The Traitors has taken the UK by storm with its constant twists, betrayals and mind games.
The finale is set to air on Friday and will see the remaining Faithfuls and Traitors try and suss each other out in a bid to win the cash prize.
But for many fans, there are still several questions to be answered about the show itself and its behind-the-scenes secrets.
Many are clamouring to know how the series is filmed, how contestants get chosen and what involvement the producers have.
has answered all of the questions and revealed the biggest hidden secrets behind the beloved series.
The Traitors has taken the UK by storm with its constant twists, betrayals and mind games, with the finale set to air on Friday and will see the remaining Faithfuls and Traitors try and suss each other out in a bid to win the cash prize
But for many fans, there are still several questions to be answered about the show itself and its behind-the-scenes secrets
Are contestants paid?
One question many have asked is whether the contestants get paid to appear on the show.
The players are not given a fee to take part, but since they have to take time off work to film, they are reimbursed for lost wages with around £100 a day.
One of the series one winners, Aaron Evans, explained in a YouTube Q&A: ‘They don’t technically pay you, they subsidize what you would have got for work with the show, it’s roughly like £100 a day.’
He added: ‘It’s not that much […] but it’s definitely worth it.’
Aaron generously gave the most of his share of the £101,050 jackpot to his mother, so that she could buy a house.
One question many have asked is whether the contestants get paid to appear on the show, with the answer being that technically they are not given a fee to take part
However, one of the series one winners, Aaron Evans, explained since they have to take time off work to film, they are reimbursed for lost wages with around £100 a day
Where do players stay?
Another mystery surrounds where the players stay during filming, with the show giving the impression that they stay inside the castle.
The Traitors is famously shot inside the 19th Century Ardross Castle, which boasts 30 bedrooms and is located 25 miles north of Inverness.
The series often shows clips of the contestants in their rooms, with luxury four-poster beds and elegant free-standing bathtubs.
However, the stars actually stay at a £70-a-night airport hotel, The Courtyard by Marriott, which is a 40-minute drive from the castle.
Alan Cumming, who hosts the US version of the series, revealed the shocking deception, saying: ‘They [the contestants] all stayed in the airport hotel in the Inverness airport. How glamorous – you come to Scotland, and you stay in the Inverness airport hotel!
‘I stayed in a little house in Inverness. But I had a room in the castle where I would get made up and dressed. It had a huge bed in it. So I did actually sleep quite often, but not overnight.’
The players are also surrounded by security guards prowling the premises to stop them conferring.
One guest recalled: ‘They had guards on each corridor by all the lifts checking on people leaving their rooms.’
Contestants are also not allowed to roam freely around the Highland castle, only having access to the library, the small bar, kitchen and the billiards room.
The other rooms are packed full of all the equipment and crew members, with Claire Barratt from series one describing the castle as full of ‘gaffer tape and wires’ with ‘production staff, filming crew and sound crew all running around’.
Another mystery surrounds where the players stay during filming, with the show giving the impression that they stay inside the castle
The Traitors is famously shot inside the 19th Century Ardross Castle, (pictured) which boasts 30 bedrooms and is located 25 miles north of Inverness
The series often shows clips of the contestants in their rooms, with luxury four-poster beds and elegant free-standing bathtubs
However, the stars actually stay at a £70-a-night airport hotel, The Courtyard by Marriott (pictured), which is a 40-minute drive from the castle
Contestants are also not allowed to roam freely around the Highland castle, only having access to the library, the small bar, kitchen and the billiards room (pictured)
Is the show scripted?
When it comes to reality shows, there is also a question around how much is ‘reality’ and how much is scripted.
While there are some series that do rely heavily on scripted scenes, The Traitors is very much real, with the players given no direction.
Series one finalist Wilfred Webster even said that the contestants ‘forgot about the cameras’.
Aaron added that the very heated arguments that viewers love come about naturally, and insisted the producers never got involved in their discussions.
He shared: ‘We were never pushed into the drama, it just happens, the producers would never control anything, we had complete control over what we said and what we did.’
Instead, the producers help to build tension behind-the-scenes, mostly by maintaining the secrecy around the Traitors’ identities and the upcoming tasks and twists.
Contestants are never allowed to be alone until they are in the hotel rooms and are constantly supervised so they can’t have conversations off-screen.
They are also not allowed access to the outside world, with no Internet so they can’t Google each other and learn potentially important information.
Even the remote controls in their hotel rooms are sometimes confiscated, while each contestant is blindfolded and taken to their room individually.
Producers also use clever tactics to increase the paranoia and tension, such as keeping the air conditioning on full blast in the round table room, to make it freezing cold.
Ahead of each banishment, they also play the contestants the song The Hanging Tree from the Hunger Games to keep them on edge.
Maddy explained: ‘It puts you in such a state – the whole time you’re on edge. They play The Hanging Tree from The Hunger Games before you go into the round table, and each time we were like uhhh! Everything is stripped back and it’s scary actually.’
While there are some series that do rely heavily on scripted scenes, The Traitors is very much real, with the players given no direction
Series one finalist Wilfred Webster (pictured on show) even said that the contestants ‘forgot about the cameras’
Aaron added that the very heated arguments that viewers love come about naturally, and insisted the producers never got involved in their discussions
Producers also use clever tactics to increase the paranoia and tension, such as keeping the air conditioning on full blast in the round table room, to make it freezing cold
Ahead of each banishment, they also play the contestants the song The Hanging Tree from the Hunger Games to keep them on edge
Who picks the Traitors?
The Traitors begins the all the contestants being blindfolded at the round table while host Claudia Winkleman goes around and picks the Traitors, by tapping them on the shoulder.
Many viewers questioned whether it is the beloved presenter who is making the choice, or if the producers actually make the decision.
However, it has been revealed that it is Claudia that chooses who is a Traitor and who is a Faithful, though she may also consult with the producers.
The series starts with her interviewing each player to learn about their tactics and mentality, as well as inquire whether they want to be a Traitor or a Faithful.
Aaron explained: ‘It ends up being Claudia, when you initially go into her room in episode one.
‘She kind of has an idea of who she’s going to pick, but you can influence her quite a lot.’
He added that Claudia had originally had her eye on Ivan Brett to be a Traitor in series one, but when he said he wanted to be a Faithful she changed her mind.
The Traitors begins the all the contestants being blindfolded at the round table while host Claudia Winkleman goes around and picks the Traitors, by tapping them on the shoulder
Tt has been revealed that it is Claudia that chooses who is a Traitor and who is a Faithful, though she may also consult with the producers
The series starts with her interviewing each player to learn about their tactics and mentality, as well as inquire whether they want to be a Traitor or a Faithful
How is the show filmed?
The show is edited very cleverly to amp up the tension and also to ensure all the drama fits into three episodes a week.
However, behind-the-scenes it is actually slightly different to how it appears on TV, firstly with the fact that filming is very long.
The shoots can go on for hours, with some reports saying that there are days the stars will be filming until the early hours.
The intense schedule also ensures the week is jam-packed from Monday to Saturday, but series one winner Meryl Williams divulged that they do get Sundays off.
Additionally, players are able to speak freely to the viewers when they are in the confessional room, but there are actually more than one.
In order to film multiple contestants’ confessionals at once, there are in fact four or five confessional rooms, that are all identical to each other.
The dramatic murders are also not quite as they appear, with the players not actually being killed at nighttime, which would mean they would be up all hours or woken in the middle of the night.
Series one’s John McManus revealed that the Faithfuls are instead murdered in the morning after arriving at the castle.
He said: ‘Everybody goes to the castle at the same time in different jeeps and then you’re all put into separate holding rooms.
‘It’s like a Big Brother diary room with the letter sat on the chair in front of you, and it just says, “The Traitors have murdered you”.’
While it is not seen on camera, players are allowed to have smoke or vape breaks, but they have to supervised at all times.
They are allowed to have booze, as seen on the show with fan-favourite Diane Carson being poisoned with fizzy rosé.
There is a two drink limit in place, but Wilf said: ‘They said two but they [staff] always disappeared after one.
‘They don’t want us to mess up and get drunk and accidentally do something.’
The show is edited very cleverly to amp up the tension and also to ensure all the drama fits into three episodes a week, but behind-the-scenes it is actually slightly different to how it appears on TV
The shoots can go on for hours and the week is jam-packed from Monday to Saturday, but series one winner Meryl Williams (pictured) divulged that they do get Sundays off
In order to film multiple contestants’ confessionals at once, there are in fact four or five confessional rooms, that are all identical to each other
The dramatic murders are also not quite as they appear, with the players not actually being killed at nighttime, which would mean they would be up all hours or woken in the middle of the night
Series one’s John McManus revealed that the Faithfuls are instead murdered in the morning after arriving at the castle
They are allowed to have booze, as seen on the show with fan-favourite Diane Carson being poisoned with fizzy rosé (pictured) but there is a two drink limit in place
Is the breakfast spread as delicious as it looks?
Another perceived deception from the show is the revelation that the breakfast that the players are served every morning at the castle is not at delicious as it appears.
Series one star Ivan shared the truth on Twitter, declaring that the lavish spreads are actually ‘not very nice’.
He dished: ‘I’m sorry guys, it’s time to come clean and leak something shocking about #TheTraitors.
‘It pains me to tell you, but that breakfast is REALLY DRY AND NOT VERY NICE.’
However, his former co-star Maddy Smedley disagreed as she replied: ‘Oh I really liked the cheese n ham.’
But season two star Evie Morrison quipped: ‘Watch me still eat it though!!! the stress eating is real.’
Viewers were quick to joke that they thought the ‘dry’ food was another sneaky way of causing tension among the group.
One wrote: ‘Of course. Nothing like slightly stale croissants to make people turn on one another. The mind games are happening at every level.’
To which Ivan replied: ‘Orange juice the same temperature as coffee? I will now kill my friend.’
Another perceived deception from the show is the revelation that the breakfast that the players are served every morning at the castle is not at delicious as it appears
Series one star Ivan (pictured right) shared the truth on Twitter, declaring that the lavish spreads are actually ‘not very nice’
Viewers were quick to joke that they thought the ‘dry’ food was another sneaky way of causing tension among the group
Do players get to keep any memorabilia?
For the players that don’t get to take home any money, they still get to keep a part of the show as a memento of their experience.
Wilf divulged that the contestants were each sent their iconic framed photos that hang in the castle.
Producers also sent every player a copy of The Traitors board game so they can sharpen their deception skills.
Players also get to keep a part of the show as a memento of their experience, as Wilf divulged that they were each sent their iconic framed photos that hang in the castle (pictured)
How can you get on the show?
For anyone that is keen to have their own turn on the popular series and fancies themselves a change at winning the jackpot, they can apply online.
However, producers also scout cast members for the show, looking specifically for puzzle solvers and logical minds.
They look for contestants in poker and chess playing clubs as well fans of strategy games.
However, unlike the casting process for shows like Love Island, producers have said they do not look for fame-seekers or those with high following, as it ruins the show’s authenticity.
Maddy previously gave an insight into the casting process for the smash hit competition, by revealing exactly how she nabbed a place on the show.
Speaking to Anna Cookson on BBC Radio Kent, she shared: ‘I got a phone call out of the blue because I’d applied for Race Across The World and a previous show, and they must have kept my thing on file.
‘Someone rang me and was like “Are you working in a care home? Are you an actor?” and all this stuff, and they pitched me the show on the phone, and I thought it would be like wink murder or an acting game and I thought “That sounds quite good”.
‘Next thing you know, you do Zoom calls where they ask you loads of questions, and then you do a medical test, and then I was like “Oh my God, I’m in the castle”. Crazy!’
For anyone that is keen to have their own turn on the popular series and fancies themselves a change at winning the jackpot, they can apply online
However, producers also scout cast members for the show, looking specifically for puzzle solvers and logical minds
They look for contestants in poker and chess playing clubs as well fans of strategy games
However, unlike the casting process for shows like Love Island, producers have said they do not look for fame-seekers or those with high following, as it ruins the show’s authenticity
Maddy previously gave an insight into the casting process for the smash hit competition, by revealing exactly how she nabbed a place on the show