Do you consider yourself 100% Faithful, or do you think you’d look rather good skulking around in a cloak? Devious, shocking, and fabulously camp, The Traitors is the hit TV series everyone wants a piece of. According to the BBC, over seven million people tuned in live to the Season 3 finale, watching as former soldier Leanne Quigley and project manager Jake Brown overcame the Traitors to take home the £94k prize pot between them. So, how do you get cast on this TV phenomenon, and what makes a successful contestant? Let’s find out.
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The Traitors is a reality TV competition in which 20 or so members of the public compete against each other for a cash prize. Set in a gothic Scottish castle, contestants are designated from the start as either innocent Faithfuls or murderous Traitors by the show’s host Claudia Winkleman. From then on, all bets are off as contestants lie and scheme to survive.
By day, everyone teams up to complete missions and claim they are Faithfuls; but by night, the secretive Traitors come out to play, fake-murdering their opponents one by one. If any Traitors remain at the end of the game, they keep all of the cash, leaving the Faithfuls with nothing. Expect paranoia, elaborate theories, and backstabbing in abundance.
First broadcast in 2022, The Traitors is based on a series called De Verraders created by the Dutch producer IDTV. Since then there have been 33 different international versions of the original format including in Australia, Finland, Russia, and India. In the US, Alan Cumming hosts the show which has become the most-watched reality show in the country. Soon Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney will host the Irish iteration.
The British version of the game is made for the BBC by independent producer Studio Lambert and has just finished its third series. Season 4 will be filmed later this year along with a celebrity take on the game.
See Also: How to Become an Actor in the UK
The Traitors is filmed in Ardross Castle in the Highlands of Scotland near Inverness. It’s used for both the UK and US versions of the show, and filming usually takes place in spring and summer. The production team takes over the entire estate, featuring 100 acres of parkland and including its own river, woodlands, and gardens.
Winkleman told Screen Highland, “I thought I’ve been to beautiful places; I have never been anywhere more beautiful than the Scottish Highlands in my life.” Talking to the Hollywood Reporter, production designer Mathieu Weekes couldn’t believe his luck. “It’s such a strong location, I can’t believe that no other crew had ever been in there before us to film anything, just because it is so moody and so striking that it’s amazing we were the first to ever approach the owners to use it.”
Although the castle can accommodate guests for exclusive weddings, it is not a hotel and even Traitors contestants don’t stay at Ardross overnight. According to Cumming, everybody actually stays in the far less glamorous Courtyard by Marriott Inverness Airport hotel when filming.
Ever since its UK launch in 2022, the show has been praised for its eclectic casting that embraces people of all ages and from all walks of life. Season 3’s lineup included a former diplomat, a phone salesman, and an ex soldier posing as a nail technician. The season’s unlikely breakout star was Linda Rands, a 70-year-old retired opera singer turned ineffectual Traitor. Like we said, eclectic!
One of the show’s casting assistant producers, Olivia Ahmed, told her university that, from the beginning, finding The Traitors cast felt different: “Usually, you get told a certain criteria for casting, such as a male of around 18–26, and then they’ll keep narrowing it down. But with The Traitors, we were told to look at any age, creed, background, and to just throw it all at them. Nothing was off limits.
“They wanted people who were a bit nerdy, perhaps had a law degree; people who would be great at playing games, but also could be perceived as being great liars as well. We would ask questions like ‘Tell me the biggest lie you’ve ever told anyone.’ [We would] try and find out their deepest, darkest secrets and ask them for times that they think they’ve been lied to or tried to suss someone out.”
Talking to the Times, the show’s executive producer Lewis Thurlow said although a mix of people is important, they do need one thing in common. “Players have to be likeable. One thing we always think is: Would you like to sit down with them in the pub and have a drink? Because they’re playing a game, and if they’re playing a Traitor, it’s a role. We don’t feel like we have to try to cast a villain, because the game brings that out in people naturally.”
He explained, ”It’s like putting a jury together. We have a cross-section of the UK, but above all, their reasons [for applying] have to be that they want to play the game. There’s not really any other reality show that can cast anyone — all ages, all backgrounds — and we celebrate that. You want to feel like you’re watching someone you know, or who’s like yourself.”
That means they say a hard no to anyone who has been on any other reality shows. But they are open to talking to former models or actors. Season 1 star Madelyn Smedley was a jobbing actress who had appeared on EastEnders before her stint as a Faithful. Afterwards she went on to appear on the BBC hit drama Call the Midwife. Essentially, the contestants on The Traitors aren’t desperate to be famous, they just want to play the game and play it well.
Studio Lambert is already casting for the next series, so your first stop should be its website. The closing date for applications is Feb. 9! The website says the casting team is looking for “fun, smart, and strategic” players over 18 years old who are available for a four-week block in spring or summer. One of the first questions on the application is: “Given the choice, would you choose to be a ‘Traitor’ or a ‘Faithful’?” So be ready to give your answer!
One word that is often used to describe The Traitors experience is “intense,” so do take a second to think if you’re up for that. You’ll be away from home for over a month, living with strangers in an exceptionally strange environment. Talking about her time in the castle, Season 3 star Elen Wyn told the Radio Times, “Watching Series 1 and 2, I thought, Why are they crying so much? It’s not that deep. I feel so bad for that now.”
She added: “You have no contact with the outside world, so it’s your entire life. As much as I hate the fact I cried on national television, I’m proud, too. It’s OK to cry…. I felt a lot of relief when I was banished.”
All potential contestants must undergo psychological testing to show they have the necessary resilience to take part. Then they go through a series of interviews, games, and personality tests to make sure the combination of onscreen talent is right. Thurlow said, “It’s not true that everyone has to be a good liar, although it definitely helps in the game. In a group of friends, you have the gullible one, the street-smart one, the book-smart one, and it’s about getting that mix in the show.”
According to the Independent, 1,500 people applied for Season 1, 40,000 people put themselves forward for Season 2, and over 300,000 people wanted to be part of Season 3. So whether you do want to be a Faithful or a dastardly Traitor, get applying ASAP!
Check out Backstage’s UK audition listings!