Andrew Jenkins, a finalist in the second season of The Traitors, has shared his reflections on his gameplay and suggested how he might approach the competition differently if given a second chance. Jenkins, 47, was recruited as a Traitor midway through the season, a role he found challenging given his lifelong inclination towards being a team player.
Jenkins admitted that the decision to become a Traitor was difficult, stating, "Even though it's a game, it took me a while to decide to become a traitor, but it wasn't very nice." He expressed sympathy for fellow recruited Traitor James Acaster, describing him as a "reluctant" traitor.
Looking back, Jenkins believes he would have engaged with fellow contestant Mollie Pearce earlier in the game. "I could have influenced Mollie, but I was just too nice," he explained. Jenkins indicated he entered the game without a specific strategy, focusing instead on maintaining a balance between not drawing too much attention and not appearing suspicious. "I got friendly with everybody in there and just sailed through to the final, really. I had no real heat on me, apart from when Ross [Carson] went mad at the round table. That's when everybody started suspecting me," Jenkins recalled.
Jenkins also offered his perspective on the current season of Celebrity Traitors, expressing a hope for Maya Jama's success but cautioning that "King Kenny" and Acaster could quickly turn against her. He noted that while Maya and King Kenny currently face little suspicion, this could lead to a Traitor deciding to eliminate one of them to advance. "King Kenny might chuck James under the bus to get them through to the final and then could King Kenny sway the other people if he wanted to go against Maya?" Jenkins pondered, ultimately concluding that Maya Jama appears to be in a strong position.
Acaster had previously described the game's intensity as comparable to "living in East Germany under Soviet control," a sentiment that Jenkins acknowledged, though he suggested that individuals with direct experience of such regimes might have a different perspective. Jenkins also commented on the production's limitations on external contact, such as using a producer's phone with a chaperone, which he felt restricted authentic communication. A spokesperson for Studio Lambert stated that limiting external contact is crucial for maintaining the game's integrity and is clearly communicated to participants beforehand.