The world of reality TV shows stays in motion. Almost daily, it seems like a new reality TV show premieres on a broadcast network, cable channel, or streaming service. With so many available, it is hard to decide which ones are worth your time and energy. Peacock’s The Traitors is a reality TV show worthy of your attention.
I love British panel shows and reality shows. Over the years, either through streaming services or Youtube and a dream, I’ve been able to watch international TV shows. Therefore, when I discovered that Peacock’s The Traitors had a UK version, I binge-watched it in a few days.
I am excited about the new U.S. streaming version and ready to tell you everything that you need to know about this new reality series.
The Traitors Premieres On Peacock On January 12, 2023
Peacock will release all 10 episodes (they're 60 minutes each) of The Traitors on January 12, 2023. This makes it a key part of Peacock's 2023 TV schedule.
The streaming service is making a bold choice by releasing all the episodes to binge at once. Peacock has, overall, been implementing a strategy of releasing episodes weekly.
It did this with its other reality series, such as Love Island and Love for the Ages. It’s also been taking the one or several episodes-a-week formats with many of its original scripted series, including some of the best recent Peacock original TV shows.
Even streaming services that usually use the binge format have been releasing some of their reality shows weekly. Many of Netflix’s popular reality dating TV shows use the weekly episode formula. Having a few weeks to build momentum and word-of-mouth may have been a better strategy with The Traitors, because it could really benefit from social media buzz. However, I will be one of those people binge-watching once it's released. I know just how entertaining the show can be.
The Traitors Is Based On A Dutch Series
The original The Traitors, known as De Verraders, began in 2021 in the Netherlands. It’s already aired for two seasons, and similar to another Netherlands sensation, Big Brother, it already has several international versions.
As of January 2023, there are nine international versions of The Traitors, including an upcoming Spanish version for HBO Max (via Deadline), Peacock’s, the U.K. version, and an Australian edition.
According to Deadline, the one in the U.K. has become quite popular, with a steady weekly ratings increase. It’s yet to be determined if the U.S. edition will have similar success, but it may, based on the track record of other adapted and imported reality TV shows.
The Circle originated in the U.K. and then produced several different international versions. It is just one example of a successful imported reality TV show. The U.S. edition of The Circle ran for longer than the original, with five current seasons.
The American Cast Features Reality Stars, Including Rachel Reilly And Brandi Glanville
The Peacock competition involves a combination of reality stars and everyday people. It has 20 contestants, with 10 being reality stars and ten being non-celebrities. The reality stars are:
- Cirie Fields from Survivor
- Cody Calafiore from Big Brother
- Kate Chastain from Below Deck
- Kyle Cooke from Summer House
- Rachel Reilly from Big Brother
- Reza Farahan from Shahs of Sunset
- Ryan Lochte, an Olympian and former Celebrity Big Brother contestant
- Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick from Survivor
- Arie Luyendyk Jr. from the Bachelor franchise
- Brandi Glanville from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
The civilian contestants are:
- Christian De La Torre (Veteran & Van Life Influencer)— Los Angeles, CA
- Michael Davidson (DMV Office Manager)— Oneida, KY
- Andie Thurmond (Director of Music Services)— Reno, NV
- Quentin Jiles (Political Analyst)— Houston, TX
- Shelbe Rodriguez (Public Affairs Manager)— Beaumont, TX
- Geraldine Moreno (Actress)— North Hollywood, CA
- Robert “Bam” Nieves (Tech Sales Executive)— Rye, NY
- Anjelica Conti (Hair Stylist)— Staten Island, NY
- Azra Valani (Yoga Instructor)— Los Angeles, CA
- Amanda Clark (Emergency Room Nurse)— Carlisle, PA
Brandi Glanville loves a good scandal, Rachel Reilly is not afraid to be blunt about her opinions, and many of these other reality TV stars generally add fun or drama to any show. Additionally, most of them have been on multiple reality series, so they know what makes entertaining reality TV.
The U.K. version only had civilians, and they were very entertaining. Hopefully, we can expect some of the non-reality stars to not be overshadowed by reality TV veterans in terms of entertainment.
Broadway star Alan Cumming (who also appeared on The Good Wife) hosts The Traitors. We know that he will add charm and entertainment to the show.
It’s A Show About Traitors Vs. Faithfuls
The Traitors is a lot like the game Mafia. In both games, the objective is to identify the person killing players before it’s too late. At the beginning of the game, three Traitors are chosen based on interviews done by the host. They then meet to decide who to kill for each game round. Whoever they pick to kill is out of the game.
Players can also be eliminated during a round table. This is where the remaining contestants accuse someone of being a Traitor. Whether a Traitor or a Faithful (anyone not a Traitor), the player with the most votes at each round table is eliminated. The goal for the Faithfuls is to eliminate all the Traitors before the end of the game. The goal of the Traitors is to go undetected until the end.
There will be twists thrown into the game, such as asking other players to become a Traitor, killing a player in plain sight, or even giving a player an ultimatum to join the Traitors or die. Peacock’s The Traitors may have its own set of twists, but these are some of the major ones from the U.K. edition.
There is no consequence for eliminating a Faithful instead of a Traitor, but it will make it harder at the end to figure out who the Traitors are, or worse, you may end up with more Traitors than Faithful at the end of the game.
That could be very bad for the Faithfuls.
The Traitors Could Win The Entire Grand Prize
If only Faithfuls remain at the end, then they split the grand prize. If there are any Traitors remaining at the end of the game, they get the entire grand prize and can split it among themselves. If only one Traitor remains, they get the entire prize. In order for the Faithfuls to win any money, they have to eliminate all the Traitors.
For the Traitors to win the entire prize, they must make it to the end and successfully convince everyone that they’re a Faithful. They add to the prize pot by completing several tasks. This means the prize money completely depends on their success as a team.
Unlike series like The Mole, the Traitors must help the team win money. There are no sabotages by Traitors in terms of prize money, because it’s their pot to win as well. Peacock’s iteration mentions that the prize money could go as high as $250,000.
Also unlike The Mole, the Traitors are revealed to you at the start of the series. Therefore, you watch their journey along with the Faithfuls’ journey.
The trailer for shows some of the challenges, and they look very similar to the U.K. tasks. This may mean that Peacock just plans to repeat those challenges. A lot of them are interesting, including one where players are buried in a coffin.
Stream all 10 episodes of The Traitors Season 1 on Peacock on January 12, 2023. It has the potential to be one of the best shows to watch on Peacock. You won’t want to miss it.
