Are you looking for a new reality show to watch? If you have the Peacock streaming service, you might have seen a show advertised called “The Traitors,” and wondered what it is about and whether it is worth watching. It is.
NBC released the first season on Peacock on January 12th 2023, with a cast split equally between everyday people and reality show celebrities (including ‘Survivor’s Cirie Fields and Stephanie LaGrossa, as well as many others). This format ended up winning “The Traitors” its very first Emmy for “Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program.”
During the filming of “Traitors” (based on the original Dutch version of the show), contestants live in a castle in Scotland. At the beginning of the season, host Alan Cumming selects 2-4 players to become “Traitors.” Each night the traitors “murder” someone, eliminating them from the game. The Traitors’ goal is to get to the end of the game without being found out by the rest of the players, who are known as the “Faithfuls.”
In every episode, all players compete in a challenge to add money to the prize pot; the challenges offer the Faithfuls an opportunity to see if anyone is acting suspiciously enough to be a traitor. Near the end of every episode, everyone comes together for a round table discussion, where the faithful have a chance to vote out a traitor. If at least one Traitor is still alive at the end of the game, they take the entire prize, but if the Faithfuls eliminate all of the Traitors, they split the prize.
The first season ended up being one of the most popular reality shows of the whole year. The second season is currently streaming on Peacock, with new episodes every Thursday at 9pm. Season 2 had one of the biggest premieres in Peacock’s history. “Traitors” has already been renewed for another season.
This time the cast of Season 2 is all former reality contestants/celebrities, which most of the fan base seems to prefer over the format for Season 1. Season 2’s cast includes: Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio (“The Challenge”), Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Marcus Jordan (son of Michael Jordan), Maksim “Maks” Chmerkovskiy (“Dancing with the Stars”), Deontay Wilder (professional boxer), Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu (“Love Island UK”), Larsa Pippen (“Real Housewives of Miami”), Tamra Judge (“Real Housewives of Orange County”), Janelle Pierzina (“Big Brother”), Dan Gheesling (“Big Brother”), John Bercow (former UK Speaker of the House of Commons), Carsten “Bergie” Bergersen (“Love Island USA”), Trishelle Cannatella (“The Challenge”), Kate Chastain (Season 1 of “The Traitors”), Sandra Diaz-Twine (“Survivor”), Mercedes “MJ” Javid (“Shahs of Sunset”), Kevin Kreider (“Bling Empire”), Phaedra Parks (“Real Housewives of Atlanta”), Parvati Shallow (“Survivor”), Chris “CT” Tamburello (“The Challenge”), Peter Weber (“The Bachelorette”), and Shereé Whitfield (“Real Housewives of Atlanta”).
Is “The Traitors” actually worth watching? It’s 100% a Yes. It is probably the best new reality show we have had in a long time. I found Season 1 after it was already over, but I fell in love with it and binged the whole season within a few days. I love the format of the show, and the fact that some of my favorite reality stars have been added to the cast makes it that much better. Alan Cumming has the perfect personality for the host role, and his fashion is immaculate. “The Traitors” is a 5/5 star show, and could one day be in the running with “Big Brother” and “Survivor” for my favorite reality show of all time.
