Yin from The Traitors says show like ‘therapy’ and ‘did not feel very intense’
The communication scientist had a game plan that involved looking confused, acting playful and wearing certain outfits she had planned.
The Traitors’ first murder victim, communication scientist Yin, has said the show was like “therapy” and “didn’t feel very intense”, despite the “backstabbing on screen”.
On Wednesday evening, presenter Claudia Winkleman welcomed a batch of new contestants to the game of “detection, backstabbing and trust”, where the aim is to win up to £120,000.
Yin from Berkshire told the PA news agency it “was a massive shock” to learn she had been murdered, but thought it made sense after she discovered the identity of the traitors.
Winkleman, 52, recruited three traitors during the first episode of series three – 70-year-old retired opera singer Linda, 29-year-old call centre manager Minah, and 27-year-old financial investigator Armani.
Yin, 34, said: “I had done my very best to not reveal many fundamental aspects of myself that would be a bit threatening, so for example my qualifications, my doctor of communication status, that PhD – didn’t say a single thing even remotely close to that to anybody in the castle or on the train.”
Yin had a plan to “reduce” the potential of appearing threatening, which involved looking confused, acting playful and wearing certain outfits that she had planned in advance.
“I packed 50 kilograms of clothing and accessories, and I did have a number of pieces that would further help reduce my potential threatening demeanour”, she explained.
“So, for example, I had this lovely cardigan, which is solid pink with massive three dimensional red hearts and bows on the sleeves all over.
“My plan was, ‘Oh, how could I be a traitor? Like I’ve got literal hearts on my sleeves, and my face.’
“I showcase my emotions too obviously.
“So that was the plan, to use clothing as another element of persuasion.”
Reflecting on the experience, she said: “I think ultimately, there’s two things that stand out.
“One is that it is a very, very, very supportive environment, and to counteract all the backstabbing on screen, there’s a lot of love and welfare behind the scenes, and that was phenomenal.
“And the second thing, is that for me personally, it didn’t feel very intense at all, which sounds crazy, it was like a mindfulness retreat, because I could, for the first time, really, in my life, focus on just this one thing without distractions of internet technology.
“In my normal life, I’m doing 10 things at once, and I’ve got the internet, which is part of my job, and also just part of what I do, personally, always distracting me.
“It was a relief to have the therapy of just having one thing to focus on.
“And I love gaming, and I’m very competitive, so any environment like that really gets me going, and I become more authentic as a consequence of that than, perhaps, even in normal interactions with people.”
The first episode of series three attracted an average audience of 5.1 million, according to overnight ratings, which represents an increase of two million, compared to last year, after the first episode of series two drew in an average of 3.1 million.
The new series began on New Year’s Day at 8pm, while in 2024 the show broadcast its first episode on January 3 at at a later time slot of 9pm.
This year’s series also features a new twist as the finalists will no longer reveal whether they are a traitor or faithful after being voted out.
Episode two of The Traitors series three will air at 8pm on Thursday and is already available on BBC iPlayer.
