Grab your tartan cape and a glass of wine: The Traitors season three is coming very soon.
On October 31, Alan Cumming announced that everyone’s favorite large-scale version of Mafia will begin airing on Peacock on January 9. “I’ll just say one word: Brutal,” the Emmy-winning host told Hoda and Jenna of the third season.
In case you missed out on the first two seasons, The Traitors puts reality TV royalty (among a couple other types of known entities) against each other in a battle of wits and deception. Basically, certain members of the cast are secretly dubbed “traitors” and tasked with sabotaging the group as they compete in a series of Survivor-esque challenges that add money to the total cash prize (which can go up to $250,000). Each week, it’s up to the group to determine who amongst them are the “traitors” and vote to eliminate them, leaving only “faithfuls” left standing.
So far we’ve seen both traitors and faithfuls reign victorious. Traitor Cirie Fields (Survivor) won the first season while faithfuls Trishelle Cannatella (The Real World: Las Vegas, The Challenge) and Chris “C.T.” Tamburello (The Challenge) split the $200,000 at the end of season two.
Though season one featured a group of normies mixed in with the reality stars staying in a castle in the Scottish Highlands, season two changed things up with a complete cast of TV personalities, athletes, and public figures. Clearly, the shift paid off: On September 15, The Traitors took home the Emmy Award for outstanding reality competition program while Cumming scored the win for outstanding host for a reality competition program.
Season three continued that trend by casting a variety of notable personalities, some more controversial than others. Here’s what we know about this year’s group of reality TV faves and villains.
Season 3 Cast:
Bob Harper, The Biggest Loser
Bob the Drag Queen, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Britney Haynes, Big Brother
Carolyn Wiger, Survivor
Chanel Ayan, The Real Housewives of Dubai
Chrishell Stause, All My Children and Selling Sunset
Ciara Miller, Summer House
Danielle Reyes, Big Brother
Dolores Catania, The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Dorinda Medley, The Real Housewives of New York
Dylan Efron, Zac Efron’s brother and producer
Gabby Windey, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette
Jeremy Collins, Survivor
Lord Ivar Mountbatten, British aristocrat
Nikki Garcia, professional wrestler and one-half of the Bella Twins
“Boston Rob” Mariano, Survivor
Robyn Dixon, The Real Housewives of Potomac
Sam Asghari, Britney Spears’s ex-husband
Tom Sandoval, Vanderpump Rules
Tony Vlachos, Survivor
Wells Adams, The Bachelorette
Who has the upper hand? It’s not surprising that all the past winners of The Traitors come from shows that involve building alliances and playing mind games. Therefore it’s probably safe to bet on a Survivor alum like Tony Vlachos, who won two separate seasons of the competition series. That being said, traitor Phaedra Parks from The Real Housewives of Atlanta was a major favorite amongst viewers in season two. Sometimes the greatest victory is brand building!
Who will have trouble? While Tom Sandoval definitely has experience lying on camera, it may be particularly difficult for the controversial Vanderpump Rules figure to build trust with the other competitors. Meanwhile, Dylan Efron, Sam Asghari, and Lord Ivar Mountbatten are pretty much wild cards, as their backgrounds aren’t really rooted in reality television at all.
Will there be drama between the players? Oh yeah. Alan Cummings said he thought he was going to “have to break up a fight” during one roundtable discussion this season. “It’s got lots of peaks and troughs,” he said on Today with Hoda & Jenna. “It’s not all like that, but oh my gosh, yeah, it’s a lot.”
Who are the “traitors” and who are the “faithfuls?” We won’t know until the new season hits Peacock!
When does it air? The Traitors Season 3 begins dropping on Peacock on January 9.
This article may be updated.
