'The Traitors' Season 3: Meet the 21 Reality Stars Set to Visit Alan Cumming's Scottish Castle
Alan Cumming in "The Traitors" Season 2
(Photo by: Euan Cherry/PEACOCK)
It's the most wonderful time of the year: When a group of reality stars descend on a castle in Scotland to kill each other for money. No, it's not The Hunger Games; it's the star of filming on the third season of reality juggernaut, The Traitors, and it's one of the best things you probably haven't seen. Yes, yes, I realize we're all Anglophiles and therefore above such pedestrian, potentially tawdry entertainment as "reality television." But The Traitors is a genuine phenomenon, and with good reason: It's great.
The series is hosted by Masterpiece Mystery's own Alan Cumming, donning a variety of colorful and over-the-top outfits as he embraces his purring, secretive persona as the Scottish host with the literal most. Part narrator, part mediator, and part outright enabler, Cumming embraces the role of The Traitors host as though he were playing a Bond villain, and the end result is one of the most popular reality hits in years.
The premise of The Traitors will be familiar to anyone who ever played any version of Assassin (or Mafia or Werewolves) while away at college. Of the series' twenty-some cast members, a few are assigned to play the roles of "Traitors," who must work together to eliminate the majority, a.k.a. the "Faithfuls." The Faithfuls know that Traitors are among them, but they don't know their identities and must spend the season attempting to discover their secrets even as they compete alongside them in group missions.
Alan Cumming (and Lala) in "The Traitors" Season 2
(Photo by: Euan Cherry/PEACOCK)
Viewers at home are told who the Traitors are in each season's first episode, and the game alternates between phases as the Faithfuls try to pick out and banish the Traitors, and the Traitors gleefully select a Faithful to "murder" each night. In the end, if the Faithful can banish all the Traitors, the surviving contestants who make it to the end of the game can split the cash prize, but if one Traitor remains among them, that person takes it all.
For such a seemingly simple premise, the show's gameplay is wildly addictive. It is full of twists and betrayals as genuine Traitors are discovered and innocent players are accused. In the American version (there are currently over 20 international franchise members, stemming from the original Dutch version that started it), the cast is predominately former reality stars from other popular series, with an occasional titled Brit or influencer added for flavor. The upcoming third season will be no different.
The Traitors' third season will feature a powerhouse line-up of reality stars from shows ranging from The Biggest Loser and The Real Housewives of New Jersey to Survivor and Big Brother. (With a random British royal thrown on top for good measure.)
The Season 3 cast includes:
- Rob Mariano (Survivor)
- Dorinda Medley (The Real Housewives of New York City)
- Chrishell Stause (Selling Sunset)
- Britney Haynes (Big Brother)
- Danielle Reyes (Big Brother)
- Bob the Drag Queen (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
- Wells Adams (The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise)
- Chanel Ayan (The Real Housewives of Dubai)
- Gabby Windey (The Bachelorette)
- Dylan Efron (Down to Earth with Zac Efron)
- Tony Vlachos (Survivor)
- Jeremy Collins (Survivor)
- Dolores Catania (The Real Housewives of New Jersey)
- Robyn Dixon (The Real Housewives of Potomac)
- Bob Harper (The Biggest Loser)
- Ciara Miller (Summer House)
- Lord Ivar Mountbatten (British royal)
- Carolyn Wiger (Survivor)
- Sam Asghari (Model and actor)
- Tom Sandoval (Vanderpump Rules)
- Nikki Garcia (Former professional wrestler, Total Bellas)
“Well, there you have it, dearies,” Cumming purrs in the announcement video. “This is sure to be the most treacherous season yet.”
With the cast of Season 3 only just announced, it will likely be some time before we see the new season on our screens. (If Cumming's Instagram is anything to go by, it sounds like production on the third season only began this week.) But, given that The Traitors is also one of Peacock's few genuine hits, it seems likely that the streamer will want to get this new season in front of viewers as quickly as possible. Fingers crossed anyway.
The Traitors Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Peacock, along with The Traitors: UK and The Traitors: Australia.
