Age: 32
Occupation: Cyber Security Consultant
Location: London
Why did you apply to be on The Traitors?
It's one of those games that you can't watch without putting yourself in it. There are certain shows where you're screaming at the TV with every single decision that's made, thinking why have you done that? Or why have you said that? Or I could do better than that. I genuinely love this game. Maybe I've got a bit of a delusional kind of a sense that I can do really well in this.
Have you watched it from the start?
Yes, and every franchise. I've actually been re-watching some of the seasons, just to kind of get my head in the game and examine the certain things that people have done that were so normal to them but others found weird, so looking out for those little things that might arouse suspicion. I think a lot of the play really depends on who's around you. You have to read the room really quickly at the beginning and previous players' tactics may not work here. Also, people are going into this game now knowing a lot more about how the game works, and I think that really means you've got to come up with a new strategy, your own strategy.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you think you will bring to the game
I'm very personable. People seem to let their guard down around me very quickly when I first meet them. I think that's partly due to having quite a regional accent that I think works in my favour. It might sound like quite a simplistic game plan to just make friends with everyone, but I do think that's something that does come naturally to me. However, I'm also very competitive, and quite pragmatic, and I'm also taking the game seriously. I'm going to use what I feel is my quite innate talent to bring people close to solidify myself among the group, as someone that they would feel bad about getting rid of.
You mentioned you're competitive. How are you when playing games with friends and family?
Funnily enough, I was an ‘it's the taking part that counts' kind of person. And then I met my partner, and him and his family are vile when it comes to games. There are no holds barred, and it gets a bit heated. I had to learn to be equally committed and now they've awakened something in me that I never knew was there before! I could never have pictured myself six years ago applying for something like this.
Do you think you'd be good at the Missions?
That's one of the things I'm so excited about. I'm quite active. I would say that. Not going to say that I'm an absolute hunk, but I am quite active. I do go to the gym every day, and I used to be a competitive gymnast as well. So, in terms of the physical nature of them, I'm really excited about that but also the opportunity to work as a team because I love team sports.
Would you like to be a Traitor or a Faithful?
I can be a bit of a control freak, and I feel like as a Traitor, it really is the best way to take control of the game. Your chances of going home are slashed by 50% because you can only go out by banishment. Whereas, if you're a Faithful, you've got two chances of being banished or murdered. Watching it, you sometimes think, oh my God, the Traitors have to hide who they are the whole time but you have to walk a difficult line as a Faithful.
Make connections but don't be too loud, contribute ideas but don't be suspicious. As a Faithful, I'd have to find that middle ground. One of the things that I really want to make sure I'm doing when I'm in there is having as much fun as possible. I don't want a voice in my head saying, oh, act like this now, or do this now, or try and do this now. I'm hoping that it will come naturally. Depending on the role I've been assigned, I'll just hopefully fall into that.
Would you say that you have a good poker face?
I do have a good poker face, I think. My lip doesn't quiver; I don't give much away. However, I can go quite red faced. Being from the north of Scotland, you only need to take a walk outside on a rainy day, and you're burnt to a crisp!
Would you say that you're good at spotting a liar?
I do think I can read people quite well. I really do think that I'm quite good at kind of noticing changes in emotion and people's mannerisms. I've got a degree in linguistics, and I notice when people are using weird turns of phrase, or when their diction changes slightly.
If you should win the prize money, what do you think you would spend it on?
Firstly, I really want to give back to my parents. I was the first person in my family to go to university, and we weren't a university family at all. Financially, it wasn't something that we would really be able to do but my parents really gave up a lot to push me through. I would love to be able to give back to my dad who is the most incredible artist. He's a butcher by trade but I would love to be able to just give him a chance to get away from that and really have more time to work on his art as much as possible.
For myself, I've been in London now for eight years, and I'm getting to the point now where I'd like to be able to get on the property ladder.
