A 'Traitors' Manual: A Guide to Every Season of TV's Best Reality Show

While I realize many (most?) Anglophiles may view themselves as fans of serious prestige television first and foremost — and it's true, we are! However, viewing ourselves as somehow above pedestrian entertainment such as "reality television" is a mistake. Many American reality staples are based on series that originated across the pond. British television has some of the widest variety of programming in this particular genre, ranging from charming and wholesome (The Great British Baking Show, The Repair Shop) to the ridiculously trashy (Made in Chelsea, Geordie Shore) and downright bizarre (Flinch, Age Gap Love). 

But no matter how you feel about reality television as a concept, it's hard to ignore the success of a little series called The Traitors. It's a genuine global phenomenon, and with good reason: It's great. 

The franchise started with the Dutch reality series De Verraders and became so popular that it spawned a small cottage industry. There are currently more than 20 international versions of The Traitors, with more on the way. It doesn't hurt that the series format is shockingly easy to replicate: Like the party game Mafia, all you need is a group of people, a centralized location, and a willingness to sit back and watch human nature work as their contestants lie to, mislead, and betray one another in the name of money and self-preservation.

Here's everything you need to know about the English-language members of the Traitors franchise, what makes the different versions special, and where to stream each.

Every version (and season) of The Traitors has the basics in common. Twenty-some contestants are divided into two groups: A handful are assigned to play the roles of "Traitors," who must work together to try to eliminate the majority, a.k.a. the "Faithfuls." The Faithfuls know that Traitors are among them, but they don't know their identities. They must spend the season attempting to discover their secrets, even as they compete alongside them in group missions to earn cash for the winner's prize fund. 

The game alternates between phases as the Faithfuls attempt to identify and banish a Traitor each day, while the Traitors gleefully meet each night to select a Faithful to "murder." The heart of it is the dramatic roundtable each evening, during which players accuse, defend, and vote to banish their top Traitor suspects. It makes for wildly addictive television as massive lies are told, backs are stabbed, and dramatic accusations are flung with abandon. (There were inevitably tears when a Faithful everyone believed was a Tratior was banished, and it's such fun.)

At the game's conclusion, if the Faithful can banish all the Traitors, the surviving contestants who make it to the end can split the cash, but if one Traitor remains among them, that person takes it all.

Each version of The Traitors differs slightly, from the contestant types recruited to participate to specific rules and bonuses of each competition. Some of the challenges appear in multiple series as well — this is especially prevalent when it comes to the U.S. and U.K. versions. (Though their contestant pool is different enough that they don't feel like they're the same if that makes sense?)

However, whatever version you choose, it's guaranteed to be full of betrayal, backstabbing, and fun. 

The Traitors US version is a genuine phenomenon. A breakout hit for streaming service Peacock, Season 2 became the No. 1 unscripted series in the U.S. during the week of its release and maintained high viewership numbers throughout its run. The series won Outstanding Reality Competition Program at the Emmys in 2024, and Alan Cumming took home the statue himself in honor of his hosting duties. It is, as they say, a big deal.

The US version's decision to shift to a full-on cast of existing reality stars (save for the occasional third-tier British politician or celebrity-adjacent influencer type) sets it apart from the other versions, though it gives its cast a decidedly different and more high-drama and cutthroat vibe. Some of these people (cough cough The Real World's Johnny Devenanzio cough) do nothing but participate in reality competitions. They play for the camera always. 

The Host: Masterpiece Mystery's Cumming dons a variety of colorful and over-the-top outfits as he embraces the role of The Traitors host as though he were playing a Bond villain. Capable of dropping both scathing commentary and Shakespeare at the drop of a hat.

Seasons: Two thus far, with a third slated to premiere in January.

What Makes It Stand Out:  The U.S. version fully committed to the campy Goth aesthetics from the jump, and Cumming is pitch-perfect as the ring leader of this Scottish circus. 

The only version that jettisoned normal contestants after its first installment in favor of full-on reality star casts, its over-the-top drama is gold for anyone who spends any time watching shows like Big Brother, Survivor, or essentially any series from the Real Housewives franchise.

Stream It: Peacock

The Traitors U.K. edition predates the American take on the series, but it's the version that has the most in common with it. (And will feel the most familiar, if only because the two shows share/repeat one another's challenges, for both good and ill.) 

Its cast doesn't include a single reality star, which is doubly intriguing when you realize how much better the gameplay is for the most part across the first two seasons. (Particularly by the Traitors of the bunch.) The U.K. version is also the most willing to shake things up in terms of its rules and format in ways that it's not yet clear the American version can (or wants to) match.

The Host: Claudia Winkleman, whose over-the-top persona is almost as campy as Cumming's but who can't quite compete with his sartorial choices. Her onscreen love of tweed is so extensive that Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French came out of retirement to mock it. 

Seasons: Three, the third of which just started on the BBC. An all-celebrity edition is also in the works.

What Makes It Stand Out: Honestly, the fact that this Traitors has only ever been comprised of completely normal people helps make this version of the show the most interesting when it comes to human behavior. 

These people aren't competitive reality challenge types, they're total normos asked to determine how much they're willing to manipulate or deceive others in the name of money and self-preservation! And these folks literally applied to be on this show! For fun! As social experiments go, you kind of can't beat it. 

Stream It: Peacock

The Traitors Australia differs slightly from the rest of its English language brethren in multiple ways. The only version to be helmed by a different production company, the sets and the general vibe of it all is a bit...well, let's just call it scattershot. Set in a 1920s-era hotel rather than an imposing Scottish castle, there's a lot less tartan and tweed, and host Rodger Corser is slightly less involved and invested than his US or U.K. counterparts. But, to its credit, the gameplay is outstanding, which is a credit to its casting department (like the U.K. version, Australia also casts regular people.).

The Host: Corser is...fine? More traditional and less over the top than Cumming or Winkleman.

Seasons: Two. Unfortunately, the Australian version seems to be the one Traitors installment that wasn't an immediate, massive hit, and was canceled after the second installment due to low ratings.

What Makes It Stand Out: The Australian version of The Traitors has a few differences in terms of gameplay, most notably that the shield rewards protect players from both banishment and murder, making them more powerful than in other versions. (Though it's also public knowledge who wins them, so you don't get the dramatic fake-out gambits we all loved in the US version's second season.) 

Lots of folks will count the first season of the Australian series as their favorite, if only because it's much more focused on tactical gameplay than its colleagues. It also features one of the best Faithful-to-Tratior recruits in the franchises.

Stream It: Peacock

The Traitors New Zealand is another franchise entry that tried to have it both ways by casting both celebrity players and normal people to play the game in its first season. Like the American show, that mixed-cast format only lasted a single season, and the NZ version chose to jettison its famous folks in favor of civilian players for its second. 

The Host: New Zealand radio and television broadcaster Paul Henry, who has a lot of great hats. 

Seasons: Two, though only one is currently available to stream in the U.S. (Season 2 will likely arrive after the U.S. broadcast of Season 3, though if you're a regular VPN user, the production company has uploaded it all to YouTube.) 

What Makes It Work: Maybe it's just that New Zealand has a smaller-than-average pool to draw from when it comes to reality contestants, but like, half the people on this NZ version seem to know each other already, which makes for intriguing dynamics. (And I mean know each other in a genuinely "we're friends" kind of way, not the "we competed on the same season of The Challenge once" vibe you tend to get on the US show.) 

Stream It: Peacock

Unsurprisingly, everyone is really nice in The Traitors Canada. Even the letters from the Traitors informing contestants they've been murdered apologize! Other than its cast mix, this installment isn't particularly different or groundbreaking, and it will feel familiar to fans of the franchise, particularly as it repeats many of the challenges we've seen before. (Has someone gotten buried in a coffin in every version?)

Host: Actress Karine Vanasse, who also hosts the French language Canadian version Les Traîtres.

Seasons: Two.

What Makes It Stand Out: The only franchise that's done multiple seasons that mixed regular contestants with reality stars from such series as Big Brother Canada, Canada's Drag Race, and even the American Survivor (Erika from Season 41). 

Stream It: Unfortunately, The Traitors Canada is the only English-language installment in the franchise that isn't currently available to watch in America, so if you want to check it out, you'll need a VPN.

In December, Irish broadcaster RTÉ announced that they were developing The Traitors Ireland, and had tapped Derry Girls star Siobhan McSweeney to host.

Little is yet known about this installment of the franchise, but RTÉ has confirmed it will be shot on location in Ireland and feature contestants from all around the country, following a national casting call for applications earlier this year. (This seems to indicate the show will be following the U.K. non-celebrity casting model.) 

“Like everyone, I am a huge Traitors fan so when I was asked to host the Irish version I jumped at the chance," McSweeney said in a statement. "I’m looking forward to meeting our loyal Faithful and delicious Traitors. The Irish have a charm and ability to deceive while smiling which will make this version rather special, I think. And I’m the luckiest person in the world to watch them close up.”

The series will premiere on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player in 2025 and hopefully cross over to the U.S. soon after.