A legendary alumni of The Traitors has debunked the ‘last Faithful to breakfast’ fan theory by pointing out major problem that proves it’s ‘categorically wrong’.
The show follows a group of 25 strangers at a castle in the Scottish Highlands as they compete to win the £120,000 prize money in missions set by host Claudia Winkleman, 52.
Whilst most contestants are Faithfuls, there are some chosen by Claudia to be Traitors who are tasked with killing off their fellow players without being detected.
The Faithfuls have the anxiety-inducing job of identifying who the Traitors are and kicking them out during voting.
Ivan Brett, 35, from Cornwall, was a Faithful on the first season of The Traitors in 2022.
Ivan has responded to fans as they discussed the ‘Last Faithful to breakfast’ or ‘Laithful’ theory on social media site X.
A legendary alumni of The Traitors has debunked the ‘last Faithful to breakfast’ fan theory by pointing out major problem that proves it’s ‘categorically wrong’
Ivan Brett, 35, from Cornwall, was a Faithful on the first season of The Traitors in 2022
Ivan has responded to fans as they discussed the ‘Last Faithful to breakfast’ or ‘Laithful’ theory on social media site X (Pictured: Claudia Winkleman with the cast of season one)
It speculates that the last few contestants to arrive for breakfast after a murder the night before are usually Faithfuls and the Traitors had been considering murdering them the night before.
However, Ivan chimed in on the conversation to explain why the theory doesn’t hold up.
He wrote: ‘Quite often I’m told how because the final two or three players arriving for breakfast on #TheTraitors are always Faithful, this is a game-solving clue that the other players never use. Well, here’s why the Late Faithful (Laithful) strategy is categorically wrong.
‘While it’s true to say that in Season 1 this tended to happen, it didn’t always. In episode 4, Amanda was last to turn up to breakfast. Nobody was murdered that night, but they still used it as an opportunity to break the Laithful pattern.’
He explained that even without that example, viewers only spot the pattern of no Traitors arriving last because they already know who the Traitors are, whilst the Faithful’s have no idea which means they are suspicious of everyone.
Ivan continued: ‘We all tracked votes, friendships, but breakfast arrivals were not being counted.
‘Ok, you say, but when watching the show it’s obvious. So why didn’t Season 2’s contestants use the same info? Well, I hope they didn’t…
‘In episode 3, when Kyra was murdered, Traitor Ash was amongst the last three to arrive. In episode 5, when Meg was murdered, Traitor Paul was last to arrive.
The show follows a group of 25 strangers at a castle in the Scottish Highlands as they compete to win the £120,000 prize money in missions set by host Claudia Winkleman, 52
Whilst most contestants are Faithfuls, there are some chosen by Claudia to be Traitors who are tasked with killing off their fellow players without being detected (Pictured: Claudia Winkleman at the voting table with the cast of season three)
The Faithfuls have the anxiety-inducing job of identifying who the Traitors are and kicking them out during voting (Pictured: Claudia Winkleman with the cast of season three)
‘In episode 6, when Tracey was murdered, Traitor Harry was amongst the last to arrive.
‘And then in episode 11, when Zack was murdered, Traitor Andrew was last to arrive. Four times a Traitor was late to breakfast.
‘Another breakfast, two traitors didn’t arrive at all (Dungeon). Four out of nine relevant breakfasts is actually proportionally higher than the proportion of Traitors to Faithfuls.
‘So if you’d tried the Laithful strategy in Season 2, we can all agree you’d have been barking up the wrong croissant. I think it’s fair to say, this myth should be busted.’
Ivan, who works as an author, game designer and educator, has been vocal about his views on the show since his time as a contestant on the first series in the UK.
He has proposed changes to the show’s format to keep it engaging, including allowing contestants to guess who will be murdered for a chance to win extra cash and incorporating clues about the true identities of players.
Season three of The Traitors kicked off on New Year’s Day as brand new group of 25 strangers joined Claudia Winkleman at the castle in the Scottish Highlands.
However, the host shocked fans when she announced a huge shake up to the format.
Season three of The Traitors kicked off on New Year’s Day as brand new group of 25 strangers joined Claudia Winkleman at the castle in the Scottish Highlands
Contestants The Traitors season three gathered around the breakfast table on Thursday night’s episode
In the first two seasons, those who were eliminated reveal whether they were a in fact a Faithful or a Traitor but that all changed this year.
During a Q&A at the screening of the first episode, Claudia said: ‘Those who make it to the final no longer reveal their true identities when they leave.
‘Instead, you will need to rely solely on your instincts about whether there are any Traitors left in the game.
‘But it’s so smart because it underlines that you think you know how to play.’
‘So at the end I will thank somebody for taking part and they can just walk out.’
Some fans complained that the programme was now ‘unfair’ and think they have already worked out who will win the show.
‘As if the game wasn’t massively stacked towards the #TheTraitors they have made it easier for them to win now,’ one wrote on X.
Another said: ‘The odds are already so heavily stacked against the faithfuls, this plot twist is going to make it impossible for the faithfuls to win.’
A third agreed: ‘Why is it literally built for the traitors to win this feels kinda unfair.’
‘Okay so we’re rooting for the traitors to win this year,’ another posted.
Someone else wrote: ‘All women traitors?? Oh we are so back. A woman will win this year.’
But some viewers think it will swing the other way, writing: ‘Hmmmmm. Think the faithfuls are gonna win this series.’
The Traitors airs on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.
Meet the cast of The Traitors 2025
Elen
Age: 24
Occupation: Translator
Location: Cardiff
Lisa
Age: 62
Occupation: Anglican Priest
Location: Cornwall
Jack
Age: 24 (at time of filming, 25 now)
Occupation: Market trader and landscaper
Location: Yorkshire
Alex
Age: 29
Occupation: Care Manager
Location: Whitby
Alexander
Age: 38
Occupation: Former British Diplomat
Location: London
Anna
Age: 28
Occupation: Swimming Teacher
Location: County Wicklow, Ireland
Armani
Age: 27
Occupation: Financial Investigator
Location: London
Charlotte
Age: 32 (33 now)
Occupation: Business Director
Location: London, recently moved to Hampshire
Dan
Age: 33
Occupation: Bank Risk Manager
Location: Liverpool
Fozia
Age: 50
Occupation: Community Development Manager
Location: Birmingham
Francesca
Age: 44
Occupation: Interior Designer
Location: East Sussex
Freddie
Age: 20
Occupation: Politics Student
Location: Peterborough
Jake
Age: 28
Occupation: Project manager
Location: Barrow-in-Furness
Joe
Age: 37
Occupation: English Teacher
Location: Southampton (Originally Yorkshire)
Kasim
Age: 33
Occupation: Doctor
Location: Cambridge
Keith
Age: 65
Occupation: Window cleaner
Location: Bournemouth
Leanne
Age: 28
Occupation: Veteran
Location: Holywell, North Wales
Leon
Age: 40
Occupation: Retail store manager
Location: East Midlands
Linda
Age: 70
Occupation: Retired opera singer
Location: Hertfordshire
Olivia (Livi)
Age: 26
Occupation: Beautician and Model
Location: Horsham
Maia
Age: 25
Occupation: Full-time Mum
Location: Essex
Minah
Age: 29
Occupation: Call Centre Manager
Location: Liverpool
Nathan
Age: 39
Occupation: Property Consultant
Location: London
Tyler
Age: 29
Occupation: Barber
Location: Leicester
Yin
Age: 34
Occupation: Doctor of communication
Location: Berkshire