It’s open war in the castle! How did traitors lose their soul? television

FOr last year, traitors had a big problem. No, not the parade of indistinguishable white male contestants. Nor the way it kills off its increasingly likable characters too soon (RIP Jessie). Not even the fact that a disproportionate number of people of color leave the show early suggests there’s a significant problem with unconscious bias. Actually, sorry: let me rephrase. Traitors face two big problems.

But that’s what defines this series: what the point of the show actually is. The celebrity version blew the previous regular season of the Traitors out of the water. It was quite charming, featuring a group of nice people playing an exciting game while committing a series of the most contemptible murders. It literally smashed the regular version: ratings, watchability, and how instantly you liked it. And it’ll always be that way, because this show works best when you root for as many contestants as possible. So, when almost every player is a player you’re already familiar with, it inevitably makes for more engaging television than a series where you spend the first couple of weeks saying, “Excuse me, there’s a guy over there called Jack?”

But the massive success of The Celebrity Traitors risks the standard version sounding as if its USP was: “the boring version.” The show’s producers decided to deal with this problem by ramping up the drama. Before its release, Claudia Winkelmann described its new direction as “hardcore” and “brutal”, adding: “We get some very interesting round tables… It gets very hot… It gets ugly.” She’s certainly not wrong. It seems that some of this year’s contestants are unable to get their names mentioned at the roundtable without losing their score. James is often nervous. Jade is a constant hair trigger. By the end of Friday’s show, there was so bad blood that she rejected Matty’s offer of a hug, and he had to come back to try again in the next episode.

There was also open warfare in the castle for the first time, with Fiona explosively coming face to face with Rachel in a way that seemed truly ill-tempered. Even Harriet’s strategic attempt to push Rachel away developed into an unpleasantly aggressive shouting match, as she has since told The Times: “It was terrible when I saw it. I lost my temper and it’s not nice to see… It was so intense, the pressure got to me. It was crazy behaviour. I wouldn’t normally shout at someone I’d only met a couple of weeks ago over breakfast.”

It’s honestly a huge shame. When it first aired, Traitors was a breath of fresh air. It seemed like a revolution in reality TV, not because it had a flair for the dramatic, but because it was populated by people who were very relatable and navigated the dynamics of reality TV in a very nice way. The first two seasons were downplayed, to the point that sometimes people would get kicked out of the game for admitting to playing the game. It was the most British reality show imaginable.

In its first season, Traitors was hailed for channeling the joy of the first season of Big Brother – in which a group of ordinary people captivated the nation by being stupid. His most famous moment was uniting the entire cast (and audience) in their appalling hatred of the calculated game – and vilifying a man named Nick for writing some names on a piece of paper. It was a very apt comparison – like BB, early shows of The Traitors charmed a wide audience, many of whom wouldn’t normally approach the theatrics and confrontation of a typical reality show.

However, in the year 2026, traitors rule mercilessly. Winning the show has increasingly turned into an exercise in who can be the most violent. And that person, without a doubt, is Rachel. She easily fends off Fiona and Harriet’s ferocious attacks. The way it shocked Ross: “Was Hugo that dramatic in the tower?” At the Round Table was one of the most amazing bits of rude play the show has ever produced. It looks like she’ll stop at nothing to win – and it works. Except, of course, for any last-minute Varrazata-Christie dramas.

There have been violent players before, of course, and Season 2’s Paul Gorton even read a copy of American Psycho as a training manual. However, he was unable to reconcile his levels of arrogance with his ability not to get fired, and proved to be an unintended comedic delight. Wilf from the first series certainly had no compunction about stabbing his traitorous colleagues in the back. But his tendency to break down in tears when a knife is inserted – not to mention brilliantly ducking a shot from Kieran – has kept him on the right side of the likable character. And while there was another brutal moment suitable for watching through one’s fingers – Harry’s betrayal of Molly in the Season 2 finale – that, at least, came in the show’s final seconds.

However, watching The Traitors now no longer means indulging in the friendliness that characterized previous seasons. Instead, you immerse yourself in an energy that predictably resembles reality TV, with its theatrics and manufactured dramas. Where the truly unpleasant moments first broke out. It’s of course very watchable television, but given the state of the world at the moment, do we really want to see the UK’s nicest bit of escapism turned into something harder and more offensive? No thank you. In his attempt to become a more brutal version of himself, it’s hard not to suspect that The Trators has lost something: a little of his soul.