Have you finished all the shows you planned to watch over Winter Break? Are you looking for a new weekly TV show to binge with your friends this semester now that Dancing with the Stars has concluded? Then the hit show The Traitors might be for you!
Set in the countryside of Scotland and hosted by renowned actor Alan Cummings, twenty-four contestants ranging from reality series such as Survivor, Big Brother, Love Island, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and numerous others are invited to stay at a castle and compete in grueling challenges in order to win up to $250,000. However, the twist comes in the form of the show’s namesake, the Traitors.
Several of the contestants are chosen by Alan Cummings himself to become Traitors – players whose only goal is to eliminate those who were not chosen in order to secure the prize pot for themselves. The audience is clued into the identity of the Traitors, but the other contestants, known as the Faithful, are clueless to the danger that permeates their ranks. Therefore, the Faithful are left with a new challenging goal aside from winning the competition – find the traitors, vote them out, and stay alive. The Traitors is a thrilling game from start to finish, with plenty of drama, back stabbings, and deceit sprinkled throughout to keep you entertained for hours. After all, what else do you expect from reality TV stars?
The rules of the game work similarly to that of the game Among Us. As mentioned previously, when the Traitors are chosen, only the audience as well as the other Traitors know the identity of the “killers.” Each day, the entire group must participate in a challenge in order to not only win more money, but also to win shields which can protect the lucky Faithful holding one from being “killed” that night. However, these challenges are anything but simple. The players, both Faithful and Traitor alike, must trust each other and work together in order to navigate the mission, whether it be rowing a boat across a massive lake in order to find a coffin hiding money inside or withstanding having insects and spiders dropped on their heads in order to win the prize.
Each mission has thrilling elements that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but will also provide plenty of opportunities for unexpected allyship, betrayals, and drama among the cast. It’s not only a game about physical strength and endurance, but also teamwork and strategy. The missions provide an opportunity for not only the Traitors to potentially take shields to prevent Faithfuls from protecting themselves and look trustworthy, but also for suspicions and evidence to arise as the game progresses.
While watching reality stars struggle through the missions is fun, the game doesn’t end there. At night, all the players must come together and decide to vote out one player in an attempt to banish a Traitor, which involves even more tension as well as strategy. If the Traitors successfully make it through the round table, they then convene at night in order to choose a Faithful to murder, taking them out of the game and increasing their chances of winning.
This is the cycle that progresses through the show, but there are usually many twists and turns that not even experienced players can see coming, such as having to murder a Faithful in plain sight, having new players join the game as more people lose, and even having the Traitors recruit a Faithful to their ranks. No two seasons are ever the same, and the show’s unpredictability and constant evolution make it a new experience every time!
After watching season 3 over Winter Break, I found myself instantly hooked. I highly recommend this show to anyone looking for fun entertainment and also enjoys strategy-centered challenges and competitions! Plus, it’s not too late to get in on the excitement. Not only are three seasons currently available on Peacock, but season 4 of The Traitors has only just started with new episodes releasing every Thursday. So, what are you waiting for? Jump in and ask yourself, who is a Faithful, and who is a Traitor?