Alex Duggan: THE TRAITORS AUSTRALIA - TALENT

It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last weep their line Welcome back to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris, and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors and casting agents, plus the talent that we see on

It definitely broke Maha as much as it broke his. So yeah, it was intense.

Previously on The Traders.

You can kind of get away with more than what you think you could.

A trader has to go with can I trust you one hundred percent?

Look, you know, I think it was quite almost a necessary evil.

Then Alex received a secret invitation.

There's that famous saying keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

Two traders versus too faithful. I want to win like nothing else.

They have a lot of masterminds behind the show, so I'm sure whatever they will do next will be magnificent and better than the first season.

Hi, Alex, congratulations on winning the Traders.

Hello, and thank you very much.

For people who are listening to this at home, I sound that crazy saying Hi Alex, congratulations and winning the Traders because I didn't press record and we're doing it again for the second time, so I felt very disingenuous, but I am very excited for you for winning.

Oh, thank you so much. Yeah, it's pretty cool.

What about that look from Craig in the finale when you revealed that you were a trader and had in fact tricked him out of that money. That is a television moment.

Yes, the television moment if I've ever seen one. Yeah, it definitely broke my heart as much as it broke his. So, yeah, it was intense.

Is that intensity of what we saw on TV and the finale? Is that what it was in the room? Was it more than that or was it less than that? Or you have to tell me what was it like to be in that room.

Yeah. I think the intensity definitely came through the screen. It was probably more intense in real life. But yeah, that moment was just heartbreaking really and just very scary as well.

Have you had conversations with him now offline, like where has the friendship gone to this point? Yeah?

I think you know, obviously it's hard for us to catch up because we live in different states, but you know, we're all one big, happy family here, and I think that we all understand that at the end of the day, it is a game and only one person could win.

Well, this is an interesting question to ask because I'm wanting to know your traits, you know, the traits of a trader. Did you think when you applied for this show that you had what it takes? Slight sheet and steel, but you know, cunningly manipulate people. I don't know what's the best way to describe this without reading it sound offensive.

Well, I think that initially, you know, I didn't know whether I was a very good liar. I think to my friends and family, they all can tell when I'm lying. So I think to people that you've just met, you really build a relationship and rapport and you can kind of get away with more than what you think you could because these people have only known.

You for a couple of weeks.

So I think anyone in my situation probably would have surprised themselves, and I definitely surprised myself. But I think that I was able to compartmentalize and kind of put that trade a hat on as a job role really, so it was all business decisions.

Although you know, it lent me to have a discussion with my partner, you know, we're a same sex relationship, and it gave us pause for thought. So we're thinking, do you think that queer people are good at this kind of competition, because at some point we've all led a bit of a double life with you know, coming to terms with our sexual real and then having to come to terms with that and tell other people that we are same sex attracted.

Yeah, that's a really good point.

I think also, like my coming out story is quite kind of quite quite recent, so I think that maybe it does lend itself to being able to hide parts of yourself and then only letting in the ones that really are there for the long run.

You know, was it hard to be able to keep this a secret? I mean, obviously you've won the show because this was filmed a little while ago. You know, did were you given any help on how to keep this under your hat.

Look, I just kind of had to pretend nothing ever happened, which from my family and friends, they're all very kluey and they you know, they drive really hard to get secrets out of you.

But you know, at the end of the day, I kept that secret down to the last tooth and nail, and when they.

All found out, it was one of the best moments of my life.

Really, is there a video of your friend? There is that?

There is a video, And I am completely swallow by all of my friends and family, Like, you can't even see me. My poor like five month old puppy only just made it out of the firing line before I run a part on top of me.

But yeah, it's a great moment.

Well, two Traders and two Faithfuls was a pretty even, you know, even stakes for the finale. Do you think that it's luck or why do you think that that was the way that the show came down? Yeah?

I think you know, it was all based off of all of our own decisions within that game, and whether it was the rat or on one. Obviously the universe was like, oh yeah, let's have a moment for the gays and the days and the girls. So yeah, two Traders, two female Traders in the house was a great moment there.

Well, you know what's interesting. And I wasn't sure if I was going to bring this up with you, but we're doing it. I was pretty dark on you for getting rid of the original Traders, so I went on a bit of a journey with you. I was very happy for you to win, and as it happened, I was like, yes, this is what it should be. But was that just a heart Was that a really hard decision to get rid of those original Traders or was it a necessary evil?

Look? You know, I think it was quite almost a necessary evil.

Like when I first got inducted, they did say that they had just gotten rid of the other two Traders, and so I thought, well, if it can happen to them, it can happen to me.

Don't be silly, Alex.

And also maybe a little bit of revenge for murdering all of my friends in the night, you know.

But I think there's the nature of the show because we're introduced to these original four and then to see them, you know, be chopped away. You know, it was brutal television. It kind of had to be that way, and I guess you can look at it as you were offering some revenge to the friends of yours that had already departed the competition. Yeah, I think Craig made a few mistakes in that last hurdle. What do you think the Craig could have done a little bit differently?

I think that you know, throughout the game, it's quite hard to separate your head from your heart, and that comes just with your personality and who you are.

And I respect that.

You know, he kept his integrity the whole way through and thought with his heart. But at the end of the day, you know this is a mind game and you do have to be able to separate both to I guess eventually win or use that to your advantage.

Kate played a great game too. Do you think that it was skill or luck that you beat her in the end?

Look, Kate is one of the best board game players that I probably have ever met in my life. I think that if roles were reversed, she would have beat me at my own game. But I do think that because in the early days I built very very strong relationships with everyone. That is kind of what got me through and that skill of me being a people kind of person was how it came to be.

But did you pick Kate because you felt like she could She was a contestant you could beat. I mean, what was the factors into you know, choosing the next trader?

Yeah? Look, I mean there's that famous saying keep your friends close, but your enemy's closer.

And at that point in time as trader, Kate was one of my biggest enemies.

Because she was so on the hunting line and I was scared of her, so I thought, you know, if you can't beat them, join her man.

She was the best choice. Ever.

Everyone wants to know. This is the most intrusive question, only appropriate for when interviewing someone who's just won a reality show. But what are you going to do with the money? Did you read on Twitter last night? I don't know if you saw this is so funny. Someone wrote, well, I guess we're going to now have to watch Alex go on overseas holidays and buy handbags now, And I was like, it's like, it's the weirdest thing I've ever heard Anyone tweet like, oh, yes.

Much gets set on the internet.

But the truth of it is, it's all going to go to Tiff and my future life together really, so they might not see much.

Because it's all a process.

She obviously, you know, has to propose to me or have a wedding, put a deposit down for a house in maybe two years time, and then settle down and have some kids, which would be great. So it's really like a lifelong progression that you'll see the money.

Be spent on.

Also, no handbags and overseas holidays gratuitous and handbags. I was just like, did you read that tweet?

By the way, No, I tend to have stayed off Twitter and all of that just because I know it can.

Get quite cutthroat.

On there, and yes, probably for the best. Well, I need to ask just before you go. Something that everyone gets asked is a question of what is something from behind the scenes, something that we didn't see that we won't see. That's kind of like a behind the scene secret from your time making the Traders.

Well, I mean what you kind of didn't see, maybe got a quick glimpse of it, didn't really was that the.

Entire time I was knitting a.

Scarf, So anytime I felt like anxious or just like so buzzed, I would just start knitting, and I reckon, I like started and restarted and restarted this scarf so many times I reckon I needed.

Like the equivalent of like six thousand scars just in the one scarf, because I pull it all apart, and then I'd start the next day again and knit it again.

How big is this scarf? By the way, I'm just picturing you now, wrapped up from head to toe in this look.

I only had so much wool, so it was only like two bales worth of wool there. But I gave it to my dog because I can't bring myself to wear that scarf anymore.

It's one thing that people don't know about a lot of these shows, though, is there's a lot of downtime where they can't miss you talking to other people, so they often will make the contestants sit apart and have to do things. You know, I've heard crocheting's really popular in between takes, so all of that sort of stuff

Well, can't ging away the magic of TV, but I will say I spent a lot of time knitting.

Well, make congratulations on winning the show. It was a fantastic season. Do we know if there's going to be act So that's a good question. Do we know? Have they announced there's going to be a season two?

Well, I'm not sure, but something you might have to stay tuned for.

You're giving nothing away. They obviously haven't given you the money yet, so you're just like, I've got to I have to really look after this to make sure, but I get the cash in the bank account. Is there anything that you'd want to see different? Actually, if the show comes back, is there a twist that you think would work well on the show?

Oh, that's a good question.

I don't know.

They have a lot of master minds behind the show, so I'm sure whatever they will do next will be magnificent and better than the first season.

But I'm pretty damn happy with the first season. I reckon it panned out pretty well.

It was amazing. It was amazing. Well, Alex, thank you so much for joining us today and chatting about the show. Good luck with the wedding and the babies. And all of that, and we'll be in your audience. Maybe we'll see you somewhere else.

Thank you,