A priest, a barber and a former diplomat: Meet the contestants for The Traitors series three
The show will test the new contestants’ trust, as well as their skills in detection and backstabbing
A former British diplomat, a model and a scientist are among the contestants announced for the new season of The Traitors.
The BBC’s hit reality gameshow returns on New Year’s Day (1 January) and will follow a group of strangers at a castle in the Scottish Highlands, as their skills in detection and backstabbing are put to the test while they compete for a ?120,000 prize.
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the Traitors are tasked with killing off their fellow players without being caught, while the Faithful must try and work out who the Traitors are and banish them from the game, before becoming their next victim.
The final survivors will have the chance of winning the life-changing sum of money. However, if a Traitor makes it through undetected, they will be able to claim the prize for themselves.
Here are the contestants competing in the third series of the show.
Alex
Age: 29
Occupation: Care manager
Location: Whitby
Alex describes himself as a “funny, silly sort of character” who people tend to take at face value. That doesn’t mean he’s stupid, though, as those who have underestimated him have found out. “That sort of thing in The Traitors could possible be weaponised,” he suggests. “I observe a lot, I’m quite good at cataloguing things. I might appear to be just having fun, but I am taking everything in.”
Some things might jeopardise his time on the show, he suggests, like the fact that he “always fights for the underdog” and tends to speak his mind. When it comes to a game plan, he intends to stay observant and “trust nobody”.
If he wins the contest, Alex plans on spending the prize money on IVF, as he’s “desparate” to be a dad and he and his wife are unable to have biological children. “So that will be first on the list,” he says. “And then just boring stuff, pay off debt, take my family on a holiday, all that sort of stuff.”
Alexander
Age: 38
Occupation: Former British diplomat
Location: London
Alexander plans on bringing his skills in diplomacy to the table for The Traitors season three. With experience working on human rights and negotiations in conflict zones, he’s used to working in fast-paced and stressful environments, so anticipates he’ll be able to remain calm whatever the situation. His game plan is to “watch and wait” because “if there’s one thing my job teaches me it’s to listen and watch more than you talk, at least initially”. This will help him find his role, he suggests, as “the last thing you need is too many leaders”.
Anna
Age: 28
Occupation: Swimming teacher
Location: County Wicklow, Ireland
Anna first stumbled on The Traitors “by accident” when her housemates switched it on while she was waiting for her dinner to cook, but she was immediately hooked. “It’s the only TV show I’ve thought I’d be good at!” she says. “I’ve got a brain that can compartmentalise things and I can be quite personable.” As a teacher, she spends a lot of time with children and says she’s become adept at spotting those tell-tale signs of a fib. If she wins the prize, she plans on setting up a sustainable fashion line in Ireland that’s “slightly more affordable for young women”.
Armani
Age: 27
Occupation: Financial investigator
Location: London
Armani has years of experience in roles that require her to be analytical: “Day to day and in my job, I try to see whether someone has done something wrong, and I try to investigate it and discover what needs to be put right,” she says. “I like to help people, I like to do things in a team, I’ve always been that way inclined.” She plans on planting seeds “everywhere I go” and refuses to trust anyone.
Charlotte
Age: 32
Occupation: Business director
Location: Hampshire
Charlotte describes herself as particularly competitive: “I love playing games and having board game nights with friends,” she says. “I get very into it and will always play to win.” She’s looking forward to the Missions but is “worried I’m not fit enough!” She admits she has a “terrible” poker face and that her friends always know what she’s thinking, but is equally good at picking up “subtle interactions... I’ll be wary of who’s chatting to who and who’s having little side chats”.
Dan
Age: 33
Occupation: Bank risk manager
Location: Liverpool
A bit of a lone wolf, Dan plans on attacking the game in “a very cerebral way” without letting emotion dictate his actions. “My autism means that I’m not too bothered about conforming too much, or about making people feel good,” he says. “I’ll be quite honest with what I say and sometimes that can make me an outcast. But I also think it will bring me some fans as well, and some supporters in the team.”
Elen
Age: 24
Occupation: Translator
Location: Cardiff
Elen speaks Welsh as a first language and English as her second, which she says means she isn’t always as articulate in the latter, “so people tend to associate that with being dumb”.
“However, how I present myself on the outside doesn’t really represent what’s going on inside... that’s something I feel like I can use in the castle to my advantage,” she says. She’s convinced there’s going to be a “big twist” in the third season so she’s preparing to change her game plan on the spot. A self-described flirt, she’ll also be looking to see if there’s an opportunity “where having some boys on my side would benefit me”.
Fozia
Age: 50
Occupation: Community development manager
Location: Birmingham
Fozia feels that her life experience and strategic way of thinking might help her build friendships and form alliances while competing on The Traitors. “I’ll go in and make friends, and make sure that I can be trusted,” she says. “I want them to see the real me.” She claims she can smell a rat a mile off, but prefers to win on her own merit: “If I’m playing any game, I actually don’t cheat.”
Francesca
Age: 44
Occupation: Interior designer
Location: East Sussex
Francesca trained as an actor before starting her own interior design business. She’s fascinated by The Traitors as it shows how people react under pressure, and plans to “be myself as much as possible and to read people”. She’s “not the sportiest of people” but is good at problem-solving games: “But I don’t mind getting my hands dirty.” If she wins the prize money, she wants to put it towards her sons “who are the motivations of my life”.
Freddie
Age: 20
Occupation: Politics student
Location: Peterborough
Freddie was a teenage athlete and stayed active until he tore his hamstring in 2020. “I’ve shifted that mindset into everyday life,” he says. “If I’m doing a job, if I’m studying, I want to do it to the best of my ability and bring that drive and passion.” He admits to being a “massive sore loser” and has an inkling he’ll be the youngest contestant. “I’m the type of person who likes to do loads of little lies, just as a joke,” he says.
Jack
Age: 25
Occupation: Market trader and landscaper
Location: Yorkshire
Jack is no stranger to secrecy, as he moved to London and trained as an actor without telling many of his family and friends. “I think I can kind of play it a little bit dumb, maybe act like the ditzy gardener and landscaper who secretly has his own agenda, and hopefully a couple of acting skills to back that up,” he says.
Jake
Age: 28
Occupation: Project manager
Location: Barrow-in-Furness
Jake loves a good argument and is “so competitive, I make everything into a game... I’ve been able to turn my emotions on and off quite well. I don’t know if it’s because I used to do drama when I was younger and I was quite good at it, but I feel like I’m quite good at getting in and out of character.”
Joe
Age: 37
Occupation: English teacher
Location: Southampton
As a teacher, Joe prefers to have everything organised in advance. He loves physical activity but worries he could be a “bit ditzy” when it comes to the problem-solving, unless he zones out completely. “I know that I need to befriend the ones that I think might be the Traitors because that’s what I need to do to get through,” he says. “However, if I suspect something I’ll find it very difficult not pointing it or calling it out.”
Kasim
Age: 33
Occupation: Doctor
Location: Cambridge
While he might not have a good poker face, Kasim has learnt to use this to his advantage. “People know that I’m quite over expressive and I make it very clear that I am, so I tend to play on that,” he says. “For example, in a card game, if I get a good hand, I’ve learned just to play it cool. Everyone knows that I’m so expressive that they think they’ve jumped onto that and that I’ve given my whole game away.”
Keith
Age: 65
Occupation: Window cleaner
Location: Bournemouth
Keith describes himself as easy-going, although he’ll do his utmost to win. He’s an optimist and loves to make people smile: “I’m never sad, never miserable,” he says. “I don’t take things too seriously and I’ll be bringing that to the castle.” For a window cleaner, he hates heights: “I use extra-long sponges so I can keep my feet firmly on the ground!” Don’t underestimate his physical skills, though: he’s a black belt in Taekwondo, which he believes has given him an extra sense for reading other people’s body language.
Leanne
Age: 28
Occupation: Veteran
Location: Holywell, north Wales
Taking cues from series two winner Harry, Leanne plans on keeping her previous job a secret because “people are automatically going to assume anyone in the military is smart and strategic”. She’ll say she’s a nail technician, instead (her sister-in-law owns one). She hopes her enthusiastic attitude might help make tricky situations “a little bit brighter” for her fellow contestants.
Leon
Age: 40
Occupation: Retail store manager
Location: East Midlands
Leon is a Gemini: “I can be like a smiling assassin!” He enjoys breaking down stereotypes through his good listening skills: “I know that I could be friends with someone, and they might have to get thrown under the bus, because ultimately my goal is to win and provide for my family.”
Linda
Age: 70
Occupation: Retired opera singer
Location: Hertfordshire
Retired opera singer Linda thinks she can play on her status as one of the older contestants and be “a mother figure” who people confide in. She describes herself as “pretty competitive” but is apprehensive about the more physical challenges. If she wins, she wants to pay off her sister’s mortgage then celebrate by taking her family to a mansion house for a weekend with a private chef, and also take her friends on a “really great holiday”.
Lisa
Age: 62
Occupation: Anglican priest
Location: Cornwall
From Inspector Morse to Midsomer Murders Lisa is obsessed with murder mysteries and reckons she’ll be a dab hand at tracking down the killers in The Traitors. However, she worries that she’ll have a target on her back if she reveals she’s a priest so will try to be “the person who’s there but doesn’t get noticed much”.
Olivia (Livi)
Age: 26
Occupation: Beautician and model
Location: Horsham
Livi is a fighter, having been through her fair share of struggles in life. “I had my eye removed at 14 and at the time I didn’t cope with it very well,” she says. “At the age of 14 all my friends were experiencing being a teenager and growing into adulthood, and I was starting chemotherapy.” But she adjusted to her new way of life and has learnt to “never give up, I always push and I want to succeed”. She’s a good detective, according to her mum: “I’m always watching crime documentaries; I want to solve some mysteries.”
Maia
Age: 25
Occupation: Full-time mum
Location: Essex
Maia feels that everyone was “too emotional” on the last series of The Traitors, while she saw something of herself in winner Harry. “He didn’t do too much, which I liked because you don’t have to be the centre of attention, which was great,” she says. “Everyone underestimated him, and I feel like a lot of people underestimate me as well. I feel like I’ve never been the brightest person, but I’ve always been creative and personable, and that’s what it felt like with Harry.”
Minah
Age: 29
Occupation: Call centre manager
Location: Liverpool
Naturally competitive, Minah says she’ll do anything to win, but says she also likes to be honest with people and thinks she’d struggle to betray anyone she’s grown close to in the series. “I’m very rarely wrong about people,” she claims. “I’d like think you can tell if someone’s lying, but saying that, no one can tell when I’m lying. So, if the liars are as good as me, I’m in trouble!”
Nathan
Age: 39
Occupation: Property consultant
Location: London
Nathan believes his wife “manifested this whole situation” that led to him being cast on The Traitors. He reckons he’ll bring “chaos” to the show and has no qualms in lying to someone’s face. “I’ve got to be quite strategic, but I think I will be planting a lot of seeds and spreading a bit of gossip because I quite enjoy it,” he says. “I just think it’s fun. I’d rather go out with a bang and be the guy that was planting seeds and just causing havoc.”
Tyler
Age: 29
Occupation: Barber
Location: Leicester
Thanks to his job cutting hair, Tyler has learnt how to gain a person’s trust while he cuts their hair, getting them to open up about their plans. “I feel like I can gain people’s trust quite easily,” he says. “Also, I feel like I can adapt to any situation. I’ve always said, I get on better with older people. Not many people my age really enjoy getting to know older people and I feel like I can just adapt with anyone.” If he wins, he wants to buy his own barbershop: “I love my barbering, that’s my pride and joy.”
Yin
Age: 34
Occupation: Doctor of communication
Location: Berkshire
An expert communicator, Yin has a PhD from Oxford and plans on bringing her skills in communication and rhetoric to The Traitors. “I’m always analysing, it’s not just words, it’s the tone, it’s body language, it’s also what’s not being said, what’s not being done and actions over time, how they match with the words,” she says. “There’s all of this stuff around it that I notice that I don’t think a lot of people pay attention to.”
The Traitors will return for its third series at 8pm on New Year’s Day on BBC One and iPlayer.