The Traitors US S02 E09
I wrote recently about the chaotic second season of The Traitors US, which is quickly approaching its endgame, and how so many of the twists we experience as an audience feel reactive and artificial. Looking back, I think my brain was cooking up some deeper truth that I only really began to understand while watching the latest episode.
This version of The Traitors borrows the castle setting and (most of) the challenges from its UK counterpart. The game rules are true to the original De Verraders, which also began with a full celebrity roster. But there's something markedly different about the Peacock production, and this season (particularly this episode) of The Traitors US gives us a glimpse into the future of the format, at least on North American screens.
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| Kate is locked up in the dungeon for 3 whole minutes |
"I mean, she's not really giving me a choice here. But I do love a dramatic cloak. And I do love a VIP club. And I do love knowing secrets." — Kate
In S02 E09, Phaedra recruits Kate as a Traitor, so that they might form a "diabolical duo" against the Faithful. This scene is filmed in the dungeon, which was an exciting new mechanic in the second UK season, leading to many suspicions and juicy theories—but here in the US, it is simply another backdrop, serving no gameplay purpose whatsoever. The two Bravo stars reconvene at the Traitors' tower, where in lieu of strategizing they exchange zinger after embarrassing zinger, mugging for the camera as they go.
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| Phaedra punches up the dialogue in the "ultimatum" scene |
This sequence sets the tone for the rest of the episode and, in my opinion, reveals a lot about the trajectory of the Traitors franchise on Peacock: drama by design. The show's direction values theatrics above all, casually bending the rules of the game to put its star-studded cast in dramatically desirable situations. While the BBC Traitors lets its heroes and villains emerge organically through gameplay, the US production is all about getting readymade TV titans sitting at the same breakfast table; the game is just a pretext.
"There’s no real-life situation in which an MTV Challenge meathead and a glamorous Housewife would attempt to plot together, so I’m thankful Traitors exists," says one Vox senior correspondent, lauding the reality all-stars formula. Don't get me wrong; I love drama, and this doesn't make for bad television. But it is a completely different vibe.
While the hybrid cast of normies and celebs is (fortunately) a thing of the past, there is an obvious schism in S02 between the Bravolebrities—those who built careers fabricating drama and arguing on camera—and the contestants known for appearing on strategy game shows like Survivor and Big Brother. This "Housewives" vs. "Gamers" divide is emblematic of a tension that is pervasive throughout the entire production: the tension between The Traitors as a strategy game, and The Traitors as TV. And as viewers, we're seeing this identity crisis unfold in real time, as the format struggles to decide where it wants to land on the evergrowing spectrum of unscripted entertainment.
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| Survivor winner Sandra Diaz-Twine being a typical gamer |
Turning a psychological party game into watchable television is no easy feat. I'm not suggesting Studio Lambert has failed—they have our attention, regardless of how the game is being played—and no reality show is immune to injected drama and movie magic. But the more the scales are tipped towards docusoap actors like the Shahs of Sunset or the Real Housewives, the more the strategic aspect suffers as a result.
"It was like eating dry melba toast with no butter, no jam, no nothing." — Phaedra (Housewife), on playing as a Traitor alongside Dan (Gamer)
Maybe a game of Traitors (a.k.a. Werewolf a.k.a. Mafia) played entirely straight is like dry Melba toast, and makes for terrible TV—although given the explosion of actual play on streaming platforms like Twitch, I find that hard to believe. D&D dungeonmasters take liberties and make concessions in favour of story all the time, but dice are still rolled and characters still die; it's all about balance. Hopefully The Traitors US will find its balance soon, for the sake of the people playing the game, but also for those who are watching.
