Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘The Traitors: New Blood’ living up to its title in every way conceivable, a vibrant group of contestants from all walks of life plays the ultimate game of murder mystery. It hones in on chaos and strategy, all the while also testing people’s emotionalism, loyalties, as well as willpower because accusations will be hurled and many will be betrayed. Amongst those who got caught in gameplay was Niyyah Bilal Hayes, whose own strategy of remaining in the middle while making alliances had actually been working well until then.
Niyyah Hayes Was Murdered in Plain Sight With an Apple
It wasn’t long after Niyyah Hayes first came across our screens that the 29-year-old made it clear she hoped to be a Traitor rather than a Faithful, owing to her perceived skills in duplicity. The fact that she likes to be in control of every situation as a Type A individual who can often cosplay as Type B drove her to believe in herself, but alas, she wasn’t chosen to be a turncoat. She thus decided to utilize her background in psychology not only to build rapport with her fellow contestants but also to smell out fishy tactics, people, and circumstances.
The way Niyyah was unafraid to speak her mind but did so respectfully also earned her a lot of trust, which soon translated into close alliances, hefty social capital, and strong gameplay. She was even careful not to draw too much attention to herself in any capacity to remain a chameleon in the middle, so even the Traitors noticed she could become a threat in the long run. Therefore, when asked to kill in plain sight by throwing someone an apple, Joe Vanella didn’t hesitate to make her a target when a clear opportunity arose – she was murdered in episode 6.
Niyyah Hayes is Working Towards Her Childhood Dream of Being a Doctor
Niyyah was just 8 or 9 years old in the third grade when she openly admitted she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, only to then truly dedicate herself to her idealistic ambitions. The Gainesville native enrolled at Florida Southern College as soon as she could, where she pursued dual Bachelor’s degrees in Criminology and Psychology before graduating in 2019. It was during this period that she also held several roles within the educational institution to gain hands-on experience and make ends meet, including Student Development Officer, Southern Ambassador (Tour Guide), Student Development Office Assistant, Resident Advisor, and Student Development Manager.
Niyyah subsequently served as an Investigations Intern at the District 10 Public Defender’s Office from January 2019 to May 2019 before moving on to attend the University of Central Florida. She earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from there in 2021, by which point she’d also interned in the Social Work and Investigations unit at the Federal Public Defender’s Office from August 2019 to March 2020. She was even a Greek Graduate Coordinator of Residence Life & Education at her institution from May 2019 to May 2021, all the while also working at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). She was initially just a Trainee in the VA’s Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) Program from August 2020 to May 2021, but she later became a full-time employee.
For two years, from June 2021 to May 2023, Niyyah was the Patient-Aligned Care Team Social Worker in the Primary Care Clinic at the Orlando VA, helping people with their mental health. She then passed her Social Work Licensure Exam in November 2023, not long after moving to pursue her dreams and enrolling at the University of Indianapolis to begin her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. So, if all goes according to her plan, she will earn her doctorate in a total of 5 years, meaning she will have the title of doctor in 2028. Until then, though, she continues to work as a therapist. The former camp leader was an Intern/Trainee at various medical institutions over the years, but since September 2026, she has been back at the VA. She is currently a Primary Care Mental Health Integration Doctoral Trainee at the Blue Clinic of the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Although Hard-Working, Niyyah Hayes Ensures to Prioritize Her Own Well-Being So As To Not Burn Out
In the past 7 years, Niyyah has lived in 4 different cities and flourished at every turn because she made sure to balance her career with personal experiences. There’s no denying that her chosen field can sometimes be emotionally, mentally, and physically draining, but she has been smart enough not to let it impact her entire life. She does so by having quality alone time, hanging out with friends in different social situations, relying on loved ones during hard times, and never hesitating to lean on her unwaveringly supportive family. From what we can tell, the 29-year-old is particularly close to her mother and has a solid group with whom she loves to travel, attend concerts/music festivals, and undertake all kinds of adventures.
Niyyah enjoyed the wonders of London, England, in April 2023, which she followed with visits to Boston in July, the Dominican Republic in September 2023, and Las Vegas in October. The next year, in 2024, she traveled to Winter Park in Colorado in March, New York in July, and Mexico in October – from what we can tell, her trip to Mexico was on a cruise. Then, in October 2025, the Nashville, Tennessee, regular decided to explore the beauty of Roatan, Honduras, and most recently, in October 2026, she went to Toronto, Canada. While in the city often referred to as The Big Smoke or Hogtown, she even braved the EdgeWalk on the CN Tower, which is the world’s highest full-circle, hands-free walk. We should also mention that Niyyah is an animal lover who had two cats she named after the Weasley Twins in the Harry Potter franchise – Fred and George Weasley. Sadly, in October 2024, George passed away after giving her 13 joyous years.
Read More: Tomica Adams: Where is The Traitors New Blood Contestant Now?
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