What we don't want in The Traitors season 2

And RadioTimes.com can exclusively confirm that there will be no celebrities on The Traitors season 2, unlike the first season of The Traitors US.

The Traitors premiered in November 2022 and quickly became a hit amongst fans.

Based on the Dutch series De Verraders, it saw 22 contestants arriving in Scotland for a game of trust and treachery.

Three contestants were then chosen as Traitors while the rest of the contestants played as Faithfuls, with the challenge of identifying who all the Traitors were and voting them out of the show.

In the final round, the contestants had to successfully banish who they believed to be concealing a secret, in order to win a cash prize. However, if any Traitors remained in the game, they'd take home the entire prize pot.

The Traitors winners were eventually revealed in December 2022.

One of the things that made season 1 such a success were the real people who we got to see on the show, from Welsh estate agent Amanda to Wilf, who managed to pull the wool over just about everyone's eyes.

While also enjoyable, the US version included a mixed cast of celebrities and civilians, which divided viewers.

So we were delighted to hear that the second season of the UK series wouldn't be making this change, and instead sticking to the formula that proved popular.

As shows become bigger, it's common for producers to tweak things or introduce new features.

However, we fear that too much change could impact on what made season 1 so great.

Here, we share all the things we do and do not want to see in season 2.

What we DON'T want on The Traitors season 2

1. Mixed celebrity and civilian cast

The US version of The Traitors featured a mixed line-up of civilians and celebrities, which included Survivor star Cirie Fields, Real Housewives star Brandi Glanville and Below Deck's Kate Chastain.

While some took well to the cast, with Kate in particular becoming a social media sensation for winding up the rest of the line-up, others feared that the BBC would make the same change to the UK series.

Thankfully, we don't have to worry about this, with it now confirmed that celebrities won't feature on season 2.

While we'd be up for a solely celebrity version of the show, the mix of celebs and real people just doesn't work in the same way as a cast full of strangers. The Traitors is about trying to make people believe you're telling the truth without even knowing you.

As some of the celebrities had already met on the US version, they were familiar with one another's personality traits which made it easier to suss out who was lying. For instance, Big Brother star Rachel Reilly clocked very early on that fellow BB star Cody Calafiore was a Traitor.

Yes, there were two contestants who already knew each other on the UK version - Tom later revealed that Alex was his girlfriend - but this was a secret kept from the majority of the cast, and actually added to the drama, rather than taking away from it, like with a contestant figuring out the game from episode 1.

Contestants already knowing one another or even being fans of a celebrity could take away from the fun of the show, and make the game very predictable.

2. Too many twists

As the saying goes: if it's not broken, don't fix it!

Season 1 was so popular and included just the right amount of twists and turns - from Amos and Kieran returning after seemingly being eliminated in episode 1, to The Traitors having to murder in plain sight, and getting the opportunity to recruit more members.

While we're not against new features that are specific to the show, too many twists could spoil a good thing!

3. A new host

We’re used to seeing Claudia Winkleman providing light-hearted commentary as she co-hosts on Strictly, but for The Traitors, Claudia turned into a sinister, yet camp presenter, delivering the details of each challenge and murder with the perfect level of bluntness and charm.

Some fans have said that it was almost like she was a “part” of the game rather than a presenter, as she seemed to enjoy the experience just as much as the contestants. And for that reason, we’d love nothing more than for the eyeliner-wearing icon to return to the helm of the show.

While we’re not against a new host taking over in the future (once Claudia is done, of course), now just wouldn’t be the right time for a new face!

What we DO want on The Traitors

1. Diverse line-up

Season 1 introduced us to 22 real people, who we quickly fell in love with as they played the game.

We had the adorable Amanda, 54, who went on the show with the hope of being a "good ambassador for 50-plus-year-old women".

Despite being a Traitor, she managed to fool everyone and became the "mum" of the house - that is, until senior fundraiser Wilf, 28, threw her under the bus.

Then there was Wilf, who nearly stole the cash prize for himself, if it wasn't for headstrong Hannah - a 32-year-old comedian from London.

Hats off to the casting team for putting together a diverse line-up. With so many reality TV shows aimed at young influencer types, it was nice to see a cast of everyday people who are often under-represented on TV.

Not only was it more relatable to the general public, but it put the focus solely on the game rather than personal factors, such as appearance, romantic connections and conflict between the cast.

It's been rumoured that the season 1 cast could return. The BBC is yet to confirm this and the applications have opened to take part in season 2, which makes us think there will be a brand new line-up. But if this were the case, we'd want the Traitors to change to keep the game fresh.

2. Secrets

Tom left the other contestants shocked when he revealed that Alex was in fact his girlfriend, after the pair pretended not to know one another to win the game.

He thought he was doing himself and Alex, who was on trial at the time, a favour. However, it later led to him being banished from the round table and Alex being murdered after she refused The Traitors' offer to join them.

Similarly, Maddy decided to confess that she's an actress after lying about her job, and it only put the spotlight on her as the others wrongfully accused her of being a Traitor.

From contestants with secret connections, to the cast lying about their true identity, anything that's going to make it harder to suss out who the Traitors are, we welcome with open arms for season 2.

3. More from the murdered contestants

It was hard to fault The Traitors when it premiered on the BBC last year. Despite being a new format, there wasn’t much that it got wrong. But one thing we would have liked to see is a bit more from the murdered and banished contestants.

How exciting would it be for the murdered Faithfuls to meet The Traitors once they’ve been killed, similar to Netflix’s The Circle where contestants who have been voted out visit a player of their choice and then get to leave a video for everyone the next morning.

Just imagine the chaos it would cause the next day at breakfast after everyone has learned who was murdered in the night!

The Traitors season 1 is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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