The Traitors fans gobsmacked after ‘icon’ Linda makes fate-sealing mistake

‘Oh, Linda…’ If you’ve been watching the hit BBC show The Traitors, this has likely crossed your lips. Warning: spoilers ahead.

But on last night’s episode Linda made a potentially catastrophic error – and no, it wasn’t just her theatrical Oscar-worthy performance at breakfast after it was revealed that she and Minah had ousted her show ‘daughter’ Livi.

For the uninitiated, Linda and Minah have been chosen as Traitors in the game show, with the rest of the contestants Faithfuls.

The aim of the Traitors is to remain undetected while killing Faithfuls – while also pretending to be Faithfuls – as the Faithfuls have to identify the Traitors, and banish them from the grounds.

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, it’s nothing short of spectacular reality TV, with the winner bagging up to £120,000. If the Faithfuls are left standing without a Traitor in the midst, they split the money. But if a Traitor remains, they will take it all.

This year though has seen the unexpected journey of perhaps the worst Traitor ever in Linda – who also now happens to be somewhat of a national treasure – get very far, in a Wallace & Gromit-esque double act with shrewd Minah.

Having killed off Livi in last night’s episode – to take suspicion away from Linda, who was good friends with Livi – the 70-year-old retired opera singer decided to blub her eyes out at breakfast to prove her innocence (without actually shedding any tears…).

While she thought it was a smart move, everyone else thought it was a bizarre reaction and she essentially implicated herself with the over-the-top performance.

But that wasn’t Linda’s only mistake.

The Traitors were given a task that evening, to take a quill from the library and with it write the names of four Faithfuls they want to kill on a painting in the bar area – all while avoiding detection.

In true macabre The Traitors fashion, they were tasked with etching the names on four gravestones on the small painting, leaving their chosen Faithfuls with a painstaking life-or-death game of cards, the result of which will be revealed on Wednesday’s episode.

Dutifully, Linda wrote on the gravestones while Minah kept watch. But the problem was, she’d written Fozia’s name earlier in the evening in the round table, voting for her to be banished – and fans noticed a quirk in her writing style that could lead anyone who sees the painting scrawl straight back to Linda.

‘This would be the ultimate detective work to reveal Linda as a traitor. Nobody under 50 is writing a Z like this,’ wrote @JamesFromLeeds on X, sharing a picture of Linda’s voting placard alongside the painting handwriting.

‘She defo f**ked it with that,’ agreed @DuncanMcKay1888.

It’s unclear whether the painting – with its incriminating writing on it – will remain up in the castle, and if it does let’s hope some of the Faithfuls spot it…

While many have questioned why Linda – who is a pretty transparent Traitor – was picked for the role, people are coming around to the fact she’s one of the series’ biggest assets.

‘Linda is bumbling along, no self awareness whilst Minah has all the brains but is completely unseen… they’re so Wallace & Gromit coded,’ wrote @flamencolambada in a viral X post.

‘Every night I go into the episode absolutely convinced Linda’s time has come and every time she somehow gets away with it,’ said @betbinch.

‘At this point Linda’s acting is so consistently terrible it’s almost – *almost* – become convincing. An eternally wooden queen!’ said @mrnicklevine.

‘At first i thought why on earth did claudia and the producers pick Linda to be a traitor?! Now i fully understand why they picked her, she is so terrible she is comedy gold. An icon, raved @_hxrrybxtt.

Luckily for Linda, after much scepticism over her breakfast crocodile tears, Minah swooped in to save the day and helped steer suspicion towards Dan, who was caught lying about who he dumped gunk over during the challenge that day.

The tide started turning and nine-lives Linda escaped banishment by the skin of her teeth as Faithful Dan was banished.

Many people are convinced Minah has this year’s £120,000 prize in the bag after her heroic efforts.

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