Traitors star Vanda 'I DON'T HAVE A HEART OF DARKNESS!'

Dubbed a villain, 'Darth Vanda' is relishing every moment of the game

-  Aroha Awarau

As a Kiwi novelist who writes gritty crime mysteries, Vanda Symon is loving every moment of being a contestant on New Zealand’s newest TV phenomenon, The Traitors NZ. 

The reality competition, hosted by Paul Henry, pits a group of 19 contestants, made up of celebrities and everyday people, in a murder-mystery situation. Contestants dubbed “Faithfuls” have to figure out who among them are the “Traitors” – those assigned to eliminate or “murder” the guests one by one with the chance of winning the $70,000 prize money. 

The show appealed to Vanda, 54, because of the murder-mystery element, especially because it means she’s surrounded by a bunch of strangers who are forced to be with each other and have to figure out who is being deceptive and trying to get rid of their peers. It reminded her of a scenario straight out of an old-school detective novel. 

“I thought about Agatha Christie or Dame Ngaio Marsh, who often put their characters in a closed-room scenario where people couldn’t escape.”

Of course, being a crime writer, the other contestants put a target on Vanda’s back, immediately assuming she was one of the “Traitors”.