The Time for Talking is, Almost, Over | Traitors 2026 | Thread 11 | Spoiler Free!

[CaveMum]

Link to previous thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5478288-a-dagger-to-the-heart-traitors-2026-thread-10-spoiler-free?page=1

Welcome to Thread 11 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 - this is a mid episode thread change so do not read on if you are not up to date with the live broadcast!

Traitors
Hugo
Rachel
Stephen
Fiona (Secret Traitor)

Murdered
Netty
Ben
Maz
Reece
Adam
Jessie
Roxy

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

The floor is yours…

I think if Rachel.sirvive the vote, there's still a chance the traitors could win.

All she has to do is try and get Jade voted out before her and then it's split. 2 faithful vs 2 traitors.

If James goes. And she can manage to get Jade out then there's still a chance the traitors could win. ( would have been way easier for them if they'd kept Roxy in).

I caught that too! I feel like she noticed it herself too??

Yes yes yes!! I was willing her to say that but she didn't! People lay a lot of 'proof' on what ex-faithfuls said in their parting words but they were all just guessing, same as everyone else. Didn't Harriet think there were 5 traitors in the end or something? Total wildcard.

I really hope Faz doesn't win. He seems like he's nailed it at the last minute but really there's only a few left so he's got numbers on his side. And he's the epitomy of lazy - he's ridden everyone's coat tails letting them all do the hard work to the end and now he's finally put himself out a bit everyone's hailing him as a genius. Nah, not for me, he doesn't deserve it.

I find it interesting that the remaining players are all young and fit - the older players were all voted out or killed earlier in the game. Am I imagining it, or does this happen every time? The last mission always seem to be the most challenging physically. Last night's certainly was. There would have been no success for the players if some of the older ones had still be there, as they wouldn't have been able to run up that hill with rocks in the time allotted (if ever) and ALL players had to get back in the time or no gold counted! Do you think the production team would have changed the set-up of the last mission if, say, Fiona had still been a player?

I wondered that too. No way would Fiona - or Ben or Harriet(?) even - have been able to do that mission - or the carousel one. They MUST have to adjust it accordingly, surely? Otherwise it's discrimination at best, a paramedic situation at worst.

I think if he switched his vote to Rachel at the second vote it would have looked VERY suspicious.

I think it would have looked like he was doing that in the knowledge she was a traitor and only voting her out when he knew there were the numbers. So I think it would have put heat on him. He probably knows there’s enough heat on Rachel now that it’s not pivotal she goes now - yes it would help him if she goes and she is revealed as a traitor, but no so much it’s worth arousing suspicion on him.

I also thought the bit they showed of him accusing Rachel at the RT was a bit rehearsed and a small segment from a much longer RT - Stephen said in the morning that they should go round and everyone bring what they’ve got on everyone. Rachel very quickly defended the point Stephen made and Stephen was very quick to agree either her. It didn’t seem like an attack so much a little act to demonstrate there isn’t an alliance between them.

I do think he’s been doing more behind her back to undermine her position though, he’s just been clever about it.

They could just have given them more time so they didn't need to run up the hill as fast. Not sure why they wouldn't have been able to do the carousel, again maybe just not spin as quickly.

I do think that the ageism is pretty much guaranteed, but a bit depressing if production back that into their planning.

They were definitely discussing their roundtable strategy covertly during the day, there were a couple of time where they were walked in on and subtly switched around what they were saying.

Yes there must be a lot more chat in the turret than we see. Surely they would have a little plan on what they might say, how they might say it before, it's not all off the cuff, even though obviously they don't know what everyone else is going to say

I’d love to see casting next series where instead of the mass of younger men you got a mass of older women.

Would never happen, but I’m fed up of the bias always being towards younger people.

The carousel bit they had to sprint back when they had found the money to get a seat, that would have been so loaded against older contestants imo

But he could easily have argued that James's "plea" was more convincing, which it was...

They could have adjusted lots of variables in that last mission to accommodate the physical fitness of the different players - parked the vehicles closer to the top of the hill, longer time to complete, more gold awarded for each success, the pots they needed to smash could have been hung closer, etc.

They could probably have adapted the carousel task too, or as with the cage task (when poor Reece suffered from having Fiona’s “help”) accept that some tasks advantage done people over others.

Hmmm. Yeah. But balancing rickety skulls on top of one another seems a bit more level than having to win a sprint race against a 20-something personal trainer.

Thry could have done the carousel without removing chairs and just hidden a shield in with the gold.

I used to love fairground rides and especially spinny things like waltzers, but now I can't even look at one without feeling sick. We tend to lose our tolerance to things like that as we get older. I'd be fine with the uphill task though.

DD and I were talking about this today. That "still" was a mistake. Not sure if any faithfuls picked up on it.

Yes I think (hope) they would have had to make those considerations depending on who was still in for sure. Otherwise it's completely unfair.

I watched a sort of strongman competition once where I thought throughout they'd done a great job of balancing different 'types' of strength so the big burly guys and the Uber fit but tiny women were quite well represented. But in the semi final it was essentially a tug of war situation and the one woman remaining was totally annihilated, didn't stand a chance - it was so unfair and I wouldn't want to see traitors essentially hand a win to someone like that.

Faraz and maybe Jack will eliminate Rachel at the fire pit.
I don’t think she can go all the way through.

Faraz said yesterday she had changed in the last few days, was quieter but surely that’s down to the dynamics of there being a smaller group. They must all be quieter surely.

I don’t think it’s that different - there was still a big advantage in that task in being able to move quickly to find skulls, and luck (how long it took to find the skulls or gold). Although probably the fittest person did win carousel task some of the other eliminated were unlucky in how long it took to find gold.

Oh I thought the opposite and wondered why people didn’t bring it up

I did notice and thought same as you

Disagree, he said quite early that he’d lie low which is a strategy in itself.
He’s not just plucked Rachel out the air, he’s been observing her behaviour and has sussed for eg the Fiona traitor on traitor.
He’s had to time the chance to out her and the way he did it to her face was brilliant. Plus the goodnight entreaty for her not to murder him.
I hope he goes all the way.
But I think he might be outdone by the hapless Jack who is least deserving in my opinion.

I thought even the most paranoid players found it hard to believe James is such an evil genius he vomited from over-exertion to sabotage the task.

It’s totally believable to me given the sorts of things they suspect! No evil genius needed

in The missions they seem to be looking for anything to question