The latest episode of BBC One's hit reality show The Traitors delivered a masterclass in strategic gameplay, leaving the remaining conspirators in a perilous position. Creative director Matthew Hyndman, having won a crucial advantage, executed a bold power play that has fundamentally shifted the dynamics of the game.
A Cunning Proposition in the Confessional
The drama unfolded on Friday night's episode (January 10, 2026). After his team won the day's mission, Matthew, alongside Faithful Harriet and Traitor Rachel, earned the right to question the secret Traitors. Entering the church confessional where Traitors Rachel and Stephen were hiding, Matthew laid out his audacious plan.
He first asked them who their next murder target was. Upon learning it was contestant Jessie, Matthew suggested they murder Jessie first and then attempt to recruit him later. This move was a clear signal of his ambition to join the 'hooded brigade' and placed the Traitors in an extraordinarily difficult spot.
An 'Awful Position' for the Traitors
Speaking exclusively to Metro, murdered Faithful Reece Ward and banished Traitor Fiona Hughes analysed the fallout. Reece, a sweet shop assistant, explained the unique bind Matthew has created.
"It’s hard because that day, [Matthew] got voted fairest of them all. I think he played it absolutely brilliant," Reece stated. "Rachel and Stephen can’t go to breakfast the next day and start spreading heinous things about Matthew, about how he’s untrustworthy, because we just voted that he’s not – and that he’s the most trustworthy of them all."
He continued, highlighting Matthew's astuteness: "He’s put them in an awful position now, because they can’t change their behaviour and start saying Matthew’s untrustworthy – because he will probably know."
Fiona's Warning and Reece's Recruitment Regret
Banished Traitor Fiona Hughes praised Matthew as a "strong character" who had played a "wonderful game." However, she expressed serious reservations about having him as a fellow Traitor.
"I don’t think I’d want Matthew, if I was still there, in the turret with me because he’s an intelligent, perceptive man," Fiona admitted. "If he’s on your side, then you’ll go all the way. But I don’t know. This is a real enigma now isn’t it? Rachel and Stephen are going to have to have lots of conversations around this."
Reece also reflected on his own journey, revealing he had wanted to be a Traitor initially but grew to enjoy being a Faithful. He speculated he was close to being recruited before his murder. "If they were to have recruited me, then I would probably have only had one or two roundtables left in me anyway," he said, suggesting he would have immediately confessed.
Reece was the fourth Faithful to be murdered, following Netty, Ben, Ross, and Maz. His demise came after he unwittingly lingered near Rachel and Stephen as they discussed the 'family tree' of murder targets in the foyer – an interaction he later admitted he did not find suspicious at the time.
The Traitors continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 8pm on Wednesday. With Matthew's intentions now clear and the Traitors backed into a corner, the next roundtable promises to be explosive.
