'I would have crumbled' - The Traitors' Brian reveals he originally wanted to be a Traitor

Virgin Radio

11 Jan 2024, 16:31

Despite a truly unforgettable banishment, The Traitors star Brian has confessed he originally wanted to be a Traitor himself. 

After being labelled a “sheep” by the group as part of one of the missions, the contestant raised the issue at the roundtable, which became increasingly chaotic and intense, and ultimately led to him being banished from the game.

Even after fumbling over his words and sweating over his position as a Faithful, it turns out Brian had every intention of being a Traitor when he first entered the Scottish castle. 

Speaking exclusively to virginradio.co.uk, Glasgow local Brian admitted he was “gutted” his “erratic” original interview with Claudia Winkleman, in which the contestants say their Faithful or Traitor preference, wasn’t shown on the series, but he quickly realised the reason why. 

He explained “[My interview] was so crazy and just goofy that I think that's why they didn't include it. But another reason that I don't think they included it was because I said I definitely wanted to be a Traitor.”

The photographer remained firm in his decision, right up until the blindfolds came on at the very first roundtable, which determined which contestants would go forward as the deceptive Traitors. 

“My narrative for me changed completely, he explained of that moment. “I was like, I want to go home. If I can't handle the pressure now, just as we're sitting here…how am I going to handle it if I get tapped on the shoulder as a Traitor? I would have crumbled straightaway. I think I probably would have blurted out 'I'm a Traitor! Game over! Bye bye! I'm going!’.”

He continued: “It definitely changed because I wanted to be a Traitor for longevity wise and so you can see all and be more in control of your future of the game. But I don't actually think I could handle the pressure of it.”

When we asked whether there was anything that the other players said that made him first panic or realise that he could be in the firing line, Brian replied: “It was primarily Jonny and Jasmine, saying just that I was quite nervous, and it's a shame because, obviously, you can't judge someone at the roundtable, because it's a nerve-wracking thing. You're sat there for ages in silence all judging each other, then you're arguing and it's a debate and I’m maybe not necessarily good in debates.

Despite his exit, Brian - even at the time - was aware that the roundtable was great telly. “It's really funny because the whole experience is so immersive. But I was still flip-flopping from, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy, I don't want to leave, life or death,’ to, ‘This is incredible’, watching it as a fan as well. 

“During the roundtable when it was crazy… I think it was seven different names at the start. And I was like, ‘This is such good TV’. But then I'd flip right back to ‘Oh my god’ panicking!”

We also chatted to Sonja about her banishment. Read all about it here.

The Traitors continues tonight, Thursday 11th January, on BBC One at 9pm. You can watch the first four episodes on BBC iPlayer now.