This time it’s personal! Traitors 2026 | Thread 5 | Spoiler Free!

[CaveMum]

Link to previous thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5472361-the-secret-traitor-has-been-uncloaked-traitors-2026-thread-4-spoiler-free?page=1

Welcome to Thread 5 of Traitors 2026.

This thread runs at TV pace so do not read any further if you are not up to date with the live broadcast. Whilst most discussion will be on the current series, inevitably people will refer to previous series/players/winners so reader beware if you’ve not seen the 3 previous editions, or the celebrity version.

While we welcome posters discussing their theories and speculating on relationships/connections between players, please don’t post spoilers from elsewhere that may ruin things for those of us who like to see things unfold over the course of the series.

The story so far:

Traitors
Hugo
Rachel
Stephen
Fiona (Secret Traitor)

Murdered
Netty
Ben
Maz

Banished
Judy (Faithful)
Hugo (Traitor)
Ross (Faithful)
Amanda (Faithful)

Candidates for murder in Episode 6: Ellie, Faraaz, Jade, Matthew, Reece and Sam (Amanda was also a potential but was banished beforehand and Fiona and Stephen cannot be murdered).

The floor is yours…

Imagine posting and thinking it was ok to post that someone was faking something as debilitating and disabling as a stammer
ffs 🤬
Maybe Netty's limb difference was just pretend too?
fuck sake it's meant to be a lighthearted thread about a tv show

I think that is a stretch to say “personal dislike”.

Over and again we see perceived enemies in the game come out as friends and its something they all comment on in Uncloaked etc. Being convinced someone is on the other time is not dislike.

Amanda’s parting words were to remember “its a game”. I’m not sure if that was directed at Fiona, Jade or the whole group if some were taking it a bit too seriously for their own good.

Reece is really struggling.
Fiona wtaf even my ten year old was like why is Fiona so mean.
Rachel - why spill the beans and draw unnecessary attention to yourself
Stephen - stop looking so terrified and untuck your jumper.

Also I imagine subconsciously but sad to see so many BAME people leave so early, very sad.

Fiona is so utterly dim that she couldn't work out that this secret would send people in 3 different directions thus giving them time to breathe and work out the next strategy.

'She can't have been a detective as my family are in the police'...what?

Oh yes she did! Good point. That’s when Rachel’s Mean Girl side kicked in - all the turning to her clique with the sly smiles and little “can-you-BELIEVE-her?” sneers. She has a lot of social currency in that group though, so she may get away with it unless she slips up again.

How many requests for advice do we see on MN which start with “DH who does that sez”. Appropriating expertise based on a family member in the job is a very common human failing.

I suspect a lot of actual police staff were having a snigger at “I once did a job for the police so I know everything about them"

Another theory on the family tree / connections. What if all the faithfuls have a connection in there but the four traitors initially chosen are the only ones that don’t. So if another traitor is banished the remaining traitors will recruit and may unwittingly choose someone who has a family member or friend in there.

This would mean that pairs could use any secret codes they have decided on to confirm to each other they are both faithful in the early days but then one would take the traitor oath and have to try to maintain the same behaviour to their partner while actually being a traitor allowing another twist for viewers. Last year a sister (Armani?) was chosen as traitor from the beginning and her sister helped get her banished. A family member who is faithful TURNED traitor might be harder for the relative to recognise.

i am thinking that all the secret connections are in the second envelope the banished and murdered have on Uncloaked and that we don’t see the reactions to. When we get nearer the end we will see a montage of all the ‘Maz is Faraaz’s dad’ etc reactions from players.

I didn’t see it as Mean Girl behaviour - I saw it as survival mode. She knew Fiona would start spreading that Rachel was lying & she thinks she’s a traitor, just like she did with Harriet. It’s much more insidious than bringing it out in front of everyone.
This way Fiona & Rachel don’t have anywhere to hide. Yes it’s exposed Rachel but the alternative would be for Fiona to poison enough people & then ‘innocently ‘ bring it up at RT & get someone like Harriet drafted in to cross examine.

I agree - it's needlessly cruel.

I don't really understand this Mean giirl thing. For me, all's fair in Traitors unless you are incompetent. Previous Traitors have blubbed about their children, promised eternal love ( kinda) and used their ADHD to deflect accusations. I am ok with anything really as long as you are skilful about it. Nothing so wimpy as a -'nice' Traitor.

Also yes Stephen, stop tucking your jumper into your jeans FFS! 😂

Fiona went into the kitchen afterwards accusing rachael of lying in front of everyone

Thanks @CaveMum xx

I agree with you on nearly all points but to be fair on the accent thing Ross and Diane’s were from different countries!

Harriet is Scottish. And posh. Pretty sure she is not Jessie's mum.

I can’t remember if I mentioned this before due to oncoming age (a la Fiona but not fake battiness) but does anyone get strong Jasper Carrott vibes from original James? I was so convinced that I looked up his son’s name (Jake) and then realised due to their ages that James would have to be his grandson.

Agreed. Completely different social classes.

I realise this will probably get lost, but please could people not post things gleaned from SM like "his boyfriend has posted .." or " X has got a girlfriend.."

I wondered if Fiona had had a few glasses of wine before that outburst it was so crazy.

Genuinely found Amanda's over-confidence a bit scary in a former DCI.

Both Rachel and Fiona have screwed up IMO. Rachel's announcement about Amanda was baffling ("she's a trained detective, she was trying to help us") when Amanda was so self-evidently shite at the game. Fiona is a loose cannon- suspect the producers thought "let's get someone who is sweet and cuddly on the outside and a narcissistic nutjob on the inside- need to shake things up for s4".

I think people have an issue with Jade because she's pretty but not smiley, which is a combination that gives people the rage for some reason (misogyny).

I hope none of the current traitors win, they're all hopeless. I'd like Faraaz and Roxy to share it- they're playing a good game, under the radar without being boring.

No it was Rachel who went into the kitchen to share the discussion with the team - thought I was going mad - so I rewatched it.😂 Fiona followed into the kitchen after Rachel - she really had no choice but to go their and defend herself. Rachel would have been better to withdraw to another room, take a breath and come up with a new strategy. What she did was more entertaining for us though but it will cost her - first mistake on her part.

Who "used their ADHD to deflect accusations"?

The only contestant I remember who said they have ADHD is a nice young man whose name I've forgotten. IIRC, them using their ADHD to deflect accusations, was done 'legitimately'. Impulsivity and expressing yourself badly at times or getting words mixed up is a symptom of ADHD that can be very difficult to control, and so it's vastly different from someone "blubbing about their children".

ADHD is a disability, that can be very debilitating, not just a quirky and irritating character trait. It's therefore not cute and funny for @timetogetlost to describe James as "ADHD with a quiff" - it plays into unhelpful stereotypes about ADHD and diminishes it. Many of us with ADHD do not bounce around the walls, and not doing so made it harder for us to get diagnosed.

As for continued suggestions that Jessie's stammer isn't real or exaggerated: FFS at least google it, you'll see that a stammer isn't always consistent: it is anxiety-driven and very much depends on the situation, certain words that are being said and certain combinations of words, and things like stress and tiredness can exacerbate a stammer.

It would be really great if we could pack in the casual ableism on this thread.

Oh for heaven’s sake, I’m talking about a social dynamic - “mean girl” is the way some women wield social power, and this is an entire game based on that!

Cat Burns. It's not ableist of me. You are going to have to watch that scene to understand . I think it was very clever game play on her part and I commend her for it!

Cat Burns used her ADHD to deflect accusations in the celebrity series.

She's talking about Cat Burns who did exactly this, not James.