Danielle Reyes Dishes on The Traitors Season 3 Secrets You Didn't See on TV
There was a lot going on in the castle.
Being a Traitor is not for the faint of heart. Big Brother legend Danielle Reyes took on the challenge of murdering and banishing all season long on The Traitors, earning her the crown of the longest-tenured Traitor of Season 3. Though she came very close to winning – coming up short in the second to last roundtable – when her biggest ally and fellow Traitor Britney Haynes cast the deciding vote against her, Danielle’s run in the castle was a memorable one, from her over-the-top reactions to turret quarrels to roundtable face-offs.
With the season now over (watch every episode on Peacock!), Danielle hopped on Zoom to dish on why the Traitors were so chaotic, what she could have done to win Season 3, and if she has any regrets.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Now that there's some time and distance from the finale, how are you feeling about how the season went for you?
I feel great. Back to reality. I enjoyed the season. It was so good, you guys! Highly entertaining, so dramatic.
Were there any surprises with how fans reacted to certain developments?
People always wonder, why didn't you kill Dylan? I really thought I had Dylan in my pocket. I didn't realize he was sussing me so much. When I was watching, he really was on to me. I thought I had Dylan to at one point. I know I lost him completely when he and Gabby came for me. I was like, dang, I lost him. If you watch that episode, Britney and I thought we had Dylan. We were shocked when Dylan was like, "I'm not voting for you." You know, Big Brother activated, it's the ninth hour before the live show voting. We're running around trying to get the votes. That was surprising. I didn't know I lost Dylan.
You and Britney had a plan to get Gabby out first as the finale got closer. Obviously, it didn't play out that way. What did you miss?
When I was in that turret [after] I get Britney in, I was gonna kill Ivar. People don't know that. I'm going to kill Ivar and then I'm gonna blame it on somebody. And Britney was like, "No, Gabby and Tom are on to you." I didn't know. I knew Gabby and Ivar were a little sus [of me] but I didn't know Tom was. So, Britney was telling me the conversation. And I said, "Okay." She was really pushing for Tom based on what she was giving me. One thing about Tom, when Tom was on to somebody, he was not going to deviate. Tom and Dylan are kind of best friends. All this was going in my head, so that's why we killed Tom. Britney pushed it.
How surprised were you that Britney ended up casting a vote against you at your final roundtable? Did you think that you had Britney fully in your corner?
I thought her and I were gonna ride off into the sunset, bring the W home to the Big Brother family. It was our storybook ending – how we overcame so much. I was salivating for the same thing. I wanted it so bad, and I thought I had Britney. But I remember right when we were walking to the roundtable, Dylan basically said to me, "You're gonna have to have a good argument, girl." And I didn't have one. I remember walking in there, she was so emotional, and I remember saying, "It's okay. They're gonna vote me out. It's okay." I never thought she would vote against me. I really didn't think she would do it. I was so shocked. If I would have had a chance to stay in that game a little bit longer, I could have set up for a Big Brother win. If not [my win], I could have set it up for her to take it.
During that roundtable when Gabby's basically snatching my soul left and right – because I had no argument with her – I was like, I can turn on Britney right now and make her seem like she's a Traitor, but I couldn't do it. That's my girl, and I just couldn't do it. As much as people say I was treacherous, that was the line I didn't want to cross. [Britney] could have kept me in the game. She could have said, "I just couldn't do it to her again," and they would have been okay with it based on our history. Every decision that is made for anyone that plays that game is based on fear and paranoia, and she got scared and made that decision based on self-preservation. I can't hold that against her at all. I totally get it.
All season it seemed like being a Traitor was a challenge for you. Were there moments where you were like, "I'm done," or I could have made a better decision at that time?
Yeah. For me as a Traitor, two factors. The exhaustion was there, but I think [it was] the guilt. We're still human beings. The Nikki banishment was the worst banishment, like I legit went home that night and bawled. I remember they had to get a shrink for me because I was really having a moment. I told myself I'm going to be a cutthroat, drink-their-blood Traitor and all that stuff. As much as I tried, I just can't. I get emotional. These people start telling me their stories, and I start listening, and I start caring, and I start having a heart. In the Nikki banishment, Gabby was crying into my lap, Chrishell turning on her and Nikki feeling like her Bambis [betrayed her]. It was so awful. At that moment I did not want to be a Traitor. I felt the guilt was so overwhelming, and it was a struggle for me. That was the tough part was the guilt. Even Dorinda would talk about it: "You killed my friends." Some people are like, "It's gonna be fun killing someone face to face. I can't wait to do it," but in some cases, I felt bad seeing raw human emotion like that. I didn't take any glee in that. That was hard.
The Nikki banishment was the toughest for you personally?
It was. It was good for my game, but you saw, especially when Chrishell spoke up, you saw that light just fade away. It was so tough to watch. Even thinking about it now, I get a little [emotional]. It was so bad. I can't stand it.
This season’s Traitor bunch was very messy. What did you make of your experience in the turret?
That's Boston Rob's fault.
You blame it solely on him?
Bob the Drag Queen and Carolyn, we were fine. We might not agree on stuff, but we were fine and then here he comes. We had commitments. We said we would tell each other if someone said each other's name, like we were good. Then this guy comes in and because [Bob the Drag Queen] said his name, which he didn't say his name, he just said, "one of the three [new] kids." And it was so funny because when you watch the episode, no one thought anything of it because everyone was thinking that already. It was like, doodoodoo. And [Boston Rob's] like, "He said my name!" Like, what are you talking about? You’re using that as an excuse because you wanted him out the game? Give me the respect and own that, you know what I mean?
If Boston Rob hadn't been a late addition as a Traitor, do you think you and Carolyn would have been fine?
I think he brought that culture in there that we just didn't trust each other. My point of view, I'm looking at two Survivor players. They just took out my boy, Bob the Drag Queen. Carolyn was not giving me any reassurance. I'm a gamer, so you have to be overly convincing to let me believe that you got my back. With Carolyn, during that one segment, you see me going, "So, Boston Rob...." I don't want to say let's go after him because she might go tell him, and then I'm next. So, I'm like, what are we doing? She said, "He has my back." Well, he didn't tell me he had my back. So, are y'all working together? Why did I go after Carolyn? I did it because Boston Rob had too much power in that house, and if I went after him, he would have flipped it. They would have come after me. So let me get rid of Carolyn, and then I can recruit anybody into that turret. It could have been Alan. I mean, Lala could have come into that turret, and she would have barked at me and been like, let's get rid of Boston Rob. That's why I did what I did.
Carolyn, I didn't feel like she had my back because she didn't tell me about Jeremy until a day later that he said my name. I didn't feel like I had her and quite frankly, I was right because she wasn't telling me anything. The reason Nikki was in the coffin, Nikki said Carolyn's name. I told Carolyn within five minutes. She said, put in Nikki. I said, bet, let's put in Nikki. I want to put in Jeremy because he said my name. And they were like, let's throw Ciara in there. That's why I was so sus on Carolyn because I didn't think she had my back, and she really didn't.
Do you have any regrets?
I don't have any regrets at all. Everything I was doing was just reaction. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. I'm happy with the ending. I'm happy with who won. I'm good, I have no regrets. Maybe less crying. [Laughs]
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