The second episode of The Traitors kicks off following the initial murder, setting the stage for the season’s first breakfast gathering. Honestly, someone needs to create a boutique hotel experience inspired by The Traitors. Imagine savoring your eggs and fruit while an Alan Cumming lookalike theatrically destroys portraits of your foes — I’d book a stay in a flash.

Previously, the trio of Traitors — Rob R., Lisa Rinna, and Candiace Dillard Bassett — were deliberating over the Secret Traitor’s list of potential targets. Surprisingly, Rob R. found himself as a possible victim, which, while unsettling, simplified their decision. This left Ian Terry, Mark Ballas, or Eric Nam as the main contenders. As the players arrive for breakfast, it’s revealed that Ian was the one eliminated. Given Ian’s reputation as a formidable “gamer” from competitions like Survivor and Big Brother, where he claimed victory, his exit, though disappointing, isn’t entirely shocking.

Amidst the speculation surrounding the murder, an unusual incident occurs. While conversing with Ron Funches, Porsha Williams accidentally slips, stating, “I thought [the Traitor] could be Ian, but he’s the one I killed.”

Ron remarks, “She said ‘I killed Ian.’ Maybe she misspoke, but it’s a tad suspicious.” Later, Porsha repeats the statement in front of more people, including Michael Rapaport and Donna Kelce, drawing further suspicion. Could she be the Secret Traitor, simply inept at concealing her role? While it’s unlikely she’s the Secret Traitor, her comments certainly heighten vigilance among the group, inadvertently forging a trust bond between several players. Meanwhile, there’s a growing suspicion around Donna, with many believing she might be a Traitor herself.

This episode’s challenge transports the contestants to the summit of a picturesque hill with a distant view of the castle. Tasked with hauling three thrones back to the castle, they must gather gold along the way to boost their prize pool. Additionally, players can collect “shield tokens” to claim a seat on the thrones. Those who find more tokens can displace current throne occupants, and the trio seated at the journey’s end will enjoy immunity for the night.

In the end, Caroline Stanbury, Colton Underwood and Rob R. get the last shields, but Rob actually gives his shield to Yam Yam Arocho. When Yam Yam goes to sit on his throne, Michael throws a fit, whining about some (unspoken) rule that they all should have gotten to make their case for why thy deserve the shield the most, and he’s furious when Yam Yam sits down. Michael claims to be a superfan of this show, but if he really was, he’d know that this is a game where you really can trust no one and you have to be in it for yourself. Whining will get you nowhere. (I hate to say this, but you know what else will get you nowhere? Chivalrous behavior like Stephen Coletti’s, he gave up a shield to Dorinda because he didn’t want his teammates to have to carry him on the throne. This kind of nicety might be acceptable and encouraged in the real world, but not on this show!)

In another instance of Porsha being totally, weirdly Traitor-y, after the mission is over, she declares that the Faithfuls are looking for four Traitors. “There’s four of them,” she declares, even though usually there are only three. “You don’t know how many Traitors there are… unless you are one,” Ron says after Porsha’s latest slip, and at this point, he’s convinced that this season will be the first in history to banish a Traitor at their very first round table.

At the round table, Natalie Anderson is first to speak, saying that based on her instinct alone, she thinks Donna is a Traitor. But instinct ain’t got nothing on actual evidence. Ron breaks into the conversation to bring up Porsha, citing all of Porsha’s unfortunate verbal slips as evidence that she’s a Traitor. Porsha defends herself saying that she simply misspoke, to which Ron responds, “I think you’re lying.”

Candiace comes to Porsha’s rescue by trying to explain away the fact that she’s allowed to have a verbal slip-up (At first this seemed frustrating, that Candiace would try to help save a Faithful, but ultimately this was smart game play and made her look more Faithful in the long run). But after Candiace comes to Porsha’s defense, yet another verbal slip-up occurs. Michael, still salty about Yam Yam taking the shield, tries to implicate Yam Yam as a selfish player, and while explaining how he was one of the Faithfuls on the chopping block the previous night, Michael says he only escaped death because, “We killed Ian.” Immediately, everyone starts wondering why he said “we.”

When it comes time to vote, they’re split between Donna, Michael and Porsha, though Donna and Porsha are essentially tied the whole time (Lisa Rinna is the only Housewife to vote for Porsha, saying she was swayed by the evidence. Hooo, boy, this isn’t gonna sit well with the other Housewives who live and die by their loyalty to each other on this show. Not a strategy that has really worked for them in the past, though. Their devotion to the sisterhood has never really gotten them anywhere.) Ultimately, Porsha is banished, and I have to say once again that the fact that there’s a Secret Traitor in our midst really adds a thrilling new layer to the show, because as she steps into the Circle of Truth, there’s a sense of excitement in not knowing what she’s going to say. While I didn’t truly think Porsha was a Traitor, there’s always a chance, so I was tense up until the moment she declared herself a Faithful.

The episode takes a wild and hilarious turn when the Traitors learn that they’ve got to murder someone that night in plain sight, and the murder is a little more complicated and risky than past murders in plain sight. They’ve got to retrieve tarot cards from behind a painting in the kitchen – where so many other people are currently gathered – these cards have the faces of the Secret Traitor’s short list of murder victims. The three Traitors have to choose which person to murder and throw that card into the fireplace in the breakfast room, while being completely undetected. If they’re successful, they get to meet the Secret Traitor. If they can’t pull it off, there will be no murder at all which, if we’re being honest, is not a good look for the Traitors.

With so many people milling around and observing, Candiace wracks her brain trying to think of a distraction she can create. “Do I pass out? Do I burst into tears because I’m so distraught over Porsha?” No, she does what any sane person does to distract them all, she starts a Conga line.

Like a sassy pied piper, she leads everyone away from the kitchen so that Rob can steal the cards. It’s hilarious and ridiculous, and also, for gamers Rob C. and Tiffany, a totally obvious distraction. Rob C. is so weirded out by it that he even suggests that it’s the precursor to a murder in plain sight so he and Tiffany hole up away from the others so they can’t be murdered.

Rob R., now in possession of the tarot cards decides that the best way to consult with his fellow Traitor Lisa about who to kill would be to “teach her chess,” something no one would care to observe them doing together, so that they can have a private conversation. (Tara Lipinski seems to be observing them a little too closely though, and considering that she’s up for murder, I wish she would beat it.) With just seconds to go before their deadline runs out, Rob and Lisa burn one of the cards, without having consulted Candiace. Does that count, since she wasn’t consulted? Will they be successful in their mission? Will we learn the identity of the Secret Traitor so soon?! And more importantly, will this turn the game in favor f the suspicious gamers who could sense a murder in plain sight? We’ll have to wait until we meet again in the breakfast room for yet another delicious meal to find out.

Who could be the Secret Traitor?

Last episode, Eric Nam and Mark Ballas were the Faithfuls on the Secret Traitor’s shortlist. This episode, Kristen Kish, Tara Lipinski, Rob. C and Monet X Change are on the list. Assuming the Secret Traitor is not putting themself on the list, that narrows the field down a bit. I think the logic that a gamer is a Traitor is still solid, so I’m sticking with my initial guess, Yam Yam.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.