REVIEW: The Traitors Is the Best Reality Competition on TV. Full Stop.
A spoiler-free review of Season 2's first three episodes, and why it works so well.
Hallelujah. It’s 2024, Austin is about to freeze over to remind me that I do, in fact, live in Texas (shudder), and The Traitors has begun again. I’ve already devoured the first three episodes, so now all I have to do is wait patiently by the fire and hope that the power doesn’t fail on us before Episode 4 is released on Friday. Who needs to provide power to your constituents when you can abandon your dog in Mexico? By the way, Ted Cruz would be murdered immediately on Traitors. And we would all cheer.
The Traitors is the best reality TV game show. Period. It’s simple. It’s classic. It’s that game you play at youth group or sleepovers if you had enough friends. A handful of “traitors” or murderers choose “faithfuls” or non-murderers to kill off each night, each day the group as a whole banishes someone from the (opulent and creepy Scottish) castle, in the hopes of eliminating a traitor. Easy.
Season 1 was so bingeable, and especially satisfying for fans of the particular player who won. If you haven’t watched it, I won’t spoil it. But I will say I currently watch the following reality shows, so I know quite a lot of the reality stars who made up half of Season 1’s cast and the entirety of Season 2’s cast:
Survivor
Real Housewives (no need to specify, I watch them all. And I’ve seen Shahs of Sunset.)
RuPaul’s Drag Race
The Bachelor
Bling Empire
In addition, players of The Challenge and Big Brother and Love Island fill the round table, with the occasional athlete or politician making their way into the mix.
With such a simple presence in such an elaborate backdrop, there’s room for the players to breathe, speculate, make drama, and keep everyone entertained. There is a twist or two, including one that builds up to a big cliffhanger in Episode 3, but otherwise, the game is simple. And that’s why it works. It’s the opposite of recent seasons of Survivor or Drag Race, where complicated twists leave older fans wanting to rewatch classic seasons and newer fans just confused. Keep. It. Simple!
Could Season 2 Be Better Than Season 1?
This is a high bar to cross, and after watching three episodes, I’m not sure Season 2 will do it yet. But I’m very hopeful.
I like that, this season, there are no “normal” people. They’re leaning into the celebrity of it all. The music is straight out of Selling Sunset and Dan’s narration is straight out of a 2004 MTV dating show. I can feel comfortable knowing that no one actually needs $250,000, while also being intrigued by the stars I don’t know. (Like CT, who I can only assume is from Boardwalk Empire. The old British man with asthma? From the back he looks like Leslie Jordan, who I would have loved to see on this show. RIP. But really…who is he? How much does he like Boris Johnson?)
Knowing what worked and what didn’t work in Season 1 gives the show more ammunition to stockpile in terms of camping this show up. At times, the show has perfume-commercial visuals, and Alan Cumming’s wardrobe would encourage middle school me feel like yes, I could wear that handmade pillow-turned-shirt to school with pride. (I tried, once. I was bullied.) The camp works. The absurdity works. The drama? Chef’s kiss.
But what remains to be seen is how the traitors and faithfuls squabble amongst themselves and slowly whittle themselves down to a group of potentially dynamic, dramatic finalists. The first murder by the traitors and banishment by the faithfuls highly disappointed pockets of viewers who came from specific fandoms to see big, charismatic favorites go all the way. I was quite annoyed by the second murder too, really wanting to watch the person who had to leave the castle.
For those who have followed the particular traitors for this season, they know good, fun TV is in store. There’s no doubt about that. And Episode 3 is especially promising. Traitors are under suspicion. Faithfuls are confidently spinning themselves into fake theories that are fun to laugh at, since we know the truth. Himbos are himboing. (You’ll see.) If things continue their slow uphill climb, we are in for the best Reality Competition of 2024. Best reality program overall? Sorry. Real Housewives of Salt Lake City have taken that crown. Can we get Lisa Barlow on The Traitors Season 3?