Cam Merchant - The Traitors Australia | Exit Interview | Ep 4 | Beyond The Traitors

In this episode of Beyond Reality: Beyond The Traitors, TV producer Hayley Ferguson sits down with Cam Merchant (MAFS), following his brutal exit  fromThe Traitors Australia.

In this chat: 
The "Sliding Doors" Moment: Cam unpacks the emotional rollercoaster of being eliminated early, only to be given an opportunity to return, and why he holds no bad blood regarding the decision-making process.

The Power of the Hood: Behind the scenes of the "returnee" decision—what it was like listening to fellow contestants debate his fate while under the hood, and how that revealed the true character dynamics of the group.

Producer vs. Player Perspective: We analyse the "cutthroat" reality TV mindset and why the group's reaction to his potential return differed so sharply from his expectations.

The "Clarity" Pivot: How Cam used his unexpected time away from the game to write his upcoming book, Clarity, and why finding silver linings is his essential strategy for navigating reality TV's most brutal moments.

Quick-Fire Round: Cam shares his take on which fellow reality stars he wants to see hit the Traitors Manor next, and his hindsight perspective on the game's biggest threats.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Hi Cam.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Hi Hayley, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:21

I'm good. Thank you so much for joining me today. Obviously, not under the best circumstances. How are you feeling now that you've had time to, I guess, process your trader's experience?

SPEAKER_00 0:33

I always say in reality TV, no matter what it is, there's always two types of emotions, two types of experience. One's the one that's live when it all happens and it's in the moment, and then you've obviously got some time in between that you've got time to sort of process it, but you let it go, your acceptance of it, and then all of a sudden you have to relive that exact same scenario again when the whole nation is watching you, and you've got to live it back. So there are two types of emotions, two types of moments. Um, both were were pretty brutal. Uh, but watching this, but watching it back and getting a bit more understanding of behind the scenes and what went happened, then that actually hits hits a little harder, I think.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Yeah, can you explain those two emotions? What was the emotion in the moment when it was happening? Because I mean, I guess there's a bit of a roller coaster there because the first twist happened and you're eliminated from the game, but then you had an opportunity to be brought back. So I guess what was it like in the moment?

SPEAKER_00 1:28

In the moment when we all rolled up to the manor was was excitement. It was just to be part of this, to meet everyone was really wonderful. And then I think before those those nerves and that excitement even settled, all of a sudden it was game over and I was in a car and shipped off. So in that time, it was really, it was it was probably uh it wasn't believable. And you thought, oh, I can't believe what's just happened. The time we've all put our lives on hold, we've all have all had the same journey, we've all had isolation to go from there from home to New Zealand, and then to be in that moment, and then to Shane to uh deliberate her message and take my keys was a pretty it was a pretty uh it was a moment that I just couldn't believe that happened, but it did. And then to obviously be brought back day three, it was like okay, but they didn't deliver that till later on in the piece. So genuinely I thought in that moment that that the game's over, but I've built my whole life on silver linings and and control the controllables, and um things happened for a reason. So it was in that moment that I genuinely went, oh okay, my game's done, but it was my son's fifth birthday, I was gonna head back for it. I was really excited for that, and I think they're the things that when you accept it and you you bring some another better solution involved in life, no matter how challenging it is, then it makes things just a little easier.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Yeah, that's that's a really great attitude to have, as disappointing as it would have been in that moment. But it was a bit of a sliding doors moment because you were being pushed forward at first to be the most virtuous, which means you would have had the decision that Shane obviously made to take you out. What would you have done in Shane's position?

SPEAKER_00 3:17

And I've thought about this many times, and I don't think I could have done anything else but taken myself out. That's just I remember thinking about it, I remember trying to get who would I have picked, and it was just too hard. I remember when Gretel said the words that there's keys and we all knew the fate of someone. I remember thinking that could have been me, and I don't think I could have gone any other way. Um whether I knew regardless whether you're gonna come back, but I also did know, obviously watching the game before, the only two ways you know that that you can you can exit the show are potentially by murder or by voted out. So I was like, surely, whoever that comes across is not gonna be. So yeah, whether it was if it was still me, I was still ready to go. Oh everyone else is here because I also understand that of of how I work and and what can happen. Plus, I wanted to get home for my my son's fifth birthday, so I was okay with that.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Well, that's interesting. I guess you can find some comfort in that that you think the two outcomes that could have happened in that initial spot were going to be the same, whether you took that spot and you had a stepped forward, or whether Shane did. So I guess, yeah, that's something you can hold on to.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

It is, and I think I think that would have worked out better for Shane in that regard if it did, because then at least it's in my control. I made the decision and I'm okay with that. Uh for Shane, obviously, she just had a red flag on her back from from the get-go, and you saw and you've seen in the series. If you come after Cam, well then, well then you're out the next day. There's something in the universe there because Shane was gone, and obviously, Henry, in how he portrayed himself, he was gone the next night as well. So, hey.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Don't mess with Cam.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

Basically, it's just, but then something even for me, the universe or whatever you want to call it, was just like, this is not for you right now. We're gonna pluck you out, not once but twice, and you're gonna have some lessons and learnings along the way. Uh, figure what they are are, have a great experience regardless, and and we'll see you next time. But who knows, I still may have a third chance, Haley. I still may have I maybe just just around the corner, just pop up at another at another challenge. Who knows?

SPEAKER_01 5:24

Oh, we can we can only hope. What surprised you the most about the conversations you were hearing while you were under that hood waiting to find out whether you know your fellow contestants were going to bring you back into the game?

SPEAKER_00 5:39

So I'll tell you where my mind went when that was what the role was. It was it was simple. And these were the discussions as I was getting tied up uh with the producers, like you know, the deal here. They simply bring you back into the game, they get 10k. It's all pretty simple, pretty straightforward. What an easy decision. So, in my head, you can imagine the hood's over, it's just sunshine and rainbows, and they're gonna come around the corner, it's gonna be probably slow-mo, lift the hood. Oh, it's Cam. Beautiful, let's bring him back in. We get 10k. This is amazing, everyone's a winner. And that's that that that ended very, very quickly. As soon as I heard them come around the corner, the one of the first conversations I heard was, Oh, I think that's Cam. Do we bring oh my gosh? And Kira was, do we if we bring him back in? What if he wins? And immediately I just my mind went to, I'm in trouble here. And the so what surprised me would be simply the greed and the selfishness because immediately they went to if we bring someone back in, regardless of who it is, especially because we know it's Cam and he hasn't had a fair run so far. Uh, so they put their empathy aside and purely went for that's someone that I've got to get past still to get the loot at the end of the rainbow. And that probably probably upset me a little bit because I figured in that moment that my moral compass, my values differed a lot from some of the contestants. Not the twins, but but the rest of them. And I was like, oh wow, you throw in then the mind twist that is traitors, and I thought these guys in there there's a lot of delusion going on, and then money can do interesting things, and their true characteristics characteristics came to the top of the pile.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

Yeah, there was a split decision. Obviously, the twins on one side backing you, standing up for you, wanting to bring you back into the game. And we we saw that was very much Henry kind of leading the charge against not making that decision. Have you been able to talk to Henry since? Like, have you been able to clear the air?

SPEAKER_00 7:39

Yeah, so watching the first the premiere of the of the traders, which was great. And I caught up with Henry and like there's no bad blood, there's no there's it's all acceptance. That's the person that that I am. I completely sort of understand. And we had a chat, we talked about life, he's a teacher, he's got some cool projects going on. I was like, mate, awesome, fantastic. But he still probably couldn't actually stand up and say this is was my reasoning, actually. I was probably more straightforward to him and got on the front foot and said, Hey mate, how you going? How's everything? And he was probably a bit more, yeah, not understanding. But he didn't give me the hey, this was my real reasoning because I watched it, my wife watched it, she got online and actually had her thoughts as well, which is quite funny. But even me watching it, I was thinking, I still don't know your reasoning. So, Haley, if you want to tell me what it actually was from your point of view and your perspective, I I I would love to know. Kirby's, I sort of get it, she's the traitor, uh, but Henry's, I just didn't know. Maybe it was in full survivor mode. But again, the only thing I can come up with is that I was just someone that had a got an opportunity opportunity to that they needed to get rid of again to get to to win the money. But if you're gonna win that money, you need allies and you need a team and you need support, you need fresh eyes and a fresh mind. That's exactly what I had that could be an ally to help you get closer or to the end game, opposed to right then and there. And I was saying that if if it was halfway through, if they held me on for like another six days and half the cast had already gone and brought me back in, different story. That's probably not fair. But the fact it was still so early on, and that we'd had the same journey for everyone to get there, to put life on hold, to have isolation. Then you saw me get exit the game, and then still to give me an opportunity to just step into it for a moment, experience it. Um, you you put your own characteristics ahead of that to make that decision.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Yeah, it was brutal. And I I mean, you asked me what I think, and I can't speak for anyone in the game, obviously, but I do think having worked on Survivor, there is this mindset that players get in Survivor, and it is a cutthroat game, and I think this is a mix of people from different reality shows. So everyone comes from that different experience, and I think I think Henry was just went in full, full game mode. But on that, I mean, obviously, you come from maths, married at first sight. I guess for you, what do you wish that you could have shown Australia in The Traiters that you didn't get to show while you were on Married at First Sight?

SPEAKER_00 10:18

I think it would definitely be the communication side of things, even though you saw that, but probably from a different perspective of having building relationships, but also standing up for myself, what I believe in and what I I thought in the in that moment was was right, was wrong, um, and build those different types of of communication relationships. I think that was being the biggest part for me. Uh, and and probably with a little bit more conflict than what Australia or the world has seen me involve with. And that would that would have been a big part. And but that was also one of the reasons why I went in there. It was a it was a challenge for me, something completely different. And I believe that no matter where we are, who you are, what you are, if you if you can step into a little bit of an uncomfortable zone outside where you are comfortable, then things things you can learn a lot about yourself, that's for sure. And that was the challenge for me. It was never really, it was never about like one in 22 to win that, and and there were so many other players that were obviously brilliant, but for me it was more just a an identification to say, okay, I can do something like this, and to show Australia that I could.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Final question before we get to the quick fires. What does your wife Jules, what did she think of it all?

SPEAKER_00 11:32

Well, if you saw her socials, you would have figured that she was pretty fiery. Uh and she says she was like, This is because she saw it, she saw how going away, leaving two two young boys for that for that full week with zero contact, then to come back and me trying to explain what had happened, and she just like you so you didn't even get into the game, and we've put so then to watch it all unfold as well, she was just upset, and I think she was just she was just up as upset as what some of Australia was to go, this doesn't make sense, and why would you not do that? So she sought the same thing as well, the characteristics that were that came to the to the top, the selfishness, um, obviously the the greed and and the decisions that were made. She was yeah, she was pretty fiery. But I love that about my wife as well. So and I I didn't have I didn't I didn't have the energy to get on because I was trying to figure I was trying to fill out the uh census form. So I was like, oh it was compulsory tonight, I've got an end date, and I need to get that finished first. And by the time it was finished, I was like, okay, great.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Let's get to some quick fire questions. Uh, who were you most excited to see arriving at the manor?

SPEAKER_00 12:41

The first person that I generally saw was was Dicko, because I was sort of growing up with Australian Idol and then Coz. Funny enough, obviously the two together, I grew up with Australian Idol, saw those two icons, and just thought, wow, this is great, I'm part of this, which was unreal. And then to obviously see Gretel Colleen was was come out of the box looking incredible, and for me to feel I could have been part of sort of big brother type asking and Gretel's been amazing throughout the whole. We've caught up at events and we've seen each other at airports, and we just have the most incredible conversations, uh, which is so lovely, and she's just yeah, she's a genuine icon, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

She is an icon. Who were you most wary of?

SPEAKER_00 13:20

Uh, with hindsight, Shanghul now.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

If you were a traitor, who would you have murdered first?

SPEAKER_00 13:27

Oh, I can see why they murdered Queen, and that was such a shame because Queen had be could have been such a huge asset, big, but when you've got genuine evidence of what's going on, and I remember talking to him obviously outside and after when we've caught up, and and he I think he regrets going that hard to go, hey, I I've got this evidence. So he could have played that really well. I mean, I that was that was an easy choice. If you heard that, that he had genuine evidence, not just a hunch, then that's still the same thing, and that's unfortunate for Queen.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

What math star would you like to see on traitors next?

SPEAKER_00 14:04

Math star. Um, oh do you know what? I'm a huge fan of Mike. I think Mike's great. I think Mike, uh you sort of, if you know Mike, who is on our series, Mike Gunner, he's he's um he's a great fella, he's got a beautiful heart, but he's a box office as well. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 14:22

Is this uh do you mean Mike Love Triangle Mike?

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Yes. Mike's them love triangle mics. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

So he's going to the love for maybe I think the love, the love relationship part for him is probably not his his his forte. I think he goes into something like this because he's box office, he's great to watch because he tells it how it is. Sometimes he's quite abrasive, but if you know him, there's never intentions behind it, but he's he's great. So I I think he'd be he's always wonderful to watch because he's he's a he's a dear friend of mine. He's been there for any time. I've always needed support or help, or my family, um, he's always there. So and I mean Cyrelle, regardless of what, Cyclone Cyril, yeah. I mean, could really yeah, just um she is Cyclone or Cyrelle is just is is is a dear friend as well, and she's also box office, so you just throw that in a pack and who knows what could potentially happen, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Yeah, seeing her around the round table, I can only imagine.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

So thank thank you so much, Cam. I really appreciate your time. Thanks for jumping on here. I hope that you can, you know, look back on it with some, you know, positivity, which it seems like you're in a really good frame of mind given the circumstances of how you went out.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

You know what, Haley, everything always happens for a reason. The time that I had to myself was so incredible. Like people think, well, how you weren't even in the game, but I think when you, yeah, you give yourself a chance to just to be create silver linings, what's this experience telling me? Is it is it tragedy or is it just an inconvenience for me? It was obviously just an inconvenience, but I found things to do and time to do. And what is crazy, out of all this, the time that I had to myself and with everything that was going on, funny enough, and I'll give it, but I wrote a book in that time that I generally had to myself, which was so funny because it's called clarity, it's a simple method to find your plug. Little plug, so thank you. Simple method to find your direction in a world full of noise, and it's eight pillars of how someone can find their own clarity, their own direction, um, and answer some of their own questions of what's going on within themselves, take control of of their life and and move forward. And it's a it's a it was it came from it, it was incredible, it was a sort of a story of my my story, my experience throughout my whole life, and how I've come to where I am today. So um I couldn't be more grateful, but that's the thing. You when when unexpected times and challenges come, they can create the most unexpected things, and this is where this was actually born. So, yes, quite funny. Clarity. So it comes out August 26th for Father's Day. Um, it's endorsed by Robin Sharmer, actually. He wrote a he read it, and he's very happy with it as well. So I am tr truly grateful and thank you, Haley, for having me. And this was such a fabulous chat.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Amazing, thank you so much. I'll have to get a link from you to the pre orders so we can pop it in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

That would be fabulous. I really do appreciate that. So thank you so much.

unknown 17:20

This is beyond reality.