The Traitors

Format

A group of contestants arrive at a castle in the Scottish Highlands with hopes of winning a large cash prize that is built up through missions. The players are referred to as the "Faithful" but among them are the "Traitors" – a group of contestants selected by the host, whose goal is to eliminate the Faithfuls and claim the prize for themselves. Should the Faithful contestants eliminate all the Traitors, they will share the prize fund, but if any Traitors make it to the end, they steal the money.

Most nights, the Traitors come together meeting in the castle "turret" and decide upon one Faithful contestant to "murder" and that person leaves the game immediately. The remaining Faithful contestants do not know who has been eliminated until the following day when that person does not enter the castle for breakfast.

Every day, the murders usually take place after the banishments. The group then takes part in a mission to add money to the prize fund. Some challenges also offer an opportunity for players to win the "shield" which gives players immunity from being murdered that night, but not from the banishment vote. An attempted murder on the shield holder will result in no player being eliminated.

At the end of most days, the group will participate in the Banishment Ceremony – where the players gather at the Round Table to discuss who they wish to vote out before individually voting for a player to banish. Players cast their votes privately before revealing their vote in turn to everyone, as they provide a reason for the vote. The person obtaining the most votes is banished from the game and must reveal their affiliation. Starting from season three, banished players don't reveal their affiliation on the final day. In a tied vote, a run-off vote occurs between those tied with the highest vote tallies.

When a Traitor is eliminated, sometimes the host has given the remaining Traitors the opportunity to recruit another player.

End Game

Once the game has reached the final four, the remaining players participate in the final challenge. The players are given a choice to "Banish Again" or to "End Game." A unanimous "End Game" vote concludes the game, while a single vote to "Banish Again" results in another banishment vote, followed by another choice between "Banish Again" or "End Game." When the game ends, if all remaining players are Faithful, then the prize money is divided evenly among them. However, if any Traitors remain, they win the entire pot.

Episodes

International broadcasts

In the United Kingdom, the series was acquired by the BBC as a companion to its British version, with episodes released on BBC iPlayer the day after the American release, January 13, 2023, and linear television airings for BBC Three and BBC One. However, since 2024, the series was moved to air in late January onwards as the BBC moved the British version to January, typically airing in the same slot on BBC Three as the British version.

In Australia, the series was made available to stream on 10 Play in March 2023, as a companion to the Australian version broadcast by Network 10.

In Canada, the show is available to stream on Crave. The Canadian version of the series premiered on October 2, 2023 on CTV.

The series, as well as the British, Flemish and Australian version of the show are currently available to stream on Videoland in the Netherlands.

Companion series

The Traitors Postmortem

During the second season, a web program titled The Traitors Postmortem was introduced, an after-show program featuring additional footage and interviews with eliminated contestants, episodes were released on Peacock and on Peacock's YouTube channel.

The Traitors Official Podcast

With the season 4 premiere, a companion podcast titled The Traitors Official Podcast was introduced and hosted by season 3 contestants Rob Mariano and Bob the Drag Queen. The podcast premiered on January 8, 2026, with weekly releases of audio and video episodes produced by USG audio. The podcast features guest interviews with the eliminated contestants each episode.

Production

To emphasize the show's authentic Scottish Highlands setting at Ardross Castle, production utilizes live traditional musicians to frame dramatic events, missions, and contestant arrivals. Among the local musicians featured on-screen is James Mackenzie, Dingwall, a veteran bagpiper from Ross and Cromarty who performs with the Alness Pipe Band. Known for his mastery of traditional pibroch (classical pipe music), James is dressed in traditional Highland attire—including the Mackenzie tartan—to provide the show's distinct, tense auditory backdrop.

The American show is a sister show to the British version, with both being produced by Studio Lambert for the BBC and Peacock. They share the same location, props, and missions, with the main difference being the hosts and the contestants.

Reception

Television ratings

The Traitors became the number one original reality series on the streamer, with the premiere of the season being BBC Three's most-watched show since the relaunch of its linear television.