How to deal with being frozen out by your peers, as The Traitors' Kasim opens up about isolation

The Traitors has captured audiences for the third year in a row, as it returned to our screens last week with a fresh batch of contestants. The series is only in its second week, but drama has already erupted among the Faithfuls in the castle.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead

Viewers became concerned after contestant Kasim revealed on Wednesday (8 January) night’s show that he had become isolated from the other contestants because some of them suspected him of being a Traitor.

Players who are Traitors set out to secretly "murder" Faithfuls in the game, while Faithfuls attempt to sniff them out and banish them from the castle, without knowing who they are.

Just before the latest roundtable, during which players vote to banish someone from the castle, Kasim had to excuse himself from the dining room because player Tyler refused to speak about his ideas about who the Traitors may be until he left.

During the roundtable discussion, Kasim also spoke about how he had been frozen out by the other players, which meant he wasn’t able to play the game. Although Foiza stood up for Kasim, he was eventually banished from the castle - but not before causing chaos when he revealed he had indeed been a Faithful for the duration of his gameplay.

Another player who felt ostracised by the other players was Elen, who was banished from the castle last week. She was also a Faithful. Speaking exclusively to Yahoo UK, Elen said: “I could feel cliques forming in the castle and it's one of the reasons I started to isolate myself because I could feel people talking about me.

“It's a really uncomfortable feeling, but again, it's not personal. It's a game. They thought I was suspicious, so they didn't really want to talk to me.”

Viewers were furious about the way Kasim had been treated by the other players, believing it was unfair. On X, formerly Twitter, one person lamented that "Kas not being able to go in to different rooms or talk to people in the castle was pretty horrible".

Another wrote: "The way they treated him was very unpleasant. They ostracised him and wore the poor guy down."

Why am I getting frozen out by my friends?

Feeling left out by friends is never a pleasant experience, and sometimes this can escalate to being frozen out altogether. There are a number of reasons why this might happen, but it can be helpful to start by stepping back from the situation to gain a broader perspective, says author and psychotherapist Eloise Skinner.

Asking the right questions can help you identify how this situation came to be. "Where emotions are likely to be high, it often helps to take a moment to pause, step back and look at the situation with a logical approach," Skinner says, suggesting questions such as: "When did the behaviour begin? Could you identify a particular trigger? Is there anything you might have overlooked or misunderstood?

"You could also work through some self-development questions, such as - what are the qualities of these friendships? How do I feel about these relationships in my life? What kind of values do I look for in a friendship group?

"Group rejection or 'freezing out' can lead to feelings of isolation, loneliness, anxiety, uncertainty, disappointment or loss of self-esteem. We might also feel feelings related to grief and loss, or a sense of nostalgia about how the friendship used to be."

Watch: The Traitors' Elen admits she didn't rumble Charlotte's fake Welsh accent

What should I do if I start feeling isolated from my friends?

Once you have taken the first step of taking time to reflect, a second step may be to approach a friend you trust and ask them to clarify things, Skinner advises.

"Sometimes, they might be able to identify something you hadn't considered, or provide you with a sense of reassurance. At the very least, their reaction will give you a sense of what's going on for them, which can help you to figure out how to respond.

"Once you've identified more details about the situation, you can take some practical steps - either to repair the friendship, where possible (for example: apologising if relevant, or asking for an opportunity to chat together), or to move on with a sense of acceptance and appreciation for the time spent together."

Read more about The Traitors:

• How to win The Traitors, according to psychologists (Yahoo Life UK, 8-min read)

• 'The Traitors has secret strict rules and we are watched like schoolchildren' (Yahoo Entertainment, 5-min read)

• The Traitors sisters Armani and Maia share one big regret about BBC show (Yahoo Entertainment, 2-min read)