The Australian version of the reality show has landed on iPlayer, leaving viewers wondering where The Traitors Australia is filmed.
The premise of The Traitors is fairly straightforward, with competitors battling it out to determine which members of the group are the 'Traitors' and which ones are the 'Faithfuls'. These players have been selected at the start of the game, and while viewers at home will know their roles, the competitors will have to figure it out for themselves. The Traitors' role is to murder one member of the group every night without getting caught, while the Faithfuls' are tasked with detecting the identities of the suspected 'killers'. Players who survive until the end could win a whopping prize of £120,000.
The UK and US versions saw 22 strangers move into a remote Gothic castle for the "ultimate game of detection, backstabbing, and trust." Fans have described it as a bit like I'm A Celebrity, but instead of famous people and Bushtucker trials, there's ordinary folks and psychological warfare. But the scenery for the Australian version looks a bit different, so we've done some digging to find out where The Traitors Australia is filmed.
Where is The Traitors Australia filmed?
The Traitors Australia is filmed at The Robertson Hotel in New South Wales, in the state's Southern Highlands. It's a luxurious grand hotel that hosts both weddings and corporate retreats.
The Robertson's website describes the venue as, "Steeped in history, The Robertson Hotel was built in 1924 in Robertson, located in the New South Wales picturesque Southern Highlands. Today, this Hotel remains true to much of its original ambiance, but with a fresh and stylish modern twist."
The Traitors Australia host Robert Corser said of the hotel, "My family don’t come from great wealth, we’re very middle-class suburban people. So it was great to have kind of an English aristocracy edge to it, old Australian money, sort of."
Where wereThe Traitors UK and US filmed?
The Traitors UK and US were both shot in the stunning Scottish Highlands, with most of its scenes taking place in a fairytale-like castle and its lush parkland surroundings. The nearest city is Inverness, which is 25 miles away.
The cast and crew of the BBC One reality series found themselves fairly isolated during filming as a result. This being said many were taking with the breathtaking natural scenery. The Traitors UK host Claudia Winkleman told the Scottish Mail on Sundayshe'd "never been anywhere more beautiful than the Scottish Highlands in my life."
“It felt sometimes like we were in a painting if that’s not too cheesy,” the 50-year-old added. "There were baby deer, there were beautiful heathers, there were ancient trees and an ancient loch."
The TV personality was so moved by the 'beautiful' landscape that she felt compelled to share it with her children, Matilda, Jake, and Arthur. "I Facetimed my kids to say, 'You've never seen anything like it, it's magical,'" she said.
Where is the castle in The Traitors?
The castle featured in The Traitors is Ardross Castle, a Scottish Baronial-style structure that dates back to the 19th century.
With its conical roofs and asymmetric layout, the gorgeous fort is today a popular venue for couples looking for that fairy-tale wedding. The castle is perched on 100 acres of parkland, with the idyllic River Alness running through its gorgeous grounds.
A walled garden, a formal garden, and lawns with a variety of specimen trees are also to be found, thanks to restorations carried out by its most recent owners, the McTaggart family, in the 1980s. Viewers got a glimpse of the gorgeous grounds in The Traitors, as contestants on the show often ventured outside to discuss their tactics and suspicions.
Ardross Castle's remote location also makes it the perfect place for a psychological reality show like The Traitors, where contestants need as little distraction as possible to fully immerse themselves in the game.
The castle in The Traitors is available to hire for corporate events and private clients, but unfortunately, it is not open to visitors. You can find out more details via the official Andross Castle website.
Who owns the castle in The Traitors?
According to the Andross Castle website, the castle in The Traitors is owned by the McTaggart family who bought the estate in 1983. The family have dedicated time to restore and renovate the castle, its grounds and estate properties to the high quality it appears as today.
The castle certainly has a colourful history of owners, once being owned by a Captain in the Highland Light Infantry who also had interests in Lea & Perrins (the Worcester sauce company).
However, it's first owner was the wealthy Sir Alexander Matheson, a tradesman in tea and opium who bought the land at Ardoss in 1839 for £90,000. He worked with architect Alexander Ross to develop the castle in it's traditional Scots Baronial style, and over the years added in a flower garden to the west of the Castle, plus an oval pond and shrubberies to the east of the Castle. During the latter part of his tenureship, Ardross Castle was open to the public. Though public access was rescinded following Sir Alexander's death and the sale of the property to C. W. Dyson Perrins (the Captain) in 1898.
Ardross Castle photographed in the 1960s.
Which version of The Traitors was filmed first?
The Traitors UK Contestant Ivan Brett confirmed via Twitter that the British version was filmed in May 2022. Peacock also announced in April 2022 that the US series would also began production in May - so we're unsure which one was filmed first.
With the Scottish Highlands often experiencing tumultuous weather in autumn and winter, it's highly likely that the BBC and Peacock would have wanted to wrap filming before the leaves started to fall.
Meanwhile, The Traitors Australia was filmed in June and premiered on Australia TV channel Network 10 in October 2022, making it the most recent version of The Traitors to have been filmed.
Fans will be please to know that in May 2023, it was announced that the UK version of The Traitors will be returning for a second series.
You can stream all episodes of The Traitors Australia, The Traitors UK and The Traitors US on BBC iPlayer now.
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