Season 1 of 'The Traitors' Was the Best Reality Show of 2023

With new shows constantly being released and what feels like endless streaming options, it's hard to choose what to watch. If there's one show from this year that needs to be at the top of the list, it's Peacock'sThe Traitors. Based on a Dutch series, the U.S. version of the competition show premiered in January

The Big Picture

  • Peacock's The Traitors was one of the best shows of 2023, with a unique competition format and a cash prize of $250,000.
  • The audience knows who the traitors are from the beginning, adding to the enjoyment and suspense of the show.
  • The finale of The Traitors delivered drama and surprises, with a traitor making a bold move to become the sole winner of the prize money.

With new shows constantly being released and what feels like endless streaming options, it's hard to choose what to watch. If there's one show from this year that needs to be at the top of the list, it's Peacock'sThe Traitors. Based on a Dutch series, the U.S. version of the competition show premiered in January and was one of the best shows of 2023. The competition series brings together 20 contestants, including Survivor and Big Brother's CirieFields, Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, and Brandi Glanville from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The show is like a big murder mystery, or a version of the game Mafia with a cash prize of $250,000 on the line. The gameplay, casting, and play-along made the show an immediate success, with the second season due to premiere on January 12, 2024.

The show takes place in a castle in Scotland where the players, referred to as "faithfuls," compete. Among them are the "traitors," an unknown number of contestants secretly selected who try to eliminate the faithfuls before they're identified as traitors. Simultaneously, the faithfuls must eliminate the traitors to claim the cash prize. Every night, there are two eliminations. First is at the "Round Table" where all the contestants discuss who to vote out before they each cast an individual vote, banishing one player from the castle. The player with the most votes is eliminated and must reveal whether they were a faithful or a traitor. In between the two eliminations are missions where the contestants work together to win money for the final prize pot. The second elimination happens overnight when the traitors collectively decide on one faithful to "murder," eliminating that person from the competition without explanation. At the end of the series, the remaining faithfuls split the money if they've successfully eliminated all the traitors, but if any traitors remain, they win the money and the faithfuls go home with nothing. Season 2 is expected to be even better. The cast is one of the best mashups in reality television history.

The Traitors (US)
TV-14Reality-TVGame Show

Contestants in the game move into a majestic castle and work as a team to complete a series of dramatic and challenging missions to earn money for the prize pot. Some contestants are traitors some are loyal.

Release Date January 12, 2023 Cast Alan Cumming , Kate Chastain , Cirie Fields , Arie Luyendyk Jr. Main Genre Reality-TV Seasons 2

The show begins with 20 competitors - half are former reality show stars and half are unknown to the public eye. Having former reality stars is an easy way to draw-in viewers. Seeing names like Summer House's Kyle Cooke, Big Brother'sRachel Reilly, and TheBachelor'sArie Luyendyk Jr. makes fans want to tune in to see their favorite personalities returning to a new show. Mixing with everyday people gives it more of the nostalgic Mafia feel and allows fans to feel like it could be them competing alongside the reality greats.

Kate Chastain was the gift that kept on giving. The Below Deck star was believed to be a traitor by nearly everyone in the house and played into the role by becoming the show's comedic villain. Despite constant speculation about her being a traitor, she made it far and was the last faithful banished before the finale.

The Audience Knows Who the Traitors Are

Cirie Fields, Cody Calafiore, and Christian de la Torre Were Season 1's Traitors

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The traitors chosen were Cirie, Cody Calafiore from Big Brother, and Christian de la Torre, an army veteran from California. After Cody became the first traitor to be banished, Cirie and Christian gave Arie the chance to become a traitor, an offer he accepted.

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What sets apart The Traitors from other competition games with a mystery element, like Netflix's The Mole or MTV'sLove at First Lie, is that the audience knows everything from the beginning. The Mole is a similar concept that originally premiered in 2001 and was rebooted last year. Twelve contestants compete in challenges while trying to identify the one person in the group whose mission is to sabotage them. The biggest difference is the audience doesn't know who the mole is. On The Traitors, the audience knows who the traitors are from the moment they're selected, witnessing their reaction to being chosen, hearing them talk strategy in their confessionals, and getting a front-row seat to their nightly conversations that end in a "murder." Knowing the secret doesn't take away from the play-along aspect of the show. There's still a lot to be predicted as viewers watch, like who's going to get "murdered" or banished. Having the inside knowledge makes watching the show more enjoyable and makes viewers feel like they're in on the secret.

'The Traitors' Finale Delivered Drama

The last few episodes of some competition shows can be their downfall. When the cast dwindles, the drama can too. But in The Traitors, the anticipation and urge to binge only grows toward the end of the season. When the game gets down to the final four players, they all must vote to end the game or do another banishment. If there's a unanimous decision to end the game, it's over, but just one vote to banish someone results in another elimination.

With Cirie and Arie competing against two faithfuls, it seemed inevitable that the traitors would work together to trick the two faithfuls and take home the money. In a surprise twist, Cirie boldly chose to banish another player in an attempt to become the only traitor left in the game and be the sole winner of the prize money. Her plan worked and after Arie walked away, Cirie and the two faithfuls voted to end the game. The reveal of Cirie being a traitor was dramatic and emotional, taking money from the two remaining faithfuls who were not only everyday people competing on their first show, but considered Cirie a close friend.

Season 2 of 'The Traitors' May Top the Inaugural Season

Season 2 premieres on Friday, Jan. 12, with weekly episodes being released on Thursdays at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET. For the second go-around, the cast is entirely made up of reality stars. It will be interesting to see how preexisting relationships impact the game, as several cast members are from the same franchise. Two legends from MTV'sThe Challenge, Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio and CT Tamburello, will again compete head-to-head. The Real Housewives have four contestants from three different cities: Larsa Pippen, Phaedra Parks, Sheree Whitfield, and Tamra Judge. Two former Survivor players, Parvati Shallow and Sandra Diaz-Twine, will see if they can follow in the footsteps of fellow Survivor alum Cirie. Other contestants include Big Brother'sDan Gheesling, The Bachelor's Peter Weber, and Peppermint from RuPaul's Drag Race.

Before season 2 premieres, fans can catch up on season 1 of The Traitors, which is now streaming on Peacock. WATCH ON PEACOCK

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