The Traitors’ Claudia Winkleman confirms big format twist for season 2

Could this change the stakes of the competition?

By Katelyn Mensah

Published: Tuesday, 12 December 2023 at 00:01 AM

Get ready, faithfuls: The Traitors is back, and there have been some changes since we last paid a visit to Ardross Castle.

Ahead of the tense reality show’s return in the new year, host Claudia Winkleman has teased an “extremely tense” season, with a format twist that could change some parts of the game.

Speaking with the BBC, Winkleman revealed that the armoury has gone, and now there is a kitchen – but promised to keep tight-lipped about the upcoming instalment.

In season 1, one or more of the contestants were able to visit the armoury in the hopes of winning a shield to gain immunity and avoid being eliminated by one of the traitors.

While it hasn’t been revealed if the armoury will return in a new way, there has only been one version of The Traitors that hasn’t included it.

The Dutch take on the programme did not have an armoury in its first season in 2021, before it was then introduced.

Will there be some fresh twists as contestants aim to win a shield in season 2? Well, Winkleman has hinted the “scale” of the missions in the new run is “beyond”.

She teased: “The missions this year are epic. The producers are so clever as the missions are incredibly important, as it is a chance for the contestants to switch off from strategising and plotting. They get fresh air, they run around, they work as a team. The scale this year is beyond.”

Twenty-two strangers will arrive at a beautiful castle in the Scottish Highlands once again, all with the hopes of winning up to £120,000.

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Speaking about the contestants in season 2, Winkleman dubbed them as “excellent”.

She explained: “They come having seen the first series, so are more quick to suspect – but they all play a brilliant game.”

While the host couldn’t say more, it’s safe to say viewers are all in for a treat!