It's a great time to be a reality TV fan, thanks to the megahit The Traitors, which I think is one of the best reality shows of all time. After Season 2 of the US Traitors, I'm one of the many fans who figured out how to watch The Traitors UK Season 2. Now that I'm a number of episodes in, I have to admit that the UK version of the show is making me rethink the game. Specifically, how much I loved watching celebrities compete in the states.
The cast of The Traitors Season 2 was made up of reality TV royalty, including icons from Survivor, Big Brother, The Challenge, and The Real Housewives. As a result, it was wildly popular for those with a Peacock subscription. I loved seeing these personalities clash, like Parvati's conflict with Phaedra. But honestly, these non-celebrities on UK Season 2 are making for such thrilling television that I think maybe normies might be better for the show.
Of course, it was already confirmed that The Traitors US Season 3 would have another cast full of celebs. Still, the gameplay coming out of The Traitors UK shows how many twists and turns could happen for a group of regular folks who aren't used to being competition shows.
Since the cast of The Traitors Season 2 was all TV personalities, they came into the game with pre-existing relationships with the genre, as well as each other. The game played out more like Survivor, with a number of different alliance groups forming and voting against each other. But this hasn't happened in any of the non-celebrity iterations. And that can create for more thrilling gameplay, albeit with less meme-worthy moments.
The Traitors UK Season 2 used the same challenges and twists as the US version, but to very different results. The Faithful were quickly able to eliminate two Traitors, long before Dan was evicted in the US franchise. So while some fans are wondering how Traitors contestants spend their time, I'm wondering whether or not using celebrities for the franchise is the wise move for producers.
This thought process is a complicated one for me, as I was truly living my best life throughout US' Season 2. I'm a hardcore Survivor and Housewives fan, so seeing these worlds collide over the round table was thrilling. Plus, who doesn't love Alan Cumming's wild accent on the show?
Of course, new episodes of The Traitors UK are still airing on Peacock, so maybe I'll feel differently when the season comes to a close. But it's been fascinating to see how different the very same game goes down with the cast of non-celebrities who really need the money.
The Traitors is streaming the US, UK, and Australia versions on Peacock. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list.
