In a moment that you may have missed if you blinked, The Traitors host Alan Cumming revealed Deontay Wilder had quit the show. Exactly why he decided to leave Season 2 wasn’t spelled out for viewers, but there had been clues in prior episodes. Deontay was letting the pressure of the game get to him. He was an emotional wreck after two banishments of fellow Faithful. Now, it turns out, there could have been a deeper meaning for his sudden departure.
The Traitors Season 2 triggered Deontay’s childhood trauma
Speaking with Us Weekly about his decision to quit The Traitors Season 2, Deontay said the game was “definitely harder” than he imagined. “I thought it was trying to figure out [who] were the Traitors, and being that you have so many more Faithfuls than the Traitors, that it would be kind of easy to figure it out.” He quickly realized that this wasn’t the case.
“But being on this show,” Deontay continued, “it really struck some childhood trauma from me that I didn’t expect.” While he didn’t go into specifics, the heavyweight boxer did elaborate a little on his words.
Deontay explained: “I didn’t see this coming in a million years because the things that I dealt with as a child, I never had an outlet to be able to release. Sometimes you go through life and certain things allow you to be able to release that and that emotion and you feel better. But I never had an opportunity or any particular place.”
The heavyweight champion and Olympic bronze medal winner added that this “particular moment” and the “conditions … really drew back the condition that I was in [as a child].”
“People accusing each other of doing things that may not be true,” Deontay said. “And it really struck something in me.”
As the unexpected sweetheart of reality TV, we hope Deontay is doing well upon reflection. While his time on The Traitors Season 2 is over, he certainly left his mark.
The Traitors Season 2 continues streaming on Peacock, with new episodes landing Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
TELL US – WERE YOU SAD TO SEE DEONTAY LEAVE THE GAME? DID HIS EMOTIONAL DISPLAYS SHOCK YOU?
