Summary
The Traitorsseason 3 cast has been announced, and while some of the usual tactics were utilized in casting reality TV gamers,I’m worried about the way the cast will handle the pressures of the game. ThroughoutThe Traitorsseason 2, which was the first of the franchise to employ an entirely reality TV and entertainer based model for its cast, there was friction between the reality TV competition series veterans and the stars who appear on unstructured reality TV shows, like theReal Housewivesfranchise. The divide ultimately dissipated, but it was tough to watch the game early on.
DuringThe Traitorsseason 1, the cast was made up of half reality TV stars, half civilians. This model was tough, as well, as both groups found it more difficult to cross the line and play the game with one another.Moving to a cast comprised entirely of starsforThe Traitorsseason 2 was the right move for the series, butcame with its own set of issues. The second season of the series saw a group of reality TV gamers, likeBig Brother’s Dan GheeslingandSurvivor’s Sandra Diaz-Twine, playing against reality TV stars used to personal vendettas.
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The Traitors Has Cast Some Controversial Players In Season 3
Vanderpump Rules Star Tom Sandoval Is In The Mix
The Traitorsseason 3’s cast is a mix of reality TV heavy hitters, well-known media personalities, and a few entries with ties to the industry. Though there are the usual casting choices, likeSurvivor’s"Boston" Rob Mariano andBig Brother’sBritney Haynes, there are some surprises, likeVanderpump Rulesvillain Tom Sandoval. WhileTom has been on a year-long apology tour after his cheating scandal, cleverly dubbed Scandoval, ended his relationship and changed his life, his appearance on reality TV shows outside ofVanderpump Ruleshas been surprising. Audiences have loved to hate Tom, but watching him is a commitment.
Afterappearing onThe Masked SingerandSpecial Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Tom is taking onThe Traitorsnext. Along with Tom, I findTheBiggest Loser’sBob Harper a questionable choice, as he’s spent his career employing dangerous diet and exercise philosophies on overweight cast members looking for help. I also question the casting of Zac Efron’s (yes, that Zac Efron) brother, Dylan Efron, mostly because he’s going to have to explain who he is for the entirety of the season premiere. With controversial casting,The Traitorsseason 3 doesn’t have the solid foundation the last season began with.
The Traitors Season 3 Cast Members Have Big Targets To Worry About
Survivor Powerhouses & Big Brother Legends Have To Watch Out
While there are some questionablecasting choices onThe Traitorsseason 3, the power players are clear - and could easily be dead in the water early in the game. As viewers know, the point of The Traitors is to identify the chosen Traitors, leaving as many Faithful in the game as possible. The issue here is not that the game’s hard to follow, but thatsome players tend to lose sight of the fact that they aren’t meant to target each other for being strong competitors. Unfortunately, this happens often and tends to spell trouble for classic reality TV gamers.
WithSurvivorlegends “Boston” Rob Mariano and Tony Vlachos in the mix, reality TV competition fans in the cast will easily be able to recognize that they’re strong players who can strategize easily. Similarly, the issues forBig Brotherplayers in the cast like Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes, will revolve around the fact that they know how to play games of deception. The power players in the game will be targeted for the fact that they know how to play strategy games, which could be detrimental to their ability to stay alive, unbothered, and unbanishedinThe Traitorscastle.
The Clash Between Reality TV Gamers & Unstructured Stars Is Tough To Overcome
They Play The Game Too Differently
The crux of the issue, in my opinion, is that reality TV gamers and stars who are used to unstructured reality TV fame play the game from an entirely different vantage point. Competitors whocome intoThe Traitorswith knowledge of strategy games tend to have an idea of how they want to play the game upfront and understand the decisions made in a game setting with money on the line aren’t meant to be taken personally. While there are exceptions to every rule,reality TV competition players tend to separate their lives inside the game and outside of it.
Unfortunately for the competition players, the rest of the cast don’t come from backgrounds where reality TV games are a part of their psyche.Stars who appear on unstructured shows or don’t come from a reality TV background haven’t learned to compartmentalizein the same way gamers have, leaving them to take the game far more personally. While some have been able to separate the game and their real feelings in the past, others likeThe Traitorsseason 2’s Phaedra Parks, haven’t. The lack of compartmentalization makes it difficult for The Traitors cast to be on an even playing field.
The Traitors Should Treat Its Casting Like Other Competition Shows
Reality TV Gamers Should Be The Priority
While I enjoy the mixed-bag casting ofThe Traitors, I think the game itself would be better served without it. Don’t get me wrong,the idea ofRHONY’sDorinda Medley andSurvivor’sBoston Rob going toe to toe about who’s a better Faithful is immaculate, but interactions like that can wear thin throughout a dozen-episode season. When the reality TV stars, typically from Bravo shows, find themselves in the mix and begin to take things personally, the integrity of the game itself is lost in a way that can’t easily be recovered. What I’m more interested in is the strategy.
I’d love to seea season ofThe Traitorsoutfitted with an entire cast of reality TV gamers.Players fromThe Challenge, Big Brother, Survivor, and other reality TV competition showsplaying a game that is more strategic than physical, and requires a level-headed stream of deception sounds like the perfect show to me. While I enjoy the thread of drama that comes from the two worlds colliding, it can make the show more difficult to follow and messes with the point of the game as a whole. In the future, I’d love to seeThe Traitorschange things up.
The Traitors (US)
Cast
The Traitors is a reality competition series that features celebrity and civilian contestants vying for a grand prize. They must engage in challenges while trying to uncover the traitors in their midst. Based on the Dutch series, The US incarnation of Traitors is hosted by actor Alan Cumming. As the faithful try to avoid being “murdered” by the traitors, the traitors must work together to evade banishment.
