If You’re Not Watching The Traitors, What Are You Doing?
Few months lend themselves to binge-watching shows quite like January. And this month, there’s a particularly strong contender for mid-week eyeballs: The Traitors. Whether you’ve seen the previous two seasons, or are yet to tune in, here are five reasons why The Traitors season 3 is the ultimate show to watch right now…
What’s The Traitors about?
For the unfamiliar, The Traitors is a reality game show with a format similar to mafia and werewolf. Let’s quickly recap the format so you’re up to speed on how it works. There’s a group of contestants, all of whom claim to be ‘the good guys’ (i.e. ‘faithfuls’). But a few members of the group, called ‘traitors’, are secretly working for their own agenda. Each night, the whole group gathers at a round table and votes to eliminate (‘banish’) the person the group thinks is most likely to be a traitor – and they find out if they picked right or wrong. After the round table, the traitors gather under the cloak of night to send home (AKA ‘murder’) one of the faithfuls.
During the day, all contestants complete missions together where they earn money for a prize pot. The aim of the game? Faithfuls want to eliminate all traitors before the final. If they’re successful, the remaining faithfuls will split the prize pot equally between them. If they’re unsuccessful, and a traitor remains in the final group, the traitor takes the lot.
1. Twists and turns at every point
While the format is somewhat straightforward, you’re always kept on your toes with what’s going to happen next. From eliminations as soon as contestants arrive at the Scottish castle (and sometimes before), to traitors being able to ‘seduce’ (i.e. recruit) faithfuls and ‘murders’ being committed in plain sight, there’s never a dull episode.
2. Claudia Winkleman is iconic
The full fringe, fake tan and dark eyeliner combo all combine to create Claudia Winkleman‘s famous aesthetic. It’s her witty one-liners and ability to keep a straight face that really take her into the icon category, though. She is literally born for this hosting gig.
It’s Claudia’s witty one-liners and ability to keep a straight face that really take her into the icon category.
3. The theories are wild
To say that some traitor theories are unfounded would be an understatement. In fact, given nobody knows the traitors’ identities (except the traitors themselves), every suspicion is just that: a theory. But that doesn’t stop contestants from doubling down with certainty. And this, my friends, is what brings the lion’s share of the drama to the show. Contestants can be thrown into the spotlight and ‘banished’ for the most random of things – from something as banal as their jobs outside the show to the idea that they would ‘make a good traitor’ (whatever that means). Friendships are made and quickly upended, alliances are forged, and rumours run rife.
Friendships are fosteredaand quickly upended, alliances are forged, and rumours run rife.
4. It’s the gift that keeps on giving
This show has the internet in a chokehold, and with good reason. The result? Endless parodies and snippets going viral on TikTok and Instagram (see: Linda’s savage sailing remark at the round table – which is now my favourite comeback for everyday use). Chances are, your mates and co-workers are also obsessed with it. And who doesn’t love a post-elimination debrief?
5. You can start watching at any season
Unlike other beloved shows, each season of this series is a standalone, which means you don’t have to watch two whole seasons before you can enter the chat. With a new episode releasing each Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night, staying on top of this show will feel way too easy. Plus, the fact the show is drip-fed means that everyone watching it is likely up to the same point.
Watch The Traitors on BBC iPlayer
All imagery via BBC, Studio Lambert. Photographer: Euan Cherry
