Season 3 of The Traitors has hit our TV screens! I’m excited about this because this Christmas, The Traitors board game landed under our tree—a gift that promised intrigue, betrayal, and enough drama to rival Christmas dinner debates about the last roast potato. Think Cluedo, but with more deception and fewer lead pipes. Having never watched the TV show, I approached the game with the blind optimism of a faithful—but quickly realised I was missing vital context. Naturally, the only solution was to binge-watch the entire first season, whilst eating an enormous cheeseboard. 

Research, I told myself. 

By the time Twixmas rolled around, I’d dived headfirst into the psychological hurricane that is The Traitors. Beyond the tears, the paranoia, and the cloaks (so many cloaks), the show offered an unexpected masterclass in trust, strategy, and emotional unravelling. If only the contestants had something to make sense of the chaos.  

A Game of Paranoia and Plot Twists 

Watching the show is like observing a high-stakes version of a spider weaving its web. Every accusation, every alliance, every teary-eyed confession pulls on the delicate threads of trust until the whole thing collapses in a heap of suspicion. 

Obviously, whilst watching I thought about how I would handle the tension of being in the castle. If only the Faithfuls had access to tools like visual mapping or storytelling frameworks to make sense of it all. I would probably visualise the connections, mapping alliances, and colour-coding lies, which would highlight discrepancies or hidden patterns, pinpointing the traitors before another poor soul gets metaphorically thrown under the bus.

This thought brought me back to the conversation I had with Dan Ariely and his research on trust and dishonesty. In this conversation, he explained how small lies can snowball into bigger ones, creating a slippery slope of deceit. Watching The Traitors, I could see this play out in real-time: tiny denials morphing into elaborate betrayals, all rationalised as “strategy.” 

Trust: The Fragile Currency

At its heart, The Traitors is a game of trust—a commodity as rare in the game as it often feels in real life. Paul Zak’s research on the neuroscience of trust shows how oxytocin fosters collaboration, but it also reveals how quickly trust can crumble once broken. The contestants’ spiralling dynamics mirrored this perfectly: one seed of doubt, and even the most loyal faithful could find themselves in the firing line.

The Moral Tug-of-War 

The game’s greatest tension lies in its balance of truth and strategy. How far can you push a lie without losing your grip on reality—or your moral compass? This echoes Ariely’s experiments, which found that people will bend the truth as long as they can still see themselves as “good.” The contestants’ justifications—“It’s just a game!”—felt like textbook examples.

But here’s where storytelling comes in: the most compelling players weren’t necessarily the most truthful. They were the ones who could craft a narrative, weaving strategy and sincerity into something believable. In a way, the show is a masterclass in storytelling under pressure—something leaders and teams could learn from. Having a strong narrative that you stick to through thick and thin, may be the thing that pulls you through to win the prize. This doesn’t mean creating a false narrative, not everyone on the show was a traitor. The Faithfuls on the show acted from a position of inner truth. Having this moral anchor allowed them to act with conviction. It was truly fascinating to watch. 

The IDEA Model and The Traitors 

Watching The Traitors through the lens of my IDEA framework revealed some surprising lessons: 

Inform: The Right Information 

The rules of the game are straightforward, but the real complexity lies in the flow of information—or the lack of it. Contestants are forced to make decisions based on incomplete data, whispers, and gut feelings. The challenge? Separating fact from fiction in an environment designed to obscure the truth. This mirrors real-world communication struggles, where clarity and accuracy are vital for good decision-making. 

Develop: Change Abilities 

As the game progresses, players must sharpen their skills in reading people, decoding half-truths, and managing relationships. It’s a crash course in interpersonal intelligence, where every glance, hesitation, or overly enthusiastic defence becomes a clue. The best contestants learn to adapt quickly, honing abilities that help them navigate the ever-shifting dynamics of trust and betrayal. 

Enable: Change How People Act 

The show’s mechanics create an environment where collaboration is both essential and precarious. Contestants must make strategic decisions—who to align with, who to accuse, and when to push back. These decisions require tools and options, yet the show denies them anything beyond instinct and persuasion. Imagine if the Faithfuls had access to visual tools or storytelling techniques to map alliances and identify patterns—better decisions might come faster. 

Animate: Change Hearts and Minds 

The emotional highs and lows of The Traitors are its beating heart. Contestants swing between camaraderie and suspicion, joy and heartbreak. These emotional shape decisions, alliances, and betrayals. Similarly, in any high-stakes environment, the ability to move hearts and minds is the key to lasting impact. Without emotion, there’s no engagement; without engagement, there’s no trust. 

Visual Mapping: A Secret Weapon 

In the show, the Faithfuls often make decisions based on gut feelings and fragmented information. A visual map could transform their approach, turning speculation into strategy. Mapping alliances, annotating suspicious behaviour, or even animating the group’s dynamics could expose patterns the naked eye misses. 

In real life, we face similar challenges. High-pressure decisions often cloud judgment, but tools like whiteboard animations or mind maps can bring clarity. They allow us to step back, see the big picture, and uncover truths that lie just beneath the surface.

Your Traitors Moment

So, here’s the big question: Have you ever been in a situation—professional or personal—where trust was fragile, and truth felt slippery? How did you navigate it? Did you rely on intuition, or did you create a system to uncover the real story?

If you’re curious about how your own team could benefit from greater clarity, collaboration, and trust, take our Presentation Pulse Scorecard. It’s designed to uncover the hidden gaps in your communication strategy and help you build stronger, more effective presentations—no cloaks required.

Let’s trade stories in the comments. Bonus points if yours involves a metaphorical (or literal) cloak. And if you haven’t watched The Traitors yet, consider this your official excuse. Remember, it’s not just entertainment—it’s professional development.