The Traitors (AUS) - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Peacock has picked up the UK and Australian versions of hit psychological competition format The Traitors, with both iterations set to launch on the Comcast-owned platform Wednesday Feb 15th.

Quote

https://sodramaticonline.com/2022/10/16/the-traitors-australia-2022-contestants/

The Traitors Australia 2022 is set to be a “deliciously dangerous” game filmed with “deception, lies and betrayal”, and the cast is as kooky as the show’s premise.

The reality series was first launched in the Netherlands and has now staked claim Down Under, mixing psychological thrills with a traditional reality competition (and all the drama that comes with it).

ICYMI: The series, hosted by seasoned TV vet Roger Corser, began with 24 contestants who come together in a posh AF hotel to complete a series of challenges to earn a LOT of moola. However, there’s a catch.

Some contestants — AKA “the Traitors” — meet secretly to devise a plan to eliminate their fellow players, known as “the Faithful”.

Meanwhile, “the Faithful” must figure out who is a Traitor so they can take the prize money for themselves.

Trailer here

[Door County Cherry]

Poor Craig.  Poor dumb Craig.  No Roger, he did not play the game in an excellent fashion.  He was terrible with no instincts.  And that's why he was brought to the Final 2.

Nigel's departure speech was epic.  

I did not like that Kate was recruited so late in the game.  

The UK version is next for me.  My comparison thoughts will be in that thread in the US forum. 

[Meredith Quill]

1 hour ago, Door County Cherry said:

Poor Craig.  Poor dumb Craig.  No Roger, he did not play the game in an excellent fashion.  He was terrible with no instincts.  And that's why he was brought to the Final 2.

Epitome of the phrase 'useful idiot'. Imo, he let himself be charmed by a pretty face...

[keke23]

I just finished binging today. Poor Craig was so bamboozled but I do not feel sorry for him.  With the exception of Mark, whom I believe sussed out 3 of the 4 original traitors, the traitor women owned this game.  They understood that there are multiple elements to the traitor's game. It's not only about getting rid of the faithful, you also have to position yourself by thinking ahead of your fellow traitors who are just as much oponents as they are allies. 

[Door County Cherry]

On 2/18/2023 at 4:30 PM, keke23 said:

With the exception of Mark, whom I believe sussed out 3 of the 4 original traitors, the traitor women owned this game.  They understood that there are multiple elements to the traitor's game. It's not only about getting rid of the faithful, you also have to position yourself by thinking ahead of your fellow traitors who are just as much oponents as they are allies. 

Yeah, although I don't think Murielle was as smart as she thought she was.  She started targeting her traitors a bit too early.  And she made the mistake of lying about something she didn't need to lie about.  Alex was smarter when she used an observation "hey, all the traitors went into the water" to go after Nigel which all saw and wasn't a lie. 

On 2/17/2023 at 10:53 PM, SilverStormm said:

Epitome of the phrase 'useful idiot'. Imo, he let himself be charmed by a pretty face...

And tears.  I might have to rewatch but I didn't recall the tears from Alex until she became a traitor.  But they were very effective at manipulating emotion. 

[anniebird]

I stopped watching when Nigel got banished because he was my favorite and I didn't like any of the people who were left. And what was up with all the pearl-clutching over Angus' use of the word "murder?" That word was used by everyone constantly and the show itself kept reminding us that someone was going to be "murdered" almost every night.

Chloe was endlessly entertaining. Did she walk off because the whole world saw that she was a pretty bad clairvoyant?

[BradandJanet]

I continued to the end, but Nigel was my favorite too. Was it ever explained why Chloe quit? You're probably right that she wasn't doing her occupational choice any good. 

[LakeGal]

I have now watched the US and Aus version.  The women obviously are more cut throat Traitors.  Merrielle really did start too early trying to oust the other Traitors.  Then she got so cocky she lied when she didn't have to.  I cheered when she left.  

Craig was under Alex's spell and believed her tears.  I did not feel sorry for him.  He did it to himself when he banished Lewis.  The only way for Craig and Lewis to get any money was to work together and that was not going to happen.  

[SourK]

This was the last one I watched, but I think I liked it best. People made friends and got emotional, but it mostly seemed like they showed up to play and understood it was a game.

I did feel bad for Craig, though -- those last few minutes in between when we all knew he had lost and when Alex told him she was a Traitor were so brutal I almost couldn't stand it. (Although LOL at how the Faithful tried to vote each other out right up to the finals.)

I also felt bad for Nigel for different reasons. As soon as he introduced himself at the beginning and said, "I was a hostage for a super long time and discovered that I know how to appease people who mean me harm, so now I've made that my identity" (paraphrase) I felt very nervous for him. I get that he wrote a book and he speaks about the experience and can make his own decisions about whether he wants to play a game like this, but I was still like, "Dude, maybe you shouldn't?" I was actually relieved when he got picked to be a Traitor.

I also loved how some random guy named Paul suddenly appeared for a couple of episodes near the end and then got murdered.

This one was fun, but -- again -- the last few minutes left me with that feeling like, "I'm not sure it's awesome that we do this to people for entertainment." I would have liked to see a reunion episode where we found out if everybody was okay.

[meep.meep]

I liked this one, but I missed the castle.  Did this have the most total players?  People definitely got lost in the shuffle - I don't think either Craig or Paul were heard from until episode 8, other than in the banishment.

You definitely feel sorry for the Faithful when the Traitors win.  Which is strange because you kind of root for the Traitors during the game.

[Meander]

On 5/8/2023 at 8:22 PM, meep.meep said:

I liked this one, but I missed the castle.  Did this have the most total players?  People definitely got lost in the shuffle - I don't think either Craig or Paul were heard from until episode 8, other than in the banishment.

 

Who's Paul?  

 

honestly when he appeared half way through I had no idea who that was. 

[Jenniferbug]

Just finished this one after the UK version.  I don't think this one worked quite as well for me. They had too many people who were off screen for half the series- I didn't know there WAS a Matt till he suddenly got 3 votes; Kate, Alex, and Craig were barely seen or heard for quite a while; and Paul literally never had any focus at all. I also didn't feel as much bonding between this group which is fine because it's a cutthroat game, but it also doesn't make the betrayals as surprising. 

I liked the challenges and that there was an actual challenge for the shield. It also made more sense for the shield to protect again both murder and banishment, as well as being out in the open.

I'm not sure how to feel about the recruited traitors making it so far. Alex spent most of the game as a faithful with no eyes on her so once she switched it wasn't that hard for her to keep going. I don't think she would have made it to the end if she had been one from the beginning. 

Is there encouragement behind the scenes to take out fellow traitors? I could kind of understand them jumping on the Angus bandwagon since his name was already being thrown around so much, but Marielle immediately taking out Claire seemed very stupid at that point. Then Alex became a traitor and immediately took out the other 2. 

I think it would be interesting in all versions if they'd do exit interviews telling them- there's 2 traitors left, who are your final guesses? It'd be interesting to see what some would say when no longer afraid to say the wrong thing to the wrong person, or to see if the voting triggered an idea for them. 

I'd like to see another season for sure so hopefully Peacock will carry it. 

[NotChristine]

Season 2 premieres this Sunday (Aug 13)

Also, there's a New Zealand version that just premiered this week

[meep.meep]

On 8/8/2023 at 9:32 PM, NotChristine said:

Season 2 premieres this Sunday (Aug 13)

Also, there's a New Zealand version that just premiered this week

Are you in Australia?  It's not on Peacock in the US.

[MerBearHou]

I was bummed that Alex won.  I had to mute her vocal fry voice and her fakeness really, really bugged me (even though I know this is the Traitors).  

Kate, Craig and Nigel were my BIG favorites.  Just people I'd like to actually know.  

Enjoyed the challenges and their intricacy and Rodger was a great host.  Teresa was so funny about him when she left.  The woman is very, very funny.  She's a lot and she owns that -- I wouldn't want to live and work around her every day, but I liked her.

Kate on the crossbow challenge was impressive to watch and I admired Mark's and her Traitor-hunting skills.

Except the winner, I enjoyed the series (and definitely more than the US one -- haven't watched UK).

[sadtvjunkie]

So has season 2 aired already in Australia? What about the New Zealand one mentioned? Any updates?

[Meander]

On 12/29/2023 at 12:51 AM, sadtvjunkie said:

So has season 2 aired already in Australia? What about the New Zealand one mentioned? Any updates?

Just watched the Aus S2, it's absolutely fascinating 

Edited January 8 by Meander

[waving feather]

Oof, second season's ending is intense. I did feel sorry for Sam because he did carry the team and worked his butt off the entire season but he got a bit too aggressive in dealing with some people. I feel less sorry for Blake because he wouldn't get to the finale without Sam plotting, imo. And Camille was just there and didn't do or say much throughout the season.

[anniebird]

On 9/2/2023 at 2:54 PM, MerBearHou said:

I was bummed that Alex won.  I had to mute her vocal fry voice and her fakeness really, really bugged me (even though I know this is the Traitors).  

Kate, Craig and Nigel were my BIG favorites.  Just people I'd like to actually know.  

Enjoyed the challenges and their intricacy and Rodger was a great host.  Teresa was so funny about him when she left.  The woman is very, very funny.  She's a lot and she owns that -- I wouldn't want to live and work around her every day, but I liked her.

Kate on the crossbow challenge was impressive to watch and I admired Mark's and her Traitor-hunting skills.

Except the winner, I enjoyed the series (and definitely more than the US one -- haven't watched UK).

I couldn't stand Alex' voice and I didn't even know there was Australian vocal fry till this. I just rewatched the season and now I think Kate really deserved to win - she wasn't my favorite player (Nigel was) but she played the game the best of anyone. And I agree with everything you said about Teresa - she was just the right amount of zany for a game show especially about Rodger. 

Also, I think there's a flaw in the game design - at the end if there's one faithful and two traitors there should be a way for the faithful to win.

[LakeGal]

I just watched the first episode of season 2.  It is off to a good start.  

[LakeGal]

I finished season 2.  It was a crazy ending and I loved it.  I cheered and laughed at how it all played out.  

[MicheleinPhilly]

Season 2 finale spoilers:

Spoiler

I laughed LOUDLY. Good grief Sam, you are a total sociopath. 

Of the versions I've watched (US, UK, AUS) this was easily the dumbest batch of contestants EVER. And the US version is full of reality tv "stars"! 

 

[SoMuchTV]

On 8/9/2023 at 12:32 AM, NotChristine said:

Season 2 premieres this Sunday (Aug 13)

Also, there's a New Zealand version that just premiered this week

 

On 1/8/2024 at 4:07 PM, Meander said:

Just watched the Aus S2, it's absolutely fascinating 

 

On 1/19/2024 at 2:12 PM, waving feather said:

Oof, second season's ending is intense. I did feel sorry for Sam because he did carry the team and worked his butt off the entire season but he got a bit too aggressive in dealing with some people. I feel less sorry for Blake because he wouldn't get to the finale without Sam plotting, imo. And Camille was just there and didn't do or say much throughout the season.

 

On 2/6/2024 at 11:23 AM, LakeGal said:

I finished season 2.  It was a crazy ending and I loved it.  I cheered and laughed at how it all played out.  

Would any of you who has already had access to season 2 consider starting a “Season 2” thread?  (Or better yet, episode threads, if anyone’s up for it?) We can do that ourselves now, and we seem to be a bit short on moderators at the moment. And possibly edit your posts here to hide spoilers (if there are any; I’m not sure because I was trying to skim)? Thanks in advance! ❤️❤️❤️

Edited March 9 by SoMuchTV

[BradandJanet]

Ending to Season 2

Spoiler

The ending to season 2 was interesting. Sam seemed to be winning against all odds, and then had the rug pulled out from under him at the end. Camille said that they recruited her because they thought she would just share the money with them, but she was playing to win. 

Blake was in tears at the end. I'm sure he could have used the money with his mother's illness. However, because of Sam's consistently aggressive play, they certainly expected Sam to try to take the entire pot for himself, so their steal made sense. The best strategy would have been for both Blake and Camille to write share and oust Sam. However, Blake was still being controlled by Sam and he and Camille didn't have a relationship, so they hadn't made a pact. 

I guess the ending shouldn't have been a surprise. Sam misjudged Camille, and Blake was a weak player who deferred to Sam at almost every turn.  

 

[GoudaGirl]

On 1/21/2024 at 1:24 PM, anniebird said:

Also, I think there's a flaw in the game design - at the end if there's one faithful and two traitors there should be a way for the faithful to win.

Absolutely!  I was so confused!  I’m like- there’s no way for Craig to win?!

[NeenerNeener]

I felt so bad for Craig. He was willing to share with either of them if they had been Faithfuls. 

[NeenerNeener]

The season 2 finale was the only episode my brother has ever watched. He's convinced that

Spoiler

Blake has gambling debts.

 

[Stats Queen]

Watching Season 2 and I can’t stand Sam.

[SoMuchTV]

Since there doesn’t seem to be enough interest for single episode threads, I’ll just say that as of S02.E07,

Spoiler

my ideal end game scenario would be beer-guy and SAHM/federal agent sharing the pot at the end. Also, I’m so impressed that every time we see Gloria, she has a different hairstyle. 

I’ll come back when I’m done and read the previous comments. 

[65mickey]

Great ending. I felt bad for Blake. But damn I was happy with what happened to Sam. Karma baby karma.  Kudos to Camille for realizing what was going to go down and putting a stop to it. 

[SoMuchTV]

23 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Since there doesn’t seem to be enough interest for single episode threads, I’ll just say that as of S02.E07,

  Reveal spoiler

my ideal end game scenario would be beer-guy and SAHM/federal agent sharing the pot at the end. Also, I’m so impressed that every time we see Gloria, she has a different hairstyle. 

I’ll come back when I’m done and read the previous comments. 

I changed my mind. I think I got my most preferred outcome.

Spoiler

Paraphrasing, if I ain’t winning, ain’t nobody winning!  

 

[wenhiku]

21 hours ago, 65mickey said:

Great ending. I felt bad for Blake. But damn I was happy with what happened to Sam. Karma baby karma.  Kudos to Camille for realizing what was going to go down and putting a stop to it. 

I binged this over the weekend, fresh off of watching Season 2 of the UK version.  I, too, loved the ending for Sam.  I did not feel too bad for Blake, so that was fine with me.  Go, Camille!  I did watch a youtube video of Camille explaining why she did not go with Liam to get Sam out at that point.  It made sense that she felt then Liam would have gone after her (since he said he thought Sam and Camille were the traitors) and then Blake would have been the sole winner.  I was amazed as how easily Sam would divert votes onto whomever brought up his name at banishment.  It was truly shooting fish in a barrel.

As far as the cast goes, they were like Season 1 of the US version in that there was a combination of "celebrities" and "normal people".   Since I do not watch Australian TV, I had no idea of the celebrity backgrounds.  For some, they were instantly under suspicion while Hannah make it almost to the end.

I enjoyed the banishment interaction between the actor, Guyton, and Craig's asides about winning awards.  Which leads me to say that I have enjoyed the hosts for all the versions, as they each bring their own personality and do not seem like they are trying to copy one another.  I like how much Claudia is a fan and involves herself so much in the day to day.  Her interviews after the shows are great.  I could not rate them, as I feel that each one is a good match for their particular version.

Now, on to New Zealand!

[DumbDucks]

Just finished S2, and, wow, what a colossal bunch of dummies. I don't know that there has ever been such a collective bunch of terrible game players in a single season of any show ever. The ending was actually perfect.

[Stats Queen]

19 hours ago, DumbDucks said:

Just finished S2, and, wow, what a colossal bunch of dummies. I don't know that there has ever been such a collective bunch of terrible game players in a single season of any show ever. The ending was actually perfect.

I agree and if this was the first season of any of the Traitor shows from all over, I’m not sure I would have watched another season.

Sam was such a colossal jerk.

[DumbDucks]

2 hours ago, Stats Queen said:

I agree and if this was the first season of any of the Traitor shows from all over, I’m not sure I would have watched another season.

Sam was such a colossal jerk.

I haven't hated a reality show contestant that much in a long while. I can't believe what an entitled jerk he was by expecting Camille to just let him win. Stay mad about it, Sammy.

[MsVulcan]

That ending was epic! 

[Quilt Fairy]

On 4/5/2024 at 3:29 PM, MsVulcan said:

That ending was epic! 

Best ending to a reality show ever!  I 100% knew that Sam would vote to steal, but I waffled about Blake.  Camille is my new hero. 

[LeDucDiableBleu]

Sam and Blake wanted to use Camille as a patsy. They thought she was weak and a follower. How many times did Sam say that he has Camille in his pocket and Camille will do anything he says. He got overconfident and underestimated her, so from my pov he didn't deserve the money. He got out-played and out-witted by a woman who he believed should have just handed it over to him on a platter, and thank him for the privilege. I have nothing but respect for Camille saying no, I won't be your patsy.

[zenithwit]

Just finished watching season 2 and I'm so glad that I read this season had a crazy ending because I don't think I would have been able to finish it otherwise.

I really want to give Sam credit for controlling the game the way he did but honestly, I think he was blessed with a group of particularly dum dum and unstrategic faithfuls.  I don't think Sam was that cunning and he had literally the same strategy every single week.  It made watching the show incredibly boring.  Every week since Annabel's banishment was the same: one faithful says "I think Sam is the traitor", Sam says "Well maybe you're the traitor", the rest of the faithfuls are like "oh, I never once thought of you [the other faithful] as a traitor.  Maybe I should write your name down tonight."  This strategy was so obvious that EVEN LIAM figured it out by the end.  Maybe the only credit I'm willing to give Sam was that he was good at using the particularly extra dum dum faithfuls (i.e. Sarah and Liam) to get out the other faithfuls who had at least one strategic brain cell.  Also, recruiting Camille when he did was smart.

I wished Blake and Camille had stronger back bones and voted out Sam at some point.  But I get that they didn't really trust each other and couldn't rely on the other faithful votes.  

On 4/13/2024 at 11:04 PM, LeDucDiableBleu said:

Sam and Blake wanted to use Camille as a patsy. They thought she was weak and a follower. How many times did Sam say that he has Camille in his pocket and Camille will do anything he says. He got overconfident and underestimated her, so from my pov he didn't deserve the money. He got out-played and out-witted by a woman who he believed should have just handed it over to him on a platter, and thank him for the privilege. I have nothing but respect for Camille saying no, I won't be your patsy.

100%  Camille is my new queen (and she was funny throughout the show too!).  Camille walked into that Traitors dilemma knowing that she wasn't going to get any money.  It didn't matter what she wrote on that chalkboard because there's no way in hell Sam was writing "Share" (and both Blake and Camille knew it).  If you're in that situation, you might as well write "Steal" and hope for the best.  Her decision was about respect, not money.

Side note: I think the traitor's dilemma would be a lot more interesting with just two traitors.  I think that it would require more negotiation and trust. With three traitors, it really is in each individual traitor's interest to write "Steal" and hope that at least one of the other two write "Share".

Edited 22 hours ago by zenithwit