‘Why as a Christian I loved watching The Traitors…’

Let me put my cards on the table. I’m not a fan of reality TV. The minute people start talking about avoiding carbs before Marbs, or chatting idly of eating kangaroo testicles while locked in a cage suspended over a ravine, I’m out. So when The Traitors hit our screens, I looked at the cloaks and the castle and the excitable folks within and went straight for the off button.

Also, I thought, should a Christian really be watching something where people swoop around in black cloaks and sit at a table judging each other?

When I heard about a vicar being one of the contestants on series three, I thought I’d at least give it a go. 

However, when I heard about a vicar being one of the contestants on series three, I thought I’d at least give it a go. I settled myself in front of iPlayer with a hot chocolate and prepared to hate it.

READ MORE: Does God watch The Traitors? One Christian contestant certainly hopes so

All the clichés were there in their full cheesiness. A steam train rattled predictably over a viaduct in the Scottish Highlands on its way to a castle. A slew of giggly contestants met Claudia Winkleman clad in a series of striking outfits and some jolly japes ensued. I rolled my eyes a lot.

By the third episode, I was fully committed. Clever game playing, seeds of doubt, exaggerated personality traits – it was social media in the twenty-first century under a microscope. The competitors desperately wanted to trust each other but didn’t know which way to turn.

So what of Rev Lisa Coupland who went on Series Three but didn’t tell anyone she was a vicar? Speaking to Esther Higham on Premier Christian Radio’s Inspirational Breakfast, she said, “Even before I went on the programme, I would pray and say, ‘Is this the right thing?’ I’m glad I did it because I’ve had the opportunity to reach people that maybe I wouldn’t have reached and show that priests are available to everyone.”

Lisa now has genuine lasting friendships with several of her co-competitors. “I’m very privileged that cast members came to me to talk about things close to their heart. You become the sort of unofficial chaplain to the traitors!”

READ MORE: How easy are you to get on with on a scale of Claudia Winkleman to Katie Hopkins?

Even the Guardian, usually pretty sniffy about this kind of entertainment, had this to say. “For those who still believe reality TV can be truly edifying, The Traitors is manna from heaven

Even the Guardian, usually pretty sniffy about this kind of entertainment, had this to say. “For those who still believe reality TV can be truly edifying, The Traitors is manna from heaven, shedding light on how people lie and how easily others are taken in. As a study of human behaviour, it remains captivating.”

Lisa kept her true identity a secret during the competition, saying that lying about it was fine because, “I’m a priest, not a saint.” She prayed constantly during her time at the castle and asked for the Spirit’s sustenance. Her kindness and compassion shone through and the fruits of her actions can be seen in the continuing close friendships she enjoys with two other competitors in particular.

I still wasn’t quite sure, but Lisa convinced me with these words:

READ MORE: I’ve written about reality TV for years - in my experience the Christians never come off well

“Even if we have slight differences, we can acknowledge them and carry on with our lives while still being in communion with each other. If that could be taken out into the world, I think it would be a better place.”

In times like these, reading such a ringing endorsement of Christian love warmed my heart. Watching her on, “Lorraine” with Alex, another competitor with a completely different lifestyle, and seeing the authentic bond between them reminded me that Jesus didn’t come to make us all look the same and join a cosy club. Being part of the zeitgeist (with plenty of prayer and a good dollop of the Spirit) is sometimes what Christians should do.