How does ‘The Traitors’ work? The devious reality competition franchise, explained

Deception, betrayal, jaw-dropping reveals, and murder, The Traitors has it all for reality television fans. And with The Traitors Canada dropping an episode every Monday and The Traitors US season 2 currently in production, I figured this would be a great time to explain the franchise to the uninitiated.

Based on the reality series De Verraders, The Traitors takes inspiration from Werewolf/Mafia, a popular social strategy game family, friends, and classmates have played for years. There are several international iterations of the cut-throat competition show, but for this piece, I’ll focus solely on The Traitors.

Since 2022, we’ve seen The Traitors receive five versions: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with each having its own host and countrymen.

A cast of conniving gamers assembles in pursuit of a grand prize. Traitors and Faithfuls are secretly selected, and after several Murders and Banishments play out, the remaining contestants hope to leave with a hefty check.

But, how does The Traitors work? I’ll go through the format, and don’t worry, it’ll be in general terms so there won’t be any season spoilers.

The Faithfuls aim to Banish the Traitors before they’re Murdered

So, let’s go through The Traitors step by step.

The game is afoot

Around 20 contestants enter the game ready to suss out Traitors or take out the Faithfuls one by one. Depending on the version, the series is filmed in different areas. For example, the first seasons of The Traitors US and UK were both filmed at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, whereas The Traitors Canada season 1 was shot in a manor in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The cast will be greeted by the season’s host who will explain the game’s premise.

A few will be secretly chosen as Traitors while the high majority remain as Faithfuls. The Faithfuls’ job is to eliminate all of the Traitors before the season concludes, whereas the Traitors attempt to fool their cast members and slide to the end.

If the Faithfuls complete the game without a Traitor in their midst, the remaining contestants share the prize pot. However, if even one Traitor lasts all the way through, they’ll take the pot for themselves. If two Traitors make it, they’ll share the money — and so on.

After the rules are explained, the players meet and greet, making first impressions in anticipation of the selection process.

The Traitors and Faithfuls are chosen

The players then make their way to the Round Table for the first time. Once seated, the host will ask the players to don a blindfold. Then, the selection process begins — whoever the host touches on the shoulder will be a Traitor from that point on.

The standard is three Traitors, and once they’ve been chosen, the contestants are instructed to remove their blindfolds. Every player now knows their role, and it’s time to go to work.

It’s time to Murder

After some more social time on the first day, bedtime rolls around — an exciting time for the Traitors, but not as much for the Faithfuls.

Every night, the Traitors will meet in secret and Murder one Faithful, which is a dramatic way to say eliminate someone from the game — the person Murdered never rejoins the cast.

The first Murder is also when the Traitors find out who their treacherous companions are. After high-fiving and celebrating, they get down to business.

After discussing the game’s social dynamics, and spilling information they’ve learned and opinions they’ve formed, the group decides on one Faithful to send packing. Once a name is chosen, it’s written in a letter and the Traitors head to bed.

Mourning breakfast

The next morning, the cast trickles into the dining hall for breakfast. But more importantly, this is when they’ll learn who was eliminated through the night. The players enter the room in groups, pairs, or by themselves until only one is missing — that’s who met their end.

The contestants then discuss the happenings of the game, and why they think the Faithful was taken out by the Traitors.

Socializing and whodunnit?

After breakfast, the cast breaks into smaller groups to strategize, accuse, politic, and gameplan. These social times are some of the most important moments of The Traitors as alliances flourish, rivalries grow, and tensions rise.

Money-making time

It’s then time for a group challenge and to add cash to the overall prize pot, and when a player can show off their competition prowess to bolster their value. They can range from searching for a buried player to solving codes while co-existing in a room full of rats and insects.

Although the cast is typically broken into teams, their end goal remains the same: secure all cash at stake.

Post-challenge debrief and Banishment strategizing

Once the dust settles and the challenge is in the books, the cast heads back to their home away from home. This is when they take time to debrief about the challenge while relaying their thoughts of who is potentially a Traitor — sometimes another’s challenge performance can help sway a player’s thought process.

This is also the last time the contestants can meet and discuss their ideas with each other in private before the vote.

The first Round Table Banishment and the Circle of Truth reveal

It’s now time for the Faithfuls to strike at the Round Table. The cast returns to it for their first Banishment. Once the host welcomes them, the players take the floor to openly debate and build cases against suspected Traitors. Some accused contestants fold under the pressure of accusations, but many swing back to defend their honor (or preserve their time as a Traitor).

At some point, the back-and-forth concludes and the voting process begins. Every competitor secretly writes down the name of a counterpart who they believe is a Traitor. Once everyone has locked in their votes, the votes are revealed one at a time.

Whomever receives the most votes is permanently removed from the game.

But, before their departure, they enter the Circle of Truth. The Banished then faces those who ousted them, and reveal whether they’re a Faithful or a Traitor.

The grand reveal is one of the most exhilarating parts of every episode. More times than not, the Faithfuls who are fueled with undying conviction that a player is a Traitor are left utterly shocked that their perceptions were incorrect.

The next Murder occurs

After a bit more social time, it’s time to turn in for the night. But, the Faithfuls remain restless and awaiting their fate, while the Traitors reconvene to stage another Murder. The contestants part ways, so no one knows who leaves their room to perform the execution.

Rinse and repeat

Once a player is Murdered, a new round of play begins, beginning with breakfast. The process repeats and the game continues until the Murders and Banishments whittle the cast down to a small handful. There are also possible twists along the way, including the Traitors attempting to recruit a Faithful to join their ranks or a canceled Murder.

End game or Banish again?

When only a few contestants are left standing, the final Round Table plays out. After that, the group will vote to end the game or engage in another Banishment. For The Traitors to conclude, the remaining players must unanimously agree to end the game. If one of them votes to Banish again, another player will be voted out before trying to end the game again.

Once every contestant chooses to wrap the show, they’ll finally reveal their roles. If only Faithfuls are left, they’ll split all of the money earned in the challenges. But, if a Traitor is among them, they’ll leave with nothing while the Traitor — or Traitors — cashes out.