‘Bahut betrayal hua’: Abhishek Malhan drops ‘shadow’ revelation amid Parul Gulati's The Traitors 2 cheating controversy

The Traitors 2 is caught in a controversy over alleged leaks, with Parul Gulati accused of getting information about the Traitors during the game.

The Traitors 2 is caught in a controversy over alleged leaks, with Parul Gulati accused of getting information about the Traitors during the game. Parul has denied the allegations. Amid the row, Abhishek Malhan has now revealed that one of the 21 shadows assigned to contestants was removed while the show was being filmed, adding a new twist to the ongoing debate.

Abhishek Malhan reveals what contestants were told

The Traitors 2 controversy: Abhishek Malhan reveals contestant ‘shadow’ was removed mid-game.

During a recent livestream, Abhishek opened up about the controversy and admitted that the allegations came as a shock to him. He said he was taken aback when he heard that a contestant’s shadow may have revealed the identity of a Traitor. He said, “When I found out about the controversy that Shadow had revealed who the traitor was, I was like, "Bro, what the hell?" I totally flipped out.”

Abhishek said the whole thing sounded so shocking to him at first that he even wondered if it was some kind of marketing stunt. But after speaking to people about it, he realised the controversy was very much real. He added, “This is not a marketing campaign, I actually asked everyone.”

Abhishek made it clear that he had no idea which contestant the shadow belonged to. However, he said there was talk among the contestants that it was Parul’s shadow that had been removed. He added, “I personally don't know whose shadow it was. People say it was Parul's shadow.”

How the cheating allegations started

The controversy gained momentum after Shahneel Gill, who was part of the show, posted a video on Instagram alleging that there may have been “match-fixing” involved. She explained that every contestant was assigned a production team member, known as a shadow, who stayed with them during the shoot and looked after their requirements.

According to Shahneel, one of these shadows was allegedly being paid to pass information from inside the game to a contestant, potentially giving them an unfair advantage. While Shahneel did not name Parul, she questioned how one contestant seemed to repeatedly get the Traitors right by claiming it was simply a gut feeling.

She recalled how the other contestants had started believing that the person had an almost uncanny ability to read the game. She said, “Every morning, I have a gut feeling this person is a traitor. Where does this gut feeling come from? I also wanted it. I also wanted such a gut feeling. And boom, it's correct.”

Shahneel said the contestants had initially taken these repeated correct guesses as an impressive display of intuition. However, the allegations have now made them question whether there was more behind those predictions. She added, “We genuinely thought that we were witnessing some crazy sixth sense intuition. Turns out the gut had a source.”

Krystle D’Souza questions the allegations

Krystle D’Souza, who was among the contestants Parul suspected of being a Traitor, has also reacted to the allegations. She said the possibility of anyone getting information from outside the game would be unfair to all the contestants, especially those who were genuinely trying to figure out the Traitors on their own. She said, “It is so unfair on the rest of the 20 contestants, the innocents who want to use their brains to play the game and catch the traitors, and the traitors who are trying to survive and play their game.”

Krystle recalled how Parul had suspected her early one morning and said she had asked her to explain exactly why she felt that way. However, the reasons given to her at the time did not seem convincing. The actor said she was even more taken aback when she heard the allegations about a contestant allegedly getting information from their shadow. She questioned how someone could repeatedly make such confident calls based only on what appeared to be instinct.

Parul Gulati denies cheating allegations

Parul hit back at the allegations, firmly denying that she had any unfair advantage during the game. After her elimination, which came despite her correctly identifying Traitor Harman Singha, she took to Instagram to address the controversy. Calling the backlash a “digital witch-hunt”, she wrote, “This is a circle of shaq all over and guess what, I am INNOCENT, AGAIN!” Parul has continued to deny receiving any information from her shadow or being involved in any form of cheating.

About The Traitors 2

The game of The Traitors revolves around two groups. The Innocents must work together to identify and eliminate the hidden Traitors before they are eliminated themselves. The Traitors, meanwhile, secretly plot against the other contestants while attempting to protect their identities.

The new season premiered on Prime Video in India on August 13, with new episodes released every Thursday.