After a major comeback to our screens on January 1,The Traitors has already gripped its viewers, with shock exits and interesting contestants.
One of those contestants is ex-opera singer and Traitor Linda Rands. In just four episodes, the 70-year-old from Hertfordshire has gained traction online as viewers share clips from the show on social media.
The popular series follows 25 contestants as they compete to win a prize draw of up to £120,000. Host Claudia Winkleman, 52, handpicks Traitors in secret whilst other players remain Faithfuls. As the Traitors continue to kill people off, the others must try to uncover who is committing the murders and subsequently, banish them. In doing so, they often accidentally send home the wrong players, and the Traitors remain unnamed in the game.
This year, three Traitors were chosen, and since 27-year-old Armani was dramatically banished, only two remain. Yet, viewers cannot help but poke fun at one of the two Traitors left standing for her ‘GCSE drama’ acting skills.
The Traitors star, Linda Rands, made a rookie error, just seconds after being chosen as a Traitor -Credit:BBC
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On the first episode of the season, when Claudia addressed the room by saying, ‘Traitors,’ Linda instantly looked up at the host, blowing her cover immediately and causing fellow contestant Jake to become suspicious of her. It was this instant mistake that made fans fall in love with Linda, sharing TikToks online of the awkward moment, with one user commenting: “I don’t care who wins, she’s an icon.”
Fans of the show are surprised at how the Traitor has still secured her place in the game, with cringe-worthy moments that caused one viewer to deem her as a ‘terrible’ Traitor in the comments. One of these includes the now viral clip of her, the morning after murdering a Faithful, dramatically saying, “Oh my god, who the HELL is not going to come back?”. Of course, Linda knew exactly who was not coming back.
Despite her amateur acting skills and multiple accusations at the Round Table discussions, the Traitor has survived multiple banishments and continues to stay in the game.
The 70-year-old starred in a London production of Rigoletto in 1982 -Credit:BBC / Studio Lambert
The BBC was quick to respond with a Leicester Square billboard of Linda holding a fake award, featuring the text ‘The performance of a lifetime award.’ Even the likes of Specsavers are joining in with the discussion, commenting on a TikTok of the billboard: “Faithfuls would see this and still believe her.”
Whether or not Linda will remain unsuspected, we’re yet to find out, but her life outside of the show has also been full of dramatic performances.
Opera career
As fans discuss their favourite The Traitors star online, one shared a clip from her opera-singing days in a TikTok, where the 70-year-old is virtually unrecognisable.
A young Linda can be seen with a cropped blonde bob singing gracefully in a 1982 London production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto. The video resurfaced online, but you can watch the full performance on YouTube, where Linda is credited as ‘Un paggio’ in the description.
Linda is the oldest player to be picked as a Traitor in all three series of the show -Credit:BBC / Studio Lambert
One viewer commented on the TikTok video:” My tutor used to do wigs for an opera house and worked with her! Apparently a very lovely and typical theatre kind of eccentric (in a good way).”
Another surprised fan wrote: “Linda the LEGEND. I’m waiting for her to drop an album, tbh.” While someone else commented: “I love her even more now.”
It seems that despite her bad attempt at remaining unsuspected, her act is convincing enough to keep her in the game. When passionate ex-faithful Tyler was banished from the series, he was left in shock when discovering that Linda was in fact a traitor.
Tyler burst out laughing at the sight of Linda’s name and said: “Oh my god. She’s playing a good game,” in a clip shared by the Daily Mail.
As Faithful players grow more suspicious of Linda, the downfall of her role as a secret traitor leaves fans on the edge of their seats. You can watch Linda in The Traitors at 9pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays until the finale on January 24.
The Traitors continues tonight at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer