The Traitors is a game of deception. It’s also a game about having to work with people you don’t trust so that you can win boatload’s of cash. Judging from the first three episodes of S03 of Peacock’s The Traitors (US), the players have a handle on the former, but will struggle with the latter.
Spoilers ahead for episodes 1-3…
The US seasons of The Traitors are both interesting and challenging to me. As a huge fan of the franchise (I’ve seen all of the iterations save the original Dutch version), I much prefer the versions that don’t rely entirely on celebrities. Usually I get my bearings around the mid-way point of the all-reality, all the time US seasons when the individual personalities begin to outshine the reality TV franchise origins. But early on? I’m ill-equipped to differentiate between a Housewife and a Survivor.*
*You could insert a requisite bitchy quip about plastic surgery, but the truth is that most of these people are professional reality TV people, so they all look/dress/act the part regardless of where they got their start.
All this to say: I went into S03 knowing roughly 20-25% of the players, and the rest are all new. This is challenging because so many of them have pre-existing relationships (friendships, feuds, etc) that the editors and producers lean into as a way to manufacture conflict and drama (see: Survivor Carolyn Wiger‘s tense reaction to Tony Vlachos and Jeremy Collins in episode 1; Big Brother‘s Danielle Reyes reconnecting with Derrick Levasseur in episode 3). It’s not a dealbreaker, but some of the connective tissue isn’t as immediately apparent to someone who only occasionally consumes reality TV.
With that said, S03 is off to a solid, albeit not exceptional, start. The initial trio of traitors – the aforementioned Carolyn and Danielle, as well as Bob the Drag Queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race – are well-rounded and seem(ed) poised to work well together in the turret.
Naturally, though, The Traitors can’t help itself, so when you see Rob Mariano from Survivor (and a million other shows) appear in episode one “Let Battle Commence”, it’s obvious that he’ll be back. Lo and behold, he and two other career players are the subject of the second episode’s challenge and then they’re immersed in the game by episode three.
As someone who has never liked Rob, but understands that he makes for good television, this makes sense. The fact that host Alan Cumming tapped him to be traitor, though, and Rob drew no heat at his first roundtable? These are pretty sure signs that he will likely dominate this game (good for Machiavellian schemes; bad for me).
Stray Observations:
- I’m happy that both Bobs (The Biggest Loser‘s Bob Harper being the other) called out the men for only looking out for themselves in both the first and third challenges. It seems very clear that this batch of celebrities are thinking of themselves first and foremost; making sacrifices for the benefit of the group is going to be an ongoing issue. That means shields will be even more of a hot commodity than other seasons, but it going to fuck these players up if they keep playing primarily as individuals rather than Faithfuls.
- Case in point: leaving $20K on the table in the first challenge because no one was willing to risk murder (when, in fact, selecting two more people would have decreased the odds for everyone). This moment felt like a forecast of things to come. It’s evident that the game is being by too many selfish people who are only thinking of themselves.
- Both Bob TDQ and Danielle are going to get themselves in hot water if they continue to talk so much. Bob is the stronger speaker, but he already has heat on him from Dillon Efron (as in Zac’s brother!) and at some point people will wonder why such a loud/assertive “Faithful” hasn’t been murdered.
- Watching Carolyn “trot” around in episode three (her words) looking for her fellow traitors when they had already gathered in the wine cellar was pretty funny. Also: four of them loudly discussing their plan in such a public place was the riskiest move of this first batch of episodes. They would have been so easy to catch
- The editing *seemed* to hint that several people may have heard them, but this was likely just strategic editing and nothing will come of it.
- My favourite Traitors quote? “We have to get a Traitor out tonight.” A) Yes, that’s literally the point of the game B) It’s statistically unlikely that the Faithful will perform well at Banishment early in the game because they have very little information and too many people to consider. Say that line again when it’s down to the final 5-6 players and it actually means something!
- I was only tangentially aware of Tom Sandoval when I wrote my review of Lifetime film Tall, Dark, and Dangerous (he has a cameo), but Tom’s *intense* staring at people after the blindfolds came off in the premiere was wild. It’s surprising that more people weren’t weirded out by it.
Take-Aways from Episodes 1-3:
- Best Challenge: Viking Boat (episode 1) – it helped establish group dynamics, highlighted who was ready to sacrifice themselves, and provided some hilarity when they couldn’t initially figure out how to row.
- Worst Challenge: Summer Fair (episode 3) – glitter + clowns are fun, but the challenge relied too heavily on chance instead of strategy. And while the scary clowns popping balloons filled with glitter was equal parts scary and amusing, it became very repetitive, very quickly.
- Traitor Ranking: Carolyn’s kooky behaviour offers her a certain amount of protection so she’s performing best. Rob will come under scrutiny shortly, but for now he’s also doing well. Bob can verbally defend himself so he’s third, while Danielle started strong but (as Rob notes) she needs to say less at breakfast. For now it’s likely that she or Bob will be found out first.
- Murders: Dorinda Medley was an unlikely first choice, but her death worked out well. There was disagreement in the turret, but getting rid of Ayan also seemed wise considering she wasn’t a very strategic player. It’s unlikely that she would ever be banished or be helpful enough to the traitors to keep around to the end.
- Banishment: The debate between Bachelorette Wells Adams and Housewife Robyn Dixon in episode two was more fiery than expected, so that banishment could have gone either way. As for Tony exit in episode three? The biggest surprise was how many people were happy to throw him under the bus for questionable reasons, but clearly everyone was happy to go with the herd.
- Who’s in trouble? Lord Ivar Mountbatten has already drawn some heat and he has the fewest allies in the game. Expect him out shortly. Ditto Robyn. She mostly flew under the radar at the Round Table in episode three, but she’s a persuasive speaker so the Traitors will zero in on her soon.
- Who’s not making an impression? So far actor/model Sam Ashari and WWE wrestler Nikki Garcia haven’t done anything memorable. And I can’t tell The Bachelorette‘s Gabby Windey, Selling Sunset‘s Chrishell Stause, and Big Brother‘s Britney Hayes apart, but their decision to form an unofficial “Doe Eye” alliance doesn’t help.
- Who’s going to surprise? Ciara is a stealth player. She’s smart, capable, and seems observant. I can see her going far.
Next up: three players are put into coffins. My prediction: Ivar will be accused of being a traitor plant and be banished.
The Traitors US S03 airs Thursdays on Peacock
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