Explainer

What is The Traitors and how does the show work?

Dan On Big Brother 14
Dan Gheesling experienced an earthquake in the Big Brother house. Pic credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS

Peacock has a winner on its hands with The Traitors. The reality competition show returns soon after a hugely successful debut season.

Twenty-one celebrities are featured in the second season, many of whom come from reality television. Big Brother, Survivor, and Bachelor fans won’t want to miss this.

The show was filmed in Scotland and hosted by Alan Cumming. The actor has been in many notable projects, including playing Nightcrawler in X2 and Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye. He was also Piers in Spice World.

Everyone on The Traitors is competing for a $250,000 prize. Many challenges and elimination votes stand between the competitors and their end goals.

People are eliminated until the final stage is reached. Someone (or a group) then leaves the castle much richer.

Having Scotland as the backdrop breathes some new life into the reality competition genre, but so do the rules from The Traitors.

How does The Traitors work?

The cast for The Traitors is split into “Traitors” and “Faithfuls.”

“Faithfuls” are the people playing the game straight-up. “Traitors” are the people trying to steal the money from everyone else.

The season begins with three “Traitors” who meet separately and decide which person to “murder” each evening. Their secret decision is revealed to the group the following morning. And that person is done in the game.

Daily challenges and votes also take place. The challenges help create a pot of money that everyone can win. Sometimes, they come with advantages – like being safe for the night.

A daily roundtable vote happens where the object is to vote out someone they think is a “Traitor.” Debates can get heated and dramatic as people defend themselves or toss out accusations.

The objective for the “Faithfuls” is to vote out all the “Traitors” before getting taken out themselves. If all the “Traitors” are voted out, every surviving member of the “Faithfuls” splits the cash prize.

The “Traitors” want to survive till the end without getting caught, allowing them to steal the money if the “Faithfuls” don’t eliminate them. It’s possible for one “Traitor” to win all the money.

Below is a video from when Season 1 of The Traitors debuted last winter.

A brand new cast for The Traitors Season 2

Here is the cast list for The Traitors Season 2. It includes people from Big Brother, Survivor, The Bachelor, and the Real Housewives franchises.

The first season of The Traitors is available for streaming on Peacock. It’s worth checking out and can be binge-watched in a single weekend.

While the premise of having celebrities compete for money on television isn’t new, the format, rules, and innovation of The Traitors have made it a treat. And Alan Cumming is a joy as the host.

The new season arrives on January 16.

The Survivor 46 cast list has also been leaked.

The Traitors Season 1 is streaming on Peacock.

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