The Traitors (American TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Traitors |
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| Genre | |
| Presented by | Alan Cumming |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 35 |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | Ardross, Highland, Scotland |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Production company(s) | Studio Lambert |
| Release | |
| Original network | Peacock |
| Original release | January 12, 2023 – present |
The Traitors is an exciting American reality competition TV show. It is also known as The Traitors US outside of America. The show is based on a popular Dutch series called De Verraders. The host is the famous Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
The first season of The Traitors started on Peacock on January 12, 2023. Because it was so popular, a second season was released on January 12, 2024. The show was renewed for a third season in February 2024, and then for two more seasons (up to season 5) in August 2024. In August 2025, an all-civilian season was announced for NBC, with Alan Cumming as the host.
The show takes place at Ardross Castle in Scotland. It's like a big game of mystery and teamwork, similar to games like Mafia or Werewolf. A group of players arrives at the castle. Secretly, a few of these players are chosen to be the "Traitors." Their goal is to secretly remove the other players, called "Faithfuls," to win a big cash prize. The Faithfuls, on the other hand, must work together to figure out who the Traitors are and vote them out. If the Faithfuls succeed, they share the prize. If any Traitors remain at the end, they steal all the money!
The American version of The Traitors is very similar to the British show. Both are made by Studio Lambert for the BBC and Peacock. They even use the same castle and challenges. The main difference is who hosts each show.
Contents
How the Game Works
The Castle and the Prize
Players arrive at a grand castle in the Scottish Highlands. They all hope to win a big cash prize. This prize grows larger throughout the game by completing challenges. All players start as "Faithfuls," but some are secretly chosen by the host to be "Traitors."
Traitors vs. Faithfuls
The Traitors work together in secret. Their main goal is to remove all the Faithfuls from the game. If they succeed, they win the entire prize money. The Faithfuls must work as a team to figure out who the Traitors are. If the Faithfuls can find and vote out all the Traitors, they share the prize.
Nightly Murders
Almost every night, the Traitors meet in secret. They decide which Faithful player to "murder." The chosen player is immediately out of the game. The other players only find out the next morning when that person doesn't show up for breakfast. This adds a lot of mystery and suspense!
Daily Missions and Shields
Each day, all the players work together on exciting missions. Completing these missions adds more money to the final prize fund. Some challenges also offer a special reward: a "shield." A player who gets a shield is safe from being murdered that night. However, a shield does not protect them from being voted out by the group.
The Round Table and Banishment
At the end of each day, everyone gathers at the Round Table. Here, they discuss who they suspect might be a Traitor. After the discussion, each player secretly votes for someone they want to "banish" (kick out) from the game. The player with the most votes is banished. They then reveal if they were a Faithful or a Traitor. If a Traitor is banished, the remaining Traitors might get a chance to recruit a new player to their team.
The Final Challenge
When only four players are left, they face the final challenge. They must decide whether to "Banish Again" or "End Game." If everyone votes to "End Game," the game finishes. If even one person votes to "Banish Again," another banishment vote happens. This continues until everyone agrees to "End Game." If only Faithfuls remain at the end, they share the prize. But if any Traitors are still in the game, they win everything!
Seasons and Winners
The show has had several exciting seasons. Here's a quick look at them:
| Season | Contestants | Episodes | Originally aired | Winner(s) | Runner(s)-up | Prize | Traitors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||||||
| 1 | 20 | 11 | January 12, 2023 | February 28, 2023 | Cirie Fields (Traitor) | Quentin Jiles & Andie Vanacore (Faithfuls) |
$250,000 | Christian de la Torre
Cirie Fields Cody Calafiore Arie Luyendyk Jr. (from ep. 7) |
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| 2 | 22 | 12 | January 12, 2024 | March 7, 2024 | Chris "CT" Tamburello & Trishelle Cannatella (Faithfuls) |
Mercedes "MJ" Javid (Faithful) | $208,100 | Dan Gheesling
Phaedra Parks Parvati Shallow (from ep. 2) Kate Chastain (from ep. 9) |
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| 3 | 23 | 12 | January 9, 2025 | March 6, 2025 | Dolores Catania, Dylan Efron, Gabby Windey & Ivar Mountbatten (Faithfuls) |
Britney Haynes (Traitor) | $204,300 | Bob the Drag Queen
Carolyn Wiger Danielle Reyes Rob Mariano (from ep. 2) Britney Haynes (from ep. 10) |
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| 4 | 23 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
Learn More About Each Season
- Season 1 Details
- Season 2 Details
- Season 3 Details
- Season 4 Details
Where to Watch Around the World
The Traitors US is popular in many countries!
- In the United Kingdom, you can watch it on BBC iPlayer, usually a day after it airs in the US. It also plays on BBC Three and BBC One. It's a great show to watch alongside the British version.
- In Australia, the series became available on 10 Play in March 2023. It's a companion to the Australian version.
- In Canada, you can stream the show on Crave. Canada also has its own version, which started on October 2, 2023, on CTV.
- In the Netherlands, where the original show came from, you can stream the US, UK, Belgium, and Australian versions on Videoland.
Extra Fun: The Traitors Postmortem
During the second season, a special online show called The Traitors Postmortem was introduced. This "after-show" features extra video clips and interviews with players who were eliminated from the game. You can watch it on Peacock and on Peacock's YouTube channel.
