This weekend 10 unveils its newest reality TV gamble in The Traitors, a deceitful game that’s Survivor meets the Mole meets Cluedo that will have everyone talking.
When the series begins, the Master of Deception Roger Corser welcomes the Faithful, 24 players who will live together in a mysterious manor and compete in challenges to earn silver bars, contributing to a prize pool of $250,000. Sounds easy, right? Well, there’s a wickedly, deceptive plot twist- on that is rather… deadly. Lurking among the Faithful are secret saboteurs, or the titular Traitors, and it’s their mission to eliminate the Faithful one by one… before they get exposed- unmasked- and eliminated themselves.
After introductions, it’s time to get down to business- the Faithful gather in the Banishment Room, a key location of the series, where they are blindfolded and the Traitors are selected, kicking off the true game. Once the Faithful complete the first challenge, wary of their competition, the Traitors slip away in the night, working together to conspire and scheme behind the Faithful’s backs, to plot the first ‘murder’- a secret elimination that will cull the group one by one.
Except that’s not the only elimination. The Faithful gather the next morning in the Banishment Room to learn of the ‘death’ and throw accusations before voting someone out- then learn if they have successfully banished a Traitor or taken out one of their own.
The series cast includes Criminal Lawyer MK, who has a very good bulls**t detector; Chess champion Jack; Clairvoyant Chloe will use her skills to win the game; Sandra, who’s not here to make friends; Middy, willing to throw anyone under the bus to win and Nigel, a hostage negotiator keeping his full story close to his chest. These are just a few of the people taking centre stage in the premiere episode.
The series premiere had me hooked from the beginning and once the Traitors are revealed, it’s interesting to see the group’s justifications for ‘murder’ and the Faithful’s attempts to figure out who’s a Traitor. Roger Corser has fun with his dual role as the charming, mysterious storyteller host- the kind you see in classic murder mysteries- and as the Gamemaster for the contestants.
A game of deception, mistrust and intrigue, The Traitors is a compelling entry into 10’s stable of reality TV formats that would be a crime to miss.
5 stars
The Traitors airs 7:30pm Sunday – Tuesday on 10.
