Tell me sweet little lies
The Traitors Series 3 in Review
By Treacherous Twilso
What a series, huh! A real rollercoaster of a show, ending with four Faithfuls tearing each other to bloody bits. A beautiful tragedy that seemed inevitable, broadcasted by their gameplay styles even before the trap snapped shut. You’ve got to love the game.
Like most of the internet, I have opinions. Unlike most of the internet, I have a special interest in gameshows and social deduction, so there was no force on earth that could stop this essay. I’ve broken it into little chunks, analysing contestants and challenges and game mechanics separately, while also coming up with some… interesting alternate strategies. Here are my thoughts of Claudia Winkleman’s truly excessive audition tape for the second Raven reboot(!)
Contestants
I’m not immune to picking favourites and there were some contestants I particularly liked. I thought Dan’s gameplay style was interesting and rather unique. I admired how ruthlessly he played and how open he was about it.
I loved how much delight Alexander had for the game. I strongly believe a gameshow should be fun for the contestants and at some points The Traitors didn’t seem so. Yet Alexander was always finding some moment of joy.
I thought Minah played a near perfect game and was rooting for her to win it all.
I was oddly compelled by Charlotte’s fake Welsh accent gambit from the start, and respected her strategy as a Traitor at the end.
I also had contestants I disliked, but I have no desire to say it on the internet where some tabloid vulture can snap it up and pretend people’s social media posts are newsworthy (someone needs to take the words scandal, backlash, controversy and outrage out of their hands until they can be trusted with them).
However, I feel like every series of The Traitors would be better if I could have all the contestants in a room for 5 hours and give them a bit of a lecture on social deduction games. I’d show them the terminology to describe and understand what they’re seeing (they’re not cliques, they’re voting blocks and they are a crucial bit of strategy), explain why strategies like metagaming don’t work, help them identify what information they do have, maybe run a few rounds of Blood on the Clocktower.
Everything would be much smoother, trust me. But then again, the knots make good TV, if not a great game.
Mechanics
The Seer
I have been imagining some kind of role-seeing power since series 1. In my head I called it the Magnifying Glass, and it could be found similarly to a shield but was a lot better hidden and much rarer. Maybe only on episodes 4 and 8. So when Claudia mentioned the new power, I was very excited.
And then they announced the Seer. Literally ripped straight out of werewolf. No stage dressing, they didn’t even file the serial numbers off. There should have been something, a special name, a symbolic artifact, an anti-Traitor white cloak even! The very brief dinner party was lacking, even with the weight of information it carried. And I think episode 11 was way too late to use it, with not a big enough pool to pick from and not enough time to parse the information. It was just a massive blow to both sides instead of a tool to be used and manipulated. Episode 8 or 9 – or 10 at a push – would have been better. Hopefully they will learn and improve for the next series.
Not Revealing Roles at Endgame
I was very happy with this, it felt very right. It brought the game back to trust, in your friends, in your judgement – or the lack of it. Nothing more to say.
The Ultimatum
Not a new mechanic, but one that still weighs on my mind. I don’t like it. I understand why it exists, and the scene itself is good TV, but I don’t like it. By the near guaranteed recruitment it causes, it results in a frustrating Traitor carousel of back-stabbing and meat-shielding which creates too much chaos and shatters audience investment. It makes late game strategising nearly impossible for the Traitors. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be an option but there has to be an alternative choice to give the Traitors control over their game.
The suggestion I’m offering is a ‘Will’. The last Traitor standing dictates the kill order for after their banishment. It’s not great, I can see so many flaws, but there needs to be options to choose between.
Also it was not necessary for Charlotte to have to offer an Ultimatum to Freddie. That night was the last kill. There didn’t need to be a Traitor past that point so they shouldn’t have forced her to recruit. The final proves that there was enough suspicion to tear the group apart anyway, Traitor or not.
Missions
For me, the missions are the biggest appeal, and necessary for the pacing of the show. I’ve given them all funky names and written up my opinions on them, finishing off with a nice score out of 10.
Biting the Bullet-Train (Episode 1)
I know The Traitors really wants to lean into the ‘trust nothing’, but there has got to be a better way than this. They haven’t even tried dipping into self-destructing challenges EsFrScIs-style yet! Starting with banishment worked once, very well, in the first series when it was sharp and sudden and impersonal but also undeniably technically their own fault. It worked less well like this. It could have been a really bitter start to the series, especially with no other first-episode challenge to soothe wounds and encourage amity, if not for the grace in which the three contestants left. And yet that in itself left somewhat of an anti-climax as they all meekly volunteered. (3/10)
Topple the Traitor (Episode 2)
For the first real challenge, it was a great set piece and made a wonderful image. I do love some pyrotechnics. However, I think it was a poor introduction to sabotage mechanics. It was way too early in the game and the challenge itself did not lend itself to sabotage. They were in small groups the whole time with no opportunity for the Traitors to strike out on their own or blend in completely, and some of the questions were way too easy. (6/10)
Vikings (Episode 3)
This challenge had much better sabotage potential, but the producers decided to tie the immunity with the money instead of leaning into it. That aside, it was a good test of the contestants’ strength, teamwork and willingness to sacrifice themselves. It created social tension without being too off-puttingly nasty – something some of the other challenges struggled with. And more wonderful pyrotechnics created a satisfying climax. It did suffer from a case of too much immunity too soon though. (8/10)
Pay to Play (Episode 4)
I really enjoyed watching this challenge. I do love it when they put contestants in cages, especially hanging ones. It’s the EsFrScIs fan in me.
It was the best possible conclusion to the less than ideal train ‘challenge’. The volunteers were rewarded for their sacrifice with a few days free pass, without being too generous by still including the possibility of it all being for naught. It’s not that kind of game, after all. Also, I loved the scramble of the coin collecting; untangling ropes and whacking things with sticks.
My sister, however, was deeply upset by it. She thought it was overly humiliating for the three players to have to plead for the ability to play, and on some level I agree. Maybe enough to dock it a point (7/10)
Circus S-kills (Episode 5)
Essentially a team version of the Takeshi’s Castle game Knock-Knock, but with added knife clowns. What’s not to love? I’m a big fan of the creepy circus aesthetic, especially when used in gameshows, and yet there was something slightly underwhelming about it that I’m struggling to pin point. Nonetheless, lots of fun with a good mix of game elements. (9/10)
Blood Ritual (Episode 6)
Aesthetically immaculate but undeniably mean-spirited, this challenge was an interesting choice for a cast that the producers knew included both neurodivergent people and people with textured hair. Gunge is a gameshow bread-and-butter, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite as gross as the mystery substance described by the contestants on a scale that ranged from molasses to manure to blood. So who knows what it truly was!(Apparently it was molasses)
There was no way to play without throwing someone under the bus, be it your target or your team mate. It just wasn’t fun, and wasn’t interesting enough to survive not being fun. (3/10)
Murder in Plain Sight + Death Match (Episode 6)
Death Match was an elegant touch, bringing the show back to its roots with a simple and pure game of bluffing. The visuals were striking, the atmosphere was perfect, and the challenge was completed with the Traitors frolicking through a graveyard at midnight to meet their victim face-to-face. It’s also the only challenge with an official name so I don’t have to come up with something.(9/10) only limited by how simple it was.
The Murder in Plain Sight itself, however, was somewhat lacking. While the kiss and the chalice from the first two series required contact with the Faithful target, scribbling on a painting both involved no contact and couldn’t actually be done in the presence of a Faithful. Arguably the opposite of murder in plain sight.
The fact the evidence of the murder lingers in the presence of the painting is potentially thrilling, but as it did not pay off, it wasn’t quite enough to redeem it in my eyes.
Coffin Hunt (Episode 7)
Coffins have become a Traitors staple, but they have been utilised much better in the previous series. While I normally love a treasure hunt, especially one with riddles, the riddles were kinda pathetic, and the whole challenge was paced and edited very strangely. It wasn’t helped by how personally the contestants took it. (3/10)
Child’s Play (Episode 8)
Who doesn’t love some creepy dolls? The challenge was truly hilarious to watch without sacrificing The Traitor’s sinister aesthetic – in fact it was enhanced by it. Definitely the greatest of the 3 series’ communication challenges. I also thought the integration of earning the shield was the best the series has done so far.
It was a breath of fresh air after two emotionally intense challenges, a well needed respite for viewers and players alike. (11/10)
Effigies (Episode 9)
This challenge was essentially the adult version of Obelisks of the Sun from Raven: The Secret Temple, with heavier pieces and a longer distance, but also less pieces and no puzzle element. It was also less dynamic and less fun to watch. Even ignoring my brain trying to compare it to something else, it wasn’t that engaging. The names on the foreheads determining who got the shield did add some interest, but that interest was arguing and selfishness, and this is arguing and selfishness: the gameshow. We’ve seen that before. We got some badass moments from Leanne and nothing much else. (5/10)
Checkmate (Episode 10)
A really interesting challenge, with some beautiful aesthetics, just sinister enough to keep the contestants on edge. There was potential for some real strategy and an opportunity to do some actual Traitor hunting, both of which the contestants utilised to the full. Making the Traitors reveal themselves with anti-sabotage was a refreshing twist on the norm. Marked down for the annoyingly effortless shield allocation. (8/10)
The Seer’s Tournament (Episode 11)
Three games in one. A shell game with dancing knife clowns, a push-your-luck with the creepy dolls and a time-ambiguous scattergrab. A wonderful summation of the last three weeks, simple but entertaining to watch. (9/10)
(Also I nicknamed the clown section Slashdance, and I think it’s funny)
Suspense (Episode 12)
This reminded me of a more extreme version of Para-Shoot from EsFrScIs. Exciting with some good visuals, but too short and a bit unsubstantial for the final challenge of the series. The other two final challenges were a lot better. (7/10)
Uncloaked
As much as the phrase ‘visualised podcast’ makes me roll my eyes every time, airing The Traitors: Unclocked after every episode was an excellent decision, which this series only reinforced. It helps the viewers recontextualize the game back into a game after a particularly stressful cliffhanger. It allows the contestants to present their true personalities outside of what is shown in a strict, narrative-driven edit, and gives them the opportunity to explain their thought processes with the clarity of time and distance. It’s funny and soothing – for lack of a better word, it’s the TV version of aftercare.
Game Breaking Strategies
There’s been a lot of chat about how to win The Traitors. I myself have opinions on the optimum strategy. But why add to that noise? Instead I’m going to tell you how NOT to win The Traitors. Strategies that could hypothetically work but absolutely ruin the game. Strategies that will make the producers actually let Claudia kill you! Because thought experiments are fun.
The Traitor-Hunter’s Fallacy (Faithful Strategy)
The issue with hunting Traitors, is that it doesn’t actually get rid of Traitors. It just changes who they are. Most of the time banished Traitors will simply be replaced through recruitment, and this becomes a near guarantee when you get down to one Traitor and the Ultimatum. And recruitment essentially sends you back to square one, with people you previously cleared as Faithful now having to be re-examined in case they turned turncoat.
So why bother?
Instead of hunting Traitors, use banishments to cull the Faithful flock, focusing on building the strongest money earning team to maximise the potential prize pot. Only start hunting Traitors in the late game. Recruitment will be harder, you’ve had a long time to gather evidence from the murders and other game happenings, and you’ll also have a better understanding of the other players’ baseline body language so you can spot recruitments. The only thing you need to be careful of is not letting the Traitors get a majority, and that’s very unlikely.
Obviously this strategy goes against the spirit of the game, because the game is all about hunting Traitors. It also has the potential to get a bit nasty and eugenic-y with people’s contrasting ideas on what the strongest money-earning team actually looks like.
If the producers want to avoid this, and they should, the easiest solution is to offer money to the prize pot for each Traitor found, giving the Faithfuls more incentive to hunt them down. It also has the side effect of giving the Traitors more incentive to throw each other under the bus, which could have a fascinating impact on gameplay.
Murder Roulette (Traitor Strategy)
Okay, this has been knicked from the blokes of Professional Contestants, but it’s a pretty solid idea (I mean they were technically right about the secret passageways). Their strategy is that the Traitors should kill randomly. Pick a name out of a metaphorical hat and follow through regardless.
Murder Roulette removes one of the very few reliable sources of information the Faithful have – figuring out why someone died means nothing when that ‘Why’ is bad luck. It sacrifices the Traitors’ limited control of the game but provides chaos the Faithful will struggle to parse. They won’t know how to protect themselves, which will add an extra layer of distraction when it comes to the Round Table.
Additionally, only one Traitor needs to make the pick each time, which means the others can be surprised and react naturally at breakfast time. And if it backfires, the Traitors can simply stop and play normally.
Unfortunately, this makes really bad TV. The viewers want evil scheming! To stop a game of murder roulette, producers may have to put their foot down and simply tell the Traitors to play properly.
Meat-Shielding (Traitor Strategy)
This is the strategy most antithetical to the show, one the producers would never tolerate because it would greatly disrupt the logistics of the entire production. What if the Traitors didn’t kill? What they deliberately minimised the murders, sinking into shields whenever possible? This would leave the Faithful very confused, and render all shield traps null and void, as well as removing kill information like above. But most importantly, more people at the Round Table means you are less likely to be focused on and voted out.
This is what would drive the producers crazy. They’ve planned on the numbers for challenges, with some room for variation, but not that much room! They only have so many haunted dolls. It would really stick a spanner in the works, but they’d also really stick a spanner into you!
In Conclusion
So where does that leave me? Staring at the application screen for series 4 debating on whether I’m in a position where I can actually disappear to a Scottish castle for four weeks. I love the game, so it’s really calling to me. Maybe in three years time.
And I do think I have those three years. The Traitors is a show that’s going to stick around. The two biggest trends in gameshows right now are immersion and social deduction, and with it’s cameraman-minimal approach, The Traitors is hitting both of them. It’s also one of the BBC’s strongest shows, so they’re not going to drop it any time soon.
For series 4, I want the producers to rework the Ultimatum mechanic and finesse the Seer. Maybe watch some episodes of Escape from Scorpion Island for challenge inspiration. I’m telling you – Series 1 Episode 14: A Bridge Too Far and Series 2 Episode 1: Sky High Scramble. Dig them out the BBc archives, it’s just what you’re looking for, trust me.
Also I want them to release another gamebook. Tie-in gamebooks are a gameshow tradition after all. I loved the first one (Elif my beloved ♡), and I would love a second. Some making-of/behind-the-scenes footage of the missions would fun as well.
Until then, I’ll be getting my social deduction gameshow kick from Wie Is De Mol 2025.