By Brianna Alleva
What is The Traitors?
The show that has taken the world by storm has done it again, surprisingly. The Traitors is based on the social game of Mafia and the Dutch De Verraders.
The idea that whenever there are people among a group who are deceiving or are traitors to the group, it will always be easy for them to succeed or win anything they are trying to accomplish.
The US version of the show has slowly gained a huge following. Audiences love the host, Alan Cummings, colorful and most times crazy outfits, and the show’s ability to take celebrities from reality shows like Housewives and Survivor and put them in a pressure cooker, insane situations.
The Traitors Season 1
The premiere season of the show is one that everyone, including myself, agrees was the best. The main reason was the winning traitor: Cirie. Also, the inclusion of non-celebrity players added an interesting mix and created a fun-to-watch show.
It was fun to see how the reality show players were so different from the non-celebrities, and ultimately created the moment at the end when the non-celebrities were so upset that the Survivor winner had conned them out of the money.
The social dynamic of “real” vs. “fake” relationships and what someone would do for money played throughout this season and every season since.
They add more celebrities
The idea to change direction and have only celebrities as contestants was rumored to be because of a non-celebrity who was unusable in video footage, so they had to cut him out of the season itself.
Having celebrities who are media-trained became incredibly enticing. This decision ultimately catapulted the show to success.
More and more viewers tuned in to see their favorite reality show celebs again on their screens.
Some critics complained that having these celebrities detracts from the show’s grit: celebrities don’t need the money, and some are clearly there to extend their seven seconds of fame.
Nonetheless, people were talking and watching The Traitors.
“Anger Viewing”
As a viewer of The Traitors, I watch each season until the end. After season 1 and up until this past season, I found myself doing so, angry at myself for watching, given how the show ended.
I go back and forth on whether I want the faithful or the traitors to win, but regardless, each season I find myself pissed at whoever wins.
The biggest disappointment to me was Season 2. Trishelle and CT. As faithfuls, they essentially played the role of traitors and won by screwing over a fellow faithful.
The show is a game, and you can’t take everything so seriously, but this, to me, was a betrayal, since they were all faithful and deserved to win.
Season 4
Going into the fourth season, I will admit my hopes were not high. I knew what the other seasons looked like and was sure what I was getting myself into.
This season, however, surprised me with how un-annoying the celebrities were.
Even Michael Rapport, who was arguably the most insane cast member, was eliminated early enough to not really make a huge impact on the entire season, in my opinion.
The winning traitor: Rob Rausch also played a respectable, low-key game, which even the faithful who betrayed at the end had to admit.
“Fair Play”
It is also a fun competition show to watch when the winners and losers (at least Maura, the faithful who came in second to the traitor) can admit when a game show is played well, and the winner deserves the win.
For me, I think this is what made the season similar to season 1 in watchability. Sure, Rob played a good strategic game, but the faithful were not as annoying as in some seasons where they would get hurt so easily when someone betrayed them in a game of betrayal.
Ultimately, the season and the show itself continue to prove why this social-experiment competition show will be around for a while, much to the delight of many viewers.
Next Season
It has been announced that the next season of Traitors will all be members of the general public, no celebrities.
This will be insanely interesting, and a breath of fresh air to see how some not used to the TV screen will do.
Advertise on Streaming: Traitors
Audience Demographics for CTV
- Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Television (TV) > Game Show Watchers
- Age: 25–54 or 30–49 — core adults are likely to be a prime audience for reality and competition shows
- Household Income: $75k+ or $100k+ — higher income households who may have broader CTV usage and discretionary screen time.
Typical Advertisements for Streaming
- Consumer brand commercials (automotive, food & beverage, retail, technology)
- Telecom, insurance, and financial services ads
- Health, insurance, and financial services ads
Where to Stream Reality Check: Traitors
- Peacock (with subscription)
Think Traitors is a good place for your CTV Advertisements? Click here to talk to a representative at adduro.io, and we’ll help you reach your target audience on the shows they’re watching.
