Written by Katie Coxall; edited by Morgan Forbes
When The Traitors aired its first episode on the 29th of November 2022, the British public were immediately hooked. Claudia Winkleman welcomes 22 contestants to a castle in the Scottish Highlands and “tasks (them) with trying to work out who among them is a traitor”. With a grand prize of up to £120,000 up for grabs, The Traitors is a high-stakes gameshow that doesn’t centre itself around physical challenges but rather the sociological warfare that is inherent within reality TV.
Image: BBC
The immediate twists and turns that The Traitors throws at both contestants and audiences prove to be prime examples of why the nation was so hooked during its 12-episode run. In fact, the first episode of The Traitors has reportedly now been viewed “over 5 million times”. However, there seems to be a complex formula behind the show’s success.
Across the Venn diagram of Gen-Z audiences raised by internet lore and nostalgic millennials hungering for that sweet spot of culture that existed in the early 2000s exists an aching desire for a return to the juiciness of reality TV. The escalating arguments and the genuine conflicts are the elements that seem to be so sought after, and so apparently absent, in contemporary reality TV. It is “the sincerity that made (The Traitors) so compelling”; the experience of watching real people have real arguments over issues that seem so ridiculous is what creates this sensation of juiciness.
Shows like Love Island and Too Hot to Handle feature contestants that often already have some kind of social media following, and if not it is almost guaranteed that they will by the time the show airs. The way influencers have populated mainstream television, in the UK especially, has made the medium cater to a certain set of standards, creating casts centred around aesthetics rather than storyline. The same can be seen from the high volume of celebrity-based editions of shows that seem to be more popular than any original formats (for example Celebrity Gogglebox or Celebs Go Dating).
The contestants on The Traitors appear, in contrast, very normal. The range of people we see mingling and conspiring in this castle are so like the people we meet in our daily lives: receptionists, students and call centre agents all let loose in a ridiculously camp set all embarking on a surprisingly frustrating witch-hunt. This has also led to the show becoming highly meme-able: Amanda Lovett, nominated traitor and maternal figure, being claimed by the queer community as an icon has been one of the highlights of the show's aftermath, and she’s now touring the country's most prolific gay clubs to meet her fans.
The challenges the contestants are tasked with are also very minor elements to the ‘plot’, despite their grandiose production. The main content of each episode is spectating the players speculate about each other, grasping onto the loosest of ends to make assumptions that have no way of being verified. Players claim they are faithful “because they just are” and others nod their heads in enthusiastic agreement. It feels chaotic and genuine, authentic and delusional, which makes it such a refreshing joy to watch.
The Traitors has transcended these newer boundaries solidified by post-smoking area Love Island era television. By taking into consideration both the theatrical nature of OG Big Brother era reality TV, as well as the diversity and inclusivity that the current climate of television aims for but very often misses, Winkleman’s game of lies has created a fresh format for our screens.
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