The Traitors had a very exciting finale. We got plenty of twists, betrayal, banishment, and victory for certain players. Overall, it was an ending worthy of its road. It also just made me more thrilled for the next season.
However, The Traitors US Season 3 finale could have been even better with a few changes. One of them is a slight altering of the major twist of Season 3. It has worked better in the past, and I think I know why, and I have some thoughts on ways it can improved in future seasons.
Let us discuss.
Warning: The Traitors US Season 3 spoilers are ahead. Also, some The Traitors UK Series 3 spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
The Seer Twist Ended In A Lackluster Way In Season 3
The Seer twist is set up as this major thing for the season. The player who holds the power will get to know the identity of one player. This could give the Faithfuls an advantage if they pick correctly. However, it could also work in the Traitors’ favor.
On The Traitors Season 3 finale, Britney Haynes wins the Seer power. She is a Traitor, so she already knows that everyone else remaining is a Faithful. She picks Gabby Windey. Gabby confirms that she is a Faithful. The suspense around this is whether Britney will try to paint Gabby as a Faithful or as a Traitor.
Britney decides to be truthful and reveal to everyone that Gabby is a Faithful. Britney did this to win the trust of Gabby and make the group believe that only Faithful players remained. According to the confessionals, Britney’s choice confused some of the finalists. This made them unsure if she was a Faithful or a Traitor.
Dylan Efron becomes even more confused by the Gabby-is-a-Faithful reveal and starts to wonder if she and Britney could both be Traitors. Ultimately, this twist didn’t help Britney, and she was banished. It may have helped Gabby ensure that she stayed and won some money.
Overall, the Seer twist added no excitement to the finale. The moment Britney was announced as the holder, it lost all momentum.
We knew Britney was a Traitor and not likely to try to play a devious game by painting someone else as one. I personally believe that Danielle Reyes won the Seer power. However, once she was banished, Britney got it as the second-place finisher, but that's just my theory.
Even though Danielle and Britney were Traitors, Danielle may have used the power more entertainingly. She could have picked Dylan or Dolores Catania and tried to convince them that she was a Faithful and they could finish the game together.
Additionally, there is also a possibility that she knows Dylan can’t be swayed to her side. She could then pull a Hail Mary and try to paint him as a Traitor. Danielle as the Seer (had she won it and stayed in the game) had potential for something exciting, but overall, the power didn’t add anything to The Traitors US.
It Yields Exciting Results On The UK Version
On The Traitors UK Season 3 (currently streaming on Peacock, and is one of the best shows to watch on there), someone wins the Seer power who is a Faithful. They then accidentally pick a Traitor. Before picking the person, they were confident that they were a Faithful. They wanted to confirm it so they could all end the game together.
The reveal is very dramatic. Then the next day, the intensity increases because these players go after each other. The Traitor tries to paint the Faithful as a liar and a Traitor. It’s very entertaining and sets the Seer power up as this thrilling twist.
This made me very excited to see it play out in the American version, but it just didn’t have the same intensity or entertainment. It felt like a twist with a lot of potential that didn’t work well in the US format.
If These Things Happened On Traitors US, I Think The Twist Would Have Worked Better
I already talked about a scenario where Danielle won the Seer power and what she might have done with it. There is also a scenario where Britney or Danielle wins the power and takes each other to the room. They could then use this extra time to plan how to play things so they survive together in the end.
Nevertheless, I think the twist works best when someone wins it who isn’t a Traitor. If any of the Faithfuls won, they would have likely picked Britney because Danielle put suspicion on her when she felt betrayed.
If a Faithful won the Seer power and selected Britney, we would see at least some tension. Additionally, maybe Britney can confuse people enough that at least the final gathering doesn’t end with everyone splitting the money. In the UK version, the Seer twist creates enough suspicion that it’s not a peaceful ending.
The Seer power needs some tension and that mainly works if a Faithful wins it and must try to out someone as a Traitor. That added element is needed for suspense and to make the show even more bingeable.
The Seer Twist Could Work On Future Seasons But Needs A Few Changes
I think the Seer power worked on the UK version because of who won it and who they picked. I think in the future, it needs to be a power that a Faithful wins. However, maybe make it a little more complicated by telling the Faithful whether a Traitor is still there but not their identity. This could be an improvement because it allows them to know whether someone remaining is a Traitor, but if all Faithfuls remain, they could lie.
They could say a Traitor is there because it would make the Faithfuls trust that they aren’t one, and maybe allow them to eliminate people to have a bigger share of the prize money. There is also still intrigue if the Seer-power-holder says that all Faithfuls remain.
This may make the others think that they’re lying and the Traitor. There is a lot of potential drama without exposing a name. If a Traitor wins the Seer power, they should get a different advantage.
One that helps them shield their identity. Maybe if a Traitor wins, the Seer power is automatically void. Alan Cumming can announce a Traitor won so the power no longer works (obviously, he wouldn't mention who won). The competitions to win the Seer power could be more secretive next time so it’s harder to know who won it. If a Traitor wins it, maybe it’s void but the whole selection process is also secret. Therefore, anyone can claim it and lie. This would create so much confusion. For example, say Britney won and didn’t invite anyone, but could tell the group she won and picked Gabby.
She could then lie and say whatever she wants, while Gabby is confused and freaks out about being dragged into a lie. Also if the selection is secret, if the Faithful knows a Faithful or Traitor’s identity, they can just hold that information until needed.
These are just a few suggestions, but I am sure The Traitors producers can figure out some clever ways to improve it.
I Think The Twist Is A Game Changer And Needs To Stay
Overall, I really like the Seer twist, especially seeing how it played out on the UK version. It has a lot of potential to be this really interesting and complicated element of the game. It’s not that the twist doesn’t work, it just needs tweaking to ensure that it always produces some form of tension or entertainment.
The way it played out in the US version made it feel useless, but knowing the results of the UK version before watching the US one, I knew how great it could be under the right circumstances. We just need to make sure the circumstances are always right.
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