With Bigg Boss 20 just two days away, yet another reality show has bid adieu. The Traitors Season 2 saw Krystle D’Souza and Rida Tharana lift the trophy. The duo will jointly take home Rs 66 lakh, which they won through various tasks and challenges on the show.
Following their victory, several viewers questioned whether Rida was a “deserving” winner of the season. Addressing the criticism, the social media influencer released a statement, saying, “I don’t think my win belongs only to the Traitor I became.”
Rida admitted that she “struggled” after becoming a Traitor but urged viewers to look at her entire journey rather than judging her solely on her performance as a Traitor.
She wrote, “One thing I hope people remember while watching my journey is that my game wasn’t just about how I played as a Traitor.” She went on to explain that she entered the show as an Innocent, “played like one” and even managed to identify a Traitor during her journey.
Speaking about her stint as a Traitor, Rida admitted, “Was I the most fearless Traitor? Absolutely not. I was terrified. I struggled with lying. I cried. I questioned myself. There were moments where the game genuinely got the better of me emotionally.”
She added that viewers got to see both her strategic and emotional sides throughout the show.
Reflecting on the contrast between her two roles, Rida said that as an Innocent, she was “ambitious and strategic”, while as a Traitor, she became “raw and emotional”.
She further wrote, “And somewhere between being an Innocent and becoming a Traitor, making good decisions and bad ones, trusting people, betraying people, breaking down and still continuing to play… I made it to the end.”
Rida then urged viewers and trolls to look beyond whether she was the “greatest Traitor” and instead consider her overall journey on the show.
Reiterating her point, she wrote, “I don’t think my win belongs only to the Traitor I became.” She concluded by saying that her victory belongs to the Innocent she was, the Traitor she became and the person she remained throughout the journey.
Krystle’s journey was particularly significant. She entered the game as one of the original Traitors and survived after her fellow Traitors were gradually exposed. Even though many doubted Krystle, she managed to sweep away the doubts every time, even joking that she was a cat with nine lives on the show.
Krystle eventually recruited Rida, who had started the season as an Innocent, turning her into her biggest ally in the final stretch.
Rida, meanwhile, had initially built her game as an Innocent and managed to survive several rounds without becoming a major target. She was also the one who successfully cracked Kullu as a Traitor in the game, winning the trust of her fellow Innocents.
However, once she became a Traitor, the content creator did have her share of low moments, which almost gave away her identity.
Hosted by Karan Johar, The Traitors Season 2 premiered on Prime Video on August 13.
The season also featured Shweta Tiwari, Munawar Faruqui, Rhea Chakraborty, Ansh Chopra, Prish, Shehneel Gill, Ranveer Brar, Karan Magic, Parul Gulati, Abhishek Malhan, Harman Sangha and others.