Currently Peacock’s #1 Original reality series, The Traitors is a witty competition fueled by treachery and deceit among celebrities living in the Scottish Highlands. The twenty contestants, including stars from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Bachelor, Big Brother, Survivor, and Below Deck, just to name a few, all come together to complete a series of challenges with the objective of earning a cash prize. Meanwhile, the three “traitors” are secretly cultivating a plan to steal the prize from the other contestants. Hosted by the incredible Alan Cumming, the series’ success has already secured the promise of a second season!
GLAAD’s Anthony Allen Ramos was joined by Cumming to talk about the series.
When talking about why he thinks the show is such a success, Cumming said, “It’s a combination of many types of shows… I sort of think it’s like one of those burgers with everything on it.”
Cumming then describes how the show is so different from anything fans are used to watching. “We don’t really get a chance to watch people blatantly lie that often and in this show, you have to lie. That’s the point of the game.” He explains how lying came much easier to some contestants than others. “Some people are not so good at it… Something about having to watch people lie is fascinating.”
He reveals that in his opinion, the MVP of the first season would have to be Kate Chastain, who is known for her appearance on the reality series Below Deck. “I think she’s also the person who changed most,” Cumming says. “She has this journey on the show, she’s hilarious but you also see someone kind of change and become a team player. It’s lovely.”
Some fans find it shocking how seriously these players take the game. “You have to realize these people are in a bubble. They don’t have their phones, there are security guards keeping them apart so they can’t chat at night, all they have to think about is this game and they become absolutely obsessed. They sort of spiral, so you can understand why they get emotional,” Cumming explains. “It’s really fascinating.”
Another especially notable aspect of the series are Cumming’s dazzling outfits. “I approached it like I was playing a character in a film or a TV show,” Cumming says, even referring to the outfits as costumes. “I think they heightened the quite campy nature of the show.”
Despite going by the name Alan Cumming, he didn’t feel like he was playing himself. He reveals that he “felt like an undercover spy.” Describing his character as a “menacing, eccentric presence.”
When asked if he was a reality TV fan himself, he answered simply, “No.” He also admitted he only knew who three of the twenty contestants were prior to filming the show.
In terms of his plans for the second season, Cumming says “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” He goes on to say that, “I quite like how in the British version they just had 20 normal people, they didn’t have reality TV stars. But I think it actually really works. America is a cult of celebrities so it actually works for that to be a part of ours.”
In addition to the show’s renewal, the Season One reunion will stream on Peacock February 28, hosted by Bravo icon Andy Cohen. The dramatic reunion will bring the Season One cast together for the first time since the traitorous finale.
The first season of The Traitors is available now on Peacock.