It’s A Wicked Game | Traitors 2026 | Thread 9 | Spoiler Free!

[CaveMum]

Link to previous thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5476221-everybody-wants-to-rule-the-world-traitors-2026-thread-8-spoiler-free?page=1

Welcome to Thread 9 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 <spoiler warning if you haven’t seen the start of episode 9>

Traitors
Hugo
Rachel
Stephen
Fiona (Secret Traitor)

Murdered
Netty
Ben
Maz
Reece
Adam
Jessie

Banished
Judy (Faithful)
Hugo (Traitor)
Ross (Faithful)
Amanda (Faithful)
Fiona (Traitor)
Harriet (Faithful)
Sam (Faithful)

The floor is yours…

I wonder if the faithfuls also feel she’s a bit too dim to be a traitor?
The traitors will use her until it’s time to murder her.

Matthew is apparently originally from Northern Ireland, but is now living in Edinburgh. Which makes it even harder for me to curb my suspicions. Ross’s and Ellie’s secret relationship was only revealed when Ross left the game, so they might be doing the same here. I think as viewers, apart from the secret traitor which didn’t last very long, having secret relationships in the game that we are not aware of is a way for us to play along and see how difficult it is not knowing something but having suspicions and gathering evidence.

I would suspect at this stage their experience of the individuals is outweighing those kind of expectations. But Leanne played a great game by exploiting people’s inbuilt biases/assumptions, the traitors could certainly plant those thoughts.

The only way for Rachel or Stephen to win the entire pot is for one to get rid of the other and be at the end firepit with a Faithful, who must not suspect them. If they are both there with a Faithful, the Faithful would need to get rid of one, which I can;t see happening... I think they will share.

On a related note, I think there is only one RT left where the banished player reveals if they are Faithul or Traitor... atfet that, the players do not know.

Its a simple fact - Rachel is currently playing the game better than anyone else. She is building alliances, thinking quickly and gently steering conversations rather than having tantrums at the table. She deserves to win.

Rachel doesn’t need the viewers to like her (viewers generally are swayed by dead nan stories more than gameplay). She just needs the faithfuls to like her and believe in her and she is doing that extremely well.

No, both are Irish but Matthew now lives in Edinburgh.
He grew up in Ireland.

Don’t they need to be down to five players to stop the RT? I can’t remember. I wonder if a double murder is coming up.

I don’t find the dagger thing that interesting as they can just give it to their loyal friend Roxy who will never vote for either of them - so there we go all sorted.

I’ve enjoyed the series but I think the excitement re the ST happened too early and it’s difficult to keep that level of interest/twists up for the remainder of the series. I wonder if the ST could have happened later on instead just to keep things interesting from the middle to the end.

I’m still enjoying it I’m just not on the edge of my seat waiting for next Wed now.

I’m not sure I see the facial likeness between Matty and Rachel. I speculated James and Jessie were siblings and Jack and Jade in the basis of their eyes. But maybe that faithful type random thinking! And because they are next to each other on the photo wall and have matchy initials!

100% agree.
Matt in particular has spoken about being a survivor of attempts at conversion therapy by the church when he was growing up… I mean, wtf must that do to a young, gay person?

Thats why I dislike the dinner party thing too. It becomes about players trying to trump one another with their bad luck stories. To be fair, Matt mentioned about being gay and coming from a small community as being a point of similarity with Stephen but he didn’t divulge the whole conversion therapy thing. It also made me feel Jade’s brushing him off when he tried to show empathy with her was particularly unpleasant. She behaves in such an entitled way, as if she’s the only one there who’s had a difficult life and how dare anyone suspect her of anything! She really shouldn’t have got through the selection process.

Leanne was was like that. So aggressive when challenged and went on to win. Could never take to her but for some reason Jade brings out the protective mother instinct in me as it did for Reece.

I loved the way Roxy spoke about Judy. I did wonder if she’d say it was her mum but she didn’t. Must have been hard not to.

Agree she’s playing a blinder at the winning friends game because I’m not sure that her ‘strategies’ of following Amanda’s suspicions, revealing her FBI style training, announcing she knows who it is but being incorrect etc are what’s keeping her in the game.
Given her failings and being at the centre of 2 big rows, if the faithfuls had a drop of sense, rather than considering her a pal they’d be on to her.

Jack is going to be gutted when he finds out that Stephen is a traitor

I think it’s a bit risky if Stephen takes the dagger.

Think I’m in the minority but do appreciate hearing about the human stories and challenges the contestants have faced on their journey to the game, it is personal and sharing probably not easy… dismissing them immediately as ‘sob’ or ‘dead nan’ stories or suggesting there is one up man ship etc to who has the hardest hand also seems a bit off…

What’s wrong in us learning a bit more, getting to know the contestants better if they want to share and having a few touching moments? Makes no difference to the outcome.

Rachel is doing amazingly well

she’s a comms director and her communication skills are impressive. Her employer is lucky to have her

Banishment and murder next Wednesday and then there’s a final banishment on Thursday at the round table which takes it down to 5? I really was struggling to remember the eighth remaining player earlier and ended up having to look it up, it was James I couldn’t remember!

You too, can be FBI trained ..

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a70007091/fbi-lie-detection-training-the-traitors/

I really like and admire Rachel. I don’t know her and yet I am so proud for her of how she has got and kept herself together. She’s a complete role model and I do read warmth, compassion and care in her. As has been said, she’s managed to hyper focus on her goal and keep her emotions in check.
I think her competence at this game makes her intimidating as a person - I feel intimidated by her competence! I am certain this is why she reads to some as unlikeable in a way that wouldn’t impact a man.
I really do hope she and Stephen win - I’m so impressed by them both. Stephen has come so far and has clearly learned how to manage himself too. This has surely been the toughest gig for any Traitors so far. My god, have they worked for it.

Its not a dinner party if it’s just cheese
Cut the cheese is an American fart joke
I don’t find it as gripping now the big characters have gone it’s just paranoid people.
I felt really sorry for Jade. Christ how dreadful.

The nice ones remaining are nice enough but I don’t feel I care about them or who will win though. The men are all still interchangeable apart from James (?) who I recognise with his ADHD and Stephen the traitor who is just bland and toadying in all directions to survive.

Rachel is a judgy hard faced managerial authoritarian type highly unlikeable but will win by keeping Roxy in as cover and then binning off her and Stephen.

The big character energy women have all gone. Fiona and Harriet. Amanda was let down unfortunately because her confidence in her concussions was misplaced.

It’s not that much fun watching extremely paranoid people accuse each other in a scattergun way over the tiny things. Is it because there’s nothing dastardly or confident about the traitors this time? Maybe it’s a sign of the times and cost of living where everyone (maybe not jadee then) really needs the money. Why’s she not been bought a flat already if she comes from a banking family?
Are all the player traitors or faithfuls all playing a very very safe game until the last 5 mins to try to keep themselves in it and so it’s not that fun to watch?

Give the dagger to Roxy
chat to her, find out who she’s voting for
vote for the same person or persuade her it’s jade

Another reason why I don't think James and Jessie are closely connected is because I don't think he would be good at keeping something like that a secret for long.

He probabky doesnt think Rachel is a traitor, but he nominated her for likely to be a good traitor in the Jack in a box challenge, and he should have kept his explanation brief to avoid being a target for murder.

I reckon Rachel will keep Roxy in, get rid of Stephen then go on to win the whole lot as Roxy won’t believe that her bestie is a traitor.

I didn't get the sense that they all "need" the money at all.
Most seem to have fairly good jobs and I think they are mainly in there to play the game.

Rachel has been lucky with how dim others have been and for what other players have done to other faithful.
I wouldn't say it's her amazing play at all.

I agree I think there’s been a lot of luck because the faithfuls have missed some quite obvious clues (eg both Fiona and Harriet going for Rachel yet none of the others wanting to vote her out).

But I do think Rachel has kept calm under pressure and that has helped to keep her under the radar. She’s also had some good attempts to misdirect people at just the right time. Tbf she probably does deserve the win more than anyone else as has worked the hardest. I guess Stephen has too. I’m probably hoping they both win now as the faithfuls I wanted to win have already left (Sam and Harriet).