Interview: Sam from The Traitors discusses his banishment

Sam was the seventh contestant to be banished from The Traitors Castle

Last night, around 8 million viewers watched as Sam was the seventh contestant banished at the round table.

Was the castle as you expected, and how did it feel walking in for the first time?

It was totally surreal walking in for the first time! It’s just a stunning building, with sun kissed walls, perfect gravel, and you just have this pinch me moment. I was just so excited.

What were your first impressions of your fellow players?

When you first get out of the car and you meet everyone, you know you’re there to play a game, and you know that you’re going to have to be around some really intelligent people, so I actually felt a bit intimidated straight away. At the same time, everyone was lovely and before that first Round Table when Claudia selects her Traitors, it’s like being at a wedding where everyone knows the couple getting married, but no one knows each other. It’s a really nice environment to be in, and you’re all kind of making friends, but then that immediately changes.

Were you happy to be a Faithful?

No. I went in that castle to be a Traitor, but looking back I probably over sold myself to Claudia. I really, really wanted to be a Traitor, that’s why I went into the game.

You constantly had a bit of heat on you at the Round Table. Why do you think that was?

I think it’s because the way I started the game was very much on the front foot, and I got it so wrong. Watching it back, you do go ‘Ahh right, that does look quite suspicious!’ and unfortunately for me, not only did I get Judy wrong, but I also got Amanda wrong, and for everyone else around that table, it looks like I’ve almost got rid of two fellow Faithfuls and I am a Traitor. I also think the Traitors did a really good job at just constantly keeping me on the backburner. They didn’t always go fully for me, but they were just very careful about constantly bringing me up when they needed to.

It was Matty that said you were one of only three people that voted out all of the Traitors so far. Had you realised that at the time?

Yeah – I mean to be honest, I was always going to vote for Hugo, the breakfast meltdown just cemented it for me. And then Fiona’s banishment came up quite quickly for me, but the way that she kind of crumbled at the Round Table under questioning made me think that was really suspicious. What that whole thing taught me is how quickly everything can shift. You can go into a Round Table thinking you are toast here, and then someone else’s name comes up and you only get one vote and you’re back in the mix again.

You were voted the most arrogant in the Mission. Do you think that was because you were so sure of those first couple of people?

Yeah, it’s one of those things where I am a confident person, but in that environment, I was really conscious of not letting myself get too emotionally invested in it, and what that came across as was arrogant, or overconfident. Whereas in my brain, I was anxious, I was guessing, I was overthinking, I was double checking.

You said you went into self-preservation mode when you chose to get that shield in the final game. What were your reasons behind that, and do you think that ultimately led to your downfall?

That definitely led to my downfall, and I really thought going into that game that I could just handle everything and stay composed. I remember at that time being overwhelmed and still being frustrated by the previous challenge where we as a team sacrificed shields to build up the prize pot and the others didn’t. I thought, ‘Well, everyone’s prioritised themselves there so I need to prioritise myself now!’ but I wish I could have just had a word with myself in that cabin in the woods and just took a minute to breathe. I hadn’t had protection yet and I just wanted to protect myself, but I know for everyone else that it did look weird.

Did you have a strategy going in? Do you think that you stuck to it?

I had a strategy as a Traitor, and I don’t think they’re too dissimilar because you have to act like you’re Faithful if you’re a Traitor anyway. If my suspicions on Judy weren’t so strong and everyone else’s suspicions on Judy weren’t so strong, I just wonder how the game would have played out, and I wonder whether if I just took a back seat at that first Round Table, would everything else have happened?

Would you have done anything differently?

I trusted my gut, and with Judy I thought ‘Well I think this, and 15 other people think this’, so when she said Faithful, it just shook me and made me go, ‘Oh, I was so wrong. But if my gut is so sure and I’m so wrong, where does that leave me in the game?’

How does it feel to be leaving the game now?

I think by that point, after however many Round Tables of just getting grilled, you get to a stage where you know your time’s up. You start walking around the castle into different rooms of people and suddenly their conversation stops and you think ‘Well, that was definitely about me!’ I remember thinking the writing was on the wall for me here.

There’s only so long you can fight for, and I think I swerved it a few times. I remember Matt turning to me on one of the Round Tables and asking how I have dodged so much heat. I’m so happy I did it and I’m so happy I stayed in as long as I did, but I think it was my time to leave.

What will you take away from your time on The Traitors?

I will take away all the amazing memories from just being there. The Missions were real light relief. The one where we did the recreation of the paintings, I genuinely was crying with laughter that day watching Jack get milked by Faraaz and Hugo the barrister mooing on the grass, it was surreal and hilarious. I genuinely made connections with people and friendships which are going to last afterwards.

Do you have a standout highlight of the experience?

My highlight has to be the paintings Mission. Just mooing on the grass, watching Jack get milked - and it’s just that one time where you don’t really care about who is a Faithful or a Traitor. It was such a surreal experience and a great laugh.

The Traitors continues tonight at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.