Meryl Williams, who won the first series of The Traitors in 2022, has shared her top tips for the famous faces entering Claudia Winkleman's Scottish castle in the celebrity spin-off. Her biggest advice for Faithfuls is to keep a low profile and "play clueless" until they are sure they have something worth saying.
Advice for Faithfuls and Traitors
Speaking to Betway, Meryl warned that contestants should not be afraid to raise suspicions when they have them – even if doing so puts a target on their back. She also had a blunt warning for anyone tempted to reach for the tissues around the round table.
Meryl said: "As a faithful, I would just try and play clueless until the end, and then if you have any suspicions, you need to bring them up. It makes you an easy target, and people also feel threatened by you."
She added: "Avoid the crying, it makes everything so much more dramatic, and then it becomes obvious that you're hiding something."
Tips for Traitors
Meryl also had advice for anyone secretly chosen as a Traitor, saying they should try to blend into the background rather than making themselves too noticeable.
She said: "For the traitors, they should try and blend as much as they can into the background. Try not to single one person out and raise suspicions. Wilf went so far because he genuinely started to believe that he was faithful. In order to win the game as a traitor, you need to truly believe you're faithful, and then you start to convince everyone else."
Be Authentic and Have Fun
Meryl urged the celebrity cast to simply be themselves, arguing that trying to maintain a fake personality could ultimately lead to mistakes.
"I just think people will notice and eventually catch you out if you're lying," she said. "Go in and be your authentic self. You can then build real connections and have a good time on the show. But definitely be grateful and just have fun!"
Final Week and Filming Insights
The former winner also opened up about the nerve-shredding final week of her own series, admitting the prize money suddenly felt within reach.
"It just all becomes more real," she said. "The money was something that always felt unachievable and out of reach, but as we approached the final week we were like 'right we could actually do this you know!'"
Those final round tables are no quick chat either, with Meryl revealing hers took a couple of hours and included plenty of moving around. She explained that some filming took place indoors before the cast headed outside, with the outdoor scenes not happening until around 11pm or midnight because of the long Scottish summer evenings.
Meryl also revealed she was "very jealous" of Claudia's glam squad, admitting the contestants were left watching in awe as the host had her hair and make-up touched up.
Now, as the celebrity spin-off returns with stars including Maya Jama, Bella Ramsey, Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Lycett and James Acaster, Meryl's advice could prove seriously valuable.
