It’s often impossible to trust your competition during a reality show, and that will definitely be true in Peacock’s new series. The streaming service has ordered 10 episodes of a U.S. version of The Traitors, based on the popular Dutch series of the same name. Alan Cumming will host. Production will begin later this month, and contestant casting will be announced at a later date.
Described as a psychological thriller and competition reality series, The Traitors is set in a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands. Cumming will play host to reality TV icons and America’s best game players competing in a show of alliances, deception, and even “murder” in hopes of winning up to $250,000.
According to the series description, “Treachery and deceit are the name of the game.” The 20 contestants will be tasked with completing a series of challenges that can earn them cash prizes. However, a number of the contestants will be “The Traitors,” meeting in secret to devise a plan to eliminate the players named “The Faithful.” That second group must figure out who’s in the first and vote them out to take the prize money for themselves. If a Traitor makes it to the end, they are in with a chance of taking home the cash prize.
“We can’t think of a better person to serve as puppet master of this series than Alan Cumming,” Jenny Groom, EVP Unscripted Content, said in a statement. “His wit and eccentricity will add the perfect layer of comedy to this thrilling world of high stakes deception.”
Added Stephen Lambert, Studio Lambert, CEO, “In a game of secrecy, suspicion and plot twists, who better to take the helm and guide our game players through the drama and challenging missions than our very own Scot, Alan Cumming.”
The Traitors is produced by Studio Lambert Scotland with SVP Stephen Lambert, Mike Cotton, Toni Ireland, Jack Burgess, and Sam Rees Jones serving as executive producers. Sharon Vuong, EVP Entertainment Unscripted Development will oversee for NBCUniversal.
