Reality shows built around secrets and strategy depend on one basic rule: everyone plays with the same information.
That rule is now at the centre of a controversy surrounding The Traitors Season 2. Parul Gulati, who was recently eliminated from the show, had become known for repeatedly identifying contestants she believed were Traitors.
Her confidence was so strong that she even put her own business on the line while accusing Harman of being a Traitor. She later suspected Krystal D’Souza as well.
Now, former contestants Krystal and Shahneel Gill have alleged that Parul may have received information from outside the game. The claims have not been independently established, and there has been no official confirmation from the show's makers about an information leak.
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What is happening?
Parul Gulati entered The Traitors Season 2 with experience in acting, modelling and entrepreneurship. Known for her work across television, films and digital content, she brought a confident approach to the reality show.
Her biggest talking point on the show soon became her instinct.
Early in the season, Parul correctly suspected Harman was a Traitor. She was so convinced that she said she would shut down her business if he turned out to be innocent.
She then turned her attention towards Krystal D’Souza.
According to Krystal, however, Parul’s accusation did not come with convincing reasons. Krystal recalled that Parul suspected her even before she had reached breakfast that morning.
Krystal said she asked Parul why she thought she was a Traitor, but did not find the explanation convincing.
She specifically questioned Parul’s observation that Krystal had not cried over Munawar.
“But when did crying or not crying become a point for being a traitor?” Krystal said.
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Krystal says the alleged leak was unfair
Krystal later addressed the controversy in a video.
She said she was shocked and angry after learning about the alleged information leak. According to her, an outside source having access to the identities of the Traitors would make the game unfair for everyone else.
“It is so unfair on the rest of the 20 contestants,” Krystal said, referring to the contestants who were relying on their own observations to identify the Traitors.
She also questioned how a contestant and a production staff member could allegedly discuss who the Traitor was.
“To find out that a shadow and a contestant were discussing who the traitor is, I just cannot understand it,” she said.
The word “shadow” became important in the controversy because each contestant reportedly had a production team member assigned to help with their day-to-day requirements.
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Shahneel calls it ‘match fixing’
Shahneel Gill went further with her allegations.
She described the alleged situation as “match fixing” and explained that contestants were assigned a “shadow” by the production team.
“Every contestant is assigned a shadow by production, a person who takes care of everything for you,” Shahneel said.
She then alleged that the shadow of an Innocent contestant had been paid to pass information about the Traitors to that contestant.
Shahneel pointed to Parul’s repeated predictions as the reason she believed something unusual had happened.
“Every morning, I have a gut feeling this person is a traitor. Where does this gut feeling come from?” she said.
She also said the contestants initially believed Parul had an unusually strong sixth sense.
“We genuinely thought that we were witnessing some crazy sixth-sense intuition. Turns out the gut had a source,” Shahneel said.
She ended her criticism with another pointed remark: “Imagine going on The Traitors and the traitors are the only ones playing the fair game.”
So, what has Parul said?
Parul has not publicly given a detailed, direct response addressing the specific allegations made by Krystal and Shahneel in the reports cited above.
However, she did speak to Hindustan Times after her elimination and defended the way she played the game.
In that interview, Parul discussed her relationship with Aaditya Kulshreshth, also known as Kullu, who was one of the Traitors.
Despite Kullu eventually casting the deciding vote that led to her elimination, Parul said she had never suspected him.
“He is so smart from day one,” she said, praising his ability to understand the other contestants. She also admitted that he “really played me in that episode” and added that she “had fun being played!”
Following the fresh allegations, Parul also appeared to respond indirectly on social media. She shared a black screen carrying the message, “This is circle of shaq all over and guess what, I am INNOCENT, AGAIN!” along with hashtags including #digitalwitchhunt and #iaminnocent.
She did not specifically name Krystal or Shahneel in that post.
What is actually confirmed?
At this point, the allegations remain allegations.
Krystal and Shahneel have publicly questioned whether Parul received information from a production staff member. But neither the reports nor the available statements establish that Parul paid anyone for information.
There has also been no official confirmation from the makers of The Traitors that a production staff member leaked the identities of the Traitors.
That leaves the central question unresolved: were Parul’s repeated correct guesses genuinely based on her observations and instincts, or did she receive information that other contestants did not have?
For now, there is no verified evidence in the cited reports that settles that question.
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TL;DR | News At Glance
What are Krystal and Shahneel alleging?
They alleged that Parul may have received information about the Traitors from outside the game through a production “shadow”.
Why did they become suspicious?
Parul repeatedly identified Traitors with strong confidence, often describing her reasoning as a gut feeling.
What did Parul say?
She has not directly responded to the specific allegations. She later posted that she was “INNOCENT, AGAIN!” and used the hashtag #digitalwitchhunt.
Has the cheating allegation been proven?
No. The claims remain unverified, and no official confirmation of an information leak has been reported.
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