I have been on the hunt for a new show to binge-watch. I recently came across Traitors and have been obsessed with it since. It’s not my normal happy genre; instead, it is full of drama, mystery, and murder. Keep reading to discover why this show gave me trust issues and why I loved every second!
WHAT IS TRAITORS?
Imagine the game Mafia meets reality TV and that is what the show Traitors is. It is jam-packed with drama, suspense, treachery, and, of course, endless plot twists. This season had some of my favorite reality TV stars, such as Wells Adams from Bachelor in Paradise, and introduced me to some new stars, such as Dylan Efron and Bob the Drag Queen. A staple of any reality TV show is to put all the players in a huge house where they are forced to spend every second together. This show does not disappoint… but instead of a house, they‘re placed in the Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
The show originated in the Netherlands and was based on a 17th-century incident where a Dutch ship was wrecked (the Batavia incident). The wreck didn’t have faithfuls or traitors but rather a decision of whether to rebel against authorities or not. The key is that none of the survivors knew who wanted to rebel and who didn’t, so instead they lied to each other and engaged in deceit. The show’s creator initially thought about making a documentary but instead wanted to track human behavior and chose to make it a psychological reality program Once the show was finally picked up, it became a raging success and is now international, with show editions in 20+ countries
In season 3, there were 21 people, 4 of them traitors and the rest faithfuls. The goal of the show depends on which team each individual player is on. The faithful’s job is to banish the traitors from the castle and keep themselves safe. The traitors’ job is to murder the faithfuls and stay in the game until they are the only ones left. Whoever is left at the end becomes the show’s winners and receives the grand jackpot of money.
The money jackpot is pretty high to begin with, but the players raise the amount of money by completing different challenges. The trick, however, is that the challenges are tough and get harder every day. They often require physical strength, collaboration, intelligence, and self-sacrifice. If you think you can envision the challenge, trust me, you can’t. The creators of this show are extremely creative in the challenges they chose, and all of them relate specifically to the show. My favorite challenge required baby dolls, nursery rhymes, and some questionable singing, which was fun to watch. From human chess to dropping gold from a helicopter, the challenges will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Perhaps the most stress-inducing part of the show was the round table. The round table was where the players got the opportunity to attack other players and convince people to banish them. After an allotted time for conversation, every individual player had to write down who they voted for and announce it to everyone at the table, as well as explain why they voted for them. The player with the most votes was banished from the castle and had to reveal their true identity, and their dramatic exits did not fail to be entertaining.
SPOILERS AHEAD: PERSONAL THOUGHTS ON THE SHOW
I finished this show way too fast, considering how long the episodes are, but the show had me hooked!! I was very happy with how the show ended because the Faithfuls prevailed! I loved Dylan and Gabby and was excited to see them make it to the end.
The final four were extremely interesting because they all had relatively different strategies throughout the show. Lord Ivar was relatively unproblematic, always participating yet laying low. He seemed like he didn’t have much to hide because he didn’t. Gabby Windey caught some heat throughout the show but was a true faithful. She rarely pointed fingers with certainty, but she followed her gut, which is when she succeeded the most. Her innocent demeanor almost cost her the game, but it all worked out for her.
Dolores Catania was possibly the most faithful of the faithfuls. She would guess with uncertainty and was usually wrong, but she was overall relatively unproblematic, which carried her far in the game. Lastly, there was Dylan Efron, who was a fan and house favorite. Everyone trusted him, and he trusted almost everyone. He was onto many of the traitors early on but took more passive matters to banish them rather than attacking them, which I believe is ultimately how he got to the end.
The traitors were good at their game but apparently not good enough. A key turning point was Boston Rob turning on Bob the Drag Queen. This was the beginning of the end of the traitor’s journey, as all of them eventually turned on each other. Even when on a “team,” they made it clear that they were on their own team first and foremost. The traitors could never agree on anything and were always trying to kill each other off rather than working together. Boston Rob turned on Bob the Drag Queen, Danielle Reyes, and Carolyn Wiger turned on each other, and Britney Haynes eventually turned on Danielle. The faithfuls were good, but I wonder if they would have been able to win had the traitors not betrayed each other as often as they did throughout the show. Their warfare with each other ultimately cost them their lives in the game.
I can totally understand why they created this show as a social experiment because I found it fascinating to watch all the different relationships form and fall. Some people had preexisting relationships prior (ex, The Housewives, Survivor, Big Brother, etc…), but seeing how those relationships functioned on a different show was really interesting. My favorite parts of the show were watching these interactions, such as how everyone reacted to Tom’s singing during the cursed doll challenge or their celebrations when they banished a traitor.
Ultimately, this show has a bit of everything a good show needs: suspense, drama, comedy, heartbreak, and action. It is a murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat and is the perfect show for your next binge!