The Traitors (also known as The Traitors US outside of the United States) is an American reality competition series based on the Dutch series De Verraders. Following the premise of De Verraders, the show features a group of contestants participating in a social deduction game similar to Mafia or Werewolf, set in and among the grounds of Ardross Castle in Scotland. During the game, a small group of contestants become the titular "Traitors," and must work together to eliminate the other contestants to win a grand prize, while the remaining contestants become "Faithful" and are tasked to discover and banish the Traitors by voting them out to win the grand prize. It is hosted by the Scottish actor Alan Cumming. The first season was released on Peacock on January 12, 2023. In February 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, and the first three episodes were released on January 12, 2024. In February 2024, the show was renewed for a third season. In August 2024, the show was renewed for two additional seasons taking it through season 5. In August 2025, an all civilian season was announced to air on NBC, with Cumming as host. The American show is based on its British counterpart, with both being produced by Studio Lambert for the BBC and Peacock. They share the same location, props, and missions, with the main difference being the hosts. == Format == A group of contestants arrive at a castle in the Scottish Highlands with hopes of winning a large cash prize that is built up through missions. The players are referred to as the "Faithful" but among them are the "Traitors" – a group of contestants selected by the host, whose goal is to eliminate the Faithfuls and claim the prize for themselves. Should the Faithful contestants eliminate all the Traitors, they will share the prize fund, but if any Traitors make it to the end, they steal the money. Most nights, the Traitors come together and decide upon one Faithful contestant to "murder" and that person leaves the game immediately. The remaining Faithful contestants do not know who has been eliminated until the following day when that person does not enter the castle for breakfast. Every day, the murders usually take place after the banishments. The group then takes part in a mission to add money to the prize fund. Some challenges also offer an opportunity for players to visit the Armory where one player is secretly awarded the shield which gives the player immunity from being murdered, but not from the banishment vote. An attempted murder on the shield holder will result in no player being eliminated. At the end of each day, the group will participate in the Banishment Ceremony – where the players gather at the Round Table to discuss who they wish to vote out before individually voting for a player to banish. Players cast their votes privately before revealing their vote in turn to everyone, as they provide a reason for the vote. The person obtaining the most votes is banished from the game and must reveal their affiliation. In a tied vote, a run-off vote occurs between those tied with the highest vote tallies. When a Traitor is eliminated, the remaining Traitors are given the opportunity to recruit another player. === End Game === Once the game has reached the final four, the remaining players participate in the final challenge. The players are given a choice to "Banish Again" or to "End Game." A unanimous "End Game" vote concludes the game, while a single vote to "Banish Again" results in another banishment vote, followed by another choice between "Banish Again" or "End Game." When the game ends, if all remaining players are Faithful, then the prize money is divided evenly among them. However, if any Traitors remain, they win the entire pot. == Episodes == === Series overview === === Season 1 === === Season 2 === === Season 3 === === Season 4 === == International broadcasts == In the United Kingdom, the series was acquired by the BBC as a companion to its British version, with episodes released on BBC iPlayer the day after the American release, January 13, 2023, and linear television airings for BBC Three and BBC One. However, since 2024, the series was moved to air in late January onwards as the BBC moved the UK version to January, tipcially airing in the same slot on BBC Three as the UK version. In Australia, the series was made available to stream on 10 Play in March 2023, as a companion to the Australian version broadcast by Network 10. In Canada, the show is available to stream on Crave. The Canadian version of the series premiered on October 2, 2023 on CTV. In The Netherlands (where the show is originally from), the US, UK, Belgium and Australia versions are available to stream on Videoland. == Companion series == === The Traitors Postmortem === It was announced that during the second season that a new web program named The Traitors Postmortem would be introduced, an after-show program featuring additional footage and interviews with eliminated contestants that would air on Peacock and on Peacock's YouTube channel. == Reception == === Television ratings === The Traitors became the number one original reality series on the streamer, with the premiere of the season being BBC Three's most-watched show since the relaunch of its linear television. === Awards and nominations === == See also == == References == == External links == Official website The Traitors at IMDb