Peacock’s The Traitors has far more guidelines — and manufacturing secrets and techniques — than some followers could notice.
Impressed by Dutch sequence De Verraders, The Traitors brings collectively actuality TV stars from totally different franchises — together with Survivor, Massive Brother, Actual Housewives and extra — as they compete in a mafia-style sport for as much as $250,000. The sequence premiered in 2023 however has already gone by a number of adjustments.
“My first thought was to do it on a ship in Australia,” creator Marc Pos recalled to Selection in January 2023. “And if any person needed to be out of the sport, she or he needed to leap into the water and swim to an island, however then I assumed it might be too tough to provide.”
For the American model, actor Alan Cumming was tapped to host and has tips of his personal.
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“The host just isn’t there very a lot, and needs to be cautious to not manipulate the sport, affect viewers, or spark doubts throughout the minds of contestants who’re of their bubble,” Pos continued. “However once they’re there, they must be sort of a pleasant but intimidating determine.”
Regardless of The Traitors counting on a shroud of thriller, forged and crew have spoken out concerning the guidelines and behind-the-scenes secrets and techniques followers aren’t aware of. Maintain scrolling for a information to all of the shocking revelations — and maybe useful solutions to some burning The Traitors questions:
What the Forged Members Know About Every Different
Casting director Deena Katz confirmed that contestants don’t know who else is on the present till they arrive in Scotland, telling Time in January 2024, “You don’t need them to have the ability to analysis one another or discuss to one another or kind alliances earlier than.”
Season 2 star Sandra Diaz-Twine, in the meantime, defined on the “Actuality After Present” podcast on the time that each participant was later supplied with pictures and knowledge on their fellow contestants to assist them slender down who may very well be a Traitor.
Taking a Character Check
Throughout a podcast look in January 2024, Mercedes “MJ” Javid recalled taking a 600-question psych analysis. Govt producer Mike Cotton elaborated to Selection that very same month how the exams permit the crew to “see attributes that may make somebody a great liar or notably misleading.”
“It’s an attention-grabbing course of. It’s an enormous group factor,” he defined. “We truly don’t know who the Traitors are till that decide, the place Alan walks round and faucets them on the shoulder. We watch how they work together once they arrive on the citadel. Alan does these chats with them, sitting down and asking them in the event that they’d wish to be a Traitor and why. That has a very large bearing on it, as does Alan’s opinion.”
Cotton continued: “It’s virtually like a job interview to be a Traitor, and we take all of that into consideration and determine simply earlier than the decide who that must be. We need to ensure that we’ve bought an attention-grabbing mixture of characters that can carry their very own distinctive ability set to it.”
Arie Luyendyk, who appeared on the primary season, completely instructed Us Weekly in January 2023 about doing “a swim check,” including, “[It was] to see if we have been able to finishing the mission.”
The Alternative Between a Trustworthy or Traitor
It wasn’t till season 2 that gamers have been in a position to current their case to Alan about whether or not they wished to be a Traitor or Trustworthy. Whereas viewers at residence know who the Traitors are (and what number of have been tapped), season 1 star Cirie Fields revealed that different contestants are stored at midnight about essential particulars.
“We knew that there may probably be three to 5 Traitors within the sport,” Cirie instructed E! Information in January 2023 . “That was defined to us from the very starting.”
The Drink Restrict
In keeping with season 2 star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, the limitless drinks seen on display screen truly include strict tips.
“You’ll be able to solely drink one drink an evening anyway, it was fairly restricted,” she instructed Leisure Weekly in January 2024. “I keep in mind everybody wanted a drink from that spherical desk, it was actually intense.”
Signing NDAs Beforehand
Danielle Reyes and Carolyn Wiger in ‘The Traitors.’ Peacock
“They signal numerous paperwork, and the Traitors signal their very own oath and settlement with us,” Cotton revealed to Selection in February 2025. “There’s plenty of issues like that, however there was by no means a second that we heard when anybody revealed their id and actually, it wouldn’t make any sense.”
The contestants have to face by the foundations offered to them.
“The Traitors take an oath with [host] Alan, the place they promise to homicide each night time they usually promise to maintain the id of their fellow Traitors a secret. The foundations say that they’ll, on the roundtable, accuse a fellow Traitor of being a Traitor, however solely from the guise of being a Trustworthy themselves,” Cotton detailed. “What they may by no means do is say, ‘I do know that he’s a Traitor as a result of I’m one as properly.’ Or ‘As a result of I’ve been to the turret.’ They must be appearing because the Trustworthy once they accuse one other Traitor.”
He continued: “So, it’s fairly terrifying to observe when two Traitors are going laborious at one another. It’s additionally a dangerous transfer. We are saying to any Traitors, after all you may accuse one other Traitor, however you’ve to pay attention to how that may have an effect on your individual gameplay. Rob went in there, daring, and took out Bob. And he truly carried on for fairly awhile longer. Maybe, if the Traitors had been extra of a harmonious group after, he would nonetheless be within the sport. You simply don’t know.”
The Filming Schedule
Arie recalled not getting greater than six hours of sleep an evening. “It takes most likely an hour to your mind to sort of shut off,” he instructed Us in February 2023. “You’re there for therefore lengthy and it’s a type of issues the place we most likely began at 8 or earlier and we most likely have been up until about 12 to 2 within the morning, relying on for those who’re the Traitor or not, as a result of the Traitors needed to do their factor after the entire day was completed.”
Along with filming lengthy hours, the costars additionally give away their telephones and every other types of communication.
Taking Up Residence within the Fortress
The hit competitors sequence takes place on the gorgeous and regal Ardross Fortress — however do they really reside there whereas filming? In brief, no.
“How glamorous — you come to Scotland, and also you keep within the Inverness Airport resort,” Alan quipped to The Day by day Beast in January 2023 concerning the precise lodging provided to the contestants.
Alan, in the meantime, has a big altering room which he typically used as a spot to take naps throughout manufacturing. However in the end, even he isn’t in a position to keep on the citadel in a single day.
The setup within the citadel additionally created tips for the gamers.
“You’re not supposed to speak concerning the sport when the mics aren’t prepared or the cameras aren’t on,” Dan Gheesling from season 2 instructed Enterprise Insider in February 2024. “As a result of if we are saying one thing that’s vital and it’s not on digital camera, they’ll’t apply it to the present.”
Discovering a Place to Collect
After seeing the response to season 1, producers determined to supply gamers extra room within the citadel, together with the kitchen and an outside terrace, along with the library, the billiards room, the bar and the roundtable room.
“We’ve bought two new areas this 12 months,” a producer instructed Parade in December 2023. “We’re calling one the scullery [basically a kitchen], after which outdoors there’s a tiny little space that’s known as the folley which is slightly stone-covered space. It’s good. You will get two or three folks sneaking on the market, and also you get these good conversations.”
Catching a Chill within the Fortress
A number of gamers — together with season 1 star Cody Calafiore — have talked about how chilly the citadel is. “In the event that they did get the warmth working, it might most likely be slightly bit higher,” Cody joked to Actuality Blurred in January 2023.
Restrictions on Self-Promotion
Simply because everybody on The Traitors is a star on a actuality present doesn’t imply they’ll promote their manufacturers. Shereé Whitfield from season 2 instructed Folks in February 2024 that she was not allowed to put on garments from her personal model — SHE by Shereé — whereas on digital camera.
“They stated I couldn’t!” she stated concerning the contract guideline. “You’ll be able to’t put on your model.”
Offering Help
All through the seasons, Peacock has made positive that each contestant has their very own welfare workforce member.
“They’re checking on you always,” MJ stated on the “Simply Sayin’” podcast in December 2023. “They’re so cheerful {and professional}. I felt taken care of always.” In the meantime in a separate interview, Ekin-Su stated she as soon as cried “overwhelming tears” to a welfare workforce member.
Safety Guards Maintain Gamers in Line
“It’s a large navy operation every night time to get the Trustworthy to mattress in particular person rooms and get the Traitors again out to have their assembly,” creator Cotton instructed Selection in January 2024 about making an attempt to protect the “secrecy of the Traitors.”
Kate Chastain, who appeared on three seasons of The Traitors in varied capacities, instructed Vainness Honest in January 2023 about how safety guards have been alway round to stop gamers from leaving their resort rooms.
“As soon as it was clear that I used to be not getting the massive bucks on the finish, I used to be able to go residence as a result of they ran a really tight ship. There have been safety guards ensuring you by no means left your room. And we had lengthy days, from breakfast to problem to banishment,” she particulars. “By the point you bought to your mattress, you simply wished to fall asleep and sleep for eight hours as a result of I knew it might be the massive day the following day. The meals within the highlands of Scotland is nothing to jot down residence about, nevertheless it was adequate. I actually missed martinis. I actually missed slightly little bit of freedom after some time.”
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Size of a Banishment Roundtable
“It bought actually intense, , numerous crying, numerous pointing fingers, numerous below-the-belt stuff that they didn’t present on TV,” Arie instructed Us in 2023. “I really feel like they sort of stored it fairly chill on TV, however I felt prefer it was in actual life much more intense. … I believe if it bought slightly too uncooked or slightly too imply, they simply omitted it, ? They stored it extra concerning the sport.”
Permitting {Couples} Into the Competitors
Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan have been the primary couple to compete on the present once they joined season 2. (They’ve since break up.) However simply because they have been relationship doesn’t imply they have been handled like a package deal deal by manufacturing, which meant they needed to sleep in separate rooms and weren’t allowed to speak with one another.
“Marcus requested me for a nail file, and I put it in a paper bag — they usually undergo every part, you’re not presupposed to ship something forwards and backwards — however he wished a nail file and I used to be like, ‘I’m simply going to ship him a nail file,” she recalled to Folks. “After which I used to be like, ‘Oh, there’s a banana. He stated he wished a banana.’ So I [write] ‘I really like you’ on the banana and ship it to him with the nail file.”
What the Glam Scenario Is Like
Chrishell Stause Euan Cherry/Peacock
“I’d’ve died to have glam within the citadel, however [host] Alan [Cumming] [did] not permit us to,” Chrishell Stause completely instructed Us Weekly in January 2024. “A minimum of with Promoting Sundown, you get to take a seat in a chair and have glam. We’re filming from 8 a.m. to the newest — I bought residence one time at 2:00 a.m. Clearly, I completely beloved the expertise, and it’s a type of issues the place you’re simply dying to not depart. Within the sport, I beloved it. Anybody could be heartbroken to go away. However that being stated, your physique is so drained too.”
Packing for the Fortress
Tom Sandoval Amanda Edwards/Getty Photographs
Whereas showing on a March 2025 episode of the “Not Skinny However Not Fats” podcast, season 3 contestant Tom Sandoval claimed that contestant outfits should be picked forward of filming.
“It’s important to ship them in,” he claimed. “It’s important to ship them into manufacturing forward of time simply in case.”
Sometimes, contestants put on one outfit per day and should be ready for about 10 days of filming. “Most individuals [brought] most likely a few suitcases,” Sandoval added. “I packed two and a keep it up.”
