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The Faithful Who Was Poisoned in Plain Sight on The Traitors Shares Reaction to Betrayal

Et-tu, Parvati? In a dramatic twist of treachery, the Traitor delivered a deceptive sip of death to another player with a smile.

By Stephanie Gomulka

The latest episode of The Traitors features a cold-hearted murder in front of other contestants and the Faithful who fell prey to the double-cross is speaking out.

Episode 4 of Peacock’s second season of the reality competition presented the Traitors with the difficult task of poisoning someone "in plain sight." In order to kick off another Faithful, they'd have to trick or seduce someone to drink a beverage from a designated chalice.

Survivor alum and known traitor Parvati Shallow took charge of picking someone to discreetly poison in front of everyone else. Phaedra Parks (Married to Medicine) and Dan Gheesling (Big Brother) were also revealed to be Traitors in earlier episodes. 

“I think Phaedra and Dan, their style is so different than mine and neither of them really had the social clout as far as like partying and being able to hang and kind of maneuver in the way that I could in that sense for that mission so they gave it to me and I took it on willingly because I knew I could handle it,” Parvati told NBC Insider

Who was poisoned in plain sight on The Traitors

After trying to offer wine to different Faithfuls without evoking suspicion, Parvati finally found a willing target in former Love Island UK star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu. 

 “When I leave the show and I find out who the f-ck was the Traitor that betrayed me, I’m going to f-ck them up hard,” Ekin-Su said on the show, mere moments before drinking from the chalice given to her by Parvati.

Ekin-Su Culculoglu poses on a red carpet

“Cheers!,” Ekin-Su said to Parvati, unknowingly drinking what would ultimately seal her death on the show. “I love you. I would never think you were a Traitor.”

Looking back on the betrayal from Parvati now, Ekin-Su tells NBC Insider ironically she had a “great night” the evening she was poisoned. 

Ekin-Su remembers going from room to room in the Scottish castle that evening.

“I was so giddy and I really enjoyed that night and I had no idea that I was poisoned,” Ekin-Su said. “I didn’t think anyone would poison me. I was just like, why would they poison me?”

Parvati and her fellow Traitors were shocked and confused to see Ekin-Su come to breakfast the next morning with the other competitors, but her time on the show proved short-lived.

“Funny enough, I actually had the best night when I was poisoned,” Ekin-Su told NBC Insider laughing.

Love that for you,” Bachelor alumni Peter Weber added during the interview.

What was MJ thinking as she was voted as "Most Likely to Be Poisoned"? 

The episode’s mission forced the players to come together to identify the victim of poisoning through a series of questions. 

The final phase of the mission left Parvati, Mercedes "MJ" Javid (Shahs of Sunset), and Ekin-Su in coffins and the other safe players were asked to place black roses on who they thought was the poisoned player. 

Dressed in their best funeral attire, the players unanimously guessed MJ was the doomed contestant. In a stunning reveal — for the Faithfuls at least — the competitors learned they were wrong. 

Close up of Mercedes Javid

MJ found the moment “overwhelming,” she told NBC Insider

“I was like, OK, what time — L.A. time am I gonna land?” MJ said, thinking it was the end of her time on the show. “‘Cause you are definitely sequestered until the moment.”

Actor and host Alan Cumming left several players shocked as he announced the true victim of the Traitors poisoned chalice.

“The player who was murdered is Ekin-Su,” Cumming said on the show as he closed her casket with a flourish.

Parvati views her time on The Traitors as very different from her time on Survivor.

"It's a very theatrical experience and on top of that there's multiple ways to die," Parvati said. "You can get murdered or you can get banished in one day ... So many different layers of thinking and acting in my experience." 

New episodes of The Traitors Season 2 premiere every Thursday. Episodes are available to stream on Peacock alongside The Traitors: Postmortem after show.

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