Is it all an elaborate set, or was the first two seasons of The Traitors US actually filmed inside a castle?
If you’ve seen an episode of the cutthroat and devious reality competition show’s U.S. version, you’ll know there’s a lot of emphasis placed on the castle that the crop of contestants spend their social and strategic time in. Host Alan Cumming constantly refers to the dwelling, and there are several different rooms the players occupy, including the breakfast room, lounge, and round table room.
And yes, it is a real castle.
Both The Traitors US and The Traitors UK are filmed at Ardross Castle. According to Cosmopolitan, the sprawling 100-acre property is located in the Scottish Highlands on River Alness, which is close to Loch Ness.
Ardross Castle, built over 170 years ago, serves as the main filming location for The Traitors, and the challenges are typically played on the property as well. The McTaggart family owns the castle, Cosmopolitan reports, and the serene Scottish abode also welcomes occasional private events and weddings.
“Walking around the property felt like leaving the real world and entering a fairytale: greenhouses, turrets (perfect for Traitors meeting at nightfall), and forests abounded, all surrounded by moors and tucked away from prying eyes,” Cosmopolitan’s Alexandra Whittaker gushed.
The castle serves as an ideal set for The Traitors because of its several rooms and nooks and crannies. And apparently, the producers only use around a quarter of the space. The Traitors’ second U.S. iteration ushered in a few new filming spots, like a kitchen area. And speaking with season 2’s producers — Mike Cotton, Toni Ireland, and Sam Rees-Jones — Whittaker was given some insight on what it’s like for them to capture the ever-important conversations inside such an immense space.
“You can get two or three people sneaking out there, and you get these brilliant conversations,” they said about the new sheltered outside area coined the folley. “So you go from grand rooms like the bar to these tiny corners, and for me visually, that’s the beauty of the series. You can have two people in a corner just having a sneaky conversation caught on fixed rig camera, but then you go outside on the main campus and we’re further back. It’s sort of layering in the beauty of a castle in Scotland with amazing treatments. It is a real challenge. But a real pleasure as well.”
The Traitors Canada, which wrapped its first season in December, is filmed at Manoir Rouville-Campbell, a manor in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Traitors Australia is shot in New South Wales at The Robertson Hotel, and New Zealand’s series is filmed at the Woodhouse Mountain Lodge in Warkworth.