The reason I love reality TV like The Traitors is that it holds up a mirror to society, revealing truths we often can’t face, until they’re packaged up in strangers and drama.
Watching the latest season of Married at First Sight forced me to confront how my anxious attachment style and fear of infidelity actually pushed potential partners away – and offered a little free therapy on how to navigate it. Meanwhile, the Love Island dating pool reflects modern hookup culture and the far-reaching influence of toxic figures like Andrew Tate. One Glamour writer even explored the racial biases threaded through every season of The Traitors, a pattern that feels all too familiar in real life.
Take Jade on The Traitors: her treatment highlights how society still penalises more reserved, neutral women for not performing for others — a reminder that the rules of reality TV can feel uncomfortably like the rules of the real world.
We know you're here for Jade's giant cardi.
Jade is a Faithful
In The Traitors, contestants are assigned one of two roles: Traitor or Faithful. The Faithfuls’ job is to root out the Traitors, who are desperate to eliminate players (figuratively, not literally) and make it to the end. If only Faithfuls remain at the finale, they split the prize pot, but if even one Traitor survives, they take it all. Talk about high stakes.
High stakes can make people suspicious of almost everything, and sometimes that suspicion lands in the wrong place. Enter Jade. Despite being a Faithful from day one — a role she actively wanted — she’s faced more sceptical glances than almost anyone else.
Jade is a 25-year-old PhD student from the West Midlands who thought her love of gaming would give her an edge. But her naturally reserved, introverted nature has earned her the “standoffish” label from other players. Time and time again, she’s come under fire, more than anyone else, culminating in emotional moments after particularly heated roundtables. No one has had to defend their role as a Faithful more than Jade.
Meanwhile, Stephen — an actual Traitor with plenty of suspicious behaviour — glides through thanks to his bubbly charm. (Full disclosure: I love Stephen, but it’s hard not to spot the red flags.)
Jade’s quiet, thoughtful approach is constantly misread. When she tries to speak up more or share suspicions, it just fuels the fire. No matter what she does, it seems she can’t win, unless she suddenly starts grinning and giggling nonstop to be more “palatable.” Society, it seems, still isn’t quite ready for someone they can't tear off into bite-sized pieces.
In season 3, Leanne Quigley was one of the co-winners, despite hiding her military background and pretending to be a nail technician. She branded herself a “Barbie,” focused on smiling, and wore cute outfits — it worked.
Season 2’s sweet Mollie Pearce made it far as well. A model with long blonde hair, big doe eyes, and an effortlessly warm smile, she laughed easily and rarely faced criticism from the other players, ending up as runner-up.
Expect the unexpected this season, including a war between Traitors.
There’s nothing wrong with these women, just as there’s nothing wrong with Jade. So why is it that men are allowed different temperaments while women aren’t? A man can be “gruff” or “serious,” but if a woman is quiet or reserved, she’s suddenly “cold” or “unfriendly.”
Women shouldn’t have to perform — smile, entertain, smooth over awkwardness — just to make others comfortable. We should be allowed to exist naturally in our faces and bodies, without being penalised for not being relentlessly “pleasant.” And yet, somehow, my “resting sad face” is apparently a problem. Find me a single man who’s ever been labelled with a “resting b*tch face,” I dare you.
Jade's backstory came up
One moment in episode 9 gave Jade a brief reprieve from everyone’s scrutinising eyes: the annual dinner where contestants share what they’d do with the prize money if they won.
Jade revealed a devastating personal tragedy: her mum and sister were found dead in Hong Kong in 2018.
She told the table, “My parents got divorced when I was seven. My mum moved back to Hong Kong, and she had a kid and then…” Her voice broke as she continued, “In 2018, they were both found dead. I’ve had to really rebuild myself from that point onwards.”
She added, “I was always very close with her, so it was a shock to the system. Our parents form a big core of our identity.” Jade explained that her hope is to buy her own home one day—a goal that moved many to tears, as they recognised the scale of trauma she had endured.
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The show would be nothing without their chaotic, sassy energy.
Since then, many online have “understood” Jade’s behaviour, linking it to her quiet presence and role as a Faithful. But the truth is, she shouldn’t have to share a traumatic past — or experience one at all — to be allowed to exist as she is. While these events may have shaped her, Jade may also simply be naturally introverted, a shy child who grew into a calm, thoughtful adult. She doesn’t need to grin and perform constantly to be accepted, and that’s more than okay.
Jade doesn’t have to smile, even when she’s wearing the most gorgeous, cheerful cardigan I have ever seen (and immediately need sent to my address). She has shown herself to be intelligent, strong, and capable—and that is worth infinitely more than any forced grin.
I’m frankly exhausted by the constant pressure to smile at men to avoid their aggression, or to carefully soften my rejections. I feel the urge to perform at all times, to mask my true expressions, and in that, I see Jade as an inspiration.
If the contestants and viewers continue to penalise her for simply being herself, then we’re no better than those men on the street yelling at a woman to “Smile, love!”
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