NBC’s New Version Of The Traitors Should Help Solve The Show’s Biggest Problem

With The Traitors exploding in popularity and international versions popping up around the world, I’ve been expecting Peacock to announce the reality competition program would start filming two seasons a year instead of one. That’s been the Survivor model for a long time, and it would make sense for Traitors to double down, given how buzzy the show has gotten. Well, that announcement finally came yesterday, though the specifics are a little different than I would have guessed.

We are getting two seasons of The Traitors next year in The United States, but the second one isn’t going to air on Peacock. It’ll be broadcast on traditional network television by NBC, and more interestingly, it’ll feature civilian contestants instead of celebrities. That’s what the British version does, and it should help solve the biggest problem the US version of The Traitors has.

To be clear, I absolutely, positively love what Peacock has done with The Traitors. I’m a big fan of other reality shows; so, I’ve loved the chance to see legends from Survivor, Real Housewives and other hit shows in a totally different context. The casting department (which won an Emmy for their work) has done a great job of mixing together seasoned reality competition players with random, inexperienced celebrities you'd never guess. The dynamic has led to a lot of incredible roundtable moments and seasons that have delivered every single time.

But the problem with casting celebrities is that, for the most part, they don’t really care about the money. I’m not saying they don’t want to win or they don’t like money. I’m saying, given they’re receiving an appearance fee for being on the show, the money itself doesn’t feel like a primary motivator. You can tell based on how little they try in the challenges and how unexcited they seem when money is added to the prize pot.

That’s in stark contrast to the British version, which casts a lot of everyday people with normal, everyday jobs. It’s obvious how determined they are to win, specifically for the money. They try way harder in the missions, which is why they feel more core to the show. They feel the sting of getting kicked out more than their celebrity counterparts, and you can tell how heavy it sits with them to vote out someone who they know is hoping to win in order to buy a house or change their life in a meaningful way.

The first season of the US version of Traitors had half celebrities and half regular people. I really enjoyed the dynamic but wasn’t terribly surprised to see the show shift to all celebrities, given they got most of the screentime, apart from a few normie standouts like Quentin, Christian and Andie. I get why. Most of the celebrities gave a lot more interesting and energetic confessionals.

The show has benefited in subsequent seasons from having more of those dynamic personalities. They've generated a lot of must-watch moments (like Bob The Drag Queen and Boston Rob at the roundtable), and a lot of viewers have talked about falling in love with the characters, even if they're meeting them for the first time on The Traitors. Polished reality veterans just know how to create good, watchable moments, but as much as the show has gained by their presence, it has lost a sense of urgency and some of the passion.

For awhile, I hoped the show would return to a half celebrity and half everyday people format, but I think splitting them into different seasons is even better. That prevents the inherent power dynamic from being an issue, and it leaves open the opportunity to have an all-stars season in the future that could combine players from both. So, I love the move, especially because they’re bringing back host Alan Cumming, who has really crushed his hosting role inside the Scottish castle.

Season 4 of The Traitors, which features all celebrities, is expected to hit Peacock early in 2026. As always, it features a stacked cast and even has some fun Olympic crossover, given it’ll air right before the 2026 Games in Italy. We don’t have a specific date on the new civilian version, which I guess will be Season 5 (maybe?), but given the filming isn’t scheduled to take place until the Spring, I think it’s likely it won’t air until the fall of 2026. I can’t wait.