The shadowy secret traitor lurking within the cast of BBC's The Traitors may have just been accidentally unmasked by their own words. In a dramatic twist for the show's fourth season, one player appears to have made a critical error during a confessional, sending online detectives into a frenzy.
A Revealing Choice of Words
During an interview segment, contestant Ellie, a psychologist, expressed hesitation about her strategy, saying she didn't want others to think she was a "Secret Traitor". This specific phrasing immediately raised red flags for sharp-eared viewers. As a Faithful, Ellie should theoretically have no knowledge of this season's major new twist, which was introduced by host Claudia Winkleman at the start of the first episode on 1 January 2026.
"People will question whether you are sitting and watching as a kind of Secret Traitor," Ellie was heard saying. Fans quickly took to social media to dissect the comment. One viewer pointedly asked how she could know those words if the Faithfuls are unaware of the twist. Another stated: "Ellie saying 'don’t want to look like a secret traitor' as a faithful who don’t know about a secret traitor??? Suspicious wording." A third agreed, questioning why she would specify "secret" traitor unless the concept was firmly on her mind.
The Scarlet-Cloaked Puppet Master
This season's game-changing twist involves a fourth traitor, unknown to the other traitors, the Faithfuls, and the audience at home. Awarded a distinctive scarlet cloak, this secret player operates from the shadows, calling the shots by selecting a shortlist of three potential murder victims for the known traitors to choose from.
The quest to identify this puppet master became even more intense during the episode aired on 3 January. After the banishment of traitor Hugo, the two remaining traitors, Stephen and Rachel, were given a covert mission. They were instructed to mark a family tree of players with red ink to indicate murder candidates. Successfully marking nine names would not only grant them a murder that night but also a meeting with the elusive secret traitor.
They succeeded, albeit almost blowing their cover to fellow player Reece. As the secret traitor ascended to the traitors' turret for the promised meeting, the episode concluded, leaving viewers on a cliffhanger until the next instalment on Wednesday 7 January.
Viewer Detectives on the Case
In the absence of a definitive reveal, fans have employed other methods to try and uncover the secret traitor's identity. One theory emerged from a spelling mistake on the first murder shortlist, where Netty's name was written as "Nettie". Sleuths theorised that anyone seen misspelling her name at the roundtable could be the culprit. However, Netty was murdered, removing that opportunity for confirmation.
Undeterred, viewers have turned to analysing handwriting on the murder lists. One fan speculated, "Based on the hand writing on the short list, I think Roxy could be the secret traitor." While Ellie's verbal slip is currently the most compelling piece of evidence, the true identity of the red-cloaked strategist remains the show's most tantalising mystery, with the nation waiting to see if the secret will be fully unveiled in the next episode.
