23 August,2026 10:31 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shahneel Gill and Krystle D`Souza. Pics via Instagram
Just when The Traitors Season 2 seemed to be getting more ruthless by the episode, the game has found itself at the centre of a fresh controversy. Shahneel Gill has alleged that confidential information from inside the game was leaked to a contestant through a member of the production support staff, calling it nothing short of "match-fixing".
Without naming the contestant she was referring to, Shahneel Gill claimed in a video that every player on the show is assigned a "shadow" by the production team, a person who looks after their needs throughout the day. According to her allegation, one such staff member was allegedly paid to leak information from inside the game.
Shahneel questioned how one contestant repeatedly appeared to identify Traitors based on nothing more than a "gut feeling". "I also wanted this gut feeling," she joked, before claiming that the supposedly sharp intuition now appeared to have "a source".
Shahneel said the alleged foul play was especially unfair to the Innocents who were genuinely trying to analyse the game and identify the Traitors through their own observations.
Her allegation has sparked major chatter online, with fans revisiting the contestant's earlier "gut feeling" moments. However, the claims remain allegations, and there has been no public response from the contestant being alluded to or an official confirmation from the makers regarding the alleged leak.
Krystle D'Souza has also reacted strongly to the controversy without naming the contestant. Calling the situation shocking and unfair, she said she was "furious" over the possibility that someone may have had access to information unavailable to the other players.
Krystle pointed out how difficult it was to accept repeated accusations being made on the basis of a gut feeling without concrete reasons. She recalled instances where she was called a Traitor even before she had properly arrived at breakfast and said the explanations offered against her often seemed to lack logic.
The actor also expressed disappointment on behalf of the other contestants and the makers, saying the alleged incident, if true, compromised the integrity of a show built around secrecy. Host Karan Johar had recently stressed that the game is not scripted and that the selection and secrecy surrounding the Traitors are handled through an elaborate process.
With the season still unfolding, this alleged information leak has added a whole new layer of suspicion to The Traitors. The irony? In a game where everyone is expected to lie, the contestants are now questioning whether someone may have had the truth handed to them.
