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 think Rachel deserves to win. She's playing the game brilliantly. I don't know how she got out of the Fiona and Harriet situations unscathed.
Jessie was my favourite. I would have loved to see her stay in, banish Stephen, and win it. But now she's gone I'd be quite happy to see Rachel win. She's played it so well.
Also love her earrings and her accent!

I love Rachel and she definitely deserves to win. I love Stephen too. I don’t get the love for Jessie, I found her annoying.

Last I checked, feminism did not mean “Support women demonstrating how good they are at manipulating people.”

Some things transcend sex, you know.

The whole point of the GAME is manipulating people ffs

Isn"t that the game? Have you watched previous series? Aren't all the Traitors manipulative? Some lied. Some cried. Some lead impressionable young women on!
This isn't Ms Congeniality!

I would interrogate yourself about internalised misogyny personally, as at one level you seem uncomfortable with or envious of confident and capable women.

BS… no examination needed, if folk don’t like Rachel or her approach that’s their prerogative. It’s not inherently sexist or misogynistic, but it is patronising to suggest it must be, or that, that dislike is due to her being a woman with characteristics a man would never be criticised for, as I say BS… and each to their own.

I don’t think the post had any internalised misogyny, they just said they haven’t liked her from the start. Lots of people seem to find her a bit off-putting, and remind them of people they know.

Perfectly fine not to like Rachel. I don't think she is more ruthless than, say, Paul or Harry or Wilf.

I loved how Jessie worked out her library theory and correctly identified Stephen as a traitor and she would not let it go. I think she was really smart but people didn't pay enough attention to her. They liked her a lot but she didn't have the same ability to influence as someone like Rachel who has formidable leadership skills.

Jessie was very smart, I agree. Also quite good at tasks, I think. And good at alliances. A great Faithful, unlike the ones left.

I couldn’t bare them either. I do wish Wilf would stop popping up. His persona seems to be ‘I was on traitors’.

Of course she's manipulating people. That's the game.

Ah, you don't like sneaky Traitors then! 😀
I always love them. Wilf was a bit annoying but a great Traitor.
It was Meryl, Aaron and Hannah I couldn't stand.

I agree completely. The remain faithfuls appear not very intelligent or perceptive.

I don’t get the dislike for Rachel. She’s playing a game and playing it well.

How has everyone forgot about Rachel turning on Ross (I think it was Ross) and asking that very left field question about his time in the turret?
Now there are so few of them, perhaps they need to think about each other's behaviour one at a time on a timeline rather than just thinking 'well so and so looked a bit guilty last night' .

I wonder if some of the dislike is that people feel she’s not playing it particularly well but is breezing through because the Faithfuls are so crap.

Rachel has actually made several bad moves. The interaction in front of the family tree, when she asked another player to leave her and Stephen alone to talk - shortly before she marked up the family tree for potential murder victims. The FBI training stuff was an unnecessary and risky thing to divulge. I also think it would have been sensible to balance the ‘risk’ between her and Stephen far better. Stephen has been deliberately used to deflect (eg marking him on the family tree) which serves to protect him but has left her exposed. So I don’t believe all her thinking is particularly strategic.

of course, it’s not her fault the Faithfuls are pretty rubbish, but I can see why people feel she’s capitalising their weakness rather than being an excellent Traitor.

The game is to manipulate people so you remain undetected. If production didn’t cast traitors capable of doing that the show would be an utter flop. Both Stephen and Rachel are doing that.

Rachel is being more proactive than Stephen - the turret comment to Ross, the comment to Jade, the Amanda, FBI announcements and her breakfast proclamation that she ‘knew’ who it was. She is getting bolder over the last few days. I think the sum of all these will be her undoing. The box task showed the others think she would be a good traitor. Once someone gives her a good look - inevitable now there are so few left - all of the above evidence PLUS Fiona’s row PLUS Harriet’s insistence PLUS why hasn’t she been murdered is going to be impossible for her to defend at the round table. I am not sure she will get to the final unless she can successfully and quietly manipulate to get others banished.

I agree if Rachel does get to the final it will only be because the faithfuls are somehow managing to play the game increasingly badly - which is saying something! She’s made quite a few actions which should have made players very suspicious of her by now. If she gets through it’s down to the Faithfuls’ bad play rather than her playing well.

I felt so bad for Ross. That’s one thing that made me not like her, but the group are so sheepish, they all just nodded along and probably thought she’s a genius. Cant really blame Rachel for playing these people for fools.

This is my view too.

I love the way that Rachel and Stephen have played as a team and really hope they both win.

James is my second choice; I think he's very endearing and the only faithful I'd like to see win.

Production have confirmed no more secret connections- thank god because it was so boring.

Yes it would be very refreshing to see two traitors stick together until the end. I’m hoping for that outcome.

When do they find out who gets the votes. Breakfast? At the round table? After the first votes? Would be interesting.

Bad moves from your limited perspective though; don't forget it's highly edited to make things appear a particular way. For example, asking Reece to leave them alone for a private chat; this was not an unusual occurrence in the house and it was only edited to look like a short time before she marked the family tree - it could have been several hours.

The FBI training - she obviously has a much better read of her fellow contestants than any viewer can. And the fact that they lapped it up showed that her instincts were correct.