It’s Time for The Traitors US to Ditch the Celebrity Cast

In Peacock’s The Traitors, a varying group of contestants—many “Faithful” and a few hand-selected “Traitors”—come together in Alan Cumming’s incredible Scotland castle to vie for a cash prize that they have to earn along the way through physically and intellectually challenging competitions. And all the while, the Faithfuls desperately try to banish the Traitors at their daily roundtables before the Traitors meet at the witching hour to decide which Faithful they would like to “murder” next. While the show is effortlessly entertaining and has been a smashing success, there’s one thing preventing the American version of the show from reaching the must-watch levels of its UK and Australian counterparts: celebrities.

The first season of the hit reality competition series brought together ten celebrities and ten “regular” folks to battle it out for the cash prize. Considering the series was trying to get off of the ground and hopefully become a hit, recruiting some well-known faces like Big Brother winner Rachel Reilly and Survivor’s Cirie Fields was understandable, and probably worked better than expected. However, it quickly became clear, especially for those who watched the other versions, how much this impacted the game.

The regular players were familiar with many of the faces they saw upon arriving at the castle. After all, if you’re going to be on a reality show, you usually have some interest in watching the genre, particularly the competitions. But, the reality stars were mostly familiar with each other, too, which added another layer to the game that didn’t necessarily enhance it. It changed the dynamic intensely, by giving those familiar faces an advantage or disadvantage, and forcing the game into a different direction than it would have gone if the cast consisted of only regular folks (as the U.K. and Australian versions did).

For instance, despite Cirie playing a masterful game and taking home the prize, it’s hard to gauge how much her experience on Survivor and the knowledge others already had of her played a part in her win. What is clear is that she immediately had an ally in Andie Vanacore, who was a fan of Cirie’s beforehand. It was easy for Cirie to manipulate as a Traitor throughout the game, and it helped her clinch the win as both runners-up Andie and Quinten Jiles were completely loyal to Cirie and ignored any red flags (yes, there were some) that they saw throughout the game. 

And even beyond Cirie’s win, there are other examples of this format impeding on the US’ version. For example, Rachel stating that she knew fellow Big Brother contestant Cody Calafiore was a Traitor because she knew what to watch for after watching his seasons ultimately put him at a disadvantage from the start. (Not that we really care about Cody losing, but for the sake of this argument…)

In the second season, which is currently airing on Peacock, the series doubled down and recruited twenty-two celebrities, and no “regular” folks: from Big Brother legends Janelle Pierzina and Dan Gheesling to Real Housewives’ Phaedra Parks and (as of the season’s fifth episode) a returning Kate Chastain from Below Deck, who placed fifth in the first season. However, excluding non-celebrity contestants didn’t even the playing field by any means; if anything, it influenced the show in the opposite direction, and (as of now) has been the least enjoyable season of the bunch. 

Similar to the first season but on a grander scale, these contestants are all familiar with each other in some way (even if just by reputation). Phaedra, who thus far is arguably playing the best game as a Traitor across every version of the show, has the built-in support of her fellow Real Housewives stars. Survivor stars Parvati Shallow and Sandra Diaz-Twine have a rivalry that the series has loved to exploit thus far. Janelle and Dan’s battle from Big Brother Season 14 has been given another chance to see the light. But it all feels like a lackluster fabrication of “drama” to bring viewers in. 

Despite the uniqueness of this version, it’s losing much of what makes The Traitors great. First and foremost, it’s a joy to watch regular people try to take on the heavy challenge of reality TV, especially when it’s a competition for a cash prize. They often cannot handle the pressure, which results in glorious fights and breakdowns, amplified by the setting. The celebrities are not feeling the effects of the game because, for so many of them, this is absolutely nothing compared to their past experiences. In addition, they have public images to maintain, which is clearly playing a major part in how they’re approaching the game and how they are handling themselves—and has pretty much removed any opportunity for sincerity.

And perhaps most importantly, they aren’t worried about the cash prize (given they could probably make the same amount of money with a few ads on Instagram), which is a driving force for so very many of the regular folks on the other versions that causes them to play the game smarter on every level—or dramatically fail to do so. As a viewer, it seems the celebrities aren’t trying as hard in competitions because of it, and they aren’t as desperate to stay. Even the reactions to the murders thus far this season are majorly lacking. Everything’s just falling short.

At the end of the day, an all-celebrity cast is something that should be saved for a special season down the line, not the second in the show’s history. The first was an outlier, pulling in celebrities in an effort to make a name for itself, but it’s not necessary for the future of The Traitors US. It’s holding the series back, preventing it from delivering true, delicious drama, as the stakes aren’t as high and everyone is constantly on their best behavior. It seems very few even care if they win.

It’s still enjoyable, for sure, but nowhere near the level of what the other versions are achieving. Let regular people play the game again and prove themselves rather than bringing on others who have already had their time in the spotlight. It’s working wonders in the UK and Australian versions, the US version deserves a chance to shine just as brightly. 

Jay Snow is a freelance writer. He has published many places on the internet. For more of his thoughts on television and to see his other work (or to simply watch him gush again and again over his love for the original Charmed) follow him @snowyjay.

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