A young mum from Essex has revealed her plan to ‘act dumb’ in an attempt to become the new winner of TV show The Traitors. The hit BBC show returns for series three on Wednesday night (January 1) with 25 individuals hoping to win up to £120k.
Maia, 25, a full-time mum from Essex, is among those wanting to be crowned the winner. The young mum binge watched the last series but thought the contestants were “not lying correctly” and that she could do it better.
But part of her reasoning behind signing up was to help try and afford her daughter’s nursery costs – although she’d also like a holiday to Bali if she wins the cash prize. The former cheerleader says she is a team player but not the most athletic so may find some of the missions difficult.
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She said: “I think I’m a very happy, positive, bubbly person. And I get along with most people that I meet. I feel like I’d be able to really make some good connections and good friends with everyone. I also say everything that is on my mind.
“I used to do cheerleading so I’m good when it comes to the Missions, I know I’ll be able to run around, even though I’m not a gym person at all. I don’t mind getting stuck in. I’m a good team player, I’m all about making teams and forming groups.”
Discussing how she intends to approach the hit TV series, she said: “My game plan is to act dumb, but not too dumb. If you’re too dumb they’re wondering what’s the purpose of you being here! I can’t just sit on that Round Table and not have an opinion. I have to twist everything to make it seem like I’m really, really upset. And I’ve done that a lot in my life.
“So, acting dumb, but also, I think being good at the Missions. I’m going to try my hardest in the Missions because people need to see that you’re a team player, and that you’re actually trying.
“I’m not the most athletic person. I don’t go to the gym, I think especially after having a baby the athleticism is out the window. I can’t even touch my toes anymore, but I try my best at everything.
“I will try so hard and make sure that everyone is happy and make sure that everyone is getting involved. I am a good leader because I’m very good at assigning roles. I’m very good at seeing your strengths and putting you in the right positions, making sure people are motivated and that you don’t get too upset if things don’t go your way.”
Maia wants to be a Traitor but also seems to have qualities that would make her a good Faithful. She said: “When you meet them on that train, you can see who people naturally are. And then when they find out who the Traitor is, everyone starts switching up, maybe a bit more talkative, or quieter. I think that’s why I’ll be analysing people so much. I don’t think Traitors will want to get rid of people that are good at earning them money, so, I would need to be as good as I possibly can be in those games to earn as much money for the team as well.
“I always know when someone is lying. And body language, body language is so strong. if you’re uncomfortable, even little things like your knees might not be pointing towards me, you’d be pointing toward the door if you’re uncomfortable. If you’re not looking at me in the eye when you’re telling me that lie, then I’m like, where are you looking? Where’s your brain right now? If you don’t respond quick enough and I feel like I asked the right questions, I’ll just keep on going until I find out if that story is true or not.”
The 25-year-old said she admired Harry’s game plan, saying his personality reminded her of herself. She added: “He didn’t do too much, which I liked because you don’t have to be the centre of attention, which was great. Everyone underestimated him, and I feel like a lot of people underestimate me as well. I feel like I’ve never been the brightest person, but I’ve always been creative and personable, and that’s what it felt like with Harry.
“With him as well, even though we don’t speak all proper and fancy, we are very personable and people gravitate towards us naturally, and they just end up believing what we say. Harry was just the perfect Traitor.”