With the fourth episode of the latest series of The Traitors just hours away, anticipation is building as viewers wait to see the next move from the mysterious Red Cloak. The future of the game hangs in the balance, dependent on the decisions of this enigmatic figure.
Gorton's Golden Rule: Recruit the Weak
Former traitor and fan favourite Paul Gorton, 38, from the show's second series, has been watching the new contestants closely. In an exclusive interview with the Birmingham Mail on behalf of Which Bingo, he has shared his expert advice for the current traitors, Stephen and Rachel.
Gorton's strategy is brutally simple: always recruit someone weaker than you. He advised, "Recruit people that are weaker than you, that you can backstab almost straight away. I would never recruit someone that was stronger than me."
He elaborated that the core tactic should be to "never, ever recruit someone that's in a better position than you are. Always recruit someone that you know you can throw under the bus." Gorton pointed to his own successful run with Harry Clark as the perfect example, noting, "Every recruitment he did was whoever the weakest person was there."
Who Would Gorton Target Now?
Applying his logic to the current game, Gorton named specific contestants he believes Stephen and Rachel should consider. His immediate pick, should the Secret Traitor not join them, would be Ross.
"If I was Stephen and Rachel, I'd recruit Ross right now because Ross has the most amount of pressure on him," the tech whizz turned presenter explained.
At this point in the show, Gorton also suggested recruiting someone like James. "James has a lot of ideas and he's very scatty and he's got very high energy and that could look like nervous traitor energy," he said, highlighting how such behaviour could be manipulated or used as a shield.
The Ideal Traitor to Take to the Final
However, Gorton had a different answer when considering who would make an ideal long-term traitor partner to reach the end of the game. For this, he pointed to Jade.
"I would recruit someone like Jade. I think she's the youngest there and she seems really smart," he shared. Gorton believes her quiet and unassuming demeanour could be a powerful asset, adding, "I think sometimes people like that can be seen as quiet and unassuming, but she seems very, really smart and I couldn't imagine her backstabbing me."
As fans prepare for the next dramatic instalment, Gorton's insights from the traitor's perspective reveal the cold, calculated thinking that defines the high-stakes game of deception.
