‘The Traitors’ recap: The bogus ‘coffin theory’ haunts one player to death

Previously on The Traitors Season 3, Britney Haynes got the best of Rob Mariano at the Round Table, managing to convince a majority of players to banish him based on the facts and, ultimately, so that they wouldn’t have to engage in the recurring discussion about him again. Rob’s elimination left Carolyn Wiger and Danielle Reyes on their own to decide who to murder next … and for the first time, the Traitors would have to confront their victim face to face.

Here is our recap of The Traitors Season 3, Episode 8, titled “A Bitch Is Lying,” which streamed Thursday, Feb. 13 on Peacock. The 11 celebrities still alive at the start of the episode were: Britney Haynes, Carolyn Wiger, Chrishell Stause, Ciara Miller, Danielle Reyes, Dolores Catania, Dylan Efron, Gabby Windey, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Sam Asghari, and Tom Sandoval. Alan Cumming hosts the program.

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“The Traitors, I don’t think they’re as smart as we think they are” — Sam Asghari

Based on the results from the previous episode’s mission, Carolyn and Danielle’s murder options were limited to Chrishell, Dolores, Dylan, Gabby, and Tom. Among the players with safety at the morning breakfast, the consensus was that Tom and Dylan were the most in danger for the killing, but to their surprise he was the second (after Gabby) to enter alive. After hearing Gabby and Tom’s stories of their experience, Sam pointed out that they might be able to deduce who is a Traitor based on whose story differs from the pack. In that moment, Danielle realized that Sam might be be locked in to the game on a level that she and Carolyn were underestimating. Sure enough, when Carolyn entered next, Ciara and Sam wanted her to describe what Alan was wearing, but when she couldn’t, Tom stepped in to help her and no one fully suspected anything afoul.

Dolores and Dylan walked in next, which meant that Chrishell met the cruel fate of the Traitors. In her confrontation with Danielle and Carolyn, they explained that they chose her because she was “too Faithful” and she never would have been up for banishment because of it. In her exit interview as the only murdered player to learn the identity of the hidden Traitors in real time, Chrishell said that she wasn’t surprised by the revelation of Danielle, but declared that Carolyn is “playing the best game” and they’re “all idiots” because no one is suspecting her.

After breakfast, two theories that had been put on pause came back around for a fresh look. Tom wanted to better understand from Carolyn what her fight with Danielle was about and Sam was curious if they should revisit the coffin night because he believes that Traitors wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to try to clear one of their own. Because Ciara is the only player from the coffins still alive, and the other two were Faithful, Sam thought she should be pressured at the next Round Table. Britney added that Ciara was the only person that was siding with Rob no matter what and was the only other vote against her. Meanwhile, Ciara and Gabby were devising a plan to separate Britney and Danielle from each other because their alliance to each other was starting to become a threat.

“Tom’s warmed up — he’s lubricated and ready” — Britney Haynes

For the next mission, Alan asked the group to divide into two groups, one of which would go with him to the forest with the only opportunity to earn a shield and the other would remain at the castle without that chance. After a few rounds of rock, paper, scissors, it was decided that Tom, Ivar, Ciara, Danielle and Britney would go with Alan and the others would stay behind. Danielle thought it was important that she know who gets the shield and that Carolyn not because she could sense that Carolyn is ready to murder Britney against Danielle’s wishes.

In the challenge, the group with Alan had to listen to the nursery-rhymes-in-reverse recordings from creepy dolls in a haunted house and then regurgitate what they heard back to their compatriots via phone call to the castle. That team would then sing the backwards song into a reverse gramophone in order to understand which nursery rhyme is the answer. One doll among the many in the haunted house had a secret message about how to obtain the shield. Somehow, after wasting over half their time unsuccessfully focusing on the shield, the group pulled it together at the end (mostly on the shoulder of the musical stylings of Tom) to earn all $20,000 available to add to the prize pot. In addition, Ciara is the one that found the right doll with the shield and secured safety for herself.

“No one’s convincing me to get into a f–king coffin” — Ciara Miller

Heading in to the Round Table, Ciara knew that her back was against the wall because of the “coffin theory,” but she was prepared to defend herself by throwing it right back at Danielle and Britney. Her biggest point to make would be that before Jeremy Collins (also in a coffin) was murdered, the only person he suspected to be a Traitor was Danielle. Unfortunately for Ciara, that point didn’t have much life to it when raised in front of the full group and they mercilessly hounded her for the “evidence” that Bob the Drag Queen and Rob would have convinced her to get into the coffin as a Traitor. Aside from her own vote for Britney, Ciara was banished unanimously.

Following the banishment, the three of the four guys left in the game (Dylan, Sam and Ivar) banded together based on a belief that with two male Traitors already gone, the remaining ones are most likely both women. Despite being an ally to her so far in the game, Dylan was growing most suspicious of Danielle.

In the turret later that night, Danielle and Carolyn were faced with a new decision: murder another player or recruit someone new to join them as a third Traitor. Based on the running theory that the remaining Traitors are women, they agreed that it’s beneficial to them to bring another woman into the turret to potentially sacrifice at a banishment, but once again they came to blows over who to seduce. While they agreed that Dolores was off the table because she’d probably turn down the offer, Carolyn was not willing to allow Danielle to bring her “bestie” Britney into their group so that they could team up against her.

Will Carolyn and Danielle find enough common ground to make a decision on who to seduce or will they go the easy route and murder instead? Sound off in our reality TV forums.

Next time on Episode 9…

Parvati Shallow and Kate Chastain stop by for a game of chess.

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