The Traitors fans think they’ve uncovered another secret connection in the castle.
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the beloved BBC game show is off to a treacherous start this week, with two of the 22 contestants already having made their exit.
Netty became the first to be murdered by the Traitors, with the Faithfuls then wrongfully banishing Judy – who is the mother to fellow contestant Roxy, unbeknownst to the other players.
Internet sleuths, however, appear to have discovered another apparent connection between psychologist Ellie and sales exec and personal trainer Ross.
The pair appeared to meet for the first time in the first episode of the series, exchanging introductions when they sat opposite one another on the train to the castle where Traitors is filmed.
Fans on Reddit, however, have uncovered a digital trail on LinkedIn that suggests Ross and Ellie know each other more than they are letting on.
On the job platform, Ross had publicly commented on several of Ellie’s work updates with supportive messages. For example, when Ellie shared news that she had qualified as a chartered psychologist, Ross wrote: “Congratulations! Great work Dr Buckley.”
He similarly congratulated Ellie when she received a promotion at work. “Major achievement Dr Buckley. Incredibly well deserved. Bravo!” he wrote in a comment, which Ellie liked.
While some viewers noted that the online interactions would have taken place after the show had been filmed four months ago in June, another eagle-eyed fan spotted a since-deleted post from Ross on Ellie’s profile that dates back nine months, which would have been before they filmed Traitors.
Viewers are therefore speculating that their “meeting” on the train was fake. “Hilariously bad acting,” wrote one person on Reddit.
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“I did find their initial scene quite strange,” said someone else, who wondered if everyone in the series is somehow “paired up”.
If the speculation is true then this wouldn’t be the first connection Ross has had with a fellow contestant. He knew nursery school teacher Netty, who became the first Faithful to be murdered during Friday’s episode (2 January).
The Independent has contacted a representative of Traitors for comment.
The Traitors continues on Saturday night (3 January) with Traitors Rachel, Hugo and Stephen tasked with murdering Ben, Reece, or Maz – as dedicated by the Secret Traitor.
Follow along with all the live updates at The Independent’s live blog here.