‘The Traitors’ Season 2 premiere review: Money, mayhem, and murder, oh my!

Grab your magnifying glasses and put on your Sherlock Holmes hats, The Traitors is back for its second season! Peacock’s must-see competition (and newest global franchise) has returned to its gothic castle for another game of money, mayhem, and murder. However, there are a few new twists introduced in the second season that will change the game of The Traitors as we know it. And dare I say, these updates are for the better.

Kicking off during the season premiere, the casting twist set itself apart from most other editions around the world. Focusing only on celebrities and former reality TV contestants was a positive update that Peacock and The Traitors learned from its first season. Don’t get me wrong, I like newbie casts and seeing how they compete in competition, let alone against more experienced players. However, history has shown newbies tend to get steamrolled by reality TV stars, and the focus of the show stays firmly on these returning players. In a high-stakes, high-tension game like The Traitors, removing those elements helped to make the gameplay and narrative more seamless.

And why would we pass up the opportunity to get more of our favorite past stars back?! As a reality TV fan, some of these contestants are personalities I’ve watched before in their original seasons and some I rooted for nearly two decades ago. For instance, I’ll never pass up seeing Janelle from Big Brother or Sandra and Parvati from Survivor return on my screen. Plus, it’s a competitive and enjoyable cast with players like Peppermint (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Dan (Big Brother), CT (The Challenge), and Phaedra (Married to Medicine) to name a few. The Traitors Season 2 is a stacked cast.

“Betrayers, Fakes and Fraudsters” also fixed a slight issue that came up in the franchise: the importance of why we should watch the challenges. Sure, the challenges are the opportunities for the contestants to earn money for the group pot, but the games are more important to the players than us watching at home. By introducing the shields (e.g., the tokens that protect players from getting killed by the Traitors), it piques our interest in who will snatch them during the rounds. The Armory was a nice set piece for how to claim the shield, and the location could return in future episodes as the numbers dwindle, but the twist for how to get them now was a refreshing update that should stay.

Thankfully, the first challenge proved right away how impactful this small change would be. Janelle running immediately to grab a shield showed everyone that she was there to play her own game, and it had lasting effects by the third episode when she prioritized a shield again (“Murder in Plain Sight”). And CT and Deontay jumping into the lake to grab their shields could’ve hindered the group’s success – they were all running out of time to put the puzzle together. Right now, the players have had opportunities to secure three shields per challenge, but as those numbers start falling, it’ll be interesting to see how cutthroat people get looking for the only shield.

Speaking of the challenges, the three featured during the premiere episodes were all fun and highly stressful. As mentioned above, the lake challenge required a lot of teamwork and communication to put the puzzle together. It’s a miracle that the group secured the win right down to the wire, especially since they were a hot mess. Clever editing? We’ll have to take Peacock’s word for it.

Out of the three, the scarecrow challenge from the second episode (“Welcome to the Dark Side”) and the graveyard game from the third episode were my favorites. The second challenge forced the contestants to think long and hard about their perceptions of the group. Like, Peppermint’s team should’ve listened to her when she said she was the most popular player, especially when most of her team agreed with her. They wasted valuable time fixing their mistake. And the third game was so chaotic and fun – I bet it would’ve been a blast running around the graveyard to avoid the lights. It’s a big win for Bergie (Love Island USA) for discovering the pattern of the lights; many of the players previously dismissed him, but his leadership turn will do wonders for him later down the line when he needs people to listen to him during the roundtables.

Now, for the most important discussion of the season premiere: the identity of the Traitors and the eliminations. Dan being chosen as a Traitor wasn’t a big surprise; he was a master strategist and manipulator during his time on Big Brother. Shockingly, no one had suspected him until the third episode; his weird change in behavior to be more silent and introverted arguably gave him away. He needs to change things up or he could be the first Traitor to fall. On the other hand, Phaedra is more of a wildcard. She comes from a non-competition reality TV show, so her potential is unknown and untapped. Based on the rounds so far, she has a strong social game, and she could hide within the group of the Housewives and Bravo celebrities. We’ll have to keep our eyes on her.

The other interesting twist was that the Traitors were able to select their third member before their first murder. I enjoyed this twist because it gave an element of choice that affected Dan’s and Phaedra’s future games. If they chose wrong, it could hurt their chances of winning, and there is no telling if that person wouldn’t then backstab them in upcoming rounds. Selecting Parvati as their third member is a huge gamble for their future safety. Parvati is equally a strong strategist and manipulator; she’ll deceive and play the role of Traitor well. However, Parvati won’t be shy about turning on Dan or Phaedra if it means keeping them in will jeopardize her game. Like Dan said, she is the “Black Widow” of Survivor, after all.

Murdering Johnny “Bananas” (The Real World/The Challenge) in the first night set a fascinating tone for the Traitors. For anyone who has watched The Challenge, Bananas tends to dominate that competition; he either wins challenges, controls the group’s strategy, or wins the season. If he had stayed, Bananas would’ve won more money for the group, but he could’ve tried taking control of the group and the conversation. It’s better in the long run for the contestants and the show that he’s gone. Plus, it showed that the Traitors weren’t shy about eliminating a big personality.

Voting out Peppermint at the first roundtable was a tough pill to swallow. Peppermint has such a fun-loving personality, and I would’ve loved to see how she would’ve adapted as the paranoia increased. But seriously, her word slip-up sealed her fate. It’s a shame that one wrong conversation dug her grave further. If only she had said “Faithful,” the outcome would’ve been different. However, Trishelle (The Real World/The Challenge) needs to own up to the part she played in Peppermint’s elimination. She brought up her suspicions, she mentioned Peppermint’s “weird expression,” and she talked to many people about her theories. She created the rolling rock that grew and grew, so she can’t downplay her part in how it started. The Traitors is a game of suspicion … and she pointed a finger at her suspect.

Marcus being killed next by the Traitors was a good move for their long-term success. Marcus was highly trusted by the group and people listened to his opinions. Plus, he had a strong ally in his girlfriend, Larsa (The Real Housewives). Let’s be real here, neither was ever going to get rid of the other. It’s better they were separated this early on before they worked as a cemented voting bloc in later rounds. Which, unfortunately, means now that Larsa’s days are numbered. No one is going to doubt she’s a Faithful; her tears during Marcus’ elimination breakfast were real and raw.

The vote-out at the second roundtable was odd and chaotic. Did Maksim’s (Dancing with the Stars) personality drastically change and it made him suspicious? Not really. Granted, everyone is suspicious of each other, but Maksim seemed more awkward than anything else. If he had stayed in a few rooms more to talk with people, he most likely would’ve avoided elimination. And if it weren’t for his best friend Deontay who led the charge, the theory wouldn’t have had momentum. On the other hand, Dan’s days are numbered. MJ (Shahs of Sunset) and Larsa have their sights set on him, and everyone is talking about how “too” quiet Dan seems to be. He is over-correcting himself too much by trying to play it safe – it’s not looking good for him.

The premiere of The Traitors Season 2 kicked off a thrilling new game of intrigue. The first three episodes packed plenty of energy to hook us in, and it introduced several new changes that made the game even better. The targets are all over the place and the Faithfuls need a bit of luck to rein themselves in. Meanwhile, the Traitors had a strong start, but the Faithfuls are smelling blood in the water. It’s a great start for what’s looking to be an exciting season ahead.

The Traitors airs new episodes on Thursdays on Peacock.

---

Images courtesy of Euan Cherry/PEACOCK