Anthony being accused repeatedly because of something he did before the traitors had even been picked.