Does “The Traitors” Cast Sleep in the Castle? Inside the Show's Swanky Scottish Filming Location
- - Does “The Traitors” Cast Sleep in the Castle? Inside the Show's Swanky Scottish Filming Location
Emily BlackwoodJanuary 15, 2026 at 6:15 AM
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Euan Cherry/Peacock
Alan Cumming at the Traitors Mansion. -
The Traitors premiered on Peacock in 2023 as a celebrity competition series that pits contestants against one another in a game of deception
Both the U.K. and the U.S. versions of the show have filmed at a 19th-century Scottish castle since 2022
Though the series makes it seem like the contestants sleep inside the castle, they are actually housed at a nearby hotel
The Traitors is all about deception — and that includes the players' sleeping quarters.
Since 2022, the hit Peacock reality competition series has filmed at Ardross Castle, a 19th-century castle in the Scottish Highlands. Host Alan Cumming revealed in a March 2024 interview with Vulture that he was on board once the producers came to him with the idea of setting the murder mystery game in such a grand locale.
“Do it in a big castle, make it so much more glamorous and theatrical," the actor explained of the producers' vision. "I said, ‘You kind of want me to be a James Bond villain?’ And they were like, ‘Yes!’ I decided that it should be ‘my’ castle. I live in the castle and I’ve invited people to my castle. I made this narrative for myself for it to be able to work.”
The castle has become as much a character as the Traitors and the Faithful across the show’s three seasons so far. Now that season 4 is airing, fans continue to dive into every eerie detail of the series’ dramatic setting.
Here's everything to know about The Traitors filming location, including where the contestants sleep.
Where is The Traitors filmed?
Euan Cherry/Peacock
Alan Cumming, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, Dylan Efron, Gabby Windey, Britney Haynes and Dolores Catania on The Traitors.
The Traitors is filmed at Ardross Castle, a 19th-century Baronial-style estate on the River Alness in Scotland. According to the castle's official website, the property has over 100 acres of parkland, which includes formal gardens, and is over 170 years old.
“There’s something about coming to a place that’s so steeped in history and playing a game there,” executive producer Rosie Franks told the Los Angeles Times in June 2025. “The castle has contributed so much to the identity of the show. We’d struggle to make the same show without it. It is a gift of a location because you don’t need any TV trickery.”
As for the outdoor challenges, about 90% of them are filmed on the castle's grounds. In addition to The Traitors, the castle is also a wedding and event venue — and was once owned by the grandson of the creator of Worcestershire sauce.
Now, the castle is owned by the McTaggart family, who bought it in the early '80s.
Does The Traitors cast sleep in the castle?
Euan Cherry/Peacock
The Traitors Season 4 Cast.
No, The Traitors cast does not sleep in the Ardross Castle. Cumming revealed to The Daily Beast that the players are driven to a hotel approximately 45 minutes from the show's set.
"They all stayed in the airport hotel in the Inverness airport," he said in January 2023, adding that he doesn't snooze on the grounds either, but rather in a little cottage in Inverness. "How glamorous you come to Scotland, and you stay in the Inverness airport hotel."
However, in their 2025 interview with the Los Angeles Times, the show's producers refused to answer this common question definitively.
"The success of The Traitors really does rely on us maintaining the integrity of the game, and that includes us keeping the details of what happens behind the scenes a secret,” Franks said.
Executive producer Mike Cotton added that getting everyone to their rooms for bed and then bringing the Traitors back out "is a military operation."
"As soon as we start to talk about exactly where they sleep and how it works, we’re really worried that might unpick it all," he explained. "The players are desperate to find out who the traitors are and they’ll go to any means possible to do it.”
How was Ardross Castle selected?
Euan Cherry/PEACOCK
Lisa Rinna on Traitors Season 4.
Though The Traitors producers were always interested in setting the series in Scotland, they reportedly visited over 40 castles before finding Ardross. Cotton told the Los Angeles Times that they were not only limited to the estate's size — needing rooms big enough for the famous round table — but also its unique vibe.
“It’s like a Disney castle that’s got Gothic and dark undertones to it,” he explained, also noting how crucial the castle is for the show. "If it wasn’t for that environment, I don’t think the players would get so invested. That feeling of being somewhere special in the middle of an isolated place allows us to create this very three-dimensional world they can inhabit.”
Do we see all of the castle on the show?
Euan Cherry/PEACOCK
The Traitors Season 4 Cast.
No, not all of Ardross Castle is shown on The Traitors. Cotton told the Los Angeles Times that filming primarily takes place in the castle's downstairs portion. Allowing players to roam across the entire 100 acres would be "impossible to cover."
“It wasn’t until Season 2 that we discovered it had this space that felt like a dungeon,” Cotton recalled. “When Phaedra [Parks] asked Kate [Chastain] to become a traitor, she was in this dungeon. It was a discovery we didn’t realize was underground. We’d walked over it for a whole year.”
Can you visit The Traitors castle?
Euan Cherry/Peacock
Donna Kelce on The Traitors.
No, the Ardross Castle is not open for public tours. However, it can be booked for weddings, private events and other special occasions.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
