The Traitors spoilers follow.
The Traitors is back with its fourth season and we now know that Netty was the first of two Faithfuls so far to be murdered. But is her short-lived time on the show simply coincidence, or did her connection with fellow contestant Ross sign her death warrant?
According to reports in The Sun, bosses for the BBC reality series had no idea that the pair knew one another when they first signed them up for the show, but quickly realised they followed each other on social media and pressed on regardless.
The first episode saw Ross and Netty recognise one another as they arrived at the famous castle, with Ross trying to hide the fact they were friends. However, nursery teacher Netty didn't get the memo about going under the radar and greeted Ross with a huge hug and told everyone that they met 15 years ago through a mutual friend.
Speaking of the pair's connection, executive producer Mike Cotton told The Sun: "Ross and Netty was not intentional at all. We actually cast them as individuals. We do lengthy background checks on them all to take part.
"I think it’s part of that we discovered that they follow each other on social media. So we knew that there was a tenuous link, but we didn’t know whether they’d recognise each other or how they would react.
What to Read Next
Related: Claudia Winkleman officially confirms next project for after The Traitors
"We didn’t want to exclude them because they knew each other – I just thought it was really interesting to see what it added to the game."
But while Netty's time on the show has already come to an abrupt end, could Ross's card also be marked thanks to his link to the show's first murdered contestant?
The first breakfast meeting of the season certainly left Ross looking more suspicious than ever, with him protesting a little too much that it was simply a coincidence Netty had been murdered first, and that it wasn't his doing.
While we know that Ross isn't a traitor, there is also the huge twist that we have a secret Traitor hiding in plain sight, and no one, not even the viewers, know who it is. Could Ross be the secret Traitor, having put Netty on his hit list to get rid of her so he can focus on his own game plan, only for it to backfire?
Related: Who is Stephen in The Traitors? Meet one of the new Traitors that's "taking the game seriously"
Either way, one thing that is for sure is show bosses putting Ross and Netty in the series despite knowing their connection instantly put a target on both of their backs. From the word go, the rest of the contestants have been suspicious of the pair. Little do they know another two contestants in the castle had a much stronger link between them – mother-daughter duo Judy (RIP) and Roxy.
Everyone arriving in that castle will have thought through their game plan, how they are going to interact with the other contestants and what they are going to hide about their own lives on the show.
Seeing someone you know, even if it is only a friendly face from over a decade ago, could naturally throw one off-course, meaning bosses set Netty and Ross up for a tough time from the moment they arrived. No one wants to stand out from the first episode, but Netty's friendship with Ross definitely cut her time short on the show.
Alas Judy and Roxy no longer have to keep their bond secret, but had Judy survived they might have followed the same fate and signed their own death warrants before too long.
The Traitors airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
Interested in talking about The Traitors? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
Read more The Traitors news on our dedicated homepage
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating music icon Dolly Parton, is here! Buy Dolly at 80 in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
