I don’t know about you, but when it comes to the 2025 TV schedule, the series I’m starting my year hooked on is the U.S. version of The Traitors. I know, I know, it’s been a hot topic for those with a Peacock subscription since the U.S. version of the show started in 2023, but I’m just getting into watching all the lying and treachery this month. I want to talk about why it took me so long, and why I’ve just about never binged a series faster.
If you too are catching up on the hype, The Traitors is a reality game show that has a group of people venturing to a castle in the Scottish Highlands to play a social deception game. A select few are secretly selected by host Alan Cumming to serve as as “traitors” while the rest of the contestants are “faithfuls”. Oh, and $250,000 is on the line to win. While the Traitors are tasked with anonymously "killing" a contestant each week, it is the job of the faithfuls to suss out the traitors, because if there are any left in the game at the end, they will be the only ones to win money and thus, the faithfuls will leave Scotland empty handed. Now, I’ll get into my fun journey with the show as a recent first-time viewer.
I Waited To Start The Traitors Because I Don’t Know Most Of The Contestants
When it comes to reality TV, I wouldn’t say that I am a frequent viewer. In recent years, I have fallen into the trap of dating shows within Bachelor Nation and Netflix series like Love Is Blind, and every once in a while I’ll get into a competition show like Dancing With The Stars or The Voice. So when, I decided to turn on the first season of The Traitors, I really didn’t know anything about most of the contestants from shows like Survivor, Big Brother or Real Housewives. The only familiar one for me, was Arie from The Bachelorette and The Bachelor.
This was the main reason why I steered clear of The Traitors. In the ads for the show, it seemed to market the personalities of these shows as selling points, when I’d never seen them before in my life. However, when I decided to just give it a try, it was only the first episode or two that had me feeling like I had to fill in the gaps about who the players were. After that, I was really able to settle into the game and not feel like I was missing much by not seeing the shows some of the players are from.
But, As Soon As I Started I Had To Be Pulled Away From My TV
I wouldn’t call myself much of a binge-watcher either, but as soon as I understood the concept of The Traitors and started seeing it play out, it felt like all I wanted to do was sit on my couch and hit play until the finale. Over just a few days, I experienced the first season, and was really impressed with how much I enjoyed it. Wow, these people are ruthless for money!
Why am I so into this show? First off, I think it’s really cleverly executed. I’m someone who would absolutely cringe if I had to play a social deception game because I’m a horrible liar, but to sit back and watch one play out where the stakes is hundreds and thousands of dollars, it feels like one big social experiment along with having players who know how to both be entertaining and have a good time with it.
It's always intriguing to see shows that have people work for big sums of cash, and between his elaborate outfits and performance, Alan Cumming is one of the best series hosts I've ever seen. He's committed to a theatrical character, and it just works so well. Oh, and the sets! The sets are gorgeous. It does feel like you're watching a movie play out with how well thought out each part of the game is.
At first I enjoyed the “game show” element of there being missions and being clued in on the traitors strategy, but ultimately I think my curiosity grew and grew because it’s addicting to watch the group of people know multiple people are lying to gain for themselves, and how that poisons the water and affects how they act and go about things. What does it take to be successful in The Traitors? What twists would come up next? I was on the edge of my seat.
Why Not Knowing The Contestants Actually Makes It A Lot Of Fun
While I initially thought that The Traitors wouldn’t be for me because of its connection with so many reality shows, ultimately I think it’s accessible to anyone. I’d even recommend more people who are not into reality TV get into it with me, because I I feel like I had perhaps an even better time being short-sided by what I would be getting from each player and how they would react in different situations. In Season 1 for example, one who has watched Survivor might already be privy to the fact that Cirie is a master at reality TV game play, but since each player was seen in my eyes as an equal in the beginning, I watched as they presented themselves and their strategies in different situations.
If you do join the dark side with me, I do recommend starting at the beginning. I’m happy I didn’t throw myself into streaming The Traitors Season 3 first, because Season 1 is the only season of the U.S. version that has a mix of civilians and stars. It was also a blast to see the reality veterans interact with fans of reality TV, because it added a new layer of deception for the players, too.
After Finishing The First Season I Totally Understand Why It Needs All The Reality Stars
Since starting Season 3 and seeing who Alan Cumming chose out of a castle full of big names, I understand why the series decided to fill the entire castle with reality stars going forward. They are more likely to be big personalities who stir the pot, and the faithfuls in the first season seemed to lose an edge because they were not playing to the same cunning level as the reality stars.
Sure, there’s a part of me that just wants to see everyday people play this social deception game, but after watching the first season and getting into the current season, I’m aware that the reality TV stars just add so much gloss and danger to the game.
Anyway, I’ll be watching the new season week by week and watching what I missed at a later date. I'm an officially a faithful to The Traitors.
