January 4th 2025.
As Elen Wyn reflects on her short-lived stint on The Traitors, she can't help but wonder how things could have turned out differently. Despite only lasting two episodes, the 24-year-old Welsh translator believes that one key change could have made a significant difference for her. You see, English is Elen's second language, which she learned later in life, and she's not as confident in it as she is in Welsh.
"I lack confidence interacting with English speaking people anyway," she shares with Metro, "and having that lack of confidence in an environment that intense just magnified it." Elen explains that she had theories and thoughts about the game, but she struggled to communicate them effectively, leading to some emotional moments. However, after her elimination, she was able to accept what happened and find closure when her theories about traitors Armani, Linda, and Minah turned out to be spot on.
When asked if she would participate in a Welsh-speaking version of the show, Elen's face lights up with a smile. "I would," she says confidently, "I think I'd be better at that, because I can communicate better in Welsh. I don't think I'd do it again in English," she adds with a laugh. But as she continues, Elen changes her tune and reveals that she doesn't want to stop putting herself out there.
Although Elen may see herself as a bad communicator in English, she has come to realize that it may not be entirely true. "Ever since I've been telling people that I struggle," she explains, "they say 'What are you talking about?' I was just too paranoid, thinking that because English is my second language, that's gonna be a huge disadvantage to me, but I'm just hard on myself."
In the months since leaving Ardross Castle, Elen has even had dreams about competing in Welsh, although they may not have been entirely accurate. She jokes that she's been dreaming about returning to the game and speaking in her first language, only to be brought back after being banished. But in reality, Elen's time on the show was quite emotional. She often found herself in tears, and she confesses that viewers didn't even see the half of it.
"I'm an emotional person," Elen admits, "I cry when I'm happy, sad, confused, or shocked. But even for me, it was a lot." She explains that the intensity and unpredictability of the game caught her off guard, making it difficult for her to regulate her emotions. "I wasn't expecting myself to be hysterical," she says with a laugh.
Now that she's had time to reflect on her gameplay, Elen believes that her emotional nature may have been one of the reasons she was doubted by her fellow faithfuls and ultimately banished at the second roundtable. Despite correctly voting for traitor Linda at both banishments and guessing the identities of Armani and Minah on the series podcast, Uncloaked, Elen was still seen as a suspicious player.
But as Elen points out, she was able to accurately suss out the traitors. She had her suspicions about Minah from day one and even after Minah's betrayal of Keith, Elen's theory only strengthened. She explains that she never shared her idea because she genuinely liked Minah and didn't want to offend her.
"I really liked Minah," Elen says, "I should have detached myself emotionally from the game, then I would have been much better, but I didn't because I was too scared of offending Minah." Elen also believes that her way of highlighting suspects may have been a downfall, as she would often announce her theories without much thought. Perhaps if she had kept her suspicions to herself and approached them differently, she could have been seen as less deflective.
Despite her elimination, Elen's time on The Traitors continues to live on in social media posts, with fans creating memes after each episode. Elen finds them just as amusing as the viewers, laughing about comparisons to Lady Jane Grey and jokes about her fear of being executed.
"They've got clips of me and I'm so pale," Elen recalls, "I am terrified. I feel sick. I'm paranoid. I'm just not doing great. It was quite obvious that I wasn't coping. I genuinely thought I was being executed." But as she reflects on her experience, Elen realizes that it wasn't as serious as she initially thought. "Now, after spending so much time reflecting," she says, "I know it wasn't that serious and it never had to be, but it was so serious at the time. Within a few days of being banished, you're over it though. It's funny now."
As for the current faithful on the show, there's one who has been putting on a Welsh accent despite not being Welsh at all. Fellow faithful Charlotte, who is from Hampshire, has decided to switch up her way of speaking to appear more trustworthy. Elen never questioned Charlotte's authenticity and even after finding out the truth, she still supports her decision.
"I have a Welsh accent. I literally am Welsh," Elen says, "I was my true self, and they still thought I was suspicious." But as she reflects on her own elimination, Elen wonders how much the accent will hold up in the game. "I was my true self and still got eliminated," she states. Despite this, Elen is proud of her short but impactful time on the show, representing Wales and its culture to the best of her ability.
And as an added bonus, Elen believes that her theory helped the faithfuls catch their first traitor, Armani, in last night's episode. The Traitors continues on Wednesday from 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer. If you want to stay up to date with all the latest news and predictions for the show, you can join Metro's The Traitors community on WhatsApp. Simply click on the link and select 'Join Chat' to be a part of the live episode coverage, behind-the-scenes gossip, and a place to recover from all the cliffhangers.
In conclusion, Elen may have only been on the show for two episodes, but she made a lasting impact. She may have been emotional, but she was also a smart and perceptive player. And even though she didn't last long in the game, Elen considers her time on The Traitors to be the best experience of her life.
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