'The Traitors' Kate Chastain on visiting Scotland — and castles you can book there

07.03.2024 - 22:39 / thepointsguy.com

Unless you've been sleeping under a rock, you probably know that people are obsessed with "The Traitors," the Peacock reality game show that pits celebrities against each other as a group of "faithfuls" tries to weed out the lying "traitors."

It's full of deception, smart gameplay, physically and mentally taxing challenges to win cash and some true characters, including a group of beloved (and infamous) reality TV stars from shows like "Survivor" and "Big Brother," as well as an incredible array of Bravo personalities from "The Real Housewives" franchises and "Shahs of Sunset." Not to mention, Pilot Pete from "The Bachelor" is also part of the cast.

But the surprise star of the show isn't a person at all. It's host Alan Cumming's native Scotland, which makes sense considering the game is set in the majestic and beautiful (if not ominous) Ardross Castle near Inverness.

To put it in perspective, U.S. searches for "flights to Scotland" jumped 159% the day after the premiere of "The Traitors" Season Two aired Jan. 12, according to Places to Travel. (To make it personal, my own fiance asked if we should swap our already planned honeymoon to France with a trip to Scotland halfway through the first episode.)

Searches around "Ardross Castle" jumped 4,500% compared to the last five years, Places to Travel discovered.

To understand if a "Traitors"-themed trip to Scotland is as sweet as it sounds (well, without the "murder" and "banishment" but hopefully with the breakfast spread) TPG went straight to the source, "The Traitors" Season One and Season Two star Kate Chastain, who you might also recognize from "Below Deck," to find out.

Related: Crew from 'Below Deck Down Under' shares travel tips ahead of new season

"Scotland feels like you are in a movie," Chastain told TPG. "I mean, the fog that rolls in feels like a production, but it's natural. And just the castles and the sheep dotting along the verdant, rolling hills; it's quite picturesque, and it feels very magnificent."

For Chastain, filming in a Scottish castle was a stark contrast to living on the high seas on a yacht. "Well," she explained, "they're both quite nice, if I must be honest," before adding that one of the biggest changes for her was the country's abundance of trees. "You know, I've seen enough palm trees and beaches to last a lifetime, which sounds very spoiled. Scotland was such a lovely change of scenery."

It was also a way to "show off my sweater and jacket collection because that was never something I got to do on 'Below Deck,'" she said. And it's true; the fashion game on "The Traitors" is almost as good as the lying.

If you find yourself planning a trip to Scotland (for a reality game show or not), Chastain wants folks to remember