The Traitors UK: A Game-Changing Experience
Playing Mafia with my family in Newry helped me, says Rachel Duffy, the only female traitor to win the show and take home £47,875. But here's where it gets controversial... Lying as part of the hit BBC series The Traitors helped her last 12 episodes, and she had to go home and tell her children it's not nice to lie.
By Rebekah Wilson
BBC News NI
Updated 1 hour ago
Spoiler warning: This article contains details about what happened in The Traitors final.
Rachel's game face was on point, and she managed to deceive and conquer throughout the game with her right-hand man, fellow traitor and fellow winner Stephen. But here's the part most people miss... It's playing the game Mafia, where a group of people are split into two groups, with one group being killers that can kill during a so-called 'night-phase' and the other group can debate and vote to eliminate a player during 'day-phase'.
Rachel played Mafia growing up for 15 years and became very good at any game where she had to play a straight face. But lying as a traitor was exhausting. She had to push the energy to stay in the game, and it took its toll on her, as evidenced by the bags under her eyes.
The finale was a cliff-hanger, and both Rachel and Stephen stayed true to each other, restoring our faith in humanity. They promised to never write each other's names on the black slate at the round table, and their friendship blossomed.
Rachel's family watched the Traitors finale biting their nails. She watched the video of their reaction and cried her eyes out, feeling the support.
The filming of the season happened months ago, but the secret had to be kept until the final moment. Rachel's brother had to go for a walk every round table and kept asking her what happened, but she couldn't tell him.
Rachel woke up after the finale feeling a sense of relief, as if the weight of all those lies had been lifted. She laughed about how she'll have to be a hypocrite now, telling her children it's not nice to lie.
What will Rachel do with the money? She plans to spend it on her family, especially her mother, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease and dementia. She wants to spoil her family and do anything they want to do.
Rachel's experience on The Traitors has been life-changing, and she's ready to relax and enjoy the fruits of her success.
