Former The Traitors contestant Zack Davies discusses his experience on the show, how Claudia Winkleman is involved and his thoughts on series 2 winner Harry Clarke.
Since launching on the BBC in 2022, The Traitors has become one of the biggest shows on television. Fronted by Claudia Winkleman, the reality competition sees a group of contestants work together to build a prize pot, all while trying to identify the hidden Traitors secretly working against them.
Its success has sparked everything from copycat formats to live immersive experiences, but what’s it actually like to be on The Traitors?
Zack Davies, who appeared in the second season in 2024 and placed seventh after being murdered just before the final, spoke exclusively to online casino Betway about the reality behind the game.
While the experience introduced him to some of his closest friends, Zack lifts the lid on his true relationship with winner Harry Clark and the staged scenes he hated filming.
What advice or warnings would you give to people wanting to apply for the next season?
It’s just a game, but I always caution people applying for the show to make sure it’s something they really, really want to do. When I got back, my partner said I wasn’t the same person for about two months.
I feel like some of the people I met are probably now some of my closest friends. If you want to go on the show, make sure it’s for the right reasons, not just to get a social media following. You need to genuinely want to play the game, have a great time, and contribute to it.
If you do that, you’ll be fine. The production team on site is amazing, and they’ve got your back, so honestly, you’ll be okay.
Were you able to write down notes to keep track of your thoughts and who had voted for who?
Everyone had these crazy books covered in scribbles, basically. Mine was totally random, no method or reasoning, just complete rambles.
What do you remember from the round table scenes?
I’d told Paul I wanted to vote for him and explained the reasons why and then felt like I got a bit emotionally blackmailed by him. When we were walking into the round tables, he was staring at me the entire time, mouthing ‘it’s not me, it’s not me’. It’s such a high-pressure environment. Harry (Clark) had to go outside once for a cry when he voted for Johnny (Holloway).
Did it take you a while to trust some of the Traitors after the show ended?
I don’t think anyone trusted Harry. Now, I’m not really friendly with him. He’s not really one of the people that I got on terribly well with during the show, and haven’t really made an effort afterwards to maintain contact. Ross (Carson) and I really didn’t get on during the show. At first, we did, but towards the end, we came to a massive fight. But now we’re, like, best mates.
Who are you still close to from your season?
Jasmine (Boatswain), Mollie (Pearce), and Ross. Ben (Donohue) and Ash (Bibi) too. I’ve got a real soft spot for Diane (Carson), of course.
Mollie seemed really hurt by Harry’s betrayal on the show. Is she over it now?
Yeah, she’s more resilient than me. She was p***ed off for a while but then she got over it. We all watched the finale together, and I think she was a bit upset. But then we got up and had a dance together and she was fine.
Do you think the show could lose its magic the more seasons they make?
What I really worry about is people going on the show just to gain followers and traction. You get those who want to be influencers, rather than genuinely good game players. Then you start to wonder if the production team might prioritise people who can boost viewership over those who actually contribute to the game. That hasn’t really been the case so far, and I don’t think it will be, but I do think it’s something to keep an eye on.
Viewers are always curious about the breakfasts. Are they nice?
If you’re first in, you get a lovely spread of food that’s just been prepared and laid out. But if you’re last, it’s usually stale pieces of bread or whatever’s left, like cold smoked salmon. By the end, it’s never quite the same.
Do they stagger the entrances? How long is the first entrance to the last?
I’m not sure what I can say but the breakfast scenes start early and go well into the morning. By the time Claudia’s filming starts, it usually takes you to lunch.
Some fans think Faithfuls should crack the code by thinking about who comes in last, as that is typically a Faithful who viewers believe may have been killed. Do you agree with this theory?
I don’t think that’s true, though. In my season, there were Traitors that came in last. It’s impossible to say, but production knows what they’re doing, so I don’t think they’d do something that obvious.
Do you think the show gave everyone a fair edit?
I think there were clear favourites in the edit. Some people got really favourable coverage, and some got less favourable. Jasmine and I were definitely on the less favourable side. They painted me as really obnoxious, arrogant, and self-righteous. I can be like that sometimes, but you have to take what you see online with a pinch of salt. People would come up to me after the show, saying they absolutely hated me, and I’m like, ‘You don’t actually know me!’ A lot of people felt hard done by the edit, while others really appreciated it.
How were the confessional scenes filmed?
I can’t really talk about it, but you basically leave the castle one by one. I assume if they want to hold Traitors back for filming, they’ll leave it so no one else can see. Maybe film at 3am or something.
What do you do when you get back to the hotel?
Nothing. You can’t socialise, and it’s a long day, so essentially you just go to bed.
Diane said she hated filming the ‘downtime’ scenes for the show, where contestants might be having a bath or reading a book. Did you enjoy them?
No, they were the worst thing! They would just get you in a room in the castle, give you some random task, and then spend about three hours trying to get the perfect shots of you doing it. For example, my task was something like splashing water on my face while reading a book about a Polynesian explorer. I really wanted to be skipping because I had a skipping rope I was obsessed with during lockdown. But every time I did it, it shook the camera equipment too much, so yeah, that didn’t quite make the final cut.
How does Claudia select her Traitors at the beginning of the show?
My theory is that the production team chooses a couple of contestants, and then she picks the last one after doing interviews with everyone. I think she goes off vibes, like, who’s going to work well? So, in our season, I reckon they probably picked Harry and maybe Paul, and then Claudia chose Ash or Paul afterwards.
Basically, she gets a feel for the contestants and decides who she wants to be the last one. That’s just my assumption. It’s not necessarily a hard-and-fast rule, but I do think she has more power than people realise. She actively decides at least one of the traitors, in my view.
From your experience, does the game weigh so heavily on people’s emotions?
It weighs heavily on people. Andrew (Jenkins) from my season was recruited by the Traitors. He’s this big, strong, Welsh bodybuilder. When the cameras weren’t rolling, you could go for walks, and you might catch up with the welfare team. You couldn’t talk much because of the game conditions, but I remember running into him outside of filming, and he was crying. Everyone cried at some point during filming, of course, but he looked completely exhausted. I think it was around the time he was made a Traitor. One moment, he was holding it all together, and then suddenly his mood just crashed.
For me, that’s what it takes to be a great Traitor. Being able to handle the constant stress. But some people make it look effortless. Paul (Gorton), for example, just loved being a traitor.
