Dan Bird is a Faithful in The Traitors (UK)/Series 3.
Profile[]
Retrieved from BBC:
Age: 33
Occupation: Bank Risk Manager
Location: Liverpool
Why did you apply to be on The Traitors?
I've always loved strategy games; I've always loved the opportunity to see how people manipulate and deceive in different types of games. And I just really wanted an opportunity to do something that you don't do in your everyday life; throw myself into a game like this and see how I do. The first two seasons were really engaging, and I wanted to be a part of the next part of the story.
What do you think you'll bring to the game?
I think I’ll bring a different way of thinking to the game because I don't tend to follow group thinking a lot of the time, I'm quite steadfast in my own opinions. So, I'll be able to form my own decisions without being influenced too much by other people. My autism means that I'm not too bothered about conforming too much, or about making people feel good. I'll be quite honest with what I say and sometimes that can make me an outcast. But I also think it will bring me some fans as well, and some supporters in the team. So, there's that and then there's also a heightened level of strategy that I think I will bring to the game as well, do things in the game that maybe haven't been done before, or approach problems in a different kind of way.
What did you think of the previous series?
I thought The Traitors, for example, were very predictable in how they behaved in the last season. It's time to throw another one of them under the bus and they all did it consistently. If I were in that team, I would do something completely different to make myself stand out from that type of behaviour. I also think that people get too hung up on the idea of what a Faithful is versus what a Traitor is. For me, what's more important is what is an ally like for me, I want to take that deep in the game. Because if you're a Faithful, there's always a chance that you can get recruited as a Traitor and you can always use your knowledge of who you think might be a Traitor to benefit you to get you further. I think I’d attack the game in a very cerebral way, not let emotion dictate it too much. I’d just be really self-interested and think how can I get myself another step further.
Was there anyone’s game plan you admired?
I think Jasmine, in the most recent season. I thought she approached everything in quite a logical, pragmatic way, and was confident and articulate in her opinions. That’s something that I'd like to be in the show. I can probably name more people whose gameplay I wouldn't want to emulate.
Do you have a game plan?
I think it really depends on what my role is at the start. My ultimate game plan is to make sure I've got enough people in the game that have my best interests at heart, no matter what side of the fence they’re on. I can have allies if they're Traitors, but I can also have allies who are Faithfuls too. I just want to make the best move possible for me, no matter what situation I’m in. And not be afraid to be strategic, so for example, shields will be a huge part of my strategy. If I'm a Faithful and another Faithful has got a shield, I think that is reason enough to punish them at the round table. Not because I think that that indicates Traitor behaviour, but just mathematically speaking that will give me a better chance of surviving the murder. I don't mind playing a really self-interested game where it doesn't matter whether somebody is a Traitor or a Faithful, all that matters is that this increases my odds to go further.
When you’re playing games with friends and family are you very competitive?
I'm not very popular with friends and family when we play games. There was a game in Covid actually, it was a game over Zoom where you get 20 people together. I got friends and family involved, and you had to vote each other out when you moved between Zoom rooms. I voted my best friend out in round one, I voted my cousin out in round two. They all know that I play to win and I play hard. I'm not really here to play a congenial game.
How will you make alliances?
I think I could have two different faces of my personality, the face that's among everybody else is the charming smiley Scouse, not really thinking about the game too much, maybe gets a little bit erratic at times. And then behind the scenes, I'm constantly working the numbers, working what's the best self-interested move for me to make and how can I avoid becoming a target.
Do you think you’ll be good at the Missions?
I think I'd be good at the Missions. I'm quite physical and especially the Missions with an element of intelligence or puzzles and problem solving involved I think I’d do really well at those.
If you are a Traitor, how do you think you'll feel?
I think I’d feel good about being a Traitor, because I'd want to have as much control over the game as possible. I wouldn't want to do something that Traitors in the previous seasons have done, as they've all done the same thing. They've turned on each other. But I think they’re missing a massive opportunity here because a block of three or four people who are deflecting votes from each other is so powerful in the game. Then if we bring more people into that sphere, without it necessarily being about who's a Traitor, who's a Faithful, you could be unstoppable.
Would you say you’ve got a good poker face?
I think so. I think that I'm quite dry in what I say, which I think will lull people into a false sense of security, because there's not really that much emotion attached to it.
If you are a Traitor, how far are you prepared to go to win the game?
I’d play every card I could in order to win the game. At the same time, my ultimate strategy is still to work with the Traitors.
If you're a Faithful, what do you think your game plan would be?
I think both roles are very, very difficult. I think that as a Faithful I would need to identify quickly who I think the Traitors are. I believe that there are patterns in who the Traitors have been in the first couple of seasons, and I could use a bit of that intel to my advantage. I'm quite good at deciphering people's intentions so I would cosy up to them, not threaten them at all and I'd constantly use words that make people feel good; use words like trust, comfortable, respect, just to get people on side and not have people think, ‘oh, he's too bright. He's thinking too much about the game.’ Just have people think he's got my back no matter what role they're playing, so that they don't want to get rid of me.
How good are you at spotting a liar?
I think I’m quite good. I think over explanation is a common tell, as well as being overly defensive. Trying to compensate for something so, for example, in the round table where everybody's got their blindfolds on, if somebody is suddenly completely different to how they were before, that's a bit of a red flag for me. Just something that's not consistent with their behaviour. So, if somebody expresses a lot of emotion to somebody that doesn't look like they've given two hoots about before, I’d think, what's behind that?
If you are a Faithful, what qualities do you think you're going to need to make it through to the final?
Probably sucking up to people. Having people think that you're non-threatening because ultimately the Traitors have the most amount of control in the game. So, you want to make yourself as appealing to the Traitors as possible and that is by appearing non-threatening. Then you also have to be vocal enough and I think if you come across as strategic or if you come across as causing too much of a wave, you'll easily get targeted at the Round Table. So, I'd need to show that I've got some emotion behind me, and I've got some opinions behind me but not so much that it would make me a target at the Round Table. I think it's a really fine line that you have to walk.
If you win the prize money, what do you think you'll spend it on?
I’d like to go travelling a lot more.[1]
Gameplay[]
Dan was selected as a faithful on Day 1. He largely avoided suspicion and formed a close friendship with Minah. He was able to detach the emotion from the game and played for himself, rather than the faithfuls, happy to work alone in numerous missions.
However, the sixth mission would prove to be his downfall. He had to mark players who he didn’t think deserved a shield from murder, who wouldn’t get one if they couldn’t guess who marked them. Dan marked Frankie and Minah, and lied directly to them about it. They later found out, and brought it up at the round table. Minah (even though she was in fact a Traitor) felt like Dan had broken her trust. Despite Frankie not voting for him, he attracted enough attention away from Linda (also under suspicion) to result in his banishment.
Game History[]
| Episode | 1 | 1-2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Banished: Episode 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traitors' Decision | N.A. |
Survived | Survived | N.A. |
Survived | Survived | Survived | |
| Shield Wins | N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A. |
Won Shield | Lost | Lost | Won Shield | |
| Banishment Vote | No Vote |
Nathan | Freddie | Armani | Anna | Tyler | Leanne | |
| Voted With Group? | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | ||
| Votes Received | - | - | - | - | - | Alex, Fozia, Freddie, Joe, Leanne, Lisa & Minah |
Post-Game[]
Trivia[]
References[]
- ↑ The Traitors Series 3 Contestants - Meet the players joining Claudia Winkleman in the castle | BBC Media Centre — January 1, 2025
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